Your Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wedding - Feb/Mar 2019 (Issue 75)

We’re looking for a videographer but we’re not sure where to begin. Can you help? Rachel says: Think about the style of wedding you’re having, and then looking to see if local videographers have filmed similar styles. If you’re getting married in a church, are there examples of church weddings in their portfolios? It’s important they are considerate of the service and won’t be intrusive. Or are you having a tipi wedding reception with a festival vibe and wanting a film that captures all the fun? If so, look for a videographer who specialises in that. Consider what you’d like the edited films to look like. Do you want the whole ceremony and speeches as well as highlights? I’m engaged myself, and when thinking about a videographer for our own wedding, we wrote down our criteria and then asked in wedding groups on Facebook for people to comment if they thought they matched it. In particular, we wanted a music video style that focused on highlights, our guests as well as us, clips timed to the beats and the ceremony, speeches and first dance in full. This helped us decide whether the videographers were right for us or not, and I’d recommend doing the same for all your suppliers. Rachel Vine | veiledproductions.co.uk IT’S A WRAP Piece of cake We love cake and have loads of ideas for our big-day bake. How should we go about looking for a cake maker, and how far in advance do we need to plan things? Victoria says: The best way to start looking for a cake maker is online. Cake makers will post their best work on social media or on their websites to showcase the best of the best! Use hashtags like #weddingcake or #[insertlocation]cakes to find someone local to you or your venue, and then drop them a message. I get bookings between two months and two years in advance. It can vary, and as long as I have availability, I can turn around beautiful wedding cakes in a few weeks. To be safe, though, it’s best to start looking at planning your wedding cake six to nine months in advance. The most important thing to remember about your wedding cake is that you are always right. The cake needs to be perfect for your day, so always bring any ideas and themes with you to your consultation. At Victoria’s Sponges, we offer free wedding consultations with a selection of cupcakes to take away with you and try in your own time before you make any commitments. Victoria Carr | victoriassponges.co.uk YOU CAN DANCE My partner has two left feet. What can I do to get them ready for the first dance on our wedding day? Kiri says: If you are worried about how your first dance will turn out, have some lessons. Having a professional dance teacher come to your home or a local studio will help to make sure you feel at ease. The thought of dance lessons can be daunting, but one-to-one tuition really helps compared to attending a group class, wherein participants often end up standing at the back and hiding. If you have the lessons at home, you have your own space, you don’t need to travel and you will end up feeling more relaxed. We often get told by wedding couples that they have two left feet, but they are normally so surprised and impressed with what they can do even after the first lesson. Most couples learn a minute’s dance in the first lesson, and that is a realistic average. Start planning early by looking at videos and songs online that you like the look of and book lessons around two months before the wedding date so you have enough time to prepare – and so that you won’t forget on the day. Good luck! Kiri Cullen | allstepsfirstdance.co.uk 120