Questions!

Ok, I am very newly engaged (the 30th!!!) and we are planning for a july-august wedding (havent pinpointed a date yet). I already have questions as far as getting married in the UK.

First, a provisional booking...what exactly is it? All the registry office sites I have found dont offer much information about it. Is it possible to make a provisional booking w/o my divorce being final? It was recommended we get one for my visa...

And next, are there any wholesale florists in the UK that sell to the public?

Anyone know of any bakeries in the Bath/Bristol area that do a white cake rather than a fruitcake?

And I apologize for being ignorant of this but what is a wedding breakfast? I saw it mentioned in my UK bridal magazine and mentioned on here, but here it was mentioned as the first meal after we are married..so its sort of like morning sickness in that it doesnt necessarily happen in the morning? hehe

I think for now thats all...unless someone can recommend some good bridal boutiques with reasonable prices for a gown!!

Katrina

From looking around online, I think a lot of bakeries will do sponge instead of fruitcake if you just ask.  Either look them up online or have your DF call around and ask.

Weddings in the UK are traditionally earlier in the day that those in the US, and the breakfast is the meal that happens after the wedding....I think?

As far as bridal boutiques go...I'd go around to places where you live and try on gowns so you get an idea of the kind of style you want, then buy it online!  Much more inexpensive, and looks just as pretty.

I've noticed about the times...Ive read somewhere they have to perform the ceremony between certain hours?

Thank goodness we can find a bakery that does sponge cakes...DF is an absolute sweetheart but I dont think he'd be all that interested in finding out for me...not to mention he works full time an hour or more each way from work, I'd feel horrible just asking...I will go over with approx 4 months to plan..lets hope the bakeries dont mind

As for the dresses thats the thing I am leaning toward most....we have such a small budget..and I found a place that makes the dresses before they get the labels put on, and they are sooo much cheaper, and I can find the design at major bridal salons...gonna make an appt for this week or next and go try them on, and then buy online that way I get the dress I want for a few hundred quid instead of several hundred

My mom seconded my dress choices, I am happy for that because the dress I fell in love with I wasnt sure what others would think

First, a provisional booking...what exactly is it? All the registry office sites I have found dont offer much information about it. Is it possible to make a provisional booking w/o my divorce being final? It was recommended we get one for my visa...

A provisional booking is when you just go to the register office and speak to someone to set up a wedding date. You will have to pay a downpayment ( I forgot what price it was, it might've changed ). Then they will mail you all the information you will need, for instance, the forms you'll need to fill out, how much more you'll need to pay to complete the fees, what you can expect in the ceremony, etc.

As for getting your divorce finalized.. I have no clue, but I don't think it would hurt to get a provisional booking. I am not sure if it is ALLOWED, you can always ask the registry. But just make sure that obviously you'll be divorced in the time between getting the provisional booking, and your wedding, as you already know i'm sure.

Hope that helps, and congrats on your engagement!

First, a provisional booking...what exactly is it? All the registry office sites I have found dont offer much information about it. Is it possible to make a provisional booking w/o my divorce being final? It was recommended we get one for my visa...

oh...i know exactly what a provisional booking is...i had to do the same thing.  a provisional booking basically just locks in the date.  you don't have to pay anything for it and only one person needs to go.  they will give you a piece of paper (i sent it in with my fiance visa app) stating the name of both parties getting married, the date and the time. 

once you get to UK, both of you have to go to the registry office (after you have been in the UK for at least two weeks) and actually confirm the date and time you chose in the provisional booking, as well as pay your registration fees.  we had to pay £30 each...but it may vary from city to city (county to county, etc.). 

Thank you Now to just get some patience!! I am really wanting to get the visa now and get over there..

I don't know what sort of a budget you're on, but mine was VERY tight and what I did was go to Marks & Spencer and get three cake rounds (they do sponge as well as fruit and since dh insisted on fruit, we got the big round fruit and the smaller ones sponge) and pillars and a friend of mine made some gorgeous silk flower decorations to go on them. It turned out SO nicely and we saved litterally hundreds of pounds....

I got married at the Bath registry office and that morning I took a walk and went to a little local florist, picked out what appealed to me and had the girl there make my bouquet right then. That also saved a bundle and turned out prettier and probably fresher than anything I could have pre-ordered....

Congrats on your engagement!

Anne-

We will have about £2000...tiny yes, but we will manage..I hope!! We are getting married in Bath too Hopefully in the Royal Crescent...not only is it not expensive it looks gorgeous! i loved Bath, we will be staying in Bristol (where DF is from) until were married then moving to Bath..I cant wait! Although I do like Bristol a lot too

I was just going to ask if anyone knows of any wholesale florists around Bath, or Bristol...I can transport if need be, it will be a small wedding, 20-30 people, and I am not going all out on flowers but definitely want a few. I cant seem to find anything wholesale online, I really wish I was there!!

I have mentioned to DF me making the cake..I took food service classes, was wantng to become a professional chef at one point, and was really into cake decorating, then I moved and gave it all away I miss it..and I think I had a chance at gettng really good at it...but DF says its my day and I dont need to be working on my day...if only he knew just what went into a wedding! I couldnt just stand around and do nothing. But anyway what I want is a 3 tier cake with swiss dots, and ribbon around the bottom of each tier, and then hydrangea and roses cascading down the side (a lot fewer flowers than my original idea of between each tier). I think that would be rather simple to do on my own, granted I would need to practice to get back into it before the big day, but if he insists we buy the cake elsewhere I am hoping I can fnd a bakery willing to do dummy cakes, we dont need enough to feed 200 people, but I want that look Dummy cakes would hopefully cut the costs...but I dont know if its even done in the UK....so far the cheapest I have found for a cake would be £350 or so, but thats to feed like I said 200 people!!

Phew I could go on and on and on with all my plans so far hehehe

And to think this is all going to be done cheaply...I think I can I think I can  I think I can...lol

Katrina