How To Cut The Cost Of Booze At Your Wedding

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Frostie

1) Avoid champagne. A glass of ‘bubbles’ doesn’t have to be genuine champers – and for those on a budget, I’m reliably informed that a decent sparkling wine tastes better than a cheap bottle of ‘real’ champagne. Most caterers will pre-pour the wine into glasses ready for guests to scoop up, so only connoisseurs will notice that their glass hasn’t been filled up with something that’s actually come from the Champagne region of France.

(Perhaps they will also be too polite to mention the fact that they are in fact drinking cava, the Spanish version, or Prosecco, from Italy.)

2) Mix it up. There’s no need to offer exclusively wine or champers at the reception. Ask your caterer for mixers like Buck’s Fizz (orange juice and bubbles) or more unusual concoctions such as peach juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice or elderflower cordial. Mixing one of these with that sparkling wine will make your alcohol go twice as far – and potentially help prevent any embarrassing scenes if a few guests are a bit too, um, thirsty . . . Name the cocktail something personal to the bride and groom and you’ve got an individual tipple with which to wow everyone.

3) However, don’t have too much choice . . . Offer guests beer, wine, soft drinks and that signature cocktail and you’ll keep most people happy. Don’t worry about spirits or other specific drinks.

4) Keep the reception short. Think of your own drinking maths: go to a bar for half an hour and you’ll have one drink, possibly two. Go for an hour, especially in a bar with not enough chairs, and you’ll easily knock back four drinks or more, right? Keep the reception brief and people will need a lot less booze to get by.

5) Do your sums. When making your bar sums, think about volume as well as price. How far will your alcohol allowance stretch? How much do you think your guests will drink in an evening? Those who are pregnant or driving home that night will consume less, for example,
so you can work out a rough drink-per-head figure. After that, talk to the wedding coordinator at your venue to work out your options.

– Some venues will let you bring in your own alcohol to stock the bar, meaning you can choose what you want, and usually secure it at a much cheaper price. If so, a bar that’s free to your guests might be more achievable. (See below for cheap alcohol-sourcing ideas.)

– However, if you have to pay bar prices, and they’re expensive, an all-night free bar might not be an option. No one is going to think any less of you if you can’t afford it, or can put up a bit of cash but not enough for the whole night. If there will be a cash bar, be sure to let people know in advance.

– For another idea, you could consider providing free wine, beer and soft drinks to guests all evening, but ask those who want to have (pricier) spirits or champagne to put their hands in their pockets.

– If you’re having some guests just coming to, say, dessert and dancing or the evening celebration, it’s worth thinking if there’s a way of offering these guests a drink on arrival – perhaps with a waiter holding a tray of wine, beer or bubbly as they walk through the door.

6) Booze cruise. If you are allowed to supply your own alcohol, there are lots of ways to cut the cost. If you’ve time, book a booze cruise to Calais as a pre-wedding day
trip to test wines and load up the car with the best ones to kick off your celebrations. The strength of the euro put the skids on this trip for a few years, but now there are bargains galore once more. The ferry is usually the cheapest way to get to France, so look up ticket prices via a ferry aggregator site such as ferrysavers.com or AFerry.co.uk. Use these to find out who operates the routes you want, and when, and how much cheaper they are
at particular times of the day, week or year. Then, when actually booking, check the direct price first as doing so often triggers a saving as you avoid agency or booking fees. If you have flexible working hours or can take time off work, weekday crossings – especially in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – tend to be less expensive than weekend ones, but avoid the school holidays if possible. Be aware of HMRC’s tax rules: ‘When arriving into the UK from an EU country you can bring in an unlimited amount of most goods. But you transport the goods yourself; and the goods must be for your own use or as a gift.’

7) Bargain hunt. If you’re buying booze in this country, there are still ways to do so cleverly and cut the cost. Start scouting for bargains as soon as possible – if you get
engaged at Christmas, for example, seek out bargains in the January sales, as long as you can keep the booze in a cool place that will prevent in from spoiling. It’s also worth
having a look at the offers at wine clubs and online retailers such as Virginwines.co.uk.

8) Be vino-savvy. Remember, there’s a difference between cheap wine and good wine and you’ll have to do your research (including tastings, obviously – possibly one of the best bits of wed-research around), as supermarkets and wine discounters will boast about bargains even when you can actually get the same stuff from elsewhere for far less. The experts in specialist stores such as Majestic Wines (majestic.co.uk) will be able to advise you on the best deals and wines to suit your planned meal and budget – and if you’re buying a large number of bottles, they may be able to cut you a deal too. The website quaffersoffers.co.uk also lists current deals at supermarkets and other wine-sellers, as well as having extensive expert reviews which will help anyone who feels nervous about picking drinks for all their guests, courses, etc.

9) Look out for bin ends. Shops are often trying to get rid of last year’s stock for no other reason than they want fresh bottles on their shelves. This also means you can
serve lesser-known bottles of wine, which has another benefit if you’re worried about snobbery. While any vaguely wine-interested people might know that, say, a particular vineyard or vintage was going cheap, an alternative coming from, say, an Australian vineyard might be trickier for them to price.

10) Bulk buy. Make the most of discount stores and cash ’n’ carries such as Costco (costco.co.uk), Booker (booker.co.uk) and Makro (store.makro.co.uk) plus the likes of Aldi and its rivals (aldi.co.uk, lidl.co.uk). These often have decent deals on wine, spirits and mixers. Always try a sample before you buy a large quantity to make sure it suits your taste.

11) Become a vintner. Alternatively, if you’re really into money-saving, you could try making your own wine. Buy a kit – the very specific, extensive instructions, are fairly easy to follow. I once made some of my own red wine that was really drinkable. I admit not being brave enough to serve it at my wedding, but if you’re good at it, can make the wine
(or ale) in advance and find others like it too, it’s an easy way to serve up booze at a fraction of the normal cost.

FROM YES TO I DO by Lucy Tobin is published by Heron Books, £9.99.

Published in Kindle or hardback.

Wedding Ideas: Vintage Shoot Part Two

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Frostie

Here is part two of our gorgeous vintage wedding shoot. Full of sigh-worthy dresses, hairpieces and cakes. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Photography from Emma-Jane Photography. Time to start pinning. Here is part one.

Wedding shoot credits:

Photography and Art direction: Emma-Jane lewis of Emma-Jane Photography
Model: Nicky Robinson (Miss Deadly Red)
Makeup: Mel Kisman of Mel Kinsman bridal make-u artist
Hairstyling: AnneMarie Lawson stylist
Flowers: Liz Inigo Jones of Blue Sky Flowers
Cakes: Charlotte Geen of Langs of London
Dresses: ONEofOne by Maibritt Kokholm
Headpieces and jewellery: Rosie Weisencrantz Vintage Jewellery

If you are planning your wedding then get your hands on The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on every aspect of wedding planning and lots of great advice. It includes an interview with amazing photographer Emma-Jane Lewis. The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity is available in print, ebook and Kindle. The Kindle version is only £2.99.

Wedding Ideas: Vintage Shoot Part One

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Frostie

We have a gorgeous vintage wedding shoot. Full of sigh-worthy dresses, hairpieces and cakes. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Time to start pinning. Part two is here.

Wedding shoot credits:

Blanx White Shock Intensive Teeth Whitening Review

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Some teeth whitening is plain scary. I mean, putting peroxide in your mouth! Crazy. I have never been willing to damage my health in the pursuit of beauty, I am just not that vain. But any shortcut or product that promises beauty improvements without the risk and I am all for it.

I drink quite a lot of tea but I don’t think my teeth are too bad. Not yet anyway. I don’t mind the colour of my teeth but they are not pure white and I am getting married soon. Blanx White Shock Intensive Teeth Whitening is a treatment that you use as a toothpaste. It has no sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens, PEG or titanium dioxide. It comes with an LED Bite. You use the treatment and then the LED Bite for one minute. So it is pretty easy. For an even more shocking whiteness you can use the LED Bite for ten minutes, once a week.

This product really leaves your teeth feeling clean. The cleanness lasts all day long with a feeling of freshness. It also noticeably whitens teeth and is non-abrasive. Overall I am very impressed. It works and it leaves your mouth feeling clean. It also only costs £10.71 from feelunique.com A bargain compared to most teeth whitening treatments. What more could you want? I’m hooked.

What do you think?

Sneaky Wedding Costs You Need to Look Out For By Melissa Davis

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Frostie

Although your wedding day is supposed to be one of the best of your life, the large cost can often mar this otherwise happy occasion. In the early stages of planning a wedding, the smaller details often get forgotten and the cost can sneaks up on you, making the overall price of the wedding unexpected and often damaging. However, there are ways and means of reducing the overall cost of your wedding and making your special day affordable. Considering the hidden wedding costs you may incur is a positive start in ensuring your wedding remains within your personal budget.

Making a list and using online resources to research the smaller aspects, which you may not have initially considered, will show you where your money can go and how much of it can go there. This will allow you to then find cheaper alternatives to lighten the financial load further. For example, although brides often think of their wedding dress, they rarely remember that alterations often have to be made. Similarly, bridesmaids’ dress and the groom’s tuxedo may need amendments right before the big day. These minor adjustments may seem small, but will set you back money and add up to a considerable amount when added to the multitude of other wedding costs. To prevent costs such as these from sneaking up on you, simply research, estimate the price and factor this into your budget.

Keeping track of all the different costs involved in organising a wedding can be tricky, particularly when there are so many hidden expenses that can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Creating a budget that includes all of the most commonly forgotten wedding costs can help you to avoid last minute problems and make big savings.

Start with a wedding budget

A thorough, realistic budget is the best tool for preventing forgotten, unexpected and unnecessary costs from sneaking up on you during your wedding planning.

Work out how much you can afford to spend in total, make a list of everything you need to sort then decide how you’ll divide your wedding budget.

Try to make your list as detailed as possible, and ensure that you set aside enough for each item. Recently married friends, wedding magazines and websites are all good sources of advice.

Suddenly realising that you forgot to budget separately for the bride’s shoes, veil or accessories after you’ve spent your money on an expensive dress is exactly the sort of stress you want to avoid as your big day approaches.

You should also look at prices or ask for quotes early on to ensure that the money you set aside for each cost is realistic.

Wedding costs everyone forgets

However carefully you plan your budget, there always seems to be something extra that needs to be organised and paid for before the big day arrives.

Here are some of the most frequently forgotten costs – make sure you remember to include them:

Registration costs to make your marriage official.
Stationary and postage costs for sending save the date cards, invitations and thank you cards.
Accessories and alterations to suits and dresses for the wedding party.
Including the bride and groom in the head count for the reception.
Favours, thank you gifts and tips.
Extra charges on your bill from venues and suppliers, including delivery fees, corkage, VAT, overtime and service or cleaning charges.
Printing and framing photos, and buying wedding albums.

Deciding what to spend

Once you have a list of everything you need to pay for, you can start deciding how much you want to spend on each item. The way you do this should depend on your overall budget.

If money truly is no object, you can simply start arranging.

If, like most people, you have a set amount of money to spend on your wedding, perhaps from your savings or a parental contribution, you should start from this upper limit and divide it into portions for each of your expenses.

You can easily create a spreadsheet, or adapt a general expenses template, to monitor your spending. Keep track of any overspends, which you should try to make up for by spending less on other items, or underspends, which will give you more to spend elsewhere.

If you’re trying to keep costs to a minimum then prioritise your list into must-haves and maybes so that you can make sure you can afford the aspects that are most important to you before paying out for things that are ‘nice to have’ but not essential.

Avoiding unnecessary wedding extras

If you are working with a limited budget, it’s possible to make some cuts to the normal list of wedding necessities.

For example, if you can choose a venue where you can hold both the service and the reception, you might be able to get a better deal, and you can also cut down on transport costs.

Weddings held out of peak season or on any day other than a Saturday will usually be cheaper because there’s lower demand so this is worth investigating.

It can also be a good idea to look closer to home for your venues, since you can avoid high travel costs or needing to pay for overnight accommodation.

You might also be able to cut down costs by limiting the number of guests you invite – either in total or just to the wedding breakfast. Having a buffet and/or a pay-for-your-own-drinks bar can also help.

You can always give people the chance to celebrate with you at a distance with a live online broadcast of the event, no matter where the wedding takes place.

Another good way to cut down on your costs is to consider doing more of the work yourself or asking friends or family to gift their time as a wedding present.

Why pay for ready-made wedding favours when you can put together something more personal at half the cost? Why spend your wedding day in an anonymous hotel when you have a huge garden where you could put up a marquee and celebrate in a place that means something to you?

Minimising unexpected costs

To give yourself a little leeway make sure you set aside an amount to cover unexpected costs, ideally about 10% of your total budget.

If one of your suppliers lets you down, an unexpected guest turns up, something is broken or turns out to be unsuitable, or the weather forces you to change your plans, you need to have some emergency funds available to deal with it. Another option is to take out wedding insurance to cover some of your major expenses.

It might not be possible to avoid all unexpected costs, but at least you can be prepared for them, and if it turns out that you never need to use this money, it can give you something extra to spend on your honeymoon.

The wedding price hike

Another particularly sneaky cost that you might not expect when you set out your wedding budget is the sudden bump in prices that can occur as soon as you mention that you’re ordering for a wedding.

It doesn’t matter if you are ordering flowers, a cake, or transport, as soon as suppliers find out it’s for a wedding, they often assume you can easily be coerced into spending more to make your day perfect.

One of the best ways to avoid this sneaky extra cost is to tell some little white lies and order things for a “party” rather than a wedding.

It might not work if you want a traditional tiered wedding cake, but if you are looking for something less conventional, or ordering something non wedding specific, it could help you to get some lower prices.

Romance In Modern Age: 52% of Women Would Contribute To Engagement Ring

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Frostie

The New Engagement Etiquette in the Age of Equality

TV diamond expert, Vashi Dominguez, Founder and CEO of Vashi.com reports that in a recent survey, over 50 percent of women admit they would make a contribution to their engagement ring to ensure they got the ring of their dreams. 52 percent of women answered that ‘yes, I would probably consider [contributing to my engagement ring]’ or ‘yes, I would definitely consider it as it would mean I could have the style and size I want.’ A further 7 percent of women surveyed had already contributed to their engagement ring. The statistics also reveal that a quarter of women surveyed would partake in subtle hinting, such as comments to their partner when walking past jewellery stores, to ensure they received the engagement ring they wanted.

Pear Cut 0.6 Carat D/VS1 18k Yellow Gold Diamond Engagement Ring | £1,899

The financial crisis of the late 2000s caused employment rates for men aged 25-44 in the UK to decrease by 3.2 percent. The employment rate of women in the same age range dropped by a lesser 0.7 percent. Consequentially, more couples now share the cost of living; large expense items such as a new car, holidays or an engagement ring are now more likely to be a shared expense. Couples’ finances in general are now so interlinked prior to engagement that an even higher percentage of women could be contributing to their ring subtlety through linked finances.

The survey results also strongly suggest that engagements in the UK are planned (more frequently than being spontaneous) due to men’s financial circumstances and budget constraints. However, a relatively large proportion of men did not plan romance around the planned engagement – this is according to 24 percent of women who revealed their partner did not plan anything specific for their engagement, with another 13 percent of women stating that their partner did not get down on one knee.

In light of the survey results, Vashi.com anticipates a growing number of sales will be a result of joint decisions made by a couple. Post-survey, Dominguez stated: “These results represent a welcome shift in the way couples approach engagement now. The team and I notice more women being involved in the process compared to previous generations. Traditionally, men were the breadwinners and often as a result, the decision makers. However, we’re beginning to experience a new engagement etiquette. Our male customers are relying on their partner’s input too, whether it be financially or at least from an aesthetic point of view. Not only this, now vashi.com is receiving an increasing proportion of business from female customers.”

Vashi Dominguez continued, “women know what they want and our survey shows they’re not afraid to contribute to ensure they get what they want!”

1000 women aged 20-50 were surveyed UK-wide.

Source re survey: Census Wide on behalf of vashi.com

Source re recession: The Labour Force Survey from 2007 Q1 – 2007 Q4

The Best Exercises For A Pert Bottom

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Frostie

Pert bottom exercises by British Military Fitness Instructor

Want a perfect bottom like Pippa Middleton? Then all you need to do is master the squat. The squat is commonly known as the “king of exercises”. It is a fantastic exercise; it targets all the muscles in the legs whilst also adding some strength and stability to the abdomen and lower back area and really targets the core. The squat also gets a large amount of upper body muscles engaged too. Here are just a few benefits to show why everyone should be including squats into their training routine.

Increase strength & power

Squatting should be one of the fundamental exercises for anyone looking to increase their strength. They have been proven to significantly increase lower body strength and power. This can have a whole range of benefits from those looking to improve sporting performance to those just looking to improve their lifestyle so that everyday tasks such as climbing stairs become easier.

Run faster

If you want to run faster, whether you are a distance runner or a sprinter, then you should be squatting. The speed at which you run is heavily influenced by your ability to apply force into the ground. To run faster, you need to apply more force. The best way to do this is to strengthen the lower body. Using squats to train the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes will allow you produce more ground reaction force. For those who are distance runners, if you increase you 1RM on a squat then you will also improve you run time. Think of it this way. If you weight 70kg and have 1RM back squat of 70kg then you are going to have to recruit more motor units in order to propel yourself forward when running compared to someone who also weights 70kg but has 1RM on a squat of 120kg.

Increase muscle size

Squats are a great way to increase size of muscle tissue, not only in them legs but all over the human body. Developing muscle mass heavily relies on hormonal responses from exercise. Testosterone and growth hormone are two of the major muscle building hormones in the body. Squatting heavy and engaging the large muscles around the hips will mean you begin to produce huge amounts of testosterone. This release will also have a positive impact of other muscles as it flows through the blood stream. Combining this with some lighter load and higher reps will mean you start to feel a burning sensation within the legs, this burning sensation come from the build up of lactate and lactic acid within the muscle. When the body starts to get a build up of lactic acid you subsequently get a release of growth hormone. Theism just like testosterone is fantastic for this individuals looking to gain some muscle mass.

Torch calories and body fat

I want you to try something for me. After completing a thorough warm up, walk into a squat rack, load the bar with what is the heaviest amount of load you can possibly lift for 15 reps. Complete 4-5 sets of 15 reps whilst only taking around 60seconds rest between these sets and tell me how you feel. I guess you are going to feel extremely worn out and needing to sit down for a few mins ‘to catch your breath’. Completing this type of session will make the body move away from its safe environment of homeostasis and enter into EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption) meaning the body will need to take on additional oxygen to help you recover. This is accompanied by elevated consumption of fuels, particularly from fat stores. Using a tabata protocol for squatting (20secs all out / 10secs rest x 8) has been shown to elevate EPOC for up to 48 hours post exercise.

Here are list of squat variation exercises you can try to help you. Also included is a strength continuum chart to help you ensure you are working at the correct intensity, with the correct load, at the correct pace and with adequate amounts of rest depending on what you goal is.

Training Effect	Reps	Load (%1RM)	Rest
Strength	1-5	80-90%	3-5min
Hypertrophy	6-12	60-80%	1-2min
Endurance	15+	>40%	30-60secs

Front Squat

Take a grip on the bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
Position the bar so it is just behind the clavicle and close to the throat.
Ensure the chest is high and push your elbows up and in.
Foot stance should be shoulder with apart or slightly wider.
Once in position sit back onto the hips slightly as the hips and knees simultaneously flex.
Push the knees out to ensure they track the toes and stay on the heels at all times.
Once you have broken parallel drive the heels into the ground extending the knees and hips.

Back Squat

Take the narrowest most comfortable grip on the bar for you range on movement.
Position the bar high on the back.
Pull the shoulder back and keep the chest up.
Pull down on the bar and push the elbows forwards.
This should create a natural ledge surface for the bar to sit on.
Once in position sit back onto the hips slightly as the hips and knees simultaneously flex.
Push the knees out to ensure they track the toes and stay on the heels at all times.
Once you have broken parallel drive the heels into the ground extending the knees and hips.

Bulgarian Split Squat

For this exercise you are going to need a bench and some dumbbells.
Take a hold of the dumbbells in both hands.
Elevate your rear foot on the bench and take a step forward with your front leg.
Ensure that the chest is high and shoulders are pulled back with a neutral spine.
Bend at the knees so you body is moving in a vertical fashion until your reach 90degrees in the front knee.

At this point drive back up and return to the top.

Complete the required reps on this leg before changing.

Zac Posen Designs Affordable Wedding Dresses

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Frostie

It’s time to get excited; New York designer Zac Posen has designed some beautiful yet affordable wedding dresses. Truly Zac Posen is exclusively for David’s Bridal, the US export that’s now big in the UK. Even better, it launches tomorrow (6th February).

“It’s a love note to a bride on her most beautiful day.” Zac said. They are all available in plus size.

The collection, called Truly Zac Posen, includes seven wedding gowns and ten special occasion gowns. Prices start at £725 and stretch to £1,295. Take a look and tell us what you think.