A PERSONAL TOUCH We want a wedding themed around our favourite books and are thinking of hiring a celebrant. Do you have any ideas of how we can make the day more personal? Theming your wedding around books is a wonderful way to bring personality to your special day and your independent celebrant can definitely help you by creating a personal wedding ceremony and incorporating your favourite books in various ways. A celebrant can adapt text from your favourite books to suit your ceremony’s tone, and you can choose to include passages from your favourite novel, poetry collection or spiritual text within your ceremony script or your personal vows. While you may have your favourites, there are many underrated gems that could be incorporated into your love story. You can also use books to decorate your ceremony space. Secondhand or classic books are inexpensive and flexible and you can stack them, cut them or shape them. If you choose to add a vintage typewriter or brass candlesticks, this will add an elegant and bookish style to your certificate-signing table. Karina O’Donnell www.celebrant-uk.co.uk THE WOW FACTOR We’re thinking of having fireworks at our upcoming wedding. Are there any health and safety concerns that we need to take into consideration? Fireworks add the wow factor to any special occasion, but it is something that only the professionals should get involved with. Many venues will only allow their own trusted suppliers to carry out such a service and this is because of the risks posed to all if something were to go wrong. Although it may seem cheaper and easier to get a friend to light a couple of fireworks to mark a special occasion, if indeed this was ever allowed, would they have any type of insurance in place to do this? Probably not! A professional company would always know what type of fireworks are allowed in the first instance, noisy ones or lower noise ones, so as not to upset any neighbours. Be mindful of family and guests at your wedding; have you considered the impact of flashing lights and sudden noise on any of them who may react in a bad way? Health and safety is always at the top of the list and you should always consider if there is ample room to safely watch any type of display from. The more space available, the better, but again, the professionals should be well aware of this. A sparkler burns at many hundreds of degrees in temperature. We discuss this with couples and remind them that on the big day they will be wearing glamorous dresses and suits, some made from highly flammable material and that there will probably be an abundance of highly flammable hairspray and aftershave being used. These are a few immediate considerations you should always bear in mind, but with the correct advice, a truly magical and safe firework experience can be enjoyed marking your special day. Adrian Walters www.ajpyrotechnics.co.uk www.davidkingphotographer.co.uk SEASONAL ROMANCE My hubby-to-be and I are having a spring wedding. How can we incorporate the time of year into our pictures? With so many beautiful opportunities for photos, spring is right up there as one of my favourite seasons! Blossoms, daffodils, tulips, warm soft sunlight, and early golden hours, what’s not to love? The symbolism of new beginnings couldn’t be more fitting for a wedding! To incorporate this in your photos is definitely a must, from those blossom trees in the background or surrounding the frame, to the use of that low sun in this bright and beautiful season. Venues offer such beautiful, well-kept gardens, and as a photographer, I’m always on the lookout to show these off in your photographs. Coordinating your colour scheme with all the stunning pastel shades is always useful too. Nicola Tulip www.nphotography.co.uk www.nphotography.co.uk www.unsplash.com/@curatedlifestyle 56
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