The History

The Hall has been owned for an impressive 400 years by the same local family – the Rous family – whose heritage in the local area dates back to 14th century. Once serving as a Abbey, many original features from the Hall’s construction remain today, including oak staircases, oak-beamed attics and even a ‘Sweet-toned Bell’. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1500s the Hall was rebuilt – this time to include a ‘Priest’s Hole’ – a feature that remains to this day. 

17th Century Barn

New for 2012 is the beautifully renovated 17th century barn, although ‘barn’ doesn’t do this venue justice. The barn can accommodate events up to 400 people within its three rooms with under floor heating throughout (fuelled by a wood chip burner using the estate’s wood). Licensed and soundproofed, offering a Banqueting Hall, Medieval Hall and Minstrels Gallery on the mezzanine floor, parking for over 100 cars and a floor to ceiling window with views out to the gardens.

Accommodation

The barn has two en suite bedrooms and the Hall offers a further ten bedrooms, accommodating up to 24 guests in total and allowing you to have the run of Bruisyard Hall’s historic Estate exclusively for your stay.

The Location

Bruisyard Hall is located in Bruisyard, Suffolk. The closest main towns are Framlingham and Saxmundham.

The Ceremony

You have a choice of a small ceremony in the drawing room inside the hall or on the minstrels gallery in the barn. Or for larger weddings the ceremonies can take place in the medieval hall or banqueting hall.

What I love

There are so many aspects I love about this venue but here is a taster:
o Under floor heating in the barn using fuel by a wood chip burner using the estate’s wood – now that’s what I call recycling!
o The dual venue possibility of having the barn & the hall from Friday – Monday
o The fact dogs are welcome – so many of my clients have more then 1 dog so I know they will love this little ‘added bonus’
o The managers dedication to choosing top quality suppliers to work with them
o The setting, sigh, this is 700 acres of Suffolk countryside at its best.

Prices

• 2012 = £6,500
• 2013 = £7000

Price includes Hall and Barn, furniture, corkage, exclusive use of 700 acre estate from Fri to Mon. For more information call Paul Daws on 01728 639 000 or complete the contact form here

Check back next week for a summary of the shoot organisation and list of fabulous suppliers that assisted us.

Photo Credit: The gorgeous Kerry Morgan
 

Step 1 – What Wedding do you want?

One of the first things I do with clients is to conduct a consultation; this is to determine what style of wedding they want and which suppliers will suit them best. So, although you will not need a consultation with yourself, do compile a questionnaire and go out somewhere relaxing to discuss it. By the end of your evening you should be clear on what you both want from a wedding and most importantly, what you can afford.

1. Talk about when to get married

2. Discuss what you both want from a wedding

3. Compile a rough guest list to get an idea of numbers (you will need this for when you start searching for venues)

4. Discuss type of ceremony i.e religious or civil

5. Talk about the type of venue you would prefer, i.e hotel, manor house, barn, marquee etc

6. Choose wedding attendants

7. Talk about who is paying for the wedding, is it solely you or are parents contributing to part or all of the wedding?

Be organised from the start

You will need somewhere to keep all the wedding documentation. There are many specialist books made especially for this purpose otherwise buy a simple display book or filing folder from your local stationery store. You should keep invoices, supplier letters and pictures you like here, easily assessable when needed. Of course for the technical brides out there, consider having a wedding website where pictures can be stored and guest lists compiled and tracked.

Rough Guest List

It stands to reason that ideally you’d have all your family, friends and work colleagues at your wedding. Remember though that every guest has a price to their head and not just the wedding breakfast, but drink, table flowers, favours and stationery. Create an A & B list, that way if anyone from the A list declines you can invite someone from the b list.

Ceremony type

There are many forms of ceremonies, too many to list here so I have just concentrated on the most popular ones in the UK.One of your first major decisions will be what type of ceremony to have. Will you want a religious or civil ceremony? If you wish to marry in your local church then arrange a meeting with your vicar, most require you to attend church on a regular basis but some are flexible so do check. The banns will be read out in church on 3 consecutive Sundays after which you must marry within 3 months. Try http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/weddings for further guidelines.If you wish to have a civil ceremony then contact the registrar in the town you wish to marry. They will then send you a list of licensed venues in that area along with details of local register offices. The earliest you can confirm a date with a registrar is 12 months before, so even if you book a venue 18 months in advance, there is no guarantee on the ceremony time or even availability of a registrar until 12 months.If you are planning a civil partnership then again by contacting your local registrars you will be given a list of licensed venues in the UK.

Alternatively if you want to plan something different then why not have a legal civil ceremony followed by a humanist celebration? These can take place anywhere and are as individual as the couple themselves. You may have any reading, poem, song that you wish and the ceremony can be conducted anywhere, i.e. beaches, cliff tops, gardens, boats etc. go to humanism for further details.

Ceremony Time

Early ceremonies are good if you have lots of entertainment planned and evening guests. A later ceremony is perfect for the same guests all day creating a more relaxed atmosphere. A late ceremony means a late wedding breakfast and reduces the need for evening food. A cheese table with bread and fruit is more then sufficient.

Photo Credit: Kerry Morgan & Nick Kontou

What made it memorable was the fact the notes are hard to reach so at those points people would be quiet and giggling then when the chorus came everyone would shout it out as if to say ‘Listen to me’! Mind you, maybe that’s the Essex personas coming out, we’re not the quiet and reserved types!

So I’m on a mission to encourage more bride & grooms to have a song for their civil ceremonies. What do you think? Love or loath? For a listen to the man itself go to here  . And for those interested in the words for Al Green here it is!

I’m, I’m so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is alright with me
‘Cause you make me feel, so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you

Me sayin’ since, baby, since we’ve been together
Ooo, loving you forever
Is what I need
Let me, be the one you come running to
I’ll never be untrue
Ooo baby

Let’s, let’s stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad

Oooo oooo ooo ooo, yeah
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad

Why somebody, why people break up
Oh, and turn around and make up
I just can’t seeeeeeeee
You’d never do that to me
(Would you baby)
‘Cause being around you is all I see
It’s why I want us to

Let’s, let’s stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad

Let’s, let’s stay together
Loving you whether, whether

My first piece of advice is only propose if you think he is going to say yes, if you have approached the subject of marriage before and he grumbles he doesn’t see the point or changes the subject, think carefully as he’s probably trying to tell you something in the way that men do, by not telling you!

Assuming you’re confident he will be delighted, here are my top 5 tips 

1. Remember the proposal should be suited to your boyfriends likes/dislikes, not what YOU think is romantic. If you’re unsure why not sign up for my marriage proposal service
2. Be honest about your feelings, why do you want to marry him? Tell him but don’t just say ‘you mean so much to me’, go into WHY you are entrusting your heart into his hands.
3. Add a bit of humour by wearing something red as a token of the ‘red petticoat’ tradition.
4. Have a gift for your hopefully fiancé, assuming he wont want a ring what about a watch? In fact that’s what I gave my husband when we got engaged (no he asked me!)
5. Give him a chance to say yes and make sure you are somewhere he can concentrate on you, not on the train on the way home from work or when he’s trying to navigate the M25 traffic

 Some easy and simple ideas

1. Arrange a photo shoot with a photographer, have some natural shots to emphasise why your man loves you, perhaps in locations that have meaning to you both? You could either have them enlarged or combine some shots in a small album, the last shot could be of you holding a sign say ‘Will you marry me?’
2. If there is a remote spot you like to go to, perhaps for country walks or picnics, think about arranging a treasure hunt. When you arrive at the location hand him an envelope giving him a clue as to where he goes next, make sure this has been beautifully printed or with calligraphy. Keep leaving clues, perhaps some of his items from home OR pictures of you together highlighting your history. The last clue would lead him to you where you are standing by a picnic rug, blankets, cushions and of course champagne picnic. Keep this last bit simple; ask him to marry you – honestly and clearly. 
3. Finally we all know the way to a man heart is through his stomach so how about this gorgeous proposal cake from GC Couture Cakes?  Priced at only £25 it won’t break the bank either. Yes I know it’s designed for the man to ask the lady but I’m sure if you ask an alternative can be made!

Once your man has said yes don’t forget it takes hours to organise a wedding so if this all sounds like too much hard work call a wedding planner  to assist you!

Wednesday, 29th February 2012 is leap year day when, by ancient tradition, women can propose to men. But how did it all start? What is the folk lore and traditions? I’ve done some trailing and this is what I have found……………

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Well no one seems to know for sure, there are a variety of opinions.

According to wikipedia  a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow.[9] In some places the tradition was tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, February 29, or to the medieval (bissextile) leap day, February 24

BUT according to others, the leap year proposal can be traced to St. Patrick in the early 5th century when St. Bridget, head of a nunnery, went to St. Patrick, then the bishop of Ireland, for help insisting women should have the right to proposal to suitable suitors. St. Patrick was sympathetic and understanding and decreed that women be permitted to do the proposing one year out of four. This new “open season on bachelors” soon began to take place during Leap Year, another quadrennial event, and so it has been since. Supposedly Bridget then proceeded to ask St. Patrick the big question herself. He gently refused, and to soothe her hurt feelings, gave her a kiss and a silk gown. Henceforth, men would be obliged to make some sort of payment for refusing a woman’s offer.

OR is it simply that the 29th February had no recognition in English law thus a break in tradition was acceptable on this one day only

Whatever the origin of this tradition it remains today

DID YOU KNOW?

During the Middle Ages, if a woman intended to propose to a man, she had to give him some warning. She was required by law to let a red petticoat show beneath her dress.

If any man said NO he would have to buy his loved one a new silk dress!

Keep an eye out next week for my modern day proposal ideas for leap year 2012

Credits/Sources

wikipedia

Leapyearday

Antique Trader

The one feature I loved on this blog when preparing for the winter radio show was the ‘Hot Drink Station’, I promised listeners I would post instructions on my blog so sorry it’s taken me a few weeks to do it! Most weddings have some form of candy or dessert tables now but how great to expand on this to create a hot drink station. And no I don’t mean just put an urn of water down with tea cups and leave it at that! The pictures of the hot drink stations below were designed by Rebecca at This Nest is Best who used the templates from HWTM Blog. Like with the candy or dessert stations you should use colours that incorporate the theme and think about how display in each item, increasing height where appropriate. So if you were going to recreate something similar for a party or wedding you are organising, here are the key items I think you need.

o Dress the table with coloured linen to ensure it stands out, or buy some fabric from long enough that it hangs to the floor. This way you don’t need to worry about hot chocolate stains on white linen!
o Hire a couple of tiered cake stands and use to display items like choc chips, mini cookies or marshmallows.
o Have a small tumbler or container with chocolate spirals

o Buy some shakers and have loose powder of cinnamon and coco
o Include a couple of liquors for those guests that like their coffee with a ‘kick’. Think baileys………
o Have a thermos with warm cream and have a bowl of whipped cream for guests who like a bit of indulgence with their coffee or hot chocolate
o Display teacups with little printable messages using templates from HWTM
o Have an urn of hot water then display some coffee & teabags in clear jars again using little tags to add some design to them.

 If you were organising a drink station, what would you include?

Credits: Mark Bothwell, HWTM, The Nest is Best

“The team at Dream Occasions Hire are highly professional and offer a really friendly and efficient hire service full of useful, pretty and practical products to make your wedding that extra bit special. I enjoy hiring and buying (particularly their high quality aisle runners) from time to time for our wedding clients who are always delighted with the end result.” Kelly Chandler, Wedding Planner, The Bespoke Wedding Company

We now have a lot of repeat custom from wedding planners and florists who appreciate the personal service we give every client, not to mention the reasonable delivery charges. Not a courier in sight!

The most popular items are the candelabras, lanterns, garden games and aisle runners. New for 2012 are white /black candelabras which should be here ready for the summer season and hanging crystals. Keep an eye out on our website for images when ready.

 ”The runner looked fab at the wedding and was just what the church needed” Aimee Dunne 

The hire arm is managed by Paul Chapman who can be reached on post@dreamoccasions-hire.co.uk , if there is an item you want but which we don’t stock, just let us know.

Top 5 most popular items

1. 75cm 5 stem silver candelabras         @ £18
2. Shepherd crooks & white lanterns    @ £4.50
3. Floor standing 5 stem candelabras   @ £35
4. Aisle Runners (to buy not hire)
5. Giant Connect 4                                              @ £30

“I have hired from Dream Occasions on several occasions over the last couple of years and always found their service to be very professional and complete from placing the order to delivery of the hired items.  They have a wide and interesting range of items for hire and I am more than happy to recommend Dream Occasions for any hire requirements.” Beverley Nichols Jades Flower Design.

 Photo Credit: Harvey Collard, Andy Catterall, Nick Kontou

Photo Credit: Nick Kontou