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Our experts answer your big-day questions

A BESPOKE BIG DAY

Meet the expert: Mikayla Ballard-Kearns is a professional celebrant and qualified wedding planner based in Wiltshire.

We’re thinking of choosing a celebrant-led wedding, can you offer any advice?

Mikayla says: You can’t go wrong opting for a celebrant-led wedding because there are no rules, you can hold your celebration anywhere at any time you like. The only thing to consider is that you need to visit a registry office beforehand to marry legally and obtain a certificate. After that, together with your choice of celebrant, you can start planning your dream ceremony.

Once my couples are stood before me, depending on who has walked up the ‘aisle’ to greet who, I proceed to tell their love story followed by the all-important exchanging of the vows. This is followed by the blessing of the rings and performing any heartfelt ritual that the newlyweds might choose, such as a hand-fasting or sand-blending ceremony, or lighting a unity candle. This results in a personalized, bespoke ceremony that’s extremely memorable.

Unlike a registrar or a church wedding, a celebrant does not follow a standard script, they write an individual one all about the couple. You can incorporate an element of religion in it, or opt for a secular ceremony and one big advantage is that you can write your vows - the possibilities are endless!

A SUSTAINABLE DAY

Meet the expert: Sarah Raven is a garden expert, florist, writer and cook based in Marlborough, Wiltshire.

How easy is it to prepare homegrown, sustainable flowers for our big day?

Sarah says: Growing and arranging your flowers for your wedding can be so rewarding but it requires plenty of planning. Decide what varieties you want on the day, what purpose they’ll serve and what your sowing and cutting schedule is to ensure they’ll be ready for cutting ahead of the wedding. Each couple will have their own taste and preference, some will prefer light and delicate flowers while others will lean towards more architectural shapes and sturdy blooms. It’s important to choose varieties based on what will grow at the right time of year and not get fixated on any one individual type because they might not be in their best shape on the day so focus on colour and shape first and foremost.

I always pick a range of dominant flowers as central pivots for displays and bouquets, like dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, echinaceas, roses and lilies. Don’t be afraid to use contrasting colours or break the rules and use the opportunity to grow your wedding flowers to bring your personality to the palette. Use foliage and foraged items to bulk out displays and bouquets. Foliage can be useful for weddings early on in the season providing a beautiful display while lines of foxgloves and lupins give them a structural interest.

The scent is so important and sweet peas offer this. You’ll never regret growing these because they’ll make a fantastic addition to any flower arrangement. For buttonholes, lilies and sprigs of heather are great options. If you’re set on having a rose or dahlia in the buttonholes, wrap the stem in cottonwool followed by cling film and buttonhole tape.

A wedding day isn’t complete without confetti and natural confetti provides a wonderful touch and is often preferred by venues. Fresh rose petals and marigolds as well as dismembered cornflowers all work well, plus the petals of larkspur and delphiniums too. Consider catching the dropped petals that have fallen off the other flowers you’re growing for the wedding and keep those as supplementary confetti.

When it comes to picking day, put the stems straight into cool water (removing all leaves on the stems first) which will make a big difference to the vase life of the flowers and keep them looking fresher for longer. If any of your blooms start to droopy before the big day, sear the ends in boiling water (five seconds for softer stems and 45 seconds for woodier varieties).

The most important thing to do once your arrangements are complete is to enjoy the day. Your venue will be brimming with the scent of your favourite flowers and you’ll take immense pride in seeing the fruits of your labour as beautiful, natural decoration on your wedding day.

Mikayla Ballard-Kearns | 07500 600 506 www.mikaylacelebrant.com www.facebook.com/celebrancy.wiltshire.9 www.instagram.com/mikaylacelebrant

Meet the expert: Sandra Trusty is the owner of Fabulous Functions, a wedding planning service based in Wiltshire specialising in transforming venues for weddings and celebrations.

Sandra says: Mini meadows (pictured) are the perfect choice for styling your venue for a small wedding ceremony because they are so versatile. They can be placed in front of the ceremony table or used as aisle décor and then transferred to the top table or cake table during the wedding breakfast and reception. Not only do they look pretty, but they can also be gifted to guests at the end of the evening. Why not consider using dried flowers in some of them that will keep as a reminder of the wedding?

Fabulous Functions | 07511 842 451 www.fabulousfunctionsuk.com www.facebook.com/ukfabfunctions www.instagram.com/ukfabfunctions

Meet the expert: Hannah Bendall owns a wedding planning and venue dressing business (as well as a millinery service creating hand-finished hats and fascinators) based in Gloucestershire.

Hannah says: Micro weddings give couples the option to host a scaled-down event spending quality time with a hand-picked selection of their loved ones. Dressing a venue for a smaller wedding can be an emotional experience because everything seems more intimate and magnified and the table decorations, place names and favours can be more elaborate because there’s often a larger budget available to spend on those all-important finishing touches.

A sweetheart table used as the top table is a beautiful addition that allows the happy couple time to sit together and share precious moments. There’s always the option to host a lavish party afterwards with a larger guest list.

Hannah Bendall Design | www.hannahbendalldesigns.co.uk 07818 083 690 | www.facebook.com/marchhareevents www.instagram.com/marchhareevents

https://capturethismoment.co.uk

Meet the expert: Daniella Marinos is a professional wedding photographer based in Gloucestershire. Her work offers a natural, documentary-style of photography and she captures those special moments as they unfold.

Can you give us some tips for achieving fabulous wedding photos from a photographer’s perspective please?

Daniella says: Weddings are the one time that you want to look relaxed, happy and natural in front of the camera. Here’s what a professional would suggest ensuring Insta-worthy snaps:

❤ Be relaxed, enjoy your day and have fun! It should be the most wonderful time and is the start of a new chapter in your life together. Rely on your bridal party to do most of the running around and embrace every emotion that you both feel.

❤ Remember that the photographer has a big responsibility on your day and they’re working hard for you. They’ll be running on adrenaline to accomplish everything so please try and ensure they are not forgotten with refreshments and food.

❤ Take advantage of the weather when it’s sunny and request plenty of outdoor shots but remember that the photographer only has a certain amount of daylight hours. Sometimes the weather changes quickly and any good photographer will pre-empt this and try and move the party indoors quickly. ❤ When you book your photographer, ask them whether they have any suggestions, for example, things like the groom’s preparation often gets forgotten but is a really important part of the day.

❤ Always check your contract to give you peace of mind that your chosen photographer has a backup plan if needed in the event of bad weather.

❤ Remember that your photographer is a business and has overheads including insurance. If they’re a quality photographer, their main summer dates won’t be available for long so don’t hold on to the deposit or contract because other enquiries will no doubt want the same date.

❤ Speak to your photographer, or email them, with every question you have, plus a list of your must-have shots – communication is key!

SUITED AND BOOTED

Meet the expert: Mark Slater is the suit buyer at Slater Menswear, a gentlemen’s outfitter offering a large selection of men’s wedding suits and accessories with a store on The Promenade in Cheltenham.

We’re two grooms planning our same-sex wedding – please can you give us some advice on choosing suits that complement each other?

Mark says: Suits come in all shapes, sizes, colours, patterns and shades. There’s plenty to consider when picking a style - and that’s before you decide what shirt or tie to wear with it! Colour theory is more than just a tool for artists. It can (and should) be used when putting together an outfit to create a winning combination. By using the colour wheel as a starting point, you can see which shades work well together and which ones should be avoided. Because you have three potential colours to play with — your shirt, tie and suit — you have the freedom to be creative. There are three main ways you can implement colour theory to help you mix and match your clothing:

MONOCHROMATIC

This relates to a single colour throughout. Rather than picking and choosing shades, this approach makes use of a range of tones to differentiate between each article of clothing. This conservative combination is the easiest way to implement colour theory and creates a foolproof, harmonious look.

COMPLEMENTARY

Complementary colour schemes are the most striking. They consist of those that sit opposite one another on the colour wheel, like blue and orange or red and green. These combinations provide contrast and appear more prominent. Take caution when choosing this approach because bold tones can be jarring when mixed. A good approach is to choose a single bold colour choice with more muted accent colours. Daniella Marinos Photography | 07720 230 977 www.daniellamarinosphotography.com www.facebook.com/DaniellaMarinosPhotography www.instagram.com/daniellamarinosphotography

ANALOGOUS

This option uses colours that sit adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. This offers more versatility yet must be used carefully to avoid being overwhelming. Experiment with strong traditional colour, for example, if you have a navy suit as your base colour, pair it with a skyblue shirt and a purple tie. This combo utilises analogous colour schemes in a way that creates a sophisticated, well-put-together finish.