Category Archives: Planning

At Home Wedding Reception Planning Secrets

Nothing is more sentimental or comforting than a wedding reception that occurs in your very own home. But while you may be eager to celebrate your vows in your cosy abode, prepping for these upcoming festivities may seem daunting. Fortunately, you can easily pull off an at-home wedding celebration with these 5 secrets in mind:

  1. Secret #1 — Don’t Do All the Work Alone

Just because you’ve decided to host your reception at your home doesn’t mean you have to do all of the planning and prepping solo. With all of the cleaning, organising and executing involved, even Wonder Woman would struggle to put a whole wedding together alone.

Don’t be afraid to hire a wedding coordinator – They’re not just for those who having a reception in a dining hall or church, after all! If you have a crew of eager family members and friends who are ready to offer you their support, take advantage of their willingness to pitch in. When you divvy up tasks, you’ll find that the process of planning a wedding reception at home doesn’t need to involve any stress at all.

  1. Secret #2 — You’ll Need a Plan

When planning for a wedding reception at home, making the actual plan may seem like a given. But far too often, brides get caught up in prepping and making arrangements that they forget to create a step-by-step plan that ensures their wedding day will go by smoothly.

Create a wedding day checklist that clearly defines your goals, events and the details that you intend to manifest during your reception. Do you have enough seating available for the amount of guests you invited? Will you cook your food, or cater? Do you have a back-up plan in case the weather interferes with your arrangements?

Make sure you touch on key aspects of your wedding, such as decorations, food and drink and entertainment. When you have an actual plan mapped out for your reception, everything will be much more correlated and in order for your special day. 

  1. Secret #3 — Make Cleaning Your Home Easy

Inviting guests over for any occasion often comes with the panic of quickly cleaning your home. But after prepping and planning for your wedding day ceremony, the last thing you want to do is spend the weekend scrubbing the toilet before you walk down the aisle.

Sometimes, the best solution is to have someone else who can take the burden off your shoulders. Professionals know just what areas to clean and will leave your home spotless so that you can focus on getting pampered before you tie the knot instead.

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Wedding Dress Alterations – What Can I Change About My Wedding Dress?

When it comes to wedding dress alterations, sometimes people forget that you can change more than just the fit. It is so important on your wedding day that you truly love your dress and feel it reflects your personality perfectly! You can’t always find that perfect dress in the store, which is why it’s important to know just how much of a difference wedding dress alterations can make. From adding details to changing the style, there is so much a professional seamstress will be able to do for you. We’ve teamed up with Alterations Boutique, experts in dress alterations, to let you know just a few of the things you can change about your dress.

Adjusting Your Wedding Dress

The Fit

The fit of the dress is one of the most common and important wedding dress alterations. Having a dress that fits you properly is essential on your big day. You want to make sure that the dress fits as intended all over. When a wedding dress doesn’t fit properly it can change the appearance of the whole dress, so you want to make sure it is sculpted perfectly for your body. Remember, you’ll be in this dress all day, so if it’s too small or too large you’ll be really uncomfortable. 

The Length

The length is an easy changeable feature of your wedding dress. Whether you just want to make the dress the right length, or want to turn it into a shorter version, this can be done for you. Shortening a dress is always an easier job than lengthening, though lengthening a dress is possible. This is only to a certain extent and we would always recommend getting a dress that is too long rather than too short. 

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A Natural & Romantic Styled Shoot – The Tetley, Leeds

I hope you all had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend? Today on Marry Me Ink I get to share with you this gorgeous styled shoot from Your Choice Photography that took place at The Tetley in Leeds. The Tetley is part of Leeds history, and is a little bit of old meets new with redesign inside which makes for a lovely backdrop and versatile enough for any couple.

Jordan & Jamie have been together some years now, and travelled over from Birmingham to take part in the beautiful shoot. Jamie models in the alternative industry and had just the look that I was after… she is really authentic and very sweet. Jordan is a guitarist in ‘Failure Is An Option’ and the pair give off this natural sweet, but rock ‘n’ vibe!

All the styling on the day was by Add Vintage, Emily created some beautiful looks which were incredible when combined with the illuminations from Love Lights The Way.

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A No-Stress Guide to Hosting a Cocktail Wedding Reception

Many couples are shying away from the traditional reception and considering something different — a cocktail party. Instead of sitting down and being served, guests can move about and mingle as they please. 

The type of cocktail reception you host is entirely up to you. You can make the event as special and unique as you and your partner. If you want to plan an event to remember, read the no-stress guide below to hosting a cocktail wedding reception. 

Tell Guests What to Expect

Keep guests satisfied by telling them what to expect on your wedding day. People can become uncomfortable or disgruntled when they feel they don’t know what is going on. 

Communicate your wedding day schedule to friends and family, including the time and format of the reception. Add a short timeline on your save-the-dates and invitations. If you have a wedding website, provide an itinerary for the day that guests can follow. And be sure to list if you only plan to serve hors d’oeuvres, as some people may want to eat ahead of time.

Choose Non-Traditional Times

Most planning couples think a reception has to be around dinner time — between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. During this time, guests will expect a full meal. Whether you want to stick to appetizers only or want a party that’s different than most, consider choosing a non-traditional time for your reception. 

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