Having a winter themed wedding? check out our great products!

Are you having a winter themed wedding? on our site, we have a wide range of snowflake themed products, from place cards to cufflinks.  Click here to view our snowflake products on our site

Looking for a more general 'winter' theme? check out our pinterest board for inspiration http://uk.pinterest.com/tiptopwedding/winter-wedding-products/

Our winter wedding category on our site also includes some great gifts, such as personalised baubles, perfect for the happy couples first Christmas, or great for thank you gifts for the wedding party.
http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/catalog/Winter_Wedding-293-1.html

Looking for a bridal handbag or ones for the Bridesmaids?

we have a great range of bridal handbags, perfect for the bride to be, bridesmaids and mother of the Bride or groom!

Our range start from £12.99, and come in
a great range of colours, perfect to suit your wedding colour scheme!  From Fuchsia and Turquoise to Pink and Navy, we have a wide range of colours for you to choose from.

One of this seasons big colours is purple, is this part of your colour scheme?  we have a good variety of designs in this colour which are bound to suit your style and tastes  Click here to view

We also have a great range of designs, we have some beautiful handbags with diamante buckles and waves, and some with flowers or bows.  Each one of our bridal handbags are beautiful and some bridesmaids prefer to carry a handbag instead of a bouquet, and it can be used again!

We also have a number of handbags in either white or ivory, perfect for the bride who wants a bridal bag that matches her wedding dress!  We have lace and vintage styles as well as contemporary styles.


Take a look at our range of wedding handbags, there are so many to choose from, all a perfect way to add a splash of colour to your wedding outfits! 

Looking for a Wedding Photographer? check out our blog post for some handy tips!

Choosing the right wedding photographer for your special day is an important decision that most brides and
grooms face in the lead up to their wedding. It is an important decision you don’t want to get wrong! What things should you look for and what questions should you ask before finally making an informed decision.

Decide on your Budget

Most couples have a budget to work within. Wedding photography is a professional service and can be expensive and vary in price dependent on the area you live, the service you need or the time of year you get married.

Allow approximately 10 – 15% of your wedding budget for photography costs.  This will rule out photographers outside of your price range.

Research!, Research!, Research!

Search for all the industry professionals in your area and make a list. Ask your friends for recommendations, contact bridal shops, venue providers and check web listings and social media sites, groups and pages. I know it sounds like a lot of work but you wouldn’t choose your reception venue without seeing it first!!

Make a Shortlist.

When you have made a list of photographers go through them all, looking at samples of their work on the internet. If you like the style and look of their work contact them and ask if they are available on your wedding date.  Check out the price for the services you need, including the price of albums if you want one.  If you are happy with the answers, arrange a meeting with them.

Meeting  the Photographers

Try and arrange a meeting for you and your partner to meet either at the photographers place of work or in your own home. Make sure they will be the person attending your wedding, (the actual photographer) ask to see further examples of work, reviews from previous brides or ask if you can contact previous clients.

Think about the questions you want to ask them to help you make a final decision:

How experienced is the photographer? Do they specialise in wedding photography?  How soon after the wedding can you expect to receive your image disc, prints or proofs? Roughly how many pictures will you receive?

How did you get on?

Did you like them? Was the photographer nice and polite? It is so important if you have a good relationship with your photographer.  Make sure you like the photographer as well as their portfolio! Remember if you don’t get along on the day it could make your big day a stressful one. Ask yourself can you spend possibly the whole day with that person when you are tired, stressed and just want to sit down after a long day?

If you find a photographer that you like – book them!!! Don’t take a chance and wait. Good photographers can be booked 12 to 24 months in advance.   

http://www.ac-fotoworx.co.uk                          

Thinking of Hiring a Wedding Planner? on average 38% of Couples do

Planning your wedding will be one of the most exciting things you do in life! However; do you have the time or the desire to spend on the less fun aspects of planning a wedding such as ensuring you have sourced reputable suppliers at the right prices, chasing suppliers, sourcing the finest details to incorporate within your wedding, ensuring supplier payments have been made in time…

These and many other aspects of planning a wedding can take up to and above around 250 hours
which is equivalent to the average job for 6 to 8 weeks. If you are a professional working long hours or a full time parent or you simply feel overwhelmed even by the simple thought of such a large scale and demanding task; here are a few ways in which a wedding planner can be of assistance:

Perfection On Your Day - Planning a wedding takes time and a wedding planner knows which suppliers will best meet your requirements at the best prices.

Budgeting Assistance - Money is the number one factor when planning a wedding. A wedding planner can assist you source the most suitably priced suppliers and will ensure you are always aware of all outstanding balance dates.

Supplier Sourcing - Locating suppliers within budget and whom are trustworthy can be time consuming and somewhat stressful. A wedding planner has a long list of reputable suppliers to suit your style, theme and budget.

An Enjoyable Wedding Planning Experience - Planning a wedding can be stressful so have a planner listen to your wishes, take on the stress and realise your dreams.

Creativity - Weddings are very special occasions and everything must be just so. A wedding planner will listen to your ideas and will ensure they are brought to life. If you are unsure of what you want; a good wedding planner will be able to advice you based on your initial ideas.

Alternative Destination Weddings - Many couples like to marry abroad or outside their local area. This can add to the demands of planning a wedding.

Many Brides confuse an independent wedding planner with their venue’s wedding co-ordinator. The difference between the two is that an independent wedding planner is hired by the Bride & Groom and not by the venue as a wedding co-ordinator is. Although the wedding co-ordinator will assist couples plan related aspects of their wedding related to the venue its self; an independent wedding planner will be on hand to assist couples deal with ALL aspects of their entire wedding, hen & stag, honeymoon and everything else in between.

An independent wedding planner is hired to work for Bride & Groom by listening to their ideas, getting to know people within the wedding party and providing ideas, assistance and innovative or traditional suggestions to ensure their Big day is exactly what they dreamed for it to be without any stress or worries along the way or on the day its self!

Kate Leonardi-Green of Engaging Events
www.engagingevents-bykate.co.uk

Avoid Scammers on Facebook, use registered companies and websites instead.

I am on a few groups and pages on Facebook, and there seems to be an increase in Brides being
scammed or conned.  It seems there are a few people who sell wedding items on Facebook that aren't companies, who just primarily sell items via Facebook sites.  People are told to make sure to use PayPal, in case of any problems, but it seems that many Brides are still being talked out of their hard earned cash.

I would say its always better to buy from registered websites and companies, they know the rules they have to abide by, and they have more security measures in place to make sure you don't get conned.  Please understand, these companies have slightly higher prices because of the outlay they have to have in order to keep the business running.  The sellers on Facebook that have no overheads so can sell the items cheaper for you, but they don't have the professionalism that a website/company has.  They also don't have the commitment that websites have.   

If you do decide to buy from Facebook sellers, always make sure you check if they have had trouble in the past and make sure you use PayPal.  But spare a thought for the businesses that are trying to do their best for you, like us, we keep our prices as low as possible for our customers, but there is always someone willing to make a little less, which, when you have a business and website commitments you cannot compete with.

www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk

Why do brides wear Veils?

I was asked about this, and I didn't know the answer.  After looking around for a while I have found out that its an old pagan tradition, the bride wore a veil to keep evil spirits at bay that may try and take the purity of the Bride away.  I have also found out that it used to be either red or yellow.

I have also seen that the veil is used so that the groom cannot see the bride before they're married, or to imply that the Groom thinks she's beautiful skin deep.

Modern veils have two parts to them, the top part is put over the brides head until after the ceremony.

We have a great range of wedding veils on our site, they come in many sizes and designs. http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/catalog/Bridal_Veils-408-1.html

A Brilliant wedding at Beeston Manor in the Autumn

Last October we got married at Beeston Manor.  The staff were amazing, very accommodating and helpful and the food was amazing. 

The menu was great, we asked for a few items that weren't on their usual wedding breakfast menu, and they were very happy to help. As it was an autumn wedding, I had to ask for pumpkin soup, which was absolutely amazing!  The fish and chips and pie and mash which we had for mains were also great.  The best food I've ever had at a wedding!

The puddings were apple pie and custard and sticky toffee pudding, a great end to a great meal.  We loved that we could choose a really English menu, and they did it brilliantly. 

I would highly recommend Beeston Manor, not just for the food they made, but also for how helpful they were through out the wedding.

www.beestonmanor.com

Ordering a Wedding dress from China? me too, went ok for me!

When we decided we were getting married, I knew for a fact I didn't want a 'normal' wedding dress. I would have loved a red one, but not wanting to go too OTT, I decided to go for one that was ivory and red.  All the ones I loved were from China and on Ebay.  I bit the bullet and ordered this dress:

a few months later my dress arrived.  It was in a very small plastic bag, well my heart sank.  I had ordered a underskirt too, no way did I think my dress would fit in this bag.

I got it home and tried it on with the underskirt sent, it was no where near as bad as I had thought.  I did make the decision then to buy another underskirt, once this arrived I found that I liked the dress more.

I had a few issues with the dress, apparently wedding dresses from china are very well known for the zips breaking.  Luckily years of time at the theatre and helping my mum make costumes, I fitted a new zip, it fit so much better once I had done this.

I did wonder whether I should buy a new dress, as it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be, and didn't really look like the image.  I think that was the problem I had with the dress, I really thought it would be the same as the image.  Once I had resigned myself to the fact that the dress itself was beautiful, even though it didn't look like the dress I had wanted, I loved it.

These dresses from China seem to have he same idea as the image you are shown. I expected my dress to have layers and layers of tulle, it had one.  The design and detail was the same as I had thought, just the skirt wasn't anywhere near as full as I had thought.

If I was to do this again, I would still go for it and order the dress from China, as even though it may not quite be what you think, it will definitely be worth the price you paid.  Mine was around £150 in total after 2 underskirts (I wore both on the day)

New Bridal shoes and handbags! just added, great colours and designs

Check out our great new wedding shoes, we also have matching handbags.  They come in a wide range of colours and designs, all at great prices. 

We have some platform shoes, sandals, court shoes and more, great for the bride, bridesmaids and mother of the bride. 

We have a great range that come in Ivory or white, and other colours such as black, grey, silver, taupe, aqua green, and much more


Take a look at our great range of wedding shoes on our site http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/catalog/Wedding_Shoes-365-1.html

Shaw Hill Golf Club Wedding Venue - Sunday Lunch review

We have just been to Shaw Hill Golf Club for Sunday lunch.  It was for a party of 9, for a 89th Birthday party.

The food was great, we had 3 courses for £17.95. 
Their Sunday lunch I would assume is
 very similar to their wedding breakfast.  We had a choice of a few items, but not a big menu.  I had Pate to start, and chicken with a chilli mash for main, most of the other people had the beef Sunday lunch with homemade Yorkshire pudding, which looked really good.  Vegetables were served separate so you could add your own.

The puddings were also a good choice, everyone enjoyed them!  The strawberry and pear pudding was especially good.

The staff were great, very accommodating, and very pleasant. 

I had never realised that there was a restaurant in Shaw Hill, as I had never seen it advertised.  I would recommend this for Sunday lunch, but have also heard many good things about their weddings too. 

The venue's décor is beautifully done, very tidy and grand, but with a modern twist.

Check out http://www.shaw-hill.co.uk/

Rustic Autumn Wedding, non traditional wedding - Real Bride Story

We got married in October of 2013, it was a beautiful Autumn day.  We didn't hire wedding cars, the groom arrived in the Mini he used to drive when he was a teenager, it was still in the family.  I got ready at the venue with my mum and bridesmaids. I had a champagne and red dress, I didn't have any hair or make up people to help.  I chose not to pay for hair and make up as I don't wear make up at all really, and wanted to be me on my photos, this is also why I wore my glasses, as it wouldn't be me without.

We had a harry potter themed sweetie table and table plan, our cake was made up of cupcakes that friends and family had made for us, each cake told you what flavour and who made it. 

Both my mum and dad walked me down the aisle. It is an American tradition, and I (along with my parents) used to live there, so it seemed very fitting.

At the point of 'do you have the rings' a beautiful barn owl flew down the aisle, dive bombed me (the bride) and proceeded to fly to the rafters above our head, with our wedding rings.  He sat here for what must have only been a few minutes, but felt like forever! 

The Mother of the Bride read a brilliant reading 'the good wifes guide' (which I would recommend you find on youtube, a great performance!), and the cousin on the bride sang while the register was signed.

After the ceremony everyone had chance to hold the owls and have photos taken with them, which seemed to go down very well.

We had no speeches, which I don't think anyone really noticed.  After the meal, fish and chips! we had a casino for all the guests, which was a lot of fun.

We did stick to one tradition, we did a bridal waltz.  The groom used to go to dance lessons when it was a very small boy, so we did it for his mum.

I would highly recommend having a wedding that you and your other half want, you are who matters, and it is you who will remember the day forever.

What should I have for my wedding favours? We here this a lot, check out our suggestions

Guests will have been at your wedding venue since around 11am, they wont all have thought to have an early lunch before coming.  The first time they will get to have something to eat will be as they sit down to your wedding breakfast.  Why not choose one of these wedding favours, they will be a welcomed chance to have a nibble whilst waiting for the breakfast to be served.




We have some ready made favours, just choose your organza bag colour, they come with two chocolates and one pack of love hearts




we also have some great just married chocolates, they come in a range of colours shapes and designs.  They can be put in organza bags or some great favour boxes, these also come in a wide range of colours and styles

Not really into chocolate? check out our rock sweets, great for wedding favours.  We have a great range of colours and designs.  They say many phrases such as 'the big day', 'mr & mrs' and 'all you need is love'. 







finally, we have some classic love heart sweets, you can add these to our bags, boxes, or just have them on your table ready for you guests to nibble on whilst they are awaiting your wedding breakfast.

Check out our Top 5 Wedding Cake Toppers, great for topping your cake off perfectly

Struggling to decide which cake topper to have for your wedding cake? Take a look at these top 5 wedding cake toppers

 1.  Diamante Monogram Initials. This cake toppers is classic and adds a bit of elegance to your wedding cake.

2. Wobbly Wedding Cake Topper. Fast becoming this years top selling cake topper. This modern quirky cake topper will definitely make your wedding cake stand out.

3. Bride Dragging Groom Cake Topper. For those of you with a sense of humour this cake topper is perfect. This is a great cake topper for all those brides having to drag their other halfs down the aisle.

 

4. Motorbike Wedding Cake Topper. For all you motorbike loving fans this cake topper is ideal and is a very popular cake topper.

 

5. Ball and Chain Cake Topper. Another cake topper poking fun at the groom.

Looking for a Wedding Photographer in the North West?

Fusion Photography provides a mobile bespoke photography service in the North West of England specialising in weddings, portraiture, boudoir sessions, commercial photography and events. We aim to give clients a professional yet affordable service via our à la carté style pricing system.

Fusion Photography was established in 2012 by myself, Helen Stephens and Emma Paternoster (that’s us on the left!). Though we met in college it wasn’t until we sat together in a class at university that we became good friends, which then lead to a strong friendship as housemates. Whilst studying at University we often worked on projects together and it was at this time we realised what a great team we made. Emma’s love of all things theatrical and narrative based and my love of using natural day light, nature and film photography created something truly unique.  

Our style is derived from using primarily natural light when possible and adding slight direction to the posed photos but allowing the natural emotions of the day to really flourish within the image creation. We love uniqueness and our favourite thing is to meet our couples and spend time getting to know them over a cup of tea. Ultimately we want to create images that represent you as a person, couple or family!

 

Fusion Photography www.fusionweddinggallery.co.uk

Having a vintage wedding? looking for some inspiration?

Tip Top Wedding Shop have a range of pinterest ideas board, we have some for winter weddings,butterfly themed weddings, and recently have started a new board for Vintage weddings. 

Why not follow our boards to get some ideas and inspiration for your upcoming wedding.
 

Know what you want? why not just check out www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk to find your perfect products for your perfect vintage wedding.

8 Reasons for hiring a wedding videographer by AMB Productions (Lancashire)

Many people think why should I hire a wedding videographer when I could spend the money on a video camera which I will be able to keep afterwards? There are many reasons why this is a bad idea. Please view our top 8 reasons below

·         You have one chance to film a wedding and it needs someone who can think on the spot and adapt to different conditions such as lighting.

·         Unless you also invest in a good tripod then the end product will be very shaky people will not want to watch it for more than 5 minutes.

·         If you are giving the camera to a guest then they will want to enjoy your day and are likely to miss parts of the day that we would not.

·         You will have to have an extensive knowledge of editing/dvd authoring software and spend hours trying to get a finished dvd.

·         Unless you buy the correct licenses you will not be allowed to film in most churches and civil venues

·         The techniques and skills that a we use to capture your day will be very difficult to replicate as an amateur

·         We use two cameras which when edited together gives a much more professional DVD.

·         The equipment we use work very well in low light conditions which is important when filming in churches.

www.ambproductions.co.uk

Real Bride's Story - Same Sex Marriages

Jennifer Edwards' Real Bride Story: 

So we decided to get married last January - only we couldn't actually get
married back then so embarked on planning our civil partnership! We took to planning straight away and now, nearly a year and a half on we are very nearly there!

Last month it was announced that we could legally marry and despite the differences in civil partnerships and marriages are not overly obvious we were keen to change our plans to a marriage. This didn't involve much simply changing the paperwork and re submitting our notices to marry in the registry office.

I'd say the planning has been exactly the same as a heterosexual marriage really and we haven't experienced any negativity along the way although we did struggle to find a large free standing Mrs and Mrs sign - something a friend made for us in the end!

We also took a lot of time in planning our entrance as neither me or my fiancé wanted to wait at the front for the bride! 2 brides could mean either a joint entrance or 2 entrances we thought! So fingers crossed at the end of this month we are going to have one of the first amazing same sex marriages in the UK and we can't wait.

Photo credit to:  Jeni Smith Photography http://www.jenismith.com/

New Rustic Wedding Range, guest books, place cards, sweetie bags and more

Check out our new rustic range.  We have some beautiful brown place cards, with matching guest book, favour boxes and chocolates. 

We have some great products for vintage weddings, aswell as our rustic ranges.  Alot of our products go well with other items in different ranges. 

Why not check out www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk for some great wedding decoration ideas

http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=name&search_str=rustic&x=0&y=0

NEW: Wedding Guest Books, perfect for any wedding theme

Check out our new wedding guest books.  We have a great range from personalised and beach, to rustic or vintage. 

We have white, ivory, red, gold, blue ones with hearts, butterflies, birds and more.


http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/catalog/Wedding_Guest_Books_Pens-30-1.html

Perfect Wedding Socks, great for the grooms party

Tip Top Wedding Shop has a great range of wedding socks.  We have some personalised socks, where you can add your own name and wedding date.  We also have some great themed wedding socks, such as butterflies, autumn leaves and hearts, all of which you can add your wedding date to.  Our socks come in various colours, but alot of the black socks come in a range of text colours.

We also have a range for the bride and bridesmaids, not to mension our harry potter themed wedding socks


More wedding socks are always being added, so if you cant see what you want, feel free to ask.  info@tiptopweddingshop.co.uk

Tip Top Wedding Shop has some great new bridal hair accessories

Our wedding hair accessories are great not only for the bride or bridesmaids, but also for guests.  We have a great range of hair clips and grips in a variety of designs and mediums.  We have some beautiful diamante hair combs, aswell as some feather headbands.

Why not have a look at our hair accessories range, all at great prices!

New Wedding Hair accessories and Fascinators added

Check out our new hair accessories and fascinators.  We have some great diamante, crystal and pearl hair pins, grips and barrettes, great for any wedding outfit.

We also have a new range of wedding fascinators, made popular recently by princess kate.  We have some that a great for guests, but also for the bride and mother of the bride!

http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/catalog/Hair_Accessories-144-1.html

Just got engaged? or know someone who has? Check out our great engagement gifts

Tip Top Wedding Shop has a great range of gifts, our engagement gift section is just a selection of the beautiful presents we sell for weddings and engagements. A lot of our gifts can be personalised for any occasion. We have items such as champagne flutes, photo frames, slippers tote bags and more

http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/catalog/Engagement_Gifts-369-1.html