Only 5? I have allowed myself to pick only 5??
Yes, well, you would be utterly bored if I listed them all!!!

My Top 5.

1. The Dress
Naturally.

For most Brides to Be, its the most important feature to get right & something that should be the most fun… should be… after we have nearly killed ourselves to look as good as impossible….
I know many Brides who have run straight out to try on dresses immediately. I, as you know, am not one of those Brides, but I still want it to be utterly stunning, to match me.. ha ha ha! And I love how excited people get when they try dresses on! Even the big bad ones!
This amazing Claire Pettibone dress is actually for Sale! Click here to see more.

2. The Speeches
I just don’t know how they do it. The best man speeches are always great! Funny. Soooo funny. I know people get great tips on line- check out Wedding Speeches & Toasts by Maggie Mayfair for some great advice.
My hats of to you the Best man, its always a cracker!

3. Flowers
I love the flowers that are chosen for weddings!!! Peonies, Cala Lilies, Roses, sunflowers.. the list is endless.

They always look stunning & in my humble opinon, the simpler, the better.

4. Food & Drink
People always seem to remember the food! Sometimes because it was fantastic.. and sometime becasue it was awful.
I have sampled both, but like many, I remember the awful ones the most! So i am working hard for my food NOT to be a ‘bad food’ story.

I love food in general, but wedding food is so delicious becasue sooo much care & preperation goes into it all.

Don’t get me started on the cake!!

5. The Venue
The more magical & unusual the better for me! I showed you these tents from Papa Kata last week which I think are amazing!

You can also have a stunning manor house which often do a great deal on the whole day’s package.
I have also heard of tree house weddings, lake sided venues, Barns, beaches.. you name it I am sure someone has had a wedding there!

As the venue is where you spend the day, its so important to get one you like! I am still trying. I have found it but its a little out of my range right now….

So, there’s to Emma & her wedding next week!
I’m bursting with excitment!

Charlotte xx

Happy Sunday wedding lovers!

Argh.
I have been trying to find out about ‘free’ glass hire for our wedding- what a kafuffle.
I can’t seem to get a simple answer anywhere- not even on the phone to customer services! I can only imagine many of you are having the same issues??
So, today, “My Name is Charlotte, Happy to Help”. Except, I really am!

I have checked out supermarkets & a wine store. I aim to keep this as simple as possible for you!!

Waitrose
* Wine glasses, pint & 1/2 pint glasses come in cases of 24
* Champagne glasses come in cases of 48
* Enquire & Order in-store
* No deposit required
* 48 hours of rental
* Book ASAP to avoid disappointment
* Collect glasses from your store & return clean
* No additional purchase required
* £1 payable per broken glass
(I asked in Welwyn Garden City- details may vary per store. Click here for the store finder)

Tesco
* Wine glasses, pint & 1/2 pint glasses
* Enquire & Order in-store
* No deposit required
* Book ASAP to avoid disappointment
* Collect glasses from your store & return clean. Click here for locator!
* No additional purchase required
* They do charge for breakages

Sainsbury’s
* Minimum of 48 hours notice required
* Loaned for upto 7 days (day 1 being your collection date)
* £20 deposit
* Sign contract in store
* £1 per breakage
* As in store as they all differ to how many they have available. Click here for the locator.

Morrison’s
* Wine glasses, pint & 1/2 pint glasses come in cases of 24
* Champagne glasses come in cases of 48
* Enquire & Order in-store (trust me, its better than on the phone with this place…)
* £20 Deposit required on booking
* 1 week’s rental, more can be discussed at time of booking
* Book ASAP to avoid disappointment
* Collect glasses from your store & return clean
* Additional purchases- depends on the store- one said its not required, another said £50-£60, another said “a few bottles” Erm….
* They do offer a sale or return, but it differs by store so you may have to ask a few of your local ones
* 50p payable per broken glass & deducted from the deposit
They didn’t seem too sure of the guidelines in Morrison’s, not in 3 stores & at Head Office so to be honest, I personally would steer clear!

Majestic
Again, this is store specific, so check with your local store manager
* Wine, champagne & pint glasses available
* Wine Coolers/ ice bins available to hire as an extra
* They offer sale or return on drinks
* You have to buy wine/ drinks form them on ordering the glasses
* No collection service on glasses but they do offer a free delivery service (T&Cs apply)
* Click here for more info & to find your local store

ODDBINS
also do free glass hire, but again, you need to contact your local store. More details on how to contact them if you click here!

Ok, so all in all its a great deal to get this free hire & with such a small fee for breakages. But the bad news is.. this is store dependant. The larger the store you visit, the more likely they are to be able to meet your quantities. You have visit or call the store customer services not by calling their Head Offices. As I visit the supermarkets regularly for work, I was able to gather a decent amount of info, but pleeeease don’t take this as gospel! it really is a ‘enquire within’ job I’m afraid!
What about water glasses? Seems we are on our own there. The good news is that you can buy plenty of very cheap & nice ones in supermarkets & pound stores! There we go then.

Chink plink
Charlotte xx