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Debbie Diggle
Debbie Diggle runs Wedding Wonders her wedding planning company. Visit the website www.wedding-wonders.com. |
Debbie Diggle answers all your Wedding Planning related questions |
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How do we go about getting married in another country?
Q. We want to have a civil ceremony in a different county to the one we live in. How do we go about organising it and which register office do we need to contact?
A. Debbie Diggle says: The venue you are getting married in will be able to give you details of the local registrar you need to contact. You will need to ring them first to make a provisional booking for the ceremony and then contact the register office of your local council and arrange an appointment to give notice. When you go along for this appointment, you will need to take photographic ID and proof of address. If either of you has been married before, you will also need your decree absolute or the death certificate, if either of you has been widowed. You will need to pay £30 each at this time and a further £3.50 will have to be paid for the marriage certificate.
The booking is only valid for one year from the date of the confirmed booking. As you will probably need to book your venue before this, most register offices will be able to give you a provisional booking which you can then confirm a year before the wedding. |
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Second chance
Q. I really want my wedding day to be perfect, and I don?t want to look back and wish there was something I could have done differently. What regrets do brides often have after the day is over? If I know, I can try to avoid them.
A. Debbie Diggle says: I find that there are four main things brides would change if they could do it all again...
1.Get a professional photographer to take the pictures, instead of a friend
2.Hire a professional videographer to capture the special moments
3.Chose a different dress! This one surprises me, but a lot of brides say they wish they?d spent more time choosing one that made them feel really special, rather than settling on one that was just ?OK?
4.Hire an on-the-day wedding planner so that the family, bridesmaids and groomsmen have no need to get stressed about anything during the wedding |
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What a waste
Q. I love my wedding dress and I can't wait to wear it, and it seems such a shame to put it in a box in the loft after the wedding, never to be worn again. Do you have any other suggestions as to how I can put it to use?
A. Debbie Diggle says: There is a number of things you can do with your dress after your wedding. The first option is to have it professionally dry-cleaned, boxed then put away for a friend or relative to use in the future.
Alternatively, you could talk to a dressmaker, as there may be ways in which your dress can be altered so you could wear it - or parts of it - again. For example, bodices can often be removed and dyed to make evening corset tops, and skirts can have trains removed to make them wearable on other occasions.
If you fancy a fun day out in your dress, how about a trash the dress photo shoot? This is becoming really popular now, and you get to wear your dress again and not worry about how filthy it gets! There are also charity events organised throughout the year for women to do a sponsored walk in their wedding dresses. Search the internet for local events, and if there isn't one in your area, why not organise one? |
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Cutting back
Q. We are worried that we are spending too much on our wedding. Are there any easy ways to make cutbacks?
A. Debbie Diggle says: A large percentage of your wedding budget will be spent on food and drink for you and your guests. Some ways of reducing the food and drink costs are:
- Reduce the number of guests (easier said than done!)
- Have a later ceremony and then your wedding breakfast. This would save the cost of a large evening buffet
- Cut out canapés or if you don't want to do that, have canapés and then don't have a starter with the wedding breakfast
- Serve the wedding cake as dessert
- Have a cash bar (if the venue allows it)
- Serve sparkling wine instead of Champagne |
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That's entertainment
Q. We would like a really small wedding for around 20 guests, but don't know what to do for entertainment. We can't really have a band or a disco, because there are not enough people. What can you suggest?
A. Debbie Diggle says: Small weddings can be lovely but you do need to get the entertainment right. Obviously you know your guests, so you need to decide what would be the best entertainment for them.
If you can everyone seated around one large oval banqueting table, it is much nicer than having two or three smaller tables. I would recommend having a caricaturist or close-up magician during the drinks reception, especially as they will definitely have time to get round all the guests.
After the wedding breakfast, why not have a rat pack singer? They are ideal for a small group with a wide range of ages and you will find that people will get up to dance even if there is no dance floor!
Another option is a casino which can work well with a small group of guests. |
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