HOT TOPIC: wedding worries Our experts solve your problems THE WRITE STUFF We’re looking for stationery for our wedding, but we’re not sure what style to go for or what we should be asking suppliers – help! Choosing your wedding theme can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be as simple as picking your favourite colour, flowers or even your favourite movie! Once you have a theme, this can then be incorporated into your whole day, along with your on-the-day stationery and invitations. As with all suppliers, it is important to book your stationer as early as possible. Invitations can be sent out anywhere between 12 and three months before your big day, so booking early is essential. There are lots of different invitation styles out there and a good stationer will guide you to the style and wording that suits your requirements and budget best. Here are some things to ask your stationer: Can you customise the designs and is there a minimum order? How long will it take to receive the invitations and can we see a sample? What’s included in the price and do we need to pay a deposit? Most importantly, you need to feel confident in the company and that you can work well with them. Your invitations are the first glimpse your guests will receive of your big day, so it is important to get it just right. Emma www.idodesigns.org.uk CAKE EXPECTATIONS My wife-to-be and I love strong flavours and want something fun and unusual for our wedding cake. Do you have any suggestions? It’s great that you want your wedding cake to reflect you both as a couple and flavour is a great way to do this. You could think about desserts that you have both enjoyed together on dates or made for each other on special occasions and go for cake flavours that represent these. Chocolate is always a winner when it comes to a wedding cake and you could have this as a sponge flavour and then really go for it with strong fillings, such as chocolate orange ganache, dark Belgian chocolate, or even a delicious salted caramel filling. If you wanted something lighter, then lemon is a winning (and definitely strong) flavour that you can pair with amazing fillings too, such as poppy seed, elderflower or even a passion fruit curd. Extra fillings, such as a caramelised citrus zest, can pack an even bigger punch to a citrus sponge. The time of year can also play a part in choosing your cake flavours. Fresh fruit and white chocolate are great in the spring. Summer calls for lighter cakes such as vanilla and rose or a pink champagne and strawberry cake. Autumn weddings are all about richer flavours such as red velvet or pumpkin and spiced buttercream. Chocolate cake with different fillings is definitely popular at winter weddings, along with caramel sponge with a cinnamon-soaked apple compote. We always recommend attending a tasting consultation or at least ensuring you have tried the baker’s cakes before placing an order. Your wedding cake, whatever flavours you choose, should absolutely taste as good as it looks! Louise Rowley www.elegantcakedesignsbylou.co.uk www.studio3000.co.uk A MAGICAL SHOW What should we ask a wedding magician before booking? Before booking, make sure your magician has lots of reviews. Ideally, these will be video testimonials or reviews on independent websites such as Google. This is an important day, so you want to make sure your supplier has the right experience and is not a beginner with a deck of trick cards. Look for photos on their website where you can see people’s reactions. It’s important that you see photographs of the audience, as you want to see people having a great time. If you’re satisfied, then call the magician and have a chat. Get a sense of their personality. Ideally, they’ll get you smiling on the phone. Frank www.magicfrank.co.uk 44
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