My Bride Guide - Herefordshire.
As some of you may know I am one of many local ladies currently trying to organise my big day. I’ve decided to write a blog, because although I’ve been to all the fayres, read hundreds of bridal magazines and spent hours trawling the internet for ideas and inspiration, there’s been a distinct lack of material directly relating to a wedding day in Herefordshire, and keeping the costs down.
It’s a well-known fact that suppliers nationwide in some cases as much as double the price of their products as soon as the ‘W’ word gets mentioned, and with this in mind I think it is more important than ever to shop around and make sure you get the most for your money. After all the average UK wedding day does cost a whopping £18,000. It’s a travesty!
Anyway…I am going to share with you some of the local gems I have found, and hopefully you can pick out one or two bits that may help you in the planning of your own big day.
Venue – This I struggled with big time in Hereford. There are a lot of really pretty places which are very much in ‘Vogue’ at the moment, but I found they all had the high end prices to match. I wanted somewhere which suited us as a couple, served good food, wasn’t too big so that people can’t wonder off but also which offered a package deal. I found The Castle Lodge Hotel in Ross on Wye fitted my requirements perfectly! Steve and Georgina are fab hosts, Food is locally sourced and freshly cooked and they offer great packages starting from just £1500!
Rings – There was only one place I was going to look for these and that’s the fabulous Hereford Gold. Chris got my engagement ring from a high street jeweller and was told we would need to get a wedding ring specially made to fit around it. (Imagine the cost implications!) I decided we should seek the advice from Robert and Philippa as a trusted business and was stunned when although I had no idea what I was looking for myself, they managed to find me the perfect ring in the perfect size within minutes, saving me precious time and £££’s.
Flowers – If you haven’t come across them already check out the Great British Florist! Beautiful arrangements all made from flowers grown in the UK meaning the freshest of blooms with the sweetest scent. You can get hold of a crop planner to see what will be in season around the time of your wedding, or request a theme or colour and their award winning team can sort the rest. Surprisingly their prices are great too, saving up to a massive £1000 off the UK average spend.
Photographer – There are many good wedding photographers in Herefordshire offering all sorts of deals and packages, However I feel it is most important to go with someone you trust and have good fun with. After all, when probably the most expensive day of your life is over and done with it is only the rings and photo’s you will be keeping hold of forever. We have gone with Richard Weaver Photography, A lovely chap who fits in nicely with our sense of humour and has a stunning portfolio of weddings he has photographed. He has also given us a complementary engagement shoot, so we can get used to working with each other and agree on styles we like.
Dress – I am REALLY fortunate here as I won my wedding dress in a competition with Sincerity Bridal. It’s all very exciting and I get to go and choose one from their 2014 collection on the 11th June, Eeek! Anyway my plan before this happened was always to pay a visit to the fabulous White Minx on Widemarsh Street. I did have a sneaky peak at their dresses (actually before we got engaged) and they are all GORGEOUS! In particular their Justin Alexander Range, although if like me you are on a bit of a budget they do have a really good sale rail too with prices starting from just a couple of hundred pounds.
That’s all I have organised so far but may well post a Bride Guide part 2 when I have looked at Cakes, Accessories, Honeymoons, stationary etc. Until then enter all the competitions you possibly can and good luck with planning your big day!
