Photo credit: the Wedding of my Dreams Did you know that 84% of wedding guests prefer assigned seating and a wedding table plan? They take the hassle and franticness out of the arrival at the reception and let people enjoy the entrance into your dining hall. Without a wedding table plan it can take a very long time for guests to get seated and in the end there will always be a few lonely people wandering round looking for a spare seat when everyone else is seated. No one enjoys this feeling, which is why for any wedding reception to run smoothly, a wedding table plan is a must. Wedding Table Plan Dos  Photos: weddingchicks.com and Lois Jordan Do get exact numbers and a table plan from your venue before you start assigning seats. Do find out if your venue can cater for different sized tables, and what is the maximum number of people at each size table. Do have a children’s table if you have quite a few children between the ages of 6 – 13. If they are younger than six they may not want to sit at a table away from their parents. If they are older than 13 then they will want to be seen at an adult, or at least a teen table. Do create a nice mix at your tables. A roughly even mix of males and females can balance the conversation well at tables. Do be traditional when organising the top table. The traditional top table seating plan is; from left to right in the following order; maid of honour, groom’s father, bride’s mother, groom, bride, bride’s father, groom’s mother, best man. Wedding Table Plan Don’ts Photos: hitched.co.uk and bespoke-bride.com Don’t be tempted to fill up gaps at children’s or teen tables with any single friends coming to the wedding unaccompanied. Don’t split couples up – people bring a plus one to a wedding for a reason and want to be in their company. Don’t try to mix and match friend groups too much. Weddings can be hard work at the best of times but spending dinner trying to bond with new people can be a bit over whelming sometimes. People are more likely to get on well if they are of similar ages or have known similar interests (apart from you or your husband to be). Don’t put exes at the same table. Even if they are still friends having an ex with their new plus one is awkward for everyone at the table and not an atmosphere you want to create. Book a free consultations with Jules, our design specialist. She will be able to talk you through all your table plan options...

The Wedding Journal Show is coming to the Kings Hall in Belfast from Friday the 23rd to Sunday the 25th of January. Jules is looking forward to exhibiting at the fair at stand E35. The fair will be buzzing with activity and excitement, the chance to see fashion shows, enter competitions, get freebies and be inspired by over 250 exhibitors. However, with so much to see and around 10,000 visitors over the weekend it can get pretty overwhelming. The show is a great opportunity to meet a wide range of local suppliers. That’s why Jules has put together a checklist to help you make the most of your day. What to plan in advance   Book your tickets online in advance. If you pay at the door tickets are £11 per adult, if you plan ahead and book them online you can get the discounted rate of £9pp or if you have a larger group, you can get a group of 5 ticket which will cost just £8pp. Don’t worry, booking online won’t restrict you to a specific day if you’re not sure what your plans are for the weekend, as its valid for one day of your choice. Enter City Beat’s competition to increase your chances of winning a £25,000 wedding, you can also enter on Facebook and at the show.  Plan to see a catwalk show. Pick which show from below you’d like to see and leave enough time to get seats as they  will fill up fast. SHOW TIMES Fri: 4 pm & 6 pm Sat: 1 pm, 3 pm & 5 pm Sun: 1 pm, 3 pm & 5 pm Research the suppliers exhibiting, get a feel for their price range to avoid spending time on those you can’t afford. Come knowing which parts of wedding are a priority. If you’ve only specific things left on your list make sure you see all the relevant stands and find out what they have to offer. It’s a good idea to bring your budget with you to avoid overspending.  Decide who’s best to attend the show with you. Do you need your fiancé with you to make a decision or is your mum more involved? Bring those who will enjoy it and help you make decisions rather than distract.   What to bring   A digital camera to snap pictures of details you like so you can remember them. Or bring your phone if it has a camera and make sure there’s enough memory to take lots of pictures.  Printed labels, you’ll be entering lots of competitions and giving your details to various suppliers. Save time by bringing stickers with your details.  Colour samples and material swatches...

              We are so excited to announce that Jules Wedding Stationery will be exhibiting at the Wedding Journal Show Live from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th of January 2015. Due to the success of our stationery ranges like the elegant copperplate printing and the sparkly foil pressing, Jules will be unveiling a brand new stationery range at the show to offer brides-to-be a new wedding stationery style, before the range is officially launched. The Wedding Journal Show offers brides-to-be an opportunity to plan all aspects of their wedding from their wedding dress at the all-new bridal catwalk and the Citybeat Style Stage to planning the perfect honeymoon at the exotic honeymoon area. On top of that one lucky couple will win a free wedding! Our stationery designer, Jules Owens, will be at the show each day to discuss stationery styles with brides and will even be taking bookings for free consultations where the bride-to-be will have the opportunity to get ideas and inspiration for personalised wedding stationery. With our friends from Hastings Hotels we’re also giving one lucky “Mother of the Bride” a chance to unwind after all the wedding stress with a Spa Treatment at either The Spa at Slieve Donard or The Spa at Culloden. Enter now or come and see us at stand E35 where you can enter and have a look at our beautiful bespoke wedding stationery....

2015’s weddings are set to continue the trend of increased informality that we’ve seen growing more popular in recent years. Brides and Grooms will continue to seek out ways to make their day more unique to them as a couple, while creating a relaxed atmosphere that allows everyone to enjoy themselves.  This year’s trends include pretty pastels, off the shoulder dresses and industrial interiors. The Theme Getting the theme right is an integral part of planning any wedding.  Themed weddings are like marmite, many claim to hate them, but whether you’re willing to admit it or not there’s always a theme.  Some themes are subtle, based around colours and styling, while others are more obvious. Rustic Photo credit : http://www.pinterest.com/pin/457959855831404270/ Rustic wedding themes have been a favourite in recent years.  This theme looks good whatever the budget, great for couples who love a bit of wedding DIY.  Family style eating and long tables will be a key element of this wedding theme. Ethereal Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/327988785335107779/ The ethereal theme will be huge in 2015 and we are sure it will make for many pretty pictures.  The theme works well as it’s romantic, whimsical and very natural – think midsummer night’s dream. Industrial Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/420945896393237306/ Upcycling has become a cultural trend in the last year, and in 2015 we’ll see this theme begin to grow in stylish modern weddings.  This minimalist look stands out, and is romantic in a back to basics sort of way, keeping the focus on the bride and groom. The Dress For many brides the dress is the most important part – after the groom of course! We can understand why.  These photos will be kept for the rest of your life, so it’s important to have a dress you love that can stand the test of time. Detail open backs http://www.pinterest.com/pin/290552613433981076/ & http://www.pinterest.com/pin/339458890634782583/ Your guests spend the majority of your wedding ceremony looking at your back, 2015’s dresses will give them something to talk about.  Open backs with surrounding details means brides will be eager to sculpt their backs in time for their big day.  The ’15 catwalk features plenty of lace and pearl details. Elegant Plunges Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/463096774156627219/ We’ve seen this look on Cheryl Versini Fernandez recently, and we love it.  This trend is very feminine and elegant, especially flattering for those brides who have less curves. Off the shoulder Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210472982560015448/ Off the shoulder dresses reminiscent of Shakespearean romance will be making us swoon in 2015.  If your planning an ethereal styled wedding the off the shoulder wedding dress makes a beautiful choice. Minimalist Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/464785624017881917/ 2015 will see modern brides choose to walk down the aisle minimalist dresses.  This demur look is sophisticated...

So this may sound a little strange but… we love winter, frosty mornings, fairy lights and cozying up by the fireplace.  The sparkles, colours and the odd chance of snow give us butterflies! In fact we love winter so much that we’ve decided to dedicate another blog just to winter weddings!  Here are seven more reasons to love the season and how to make your winter wedding magical! 1. Sparkle Who doesn’t love sparkle?! We most certainly do! You can add sparkle to anything and everything! Make your wedding glitter in the dark, winter nights by adding glitter to small details or make your wedding go out with a bang! (Literally!) Have a look at these pictures for inspiration. Photo  credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/375909900121846192 2. Perfect white wedding Every little girl dreams of her big white wedding! Although it wouldn’t look quite right during the summer sun… Perfect for winter! The perfect big white wedding looks beautiful no matter what the weather brings, hail, wind or snow you are guaranteed to have the most beautiful wedding of the season! Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/530017449870646689 3. More availability It’s no secret that the most popular wedding season is summer (although we disagree), therefore everyone is rushing to have their summer wedding, venues are fully booked, disaster, nightmare, the brides are going crazy! This problem is easily avoided by having a winter wedding! Yes you may have goose bumps throughout the day, but at least you’re guaranteed to have the venue of your dreams! Photo credit: http://www.thecarriagerooms.com/gallery.aspx?title=Weddings_and_reception_rooms 4. No disappointment with weather With the weather like this you’ll be blown away on your wedding day! Although you can be nearly certain it will rain, at least you won’t be expecting a miracle to happen! With the typical Northern Irish weather it would be silly to expect a snow wedding, so get prepared for the rain and let’s not forget to keep the guests dry! 5.  No one expects you to have a summer glow Argh, the pressure to have the perfect ‘Summer Glow’, the rush to find the perfect tan, the devastation when you turn orange instead of a ‘light’ tan as the bottle describes! We know the pain all ladies go through! We love this scene from Bride Wars to give the perfect example! Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/277112183295020945/ 6. Wedding of the season As winter weddings are less common than the typical summer wedding this gives you the advantage to make sure you give your guests something to talk about! Most of your guests probably haven’t been to a wedding in months! Use this to your advantage, become the wedding of the season! Here’s a picture for inspiration! Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/129267451779615994/ 7. Christmas theme Add a Christmas tree to your reception! Don’t be...