Nouveau dishe – How the British wedding breakfast turned fine dining on its head

The choice of the wedding breakfast is integral to a well-planned wedding and many couples are keen to ensure that their menu is enjoyed by the majority. This is why budget-savvy brides and high-end weddings alike are now opting for food which was once considered low-brow. The foie gras and oysters have been cast aside to be replaced by such British standards as fish and chips and bangers and mash in a bid to keep the ravenous masses happy. However, this doesn’t mean the food is any less well executed than haute cuisine.

This isn’t just plain food, this is good food…

Despite the initial simple ingredients, these primitive dishes are often being elevated with embellishments, either in presentation or content, to become an ironic twist on the original tried and tested recipes. For example, in a recent wedding I planned, the humble chip became a thing of beauty when baked with rosemary and seasoned with cracked black pepper and sea salt, lovingly presented in a cone adorned with a ribbon in the wedding colours, akin to the bride’s bouquet. Similarly, you may find at a future wedding you are presented with a trio of local sausages and mustard mash, in the style of the great pyramid of Giza.

Celebrity endorsement…

Not only are us mere mortals trying out this home-cooked fayre, but celebrities are also getting in on the action, with Simon Cowell serving Shepherd’s pie and mini Yorkshire puds hors d'oeuvres at his 50th birthday bash. See the company he used http://fishandchipcatering.co.uk/. Similarly, the guests at Kate Winslet’s wedding were served bangers and mash, presumably in Titanic proportions.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…

This sea change from the school dinners of yesteryear to the finely crafted fusion-food we have today proves that you don’t have to be pretentious in your cuisine to have a classy wedding. Indeed, like most things it’s what’s inside that counts…

For more information on any aspect of wedding planning, or how to achieve luxury cuisine without the luxury price tag, contact Nova Wedding Planning to book your free consultation today. www.novaweddingplanning.co.uk

Credit Crunch Weddings

How to save money and still get the wedding you always dreamed of

Couples in Kent are tightening their purse strings more than ever before, spending on average £3000 less than they did last year on their big day. Latest figures from Kent County Council reveal that the price of the average Kent wedding has dropped from £18,000 in 2010 to just £15,000 in 2011. So how are bride and grooms making these savings and what can future couples do to achieve the day they want, without having to compromise on quality?

All hail the weekday wedding

One of the easiest ways to shave literally thousands off the price of any wedding is by holding it on a weekday or Sunday, as many venues are willing to offer significant discounts to couples who opt for this. Similarly, suppliers such as florists may be more willing to give discounts, as it spreads their work through the week, allowing them to accept more custom. Potentially weekday bride and grooms could have exactly the same, venue, flowers and DJ as their weekend counterparts and pay thousands of pounds less.

An added advantage brought about by the weekday wedding is that it separates your less familiar guests from the more committed friends and family, saving you even more money as your acceptance list is slashed to those who truly want to be there!

The early bird catches the worm

Contrary to popular belief, being organised and booking your venue and suppliers early is another key way couples can save considerable sums. People may argue that sometimes venues will offer a last minute deal on cancelled bookings. However, these deals are few and far between and you are unlikely to get the choice of suppliers and venue you originally had your heart set on. Instead, by booking early you can often secure the prices from the current year, rather than what they will cost in two years time, which will inevitably be more expensive. This option may also allow couples to take advantage of other incentives such as payment plans, allowing you to spread the cost over time and better manage your wedding finances.

Nova Wedding Planner at Hadlow Wedding Exhibition

Appoint a wedding planner

Now you may think me biased, but wedding planners are actually a great way to save money. (But I can’t afford a wedding planner I hear you cry!) Once considered the preserve of the rich and famous, increasingly wedding planners are bringing their budgets in line with that of the average bride and groom and are even accepting weddings on a shoestring.

The major incentive of appointing a planner is that they have access to discounts on each and every supplier and venue they organise on your behalf – anywhere up to 10%. These discounts all add up and can write off the cost of the wedding planner or even save you more than their fee. Often couples can feel uncomfortable asking for such discounts, but for a planner this is daily business and they have no such qualms about trying to save their client money.

Meanwhile, couples get a helping hand to navigate them through the pitfalls of wedding planning and access to the years of knowledge and contacts available to the planner.

For more ways to save money on your wedding contact Nova Events & PR Ltd who offer a package for weddings on a budget - visit the website for more details or to book a free consultation http://www.novaweddingplanning.co.uk/budget_wedding.html

Wedding Cakes vs. Cupcakes vs. Cheesecakes

It’s an argument that bride and grooms are having up and down the UK. Should we go for a wedding cake, individual cupcakes or the increasingly popular cheesecake? In each corner of the cake ring, each of the contenders have their benefits…

Wedding cakes tend to be the traditional choice but are generally the most expensive, unless you trawl for bargains or have a baker as a BFF. Good value can still be obtained through the supermarkets, however. Here’s an example of a decorated, 3 tier, white chocolate cake from Waitrose which I thought was a bargain http://bit.ly/qXyb7E If you are on a really tight budget though, plain iced 3-tiers are available from Tesco and Asda for less than £50, but you would need to decorate them yourself (not an option for the crafty bereft like myself!)

Now when I say cheesecake, I don’t mean a Sarah-Lee special from Iceland, but a cake made entirely of cheese, which are fast becoming the crowd-pleaser. Check out this beauty from Marks and Spencer http://bit.ly/n5J5mw

While cheese may please the boys (my other half won’t go anywhere near the dessert tray) the girls meanwhile, may find still hanker after something sweet to follow their wedding breakfast. So what about cupcakes?

Over the last decade, cupcakes have seen a meteoric rise, becoming the cheaper and kookier alternative and a natural choice for the vintage style wedding. See these lovely examples from Lola’s Kitchen http://bit.ly/nqDvfs

However some may disagree - ‘Cupcakes have had their day’ announces my friend Vickie when I ask her which of the three she would plump for. Much like double-denim, cupcakes now seem to be on their way back out again, being pummelled by the Croquembouche or profiterole mountain as most of us understand it.

At the last wedding I helped plan, the bride and groom opted for all of the above, to the delight and delectation of the guests. They also went one better by having an ice-cream van attend with the melodic chime of the ice cream van bringing a sweet note to the end of the speeches and whoops of joy from the inner-child of the guests.

For those who can afford it, having the option of all three cakes is by far the best way to satisfy all sweet and savoury cravings, but I will personally always have a soft spot for the cupcake, whether in vogue or out, for me, it is always a petite package of loveliness!

For personalised advice on how to save money on your wedding day or assistance in planning any aspect of your wedding, visit my website www.novaweddingplanning.co.uk