V.A.T Free Wedding Suppliers

Everyone planning a wedding or hen night likes to keep costs down without compromising on quality and selection. One way of doing this is looking for V.A.T free suppliers, some suppliers offer V.A.T free discounts and promotions. While other small business have a turnover below the V.A.T threshold so do not have to pay V.A.T or add it onto their prices.

It is doubtful you will find a wedding dress V.A.T free or a wedding venue. But you may find a favour supplier or an invite designer who offers a V.A.T free service. Hen night suppliers often offer their hen night accessories V.A.T free. Such items include personalised T-shirts, personalised sashes, flashing badges, tiaras, veils and hen party games. So when searching google it is well worth remembering keep an eye out for those smaller wedding suppliers you might just save yourself some money. You never know you could even find a V.A.T free honeymoon.

Discount Vouchers For Hen Nights

Not all of you will be using a company to arrange the hen weekend. So one of the best ways to get value for money is a voucher. You can get vouchers sent to you via post, printed off the Internet or simply voucher codes obtained via the Internet. Such sites as www.myvouchercodes.co.uk are a great way to saving money on the hen night.

Also sponsored adverts are another way of obtaining discounts. These discounts can be for restaurants such as Pizza Express, hotel rooms such Premier Inn, pub grub or even party accessories for the big weekend. You can even now get City Passes that will get you discounts in various establishments in a given city. Such cities that offer these are Liverpool, Manchester, London & Brighton.

So the sooner you start researching and tracking down vouchers the cheaper the hen weekend will be.

Winter Wedding Menu Ideas

Choosing a wedding menu can be a challenge you’ve got to pick something that is balanced and liked by all but helps your day be a lasting memory for the right reasons. Doing this in winter can be even more of a challenge the seasons are against you not only in food but also in temperature. Your guests are going to need some thing that is warm and hardy after those wedding pictures in sub zero temperatures (well this winter any way) But they are not going want to feel bloated after the meal either as this could spoil the rest of the night. The best way around it would be a light starter, heavier main and a light dessert to finish the wedding breakfast off.

Many wedding Venues are already going to have pre-arranged menus that the wedding planner can suggest to you. But you might want to suggest some menu ideas of your own. To start I would go for a winter seasonal soup such as Parsnip or Celeriac. You could go for the bog standard cream of veg but you always risk this being made up blended vegetable left overs. If soup isn’t your thing you could perhaps go for a smoked haddock or cheese soufflé.

The choice for main just screams roast meat and 3 veg to a lot of people when planning a wedding an easy options that most will like. But to me it just screams boring and no imagination and will not stick in any guests memory for very long. As at my wedding I would go for sausage and mash of a regional variety. Because that’s the great thing about sausage you can get the venue to source it from a local butcher or farm shop. The obvious regional varieties are Cumberland as served at Hundith Hill Cockermouth (and a dam fine Sausage it is to) or another that springs to mind in Lincolnshire. But you can also go slightly off piste and offer a trio of sausage flavours something I have seen done very well at The Fenns in Essex. You could also go even more off the sausage piste with varieties such as Duck & Crab.

If you are having a fish as a main course it may be worth considering dishes consisting of the more ethical fish such as Pollock as Cod and other main stream varieties continue to decline in stock levels. Served with a cream based butter sauce such as Lemon & Dill.

Moving onto dessert go for something lighter so stay away from things like Sticky Toffee and keep to things like Lemon Tarts. Myself I would choose a Vanilla Burnt Cambridge pudding. We could call this a Crème Brulee but why give it a French name when we invented it and you went to all that trouble of finding a local Sausage.

About the author.

www.funkyhen.com have been supplier’s fun hen night accessories and fancy dress for over 5 years.

What Is The Groom In Charge Of Suggestions Please?

While working away on my hen night accessories web site I have been thinking back to my own wedding 7 years ago or is that 8. What did I do, what did I contribute, I arranged some ushers, picked my best man and came up with loads of ideas.

But it leads me to ask the question just what is the groom in charge of?

I mean I had ideas about the wedding dress and the tiara, none of which was taken on board. I had ideas about what I should ware none of which happened, something to do with the colour scheme. I had ideas on venues, which got listened to. Most importantly as a catering manager at the time I had ideas about the food.

On asking my wife she informed me as the groom I was in charge of suggestions!

And for your info some of my wedding day suggestions did happen we had 12oz Cumberland Sausage curl for mains, Salmon with a lemon sauce as a fish course and a crème brulee for dessert.

So what do you all think the Groom should be in charge of suggestions?

Top 5 Hen Night Tips

Over the past few years the Bride's hen party has become a major part of the wedding experience. This is a night of great expectation and one where there is a lot of fun and excitement to be had. What chief bridesmaids don't realise is how much planning goes into a night like this and how to prepare. Below are 5 tips to help plan an incredible hen night for all.

1. Start planning at least one month in advance
Don’t wait until last minute to plan the hen night. If you do, you’ll end up spending more money, having disorganised plans, a group who is upset with one another, and a night that isn’t fun. A party is not fun when limousines don’t show, when the clubs visited have attitudes, expensive dinners and uncertain plans. It takes at least one month to plan a great stress-free hen do. It’s better to plan early, relax, and look forward to a great night.

2. Appoint a leader!( The Cheif Bridesmaid )
Although many women in the hen party may not know one another, it is crucial that someone is appointed to take the lead. The leader should gather the group, talk about what everyone would like to do, decide on how much everyone wants to spend– and start planning! This is not an easy job, but for this important night - it’s worth it! All too often women wait until last minute to plan, and end up putting together sloppy plans that don’t run smoothly.

3. Have more than one activity for the evening.
Whether your plan is to go to dinner, dance the night away, have a lap dance lesson or theatre shows have a plan of what to do afterwards. These activities last 2-3 hours and it takes more than a few hours of activity to create a memorable evening. Play it safe, be prepared to have the most fun and have more than one activity on the agenda.

4. Know where to go & what it’ll be like once you get there.
I’ve heard plenty of stories about a group going to a club or restaurant based on a recommendation, which ended up being disaster. This place may have been a “hot spot” several months ago, but when this new group went there the scene was no longer happening. This can be a real upset, and no one wants to figure out a new place to go last minute. Popular places change from month to month and the only way of knowing if it’s still good is to do your research.

5. Reputation, reputation, reputation!
If you are getting a limo for the evening, hiring a male stripper, going to a restaurant, spa, or club ask around before you book and see if the place or company is reliable. Strippers don’t always show up, limousines may be promised as “top of the line” but when they arrive were definitely not, restaurants' and clubs' staff may rude or make your group wait. Remember, your goal is to have a memorable evening that runs as smooth as possible.

As an extra bonus tip don't forget great hen night accessories make for a great hen party.

What is the Cheif Bridesmaid Supposed To Do

What should the Cheif Bridesmaid Do

In the movie 27 Dresses, one of Jane’s (main character) “duties” as a bridesmaid, apparently, is to hold the bride’s dress while the bride is …well…using the restroom. Now, I’m not sure that exact duty would be listed in any etiquette book. And, there lies the problem. What exactly are the duties of today’s 21st-century bridesmaid? It seems that everyone has an opinion on this, which just complicates the issue. We need a basic list to work with. So, here it is.

When asked to participate in a wedding as an attendant, we often become a bit lightheaded about the honor, feeling very special that someone would care for us so much that they would want us to share this moment. And yes, it is an honor. But, it is also expensive and time consuming. So, consider all aspects and responsibilities of the position before agreeing.

Money, Money, Money…
When considering expenses, the bridesmaid is responsible for the cost of her attire, including alterations, and shoes. She can even be expected to pay for hair and make-up. Although, if the bride is insisting on all bridesmaids using a specific salon, this cost is/should be negotiable.

Gifts, Gifts and more Gifts?
One of the most common questions from bridesmaids is, “Do I still have to give the bride a wedding gift if the wedding is a destination wedding for which I am expected to pay for travel expenses? We feel for your ever-lighter pocket book, but the answer is yes. However, it is common and acceptable, besides just plain smart, to share the expense of the shower and wedding gift with your fellow bridesmaids. And, please remember, both of the gifts do not have to be expensive, just heartfelt.


Party Like It’s 1999!
Between the time the couple set the date and the beginning of the reception, it can be one pre-wedding party after another. Are bridesmaids obligated to attend? If it is humanly possible, yes. However, out of town bridesmaids usually receive a get-out-of-jail-free-card, or at least out of the obligation of attending, except, of course, the reception.

Traditionally, the two parties in which the bridesmaids hosted are the shower and the hen party. However, these two, as are all pre-wedding parties, are optional. Bridesmaids may host if they wish. But, all must agree on the cost and are not obligated to pay unless they are all in agreement.

Bridesmaids may host a bridesmaids’ lunch, but it is most commonly hosted (and it is fairer to the bridesmaids) by the bride. The bride may host this to thank her bridesmaids for the time they have given her.

Maid Of Honor Duties Guide - The original maid of honor guide details the duties and responsibilities of the MOH. Also get special maid of honor speeches, hen night games and ideas and the new bridal shower games/ideas bonus guides.


And, how about all of those bridesmaid duties? Attending every pre-wedding party possible is the bridesmaid’s fist duty. All fellow maids should try to help, as much as possible, such as writing invitations, place cards, making decorations or favors, and running wedding related errands. Sometimes this isn’t possible due to general “life stuff,” as we all have our own jobs, school, children, everything that could stand between helping to address invitations and keeping our jobs. So, no squabbling allowed.

However, recriminations may be in order if the bridesmaid repeatedly misses her appointments for alterations or won’t stay in contact with her fellow bridesmaids and the bride. Once she signs on for the duration, it is her duty to stay in touch.

Bridesmaids attend the rehearsal and party. And, on the day of the wedding, each participates in the pre-wedding and post-wedding photos. Many times bridesmaids will help the bride with her multi-layered and many times very heavy dress-hence the holding it while the bride needs to take a …restroom break. They walk down the aisle and stand as instructed.

After the wedding, all maids may stand in a row. Or, is that the receiving line? They may stand in the receiving line or mingle with guests, per the bride’s preference. During the reception they dance the first dance with groomsmen and single bridesmaids are often asked to mingle and dance with unattached guests. The groomsmen join them as well. Single bridesmaids may even compete to catch the bouquet. This could be considered a contact sport, so be forewarned.

Note To Brides: Although the word bridesmaid does include the word “maid”, please don’t treat your bridal attendants like slaves. Remember that you asked them to stand up for you out of love but, not to be used and abused.

Summary of Bridesmaids’ Responsibilities

Expenses Obligatory

Attire
Alterations
Shoes
Travel
Group wedding and shower gift
Expenses Negotiable

Hair Professionally Styled
Makeup Professionally Applied
Professional Manicure and Pedicure
Jewelry


Attendance Obligatory

Bridal Shower
Hen Party
Bridesmaids’ Lunch
Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner
Wedding and Reception
(If a bridesmaid is from out of town or has “life commitments,” make allowances.)


Mandatory If Possible
Attend all appointments
Stay in contact with wedding party
Assist with the invitations and place cards
Assist with decorations or favors
Run wedding related errands

Day of the wedding

Assist the bride
Follow directions
Stand in the receiving line
Mingle with guests
Dance with groomsmen and guests
Try to catch the bouquet


Have fun!

A pole dance on my hen night?

Pole dancing hen parties are a great way to celebrate the end of single life, create memories with your friends and enter wedded bliss with some new knowledge that may spice up the honeymoon.

Lots of brides are strapping on stilettos for a night of pole dancing instruction rather than the typical hen night in a pub. There is a range of visit your home instructors who can visit your hen night at home. Or there are various clubs out there that offer classes to hen parties with free nightclub passes for after.
Often the best way to organise a pole dancing hen night is via a hen party package company like Go Bananas. Of course fancy dress & hen night accessories are a must for any pole dancing hen night. Pink boas help add to the sexy glamour of the class along with a pink wig if you can keep it on. Of course the bride to be garter is a must for any pole-dancing bride.

But with out any doubt pole dancing can be a great start to the hen night.

About the author – funkyhen.com are suppliers of hen party accessories, sashes, veils, naughty nibbles and birthday decorations. And have been placing the needs and wants of their hen nite customers at the centre of their thinking for over 3 years.