Preparing for your Big Day!
With all the nerves and excitement of your forthcoming big day, its important that you plan everything well in advance. You will want everything to be just perfect.
Here are some guidelines to assist you and your partner, but don't worry our wedding Co-ordinators have many years of experience with managing and organising weddings and will be on hand at all times for any help and advice.
As soon as possible -
Arrange the wedding ceremony with the clergyman/registrar
Book the wedding breakfast venue
Decide how many guests to invite and compile a guest list in consultation with both families
Book the honeymoon.
Don't forget to arrange passports, visas and inoculations.
Choose bridesmaids, pageboys, best man and ushers
Shop for wedding dress and accessories
Decide on the men's outfits
Book the photographer / video company
Book transport
Order the wedding cake
Two - three months prior -
Confirm all arrangements,
Consult the church about music,
flowers, confetti, fees, bells, choir, order of service
Organise going away outfit
Look for gift ideas and make the wedding gift list
Order all wedding stationary - invitations, order of service, napkins, matchbooks and cake boxes
Send out the invitations six weeks prior to the wedding
Choose wedding ring(s)
Organise the floral arrangements for the church and reception venue
Order bouquets, buttonholes, head-dresses and corsages
Buy gifts for the bridesmaids, pageboys, ushers and parents
Book hotel for wedding night
Keep record of wedding invitation replies
Send out gift list on request
One Month Prior -
Send out thank you letters for gifts received
Finalise numbers for the reception and inform the venue in writing at least two weeks prior
Visit hairdresser with your head-dress for a practice session.
Two weeks prior -
Practice your wedding day make-up. Try on dress, wedding shoes, underwear and all accessories. Have a full rehearsal of the wedding, don't forget to time the journey from home to the church .It is also a good idea to time the journey from the church to the reception venue.
Preparing for your wedding -
Traditionally the bride's parents host, finance and organise the wedding, although it is now becoming more usual for both sets of parents and the couple themselves to share the work and costs involved
Here is the traditional list of who does what, which will guide you.
Bride -
Chooses the type of wedding ceremony and sets the date greets her guests at the reception with the groom and both sets of parents.
Groom -
Pays for the engagement and wedding ring for his bride, all church and licence fees, bride's and bridesmaids flowers, flowers for both mothers and buttonholes for the men, transport for himself and the best man, gifts for the bridesmaids and best man and the honeymoon The groom makes a speech at the reception in reply to the bride's father when he thanks the bride's parents and his guests, and proposes the toast to the bridesmaids.
Best Man -
Liaises with the bride's family to keep up-to-date with all arrangements, arranges the stag night, ensure the groom's going away clothes are at the reception venue, supervises the ushers, drives the groom to the wedding and pays the necessary fees on the grooms behalf, passes the wedding rings during the ceremony and arranges all transport to the reception.
At the reception he makes a speech after the groom, thanking the groom for the toast to the bridesmaids He reads out any messages from absent friends and announces the cutting of the cake, arranges transport for the bride and groom from the reception and finally takes the groom's wedding clothes homes.
Chief Bridesmaid -
Helps the bride to dress on her wedding day, organises all the other bridesmaids, takes the bride's bouquet during the ceremony, helps the bride to change into her going away outfit and takes care of the bride's wedding dress after the reception.
Usher
Hands out service sheets and shows guests to their seats
Civil Marriages
All of our hotels are approved as venues for the solemnisation of marriages and civil partnerships.
There are certain rules and regulations pertaining to Civil Marriages, a copy is available from the Registrar at Ruthin (Tel 01824 703782).
You will need to book the ceremony directly with the Registrar and they will charge you a standard flat government fee for their services.
To Sandra and all the staff at the Bryn Howel Thank you all so much for a lovely day.
We could not fault the food, drink and the service.
All our guests seemed to enjoy themselves and most importantly we did making this a day to remember.
With love
Darren & Heolwen