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3 important things to tell your Wedding Car company

3 important things to tell your Wedding Car company

Blog, Cars

3 important things to tell your Wedding Car company

So, you’ve booked the Venue, picked the Church or decided on a Civil Ceremony & started to think about all the pretty things associated with wedding planning, like the cake design & flavours, flowers & colour scheme, but you’ve potentially missed a vital piece of the wedding puzzle…. How are you going to get there?

That’s where the world of Wedding Transportation steps up to the mark

So many options, lots of choice, so again it can be a minefield.

The first thing to decide on is your style.

Is your dream to arrive at your wedding in something modern, vintage or quirky? Once you’ve decided, you have the basis for your internet search for local companies with that style of vehicle.

In this blog post I want to share with you a few hints & tips to help you. As part of our wedding business we hire wedding cars and there are key things we need to know from our couples to be able to give them a quote and to help us to make suggestions on the best car we have to fulfill your needs. You can read more about our car service here http://www.idoweddingcars.uk/

1. Vital Information

Your Wedding Date

The date of your wedding is the most important piece of information needed. The car company will instantly know which cars are available for your date, & if they’re already fully booked they can inform you straight away, allowing you to get back to your search quicker.

The Postcode

The next thing to include in your initial email or call is the post code for your collection on the day. This allows the company to locate the area without giving the full address, which could be confirmed later, once you’re happy with the costs and are ready to proceed with the booking. We know that at this stage you haven’t always decided on all of the details but as long as we know the area that you will collected from we can provide an accurate quote.

The location of the wedding

To ensure you get an accurate quote you will need to share the location of the ceremony  and the reception, if the two places are different, so that the journey can be calculated correctly.

 

2. Who gets to go for a ride?

The obvious answer here is the Bride and the person giving her away, but, there are alternate options here too. So giving a bit more thought to what you would like the car and driver to do for you opens up more possibilities to make the journey to your ceremony a special experience for your Bridal Party too.

There are some things to consider here, the main one I’ll cover in part 3, but as a start, here’s some ideas of the information to consider:

Would you like Bridesmaids taking ahead of you? If the answer is yes, how many of them are there?

You might be asked to confirm if any Bridesmaids are under the age of 3. This isn’t because we don’t like children! It’s a safety element. By law, any child under the age of 3 needs to be secured in a child seat to travel in any car.  Some wedding vehicles aren’t equipped with seatbelts, so the secure fastening of a child seat is impossible.

Just a helpful tip there on something that could throw a spanner in the transportation works!

Another important person who shouldn’t be overlooked is of course the Mother of the Bride

Will she travel with the Bridesmaids?

Could she be the person giving the Bride away?

It can be so difficult to step delicately through family situations these days, so please don’t be offended if the supplier at the end of the email or social media message asks a question you find difficult to answer, talk it through and there will always be a reason for a seemingly random question!

 

3. Getting to the Church on time

So, the key information has been shared, now what?

Well, for us, when we have an enquiry and we get clarity on the information shared above, we would look at the locations, distances and if multiple journeys have been requested. Taking all of this in we can look at how this works for your wedding timeline.

For instance, if the two locations are 5-10 minutes apart, it’s not a big deal for one car to collect the first passengers before returning to collect the Bride.

However, if the distance is 15 minutes or greater, the round trip for that first journey means that those first passengers would need to be collected early, to allow time for the car to return to collect the Bride and then get back to the venue for the ceremony. This means any Bridesmaids would be waiting at the venue for a long time, possibly outside in the cold, before you arrive. This is something to consider.

Options here would be to look into a second car to transport the Bridesmaids on their own, but departure time would be at the same time as the Bride’s.

This could be a car to match the Bridal car style, or maybe a nice car owned by an understanding family member, which could also help with your budget.

A second matching car is a nice idea if your ceremony and reception venues are separate locations as the second car could be used to take your Parents on to the Reception, perhaps with your partner’s Parents, as again it adds that specialness to the day for them as well. Just something to consider.

Thoughts of a Bridal Car Specialist

The journey to your wedding is full of anticipation, excitement & let’s admit it, a pinch of nerves too. Arriving in style at your wedding is an integral part of your day.

The journey after the ceremony, with your new Husband or Wife on to your Reception venue is the only point in the day where you’re alone, to absorb what’s happened & to actually take a breath & take it all in.

Preparations on the morning of the wedding can be frantic, a real whirlwind, so that simple journey to the venue can be a welcome relief from the mayhem, as pleasant as the mayhem may be!

Even if your ceremony and reception are at the same venue, having a short drive together, just the two of you, can help to calm you down and allow you to enjoy the rest of the day’s festivities with ease.

Iced and Spliced by Cakey Wakey Wedding Suppliers Nottingham, Derby. Leicester

The final tip I have for you come back to your choice of car style. When contacting companies, it’s not just about the cost of a car. You need to look at what you get for your money, as no two services are the same. You need to look at like for like with car styles too. There’s no point comparing a modern Rolls Royce to a Vintage Rolls, Jag or Beauford, as all of these cars are poles apart.

  • Find your style, look for companies offering the same and don’t be offended if your request for a price match is a flat ‘no’, especially if the cars are a lot different.
  • Look at the small print, or ask if you’d be charged extra if you went over a set amount of time. Delays happen, other suppliers have a job to perform too, so you’d need to know ahead of the day if there are any penalty charges that could be incurred. Nothing worse that an unexpected invoice after the day.
  • Lastly, consider how you’d feel looking back at your wedding photos in years to come & regretting your choice of car style, or on missing that special feeling of arriving for your ceremony at all.

Any wedding car plays an important role in your day. Pick a style that suits your theming & style, but also reflects your personalities.

Look at websites & Social Media feeds to get an insight into past customer experiences & reviews of the service, plus any images of those couples on their wedding day, with the car style you’re interested in, to help you visualise you on your big day. You can find us on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/idoweddingcarsnotts/ 

You can read more about our wedding car service here and get in touch if you would like to chat about whether we could help you travel on our special day in style.

Iced and Spliced by Cakey Wakey Wedding Suppliers Nottingham, Derby. Leicester

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The 3 most important pieces of information your cake maker needs to know when ordering your wedding cake

The 3 most important pieces of information your cake maker needs to know when ordering your wedding cake

Blog, Cakes

The 3 most important pieces of information your cake maker needs to know when ordering your wedding cake

 

Planning a wedding can be very overwhelming. So many things to think about. So many people asking questions you probably don’t have the answers to or haven’t even thought about yet.

So, I thought I’d put some tips together to help you give the information your cake maker needs to know when you come to enquire about your wedding cake, which will make the cake selection process run as smoothly as possible.

1 Wedding Date and Venue

 

The first piece of information your cake maker will need is your date. This is important as they will need to confirm if they are available before you can progress to the next stage.

Like Florists & Venue Stylists, Cake Makers can potentially turn their hand to producing more than one cake per date. But, at some point, their limit for a week will be reached & further bookings could be refused. This is the way we work and it means that every single couple we work with gets the focus and attention they deserve.

The second piece of information needed here is your Venue. Not only will this help your cake maker with logistics, if they do have another cake to deliver on your date, but it will also help them with suggestions & design ideas if they have a knowledge of your Venue & its style. This knowledge can be so helpful because I am sure your head is full of ideas and if the cake maker knows the venue then they can give suggestions as to what would work well within the setting. I love this part of what we do – the ideas!

2. How many people do you need your cake to feed?

 

You should take into account your total number of guests, including the evening party, when thinking about portion numbers. This will have an impact of the size of cake you have which will also impact the design.

Most couples keep the cake intact until the evening, when the cake cutting precedes the first dance. That way your evening guests get to witness some of the significant traditions of your wedding, which could be missed if the cake is served as dessert after your meal or cut earlier in the day.

The cake them becomes the sweet part of your evening buffet.

But… there will be some people who don’t like cake (they’re just weird!) or people who think they’ll take some home with them at the end of the night, who will know will be too wasted to remember much at all, never mind grabbing a slice as they hit the taxi’s.

So, the best idea is to reduce your portion numbers slightly, to avoid having lots of cake left over after the big day. For instance, if your top number is 150, reduce your cake size request to 120, or for 120, reduce to 100 portions.

Keeping the top tier intact, for you to enjoy while opening your gifts the following day is also an idea, as most couples are too engrossed in their day to remember to have a piece of their own cake & miss out!

3. Design Inspiration & Colours

 

It’s so helpful, from a cake designer point of view, for you to have an idea of what you’re drawn to visually, or what your dream wedding cake looks like.

It’s not often I give permission to Brides to hit Pinterest with my blessing, but it can be a useful aide if you really don’t have a clue where to start.

Another good idea is to check out your potential cake maker’s social media feeds & website gallery, as that will feature their most recent work and can help you decide if something on there sparks an interest, possibly with a few tweaks and alterations to make the design more personal to you. Looking through these galleries also showcases what that cake maker can do and if they’re the right fit for you.

Colours & some design pieces will only fall into place once your Bridesmaids dress colour choice has been made, as that leads to your floral shades & lots of other design elements. But don’t panic – you don’t need to have ALL of the details set out, that is what the consultations are for and that is how we build the perfect cake for our couples. I’ll do another blog about details soon!

Opinion of a Cake Maker

 

Most cake makers will offer the opportunity for you to try their cake flavours during a cake tasting or consultation meeting. Some charge for this meeting, with the amount paid deducted from your final balance if you go on to book with that supplier, while others offer it as a no obligation, complimentary extension of their service which is what we do – we think it is so important for you to know that you have chosen the right supplier before you part with any money because we will get to know one another pretty well during the process!

 

It’s nice to try before you buy, so as part of our #icedandsplicedexperience, any couples who arrange a cake consultation meeting get to take a box of our most popular flavours home with them, to try in private. No one there to judge you if you get covered in crumbs! It gives you the opportunity to get other’s opinions too, so sharing the samples with family members helps them to feel included in some of your wedding day choices & you never know, they might even offer to pay for the cake for you!

The final things to consider with your cake choice is the allergy & special dietary requirements minefield.

Should you need to take into consideration any ingredients that need to be omitted through diet, allergy or religious/moral convictions, don’t design your entire cake around a few guest’s needs. Instead, consider having some separate pieces made to satisfy any special diet needs, like Gluten Free or nut allergies, or for those who follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

That way, these guests are catered for in a considerate way, while your other guests are able to enjoy the cake flavours you’ve picked in full, & will be more than willing to help you devour your wedding cake

I hope that that helps you to think about the details. If you need any help, you know where we are, just pop a comment in the box below and we can chat all things cake…my favourite subject!

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3 things to consider when covering the chairs for your Wedding

3 things to consider when covering the chairs for your Wedding

Blog, Chair Covers

3 things to consider when covering the chairs for your Wedding

The world of chair covers is a bit of a minefield.

Do you opt for the stretchy kind, that are meant to fit almost any chair? Or do you pick a custom fit, linen style that doesn’t need to be fixed under the feet of the chair to secure them?

This guide will hopefully help you dodge some bullets in the crazy world of chair coverings.

1. Spandex/Lycra

These are the stretchy ‘one size fits all’ covers.

What you need to look into when picking your style of cover is the actual chair you’re covering.

Size is important to the fit of the Spandex cover. Despite them stretching to any size, attention should be paid to how they actually fit your Venue’s chairs.

By this, I mean is there a ‘slope’ formed between the back of the chair & the seat? More common on a chair with a high back, this happens when the Spandex cover is stretched to its maximum, over-extending the cover. It can be uncomfortable for your guests to sit on as the ‘slope’ pushes them forward.

There’s also a greater risk of the covers springing from the feet of the chair when they’re moved.

Other problems arise when the spandex covers are too big for the chairs if the Venue has a smaller style of chair. Being too big can be due to the covers being over stretched previously on larger chairs, as mentioned before. If there isn’t enough chair to stretch the cover properly, the covers can resemble Nora Batty’s stockings, not a pretty sight!


2. Polycotton/Linen Covers

As the name suggests, these covers are made from a mix of fabrics, & hang to the floor, meaning they don’t need to be attached to the feet of the chair.

These covers have a more luxurious look, as they are thicker material than their Spandex cousins, which means the colour of the chairs padding is disguised better. I don’t know why, but lots of venues do tend to have chairs with horrendous patterns on them, which can be visible through thinner cloth.

This type of cover is better if made to measure for the chairs at your venue, so be sure to ask your cover supplier if they are a custom fit.

The Linen style covers form a perfect backdrop to any style of sash dressings.

3. No covers at all?

If you’re lucky, your Venue will have chairs that look fabulous & don’t need covering at all. Yippee!

This chair style is usually the lovely ‘Chivari’ or ‘Cheltenham’ style, which can come in a range of colours.

Or if your Venue is one of the upcoming ‘Urban Chic’ type of places, the chairs may be more of an eclectic mix.

These chairs don’t need covering at all, unless you really aren’t a fan of them, or the seat pad colour clashes badly with your theme.

However, you can make them look more of a styling point of your room, by   having them ‘dressed’ with sashes.

This is ideal for adding your colour to the room & for softening the chairs a little too.

Opinion of a Venue Stylist

I’m often asked ‘how do you tie bows like that?’ The answer is simple….. practice, & lots of it!

Over the past 6 years, which was when we added the chair dressing service to our business, we’ve tied thousands of sashes in lots of different ways.

Our service stands out from others in how we design the look of the chair dressings. From unusual bow styles to multiple sashes, the options are endless.

We love to use buckles & brooches to add points of interest, textures & a hint of opulence to our dressings, creating a wow factor as your guests enter your Ceremony or Wedding Breakfast room.

 

One last piece of advice.

The old adage ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’ is true in most cases, but especially when it comes to Weddings.

If you’re asking a company about chair covers & their cost is a lot lower than other companies, ask the cheaper company what sort of cover you get for that price. Is it Spandex or a ‘proper’ cover?

You will find companies will tell you they have covers to fit the chairs at your venue, but won’t tell you they’re Spandex, unless you ask.

It’s too late to correct that mistake when you discover this on the day of your wedding. You only get one chance to impress your guests, & if your socks aren’t knocked off, theirs won’t be either!

If you’re interested in more information about our chair dressing service, or any of our other services too, we offer an exemplary service for a very reasonable price so please feel free to contact us in the contact form below or take a look at our portfolio for some ideas by clicking here.

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