Category: Weddings

Weddings

5 Things to Consider When Getting Married Abroad

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5 things to consider when getting married abroad
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If you’re engaged and planning your wedding, you might be seriously considering getting married abroad, somewhere other than the UK. There are lots of different, very good reasons for getting married abroad but there are also some things that you may need to consider depending on the destination of your wedding. Today we are looking at some of the things that you need to remember when planning your wedding in a foreign country.

Local Laws

Depending on where you go to get married you may need to apply for an official UK wedding license before you go. However in some places you will also need to apply for a local wedding license so that your ceremony is legally binding. Speaking to somebody at the local administration offices should allow you to find out any legal steps you need to take before having a wedding in their country.

Visas

If your spouse comes from the country in which you plan to get married you may be surprised to learn that your marriage doesn’t automatically guarantee that they will have residency in the UK. There is such a thing as a UK fiance visa, and this is something that you may need to secure if you’re planning to have them live with you in the UK in the period leading up to the wedding.

Language Differences

You may find that some weddings will be performed in the local language, regardless of whether you speak it or not. When Husband and I got married in the Maldives, our ceremony was conducted in Dhivehi, which is the local Maldivian language, so we were unable to understand what was being said! We were given a translation afterwards so that we knew what we were agreeing to in our wedding ceremony.

Cost

Most of the time, the reason people choose to get married abroad is because the cost of the wedding ceremony and honeymoon all come in at a much lower cost than what you’d pay to get married in the UK. However if you’re planning to take your guests with you, you’re going to need to factor in whether it’s affordable for them if you really want them to be there. Unless you’re planning to pay for the whole bridal party to accompany you, you may need to run the cost of the whole shebang past your nearest and dearest before you start making any bookings.

Wedding Planner

The best and easiest way to arrange a wedding in a foreign country is to hire a wedding planner. You can hire a planner here in the UK who specialise in foreign weddings or if you have good enough language skills for the destination of your wedding you could hire a planner who lives near your venue which means that you will benefit from their Knowledge and expertise of their home country and getting everything sorted that is required for your wedding.

Weddings

What 3 Elements Will Make Your Wedding Perfect For You?

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When it comes to your wedding day, you need to feel fabulous. It is going to be the best day of your life, or at the very least, one of the best days of your life. As such, you need to do everything in your power to ensure that you are making it perfect when it comes to planning. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at three of the elements that are going to make your wedding perfect for you. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

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The Dress

The first thing that you are going to need is a dress. Your dress should make you feel like the princess you are and nothing less. If you find that you’re not getting this feeling from any of the dresses you are trying on and it is starting to make you feel frustrated, then you simply haven’t found the right one yet. Just keep going because the dress of your dreams is out there. The thing that you need to remember is that while you are only going to wear this dress once in your life, it is ‘the’ dress and you need to go all out for it.

Think about the kind of styles and designs that you like, but also make sure to try on different things. Sometimes, the ideas that we go into things with are so quickly shattered and replaced by something new, helping you to find the perfect thing for you.

The Location

Another thing that you are going to need to consider is your wedding location. Your wedding location should be wherever you want it to be. If you want to go abroad for your wedding, we think that this is a fantastic idea. If a tropical paradise is what you want, then find a place you adore and look into how to get married there. Sometimes it can be a little complicated to try and work everything out yourself for your wedding, and you need some help. For example, you might want to look into someone like katrina otter weddings award winning luxury wedding planner. A professional like this will be able to help you plan the wedding of your dreams, no matter where it is.

The Guest List

The final element that will make your wedding perfect is the guest list. You don’t want people at your wedding celebrating your special day with you that you don’t even like. Never let anyone pressure you to invite someone to your wedding that you don’t want there, as it will only ruin your day and have you on edge the entire time. This is something that you need to be extremely firm with, no matter what anyone has to say about it.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see three elements that will make your wedding perfect for you. Of course, it depends on your personal preference as to what extras will make the day the most amazing of your life, but these are some of the main ones. We wish you the very best of luck.

Weddings

Bridesmaid Etiquette: How To Pick Dresses They Will Love

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It’s your big day, but you want everyone to enjoy your wedding. While you can’t please everybody, there are some people you can: your bridesmaids. Not to say you haven’t thought about them, yet they aren’t always consulted about their attire! Sometimes, a bridezilla chooses what she thinks is appropriate and makes the final decision. Sure, it is up to you; however, do you want uneasiness in the ranks? With a few simple rules, you can get all of your bridal party on board and find the perfect middle ground.

Here are the etiquette rules that will help you strike the right balance.

Ask For Their Opinion

Although this tip isn’t ground-breaking, it’s incredible how many brides don’t ask their bridesmaids for their opinion. Okay, it’s not as if you can consult all of them, especially if you have everyone from a chief bridesmaid to three or four foot soldiers. Still, a basic question will reveal all and help you to find more suitable dresses. If the shade is a problem, you can search bridesmaid dresses using color filter, or you might need to focus on the fit. Whatever it is, let them express their opinion without fear of a court marshall!

Take Them Along To A Fitting

Of course, gauging their opinion implies that they’ll offer it up in the first place. Lots of bridesmaids, trying to be a friend, will go along with anything you say not to rock the boat. From your point of view, this is counterproductive and doesn’t help in the slightest! Thankfully, taking them along to view dresses or try them on is a fantastic way to see how they feel. Their body language will speak volumes, allowing you to ask them what they think without coming across as aggressive or moody. Choose a date that suits everybody and make a girly day of it to add to the experience.

Let Them Shine

It’s your big day. You have put it together, you have spent the money, and you want the attention. There’s nothing wrong with thinking this way; it’s natural. But, that doesn’t mean your squad can’t shine too. Attempting to make them appear a little drab and understated might not go down well. Instead, let them shine by picking dresses that show off their assets in a subtle and classy way. You can even mix dresses if you don’t want them to be the same size, colour, or style. Sequins are great at catching the eye without being too flashy.

Use Pinterest

Providing multiple options and then analysing the results isn’t a job that brides enjoy. It only adds hassle to the process because you’re bound to annoy someone. The trick is to give them a chance to have their say and show them that they are involved. Then, they won’t be as disappointed if they get outvoted. To do this, you can use technology to your advantage. A WhatsApp group is always handy, but Pinterest is the winner when it comes to bridesmaid dresses.

Start a board and whittle the options down to a handful based on the majority of votes.

Weddings

How is a Diamond Made?

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For many, the go-to carbon source associated with the creation of diamonds is coal. However, science confirms that naturally conceived diamonds created by the earth and space, do not require the metamorphism from coal to form these jewels. To support this, scientists discovered that coal needs plant sources to exist. And that dated diamonds were created before the world’s first plants even existed. Hence, it would be incorrect to assume that the method for the creation of diamonds is reliant on coal. Furthermore, as a sedimentary rock, coal embodies a horizontal rock form. However, diamonds are presented in the shape of vertical pipes packed with igneous rocks. 

There is one man-made process for creating diamonds and four natural occurrences that make up the world’s diamonds, these are as follows;

Lab-Created

With the use of science and technology, since the 1950’s we have sought to attempt to recreate the diamond for commercial use in jewels and industrial equipment. At present, with the use of an abundance of electricity to mimic a high temperature/pressure environment, the USA and China (the leading country for creating diamonds) are capable of producing almost superior diamonds in regards to diamond clarity. These VVS (very very slightly) diamonds include incredibly minor inclusions that the naked eye can not see without the assistance of 10x magnification.

Earth’s Mantle

According to geologists, extremely high temperatures and pressure are the necessary environments needed to create natural diamonds. Because of this, the limited zones within the earth’s mantle are the perfect atmosphere for diamonds to form and flourish. And so, for this method, the creation of diamonds originates around 90 miles below the earth’s surface and continental plates. The temperatures within this area are expected to reach a minimum of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. These diamonds are forced to the earth’s surface by a volcanic eruption that occurs from deep within the ground pushing the diamonds upwards. 

Subduction Zones

50 miles below the earth’s surface diamonds are subducted into the mantle by plate tectonic processes. The temperatures within the subduction zones amount to 390 degrees Fahrenheit, a much lower heat source than used in the earth’s mantle method above. Following the diamond’s formation, they are delivered to the surface. However, these diamonds are scarce, and usually upon their discovery, they are unsuitable for commercial use.

Impact Sites

The velocity and pressure of heat from an asteroid are likened to the heat from the sun’s surface. In turn, providing the required conditions for diamonds to form on what is referred to as impact sites (where the asteroid lands and shatters the earth’s surface). To support this concept, diamonds have been uncovered around asteroid impact sites at the meteor crater in Arizona and the Popigai crater in northern Siberia.

Space

Similar to impact sites, extracts from meteorites by Smithsonian researchers have demonstrated the existence of nanodiamonds within samples from, for example, the alien hill meteorite. High-speed collisions in space accumulate the required temperature and pressure to form diamonds, similar to those created and found when an asteroid strikes the earth. However, due to the nanosize of the diamonds, they can not be used as jewels or for industrial purposes.

The processes above create diamonds of different variations, some of which are suitable for mining and commercial use, and others that are too insignificant in size or rarely ever found.

Happiness · Weddings

Engagement Ring Trends 2019

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It’s never easy choosing the right engagement ring. But considering that the ring is going to bring so many wonderful changes to your life, you cannot afford to choose the wrong one. Some prefer rings with many carats, while some seek rings symbolic of their partner’s personality.

But Tacori at Whiteflash can offer you the perfect balance; a beautifully handcrafted symbol of your union. Whiteflash understands what makes the perfect ring. They are a leading retailer in many of the engagement ring trends dominating 2019. Do you want the right ring for your partner? Check out the year’s most prominent rings.

Pear-Shaped Rings

The diamond of today is not necessarily round. Over 2019, future spouses have developed a taste for the peculiar, with the pear being a prominent shape. Several notable celebrities have been spotted flashing pear-shaped rings. Typically coming in 58 facets, this diamond ring has an oceanic feel to it. It is also referred to as a teardrop diamond owing to the shape. The shape suggests a bold and confident wearer and offers further glamor among other jewellery accessories, such as necklaces and earrings.

Three-Stone Rings

The three-stone ring has been reigning supreme, thanks in part to the ring being Prince’s Harry’s choice when popping the question to Meghan Markle. A three-stone gem typically offers a center gem with two smaller stones on either side, symbolizing a couple’s past, present and future. Contemporary trends have seen the three-stone ring take on a few upgrades, such as fancy-shaped diamonds and glistening gemstones.

Yellow Gold Rings

Meghan Markle’s engagement ring was also a yellow gold ring, which helped to support its popularity. A traditional ring model, yellow gold is said to symbolize compatibility and fidelity. If you’re hoping for a vintage-style ceremony with a timeless feel, then a yellow gold ring will complement that aesthetic.

Pavé / Halo Rings

The pavé ring is unique for being lined with diamonds around the ring. The pavé setting comes with an extra sparkle emanating from the gemstones that mean you don’t see the metal of the setting, creating a smooth, unbroken diamond surface. They have also boosted the popularity of halo rings with the encrusted design emphasizing the glistening rock covering that finger. In addition, the halo ring may also use a visual twist displaying small gemstones around the entire wedding band.

Vintage Rings

For the traditionalists out there, vintage rings could be just what you need. Perhaps you are looking for an Edwardian-style ring where the discovery of platinum allowed for an airier design. Or maybe you would prefer a Victorian-style ring that offered intricate motifs, such as entwined hearts and a design that emphasises the diamond. Or perhaps a retro ring from the early 20th century that is quite inventive with its daring display of gemstones. What better way to start a life together than with a style that has resonated over the ages?

Starting a new life together is about finding a way to mark the occasion, celebrating what has come before and preparing for all the good things still to come. But you need a special ring to mark the occasion, a ring that symbolizes and seals the bond between you. And these are the rings that could help you take your love to the next level.