Special Day Direct Blog

Gwen Stefani adding a splash of pink to the traditional white in John Galliano

“Married in white, you will have chosen all right. Married in grey, you will go far away. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl. Married in green, ashamed to be seen, Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. Married in pink, your spirits will sink.”

So an old saying goes… and certainly the colour white is currently the most popular choice for a wedding dress… but they weren’t always white. We tend to think that white symbolizes purity and chastity but in fact it was blue that used to symbolize this in medieval times. It was also identified with faithfulness. White was considered the traditional colour of mourning and therefore not the first choice for a wedding dress.

However in 1840 when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert she wore a white satin and lace gown. This set the trend with brides and everyone wanted to copy this look.

Before Queen Victoria dresses were all sorts of colours. Green and purple also popular in medieval times as these colours were associated with royalty and in more recent times brides simply wore their best dress on their wedding day. In the depression years of the twentieth century brides would often dye their dress after the wedding to get more use out of it.

After the Second World War though things got back on track to the style of the typical fabulous white wedding dress epitomized by Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.

These days you definitely don’t need to choose white – it’s your day and the moment you want to look most fabulous so keep your options open and choose something that is right and most flattering for you and suits what season of the year it is. Think about what compliments your tastes, skin and hair colour, body shape and what age you are and let your imagination go!

A traditional wedding car might be right up your street, there’s something classic and timeless about having a vintage car as your transport to and from your ceremony. You can’t really go wrong with this choice or opting for a more modern luxury and sophisticated car such as a Rolls Royce. These vehicles are, however, the most common choice for wedding transportation so why not consider going for something a little different and perhaps a mode of transport that suits your personalities better.

Your wedding is an opportunity to choose your dream vehicle and even go for something quirky if you fancy it – it is for your grand entrance and exit so go for what you really want not just what everyone else has!

A horse and carriage is a great choice that is still traditional but slightly more unusual. It is truly fairytale wedding transport and particularly suits country venues; you perhaps don’t want to be crossing a city in this style.

Fancy arriving looking like a Hollywood star? Then the stretch limo is the choice for you. You can add disco lights, music and lots of bubbly if that’s your style.

Going down the more quirky avenue if you’re a bit more bohemian and enjoy the great outdoors then a beautifully restored classic style VW camper van is a fantastic option. It’s guaranteed to make all your gathered waiting guests smile.

And finally if you want to make a lasting impression and the bride’s hair can cope with a helmet you could be adventurous and go for a motorcycle and sidecar!

A few things to remember when organising your wedding vehicles:

1)    Don’t forget that the other members of the bridal party need transporting too.

2)    See the vehicle in person before the big day and before paying a deposit to ensure it is what you want and is in good condition.

3)    Try to coordinate with your style and wedding theme, especially as it will probably be in photos. Coordinate any ribbons with dresses and colour themes too.

4)    Make sure there is something for you both to drink it the car for in between the ceremony and the reception!

Princess Diana’s magnificent wedding dress is probably the most famous wedding dress in the world and its crowning glory was a veil that was nearly 25 feet long.

Women have worn veils for marriage ceremonies in many cultures and for a long time in history. These days it is completely up to you what style and length of veil you would like, or even if you have one at all.

The dictionary defines the word veil as something that covers, separates, screens or conceals so its meaning is something that masks or disguises so the bridal veil can be seen symbolically as a way of ‘hiding’ the bride before she is officially married. In modern time for most people, however, it is more of a fashion and decorative choice whether one is worn or not.

In ancient times and cultures such as the Romans and the Greeks the bride was veiled to conceal her face so that no evil spirits would be attracted to her.

Also, in other cultures where many marriages were arranged the veil would hide the bride’s face so that her intended husband couldn’t see her before they were married and therefore couldn’t back out of the deal!

In medieval times the veil symbolised chastity and virginity and until fairly recent times it used to be proper only for first time brides to wear a veil. These days though it’s completely up to you – if you want to have one, then wear one! It was also traditional for the groom to lift the veil up, to uncover his new possession, but now many women opt to lift up their veil themselves to show their independence.

Styles of veils have changed over the years in the last century: in the 1940s small veils of the birdcage style, like the picture above, were favoured.

In the 1950s the skullcap veil was in fashion.

And in the swinging 60s long bohemian type veils suited the hippy look of the time.

But back to Royals – Kate Middleton had ivory silk, 72 inches long…

Beyoncé and Jay-Z danced to their first collaboration, ‘Crazy in Love’, and Prince William and Kate danced to ‘Your Song’ by Elton John, performed by Ellie Goulding. Whilst we’re not all popstars and royalty who can make sure their first outing on the dance floor is a spectacular one you can take some steps to make sure it is not a disco disaster.

It can both nerve-racking and exciting to be in the spotlight to perform your traditional first dance together as husband and wife. Being the centre of everyone’s attention is daunting in itself but when you also have to do something co-ordinated and perhaps something your not comfortable doing this could make what should be a highlight of your wedding celebrations a part that you dread. You or your partner might just not be used to dancing together or one or both of you might have two left feet!

Whilst you definitely don’t need to be getting up to Strictly Come Dancing glitterball standard, and you won’t have Craig Revel-Horwood there to mark you out of 10 afterwards, it still might be worth getting a few pointers and maybe some dance lessons and choreography to help you master the basics, boost your confidence and see you right on the night. You will have more fun when you know you have practised and can relax and enjoy it. Plenty of dance studios can cater for this.

Here’s a list of some popular choices, but what tunes might you go for?

Fly Me to The Moon – Frank Sinatra

It Must Be Love – Madness

I Cant Help Falling in Love with You – UB40

Everything – Michael Bublé

It Had To Be You – Harry Connick Jr

Unforgettable – Nat King Cole

At Last – Etta James

Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden

Amazed – Lonestar

If you really fancy a challenge why not try a Dirty Dancing inspired dance:

You may be thinking of popping some favours for your guests on the tables at your reception but do you know why we even do it at all? The original meaning of the word favour was to describe the ribbons made into a bow that was bestowed upon the successful champions of jousting tournaments.

This bow was based on the ‘true-love knot’ that was used as a symbol of love:

“Three times a true-love’s knot I tie secure;

Firm be the knot, firm may his love endure” (John Gay – Pastorals)

It could also be worn in battle to show your allegiance – a badge or ornament worn as a mark of favour.

The tradition of distributing favours at wedding is also a very old one. The first were called bonbonnieres that wealthy aristocrats would give to their guests. They were beautiful containers made of crystal or porcelain and decorated with precious stones. They contained sugar cubes or another sweet confection as sugar was very expensive at this time and therefore it demonstrated how rich you were to give these gifts to your guests.

This tradition then spread as sugar became more affordable and bonbonnieres were replaced with almonds as traditionally this nut was used to symbolise best wishes for the groom’s married life. Sugar coated almonds – actually know as confetti – were introduced and often given in a set of 5 to represent health, happiness, fertility, wealth and longevity for the newly married couple. With the bitter nut and the sweet exterior they also represent the bitter sweetness of marriage.

Contemporary choices of wedding favours are wide-ranging; you can choose any kind of gift to give to your wedding guests but sugared almonds are still a popular and traditional choice. We have chiffon bags available in different colours to pop your favours in.

With the cost of weddings rising and the economy taking a turn for the worse it is worth considering making a saving on your special day with the choice of the bubbles that your wedding guests will be raising in their glasses to toast your future happiness and husband and wife.

To be called Champagne this fizz must come from the Champagne region of North East France and be made in particular traditional long and slow process including a second fermentation in the bottle, which naturally produces bubbles. Dom Perignon said “come quickly, I am tasting stars” when he had his first sip and its popularity and price have remained high! So it can be quite an expense to provide multiple bottles at a wedding reception but will cheaper alternatives, sparkling wines from other countries, cut the mustard?

The Italians would urge you to try their delicious sparkling wine called Prosecco. It has an off-dry and light-bodied taste with a lovely frothy mousse and a peach blossomy smell. It differs from Champagne in that it doesn’t ferment in the bottle so it will go stale eventually and is therefore best drunk when it’s young. It can also be used to make a fantastic Bellini cocktail when mixed with peach pureé. This classic cocktail was invented by barman Giuseppe Cipriani in Harry’s Bar in Venice and looks great in a tall champagne flute.

Another great option for your fizz is Cava, Spain’s famous sparkling wine. It’s actually made by a pretty similar method to Champagne and therefore can be much closer in style to champagne than Prosecco. It’s not as acidic as Champagne and is light and fruity with a crisp taste and green apply aromas.

Whatever you choose all sparkling wines should be served nice and cold, at around 5°C as this will make the bubbles smaller and last longer and carbon dioxide is more soluble in water at low temperatures. Make sure there’s no washing up liquid left on the glasses too as this can reduce the amount of bubbles.

So go and sample some more reasonably priced sparkling wines and get some corks popping!

A man decides that the time has come to pop that all-important question to the woman he loves. He asks himself what’s the best time, place and situation in which do this to greatest effect and for the desired, affirmative response. It used to be so easy: nice restaurant, good wine, down on one knee, produce ring, ask question.

But not anymore. Thanks to films and online videos the bar has now set pretty high for men to reach. Have some sympathy for the modern man with this added pressure on top of what is already a big decision to take.

Colin Firth learns a new language to propose in Love Actually! That’s simply showing off considering how difficult Portuguese is to pronounce.

Adam Sandler finally wins Drew Barrymore’s heart with a song and the help of the passengers, crew and Billy Idol on a flight to Las Vegas

This man has arranged starring in a musical number at Disneyland. He would have had to rehearse this!

And for this pre-proposal romantic gesture the hopeful groom must have spent a fortune on flowers. Check out this article in The Daily Mail

This expectant husband-to-be has arranged for a whole choir to turn up! Here’s a video.

And finally, of course, no round-up including internet videos would be complete with a flash mob.

But what if you’re not skilled at linguistics, don’t have a background in musical theatre, know an available choir or marching band or don’t have enough coordinated friends to create a flash mob? Answer: don’t worry, as most women are still happy with a nice meal, the traditional one knee position and a ring. Thank goodness.

It’s going to be one of the most important and memorable holidays of both of your lives so it’s worth taking some time to consider what type of honeymoon will suit your interests and preferences best. This will then lead you to a choice of global locations that can fulfil your requirements of culture, wildlife, activity or inactivity! Whatever time of the year you tie the knot the climate will be clement somewhere in the world to enjoy the first holiday you take as man and wife. We’ve identified 5 broad types of honeymoon to consider and some suggested destinations to intrigue and inspire you.

Beach

If lazing around on secluded beautiful sandy beaches fringed with palm trees enjoying private picnics, sipping fruity cocktails and snorkelling with tropical fish in clear azure waters with your newly betrothed floats your boat then head off to destinations such as the Maldives, the Seychelles, the Cook Islands or Fiji. These are perfect places to unwind and revel in luxury on stunning island paradises.

Culture

What if you’re the kind of person who likes to be out and about nourishing the mind and body and senses in cities, museums, galleries, markets, and restaurants and meeting local people? Then a stimulating cultural trip is going to be right up your street. Jet off to a fascinating country such as Japan, Vietnam or India and immerse yourself in the delights of a very different culture to your own.

Beach and Culture

If all of one of these sounds like too much relaxation or too exhausting then this option is the perfect compromise for those who wish to explore and soak up local history and culture and chill-out and soak up the sun. Choose destinations including Thailand, Sri Lanka and Belize for ancient temples and  vibrant cultures that also boast fabulous coastlines.

Safari

If flora and fauna is your bag then step into the lands of the wildlife documentary and witness some of the best sights that nature has to offer such the Big Five, the Great Migration or the elusive Orang-Utan. Your accommodation will range from stunning lodges to tented camps under the stars. Check out South Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Borneo.

Action Adventure

If you’re the type of person with ants in their pants who needs regular adrenaline fixes you’re need a honeymoon where you can hike, bungee, kayak, zip wire, whitewater raft, horse ride and mountain bike in a stunning natural location. Some great places to tick these boxes are Australia, New Zealand and Coast Rica.

So whatever tickles your fancy there’s a destination out there that is guaranteed to suit you both and ease you nicely into married life. Happy honeymoon hunting!

You’ve just got engaged and you’re now starting to plan your wedding. This is an extremely exciting time of your life, and you will want everything to be just perfect – one day so you’ll be able to look back on your special day and remember how wonderful it was. For many brides-to-be, the wedding dress is one of the most important aspects of the entire wedding.

Whether or not a wedding dress is the right shape for you will really depend on many factors such as your figure, your own taste and style, as well as your preferred fabrics.

There are various wedding dress shapes that you can choose from such as Column (1), Princess (2), A-line (3), Mermaid (4), Ball Gown (5) and Slipdress (6). You can also choose from a variety of different necklines and sleeve styles to get the perfect combination.

The various necklines that are available include sweetheart, halter, bateau, high neck, square, rounded and soft sweetheart. Wedding dress sleeve shapes include capped, bell, tank and off the shoulder.

Another important consideration is whether you will be wanting to wear your wedding dress throughout the reception after the wedding ceremony. If this is the case, you may prefer to opt for a dress that will be comfortable rather than a larger meringue style affair that may well prove to unwieldy whilst busting some moves on the dance floor!

Scour the fashion pages, peruse magazines and visit a bridal shop to get a real feel for what you like. You’ll have those wedding pictures for ever after all. If it all gets too much you can always trash that wedding dress!!

Popular romantic movies tend to feature passionate, sometimes desperate, frequently funny stories of threatened love and confused intentions…

…which are hopefully resolved just in time to swap vows of mutual devotion before the characters embark on an untroubled “ever after”.

Weddings have grown as a romantic cinema theme, from a few memorably spontaneous moments in Rebecca or The African Queen, to several hours of deliberately uncertain indulgence, which cover every whim and insecurity of the bride-and-groom-to-be.

A movie wedding is often a threatening prospect in the story, used to show an imperfect relationship in sharp focus, until an old flame turns up as the true love of whoever has been in denial of their real feelings…

…and at such times, it’s usual for the new fiancée’s parents to be icily determined to fix the date and tie the knot, giving a forbidding deadline, before which true love must swim for survival against a tide of frosty, elaborately expensive planning and organisation.

Cinema taught us to feel doubtful about bridal gowns worn with sporting footwear. But it’s interesting that on screen, a couple can be absolutely any type; obstacles to their happiness are things every audience always wants to see them beat, however little they may feel in common.

Of course, it doesn’t help if the bride runs from the altar with her mother’s toy-boy…or if the beautiful wedding-planner has certain feelings for the groom…

…but for the ultimate humour from thoughts denied and feelings repressed, it’s hard to beat a groom who turns out to prefer other grooms:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlIzoB1dvEc