Blogs

From the correct way to wear a wedding ring, to the tradition of the wedding breakfast, the results of a new Nuptial Knowledge quiz found that modern men still struggle with long established wedding traditions.

Produced by QHotels, who host hundreds of weddings each year, the Wedding IQ quiz pitted 500 men and women against each other  with the aim of finding out which sex knows more about getting married. The results show that 21st century men still have a lot to learn about weddings, with women storming to the lead.

Diane Normile, wedding coordinator at Liverpool Marriott Hotel, has more than 15 years’ experience in the industry and has managed more than 500 weddings. Here, she predicts trends for 2017 and offers her top tips for planning the perfect big day.

“The planning stage of a wedding has shifted from a typical two years in advance of the big day to as little as two months, and there are an increasingly number of couples who would rather opt for a low-key, intimate wedding with only their immediate family and friends. These days, people simply have other financial priorities, so there’s been a shift towards more bespoke ceremonies that are easier on the budget. 

Rebecca Hurley, Deputy Head of Events for BMA House says: “More and more couples are looking for more informal wedding breakfasts with a lot more mingling and strolling around than formal seating. This means we are seeing couples choosing the fun options of street food and food stalls over a sit down wedding breakfast.

Theming continues to play a pivotal role (for most couples, as they aim to make their wedding day stand out for their friends’ wedding) in the wedding planning process  However, how and where people look for inspiration is constantly evolving. We believe that social media channels such as Pinterest will continue to influence couples’ (decisions when planning their big day) decision making process in planning their big day. 

Hollins Hall’s wedding co-ordinator Tanya Lattimer looks at the growing trend for short-lead weddings

Working in the wedding industry for the past decade, Tanya, has helped couples organise all styles and sizes of wedding, but a trend she has witnessed in the past few years is the move towards short-lead weddings – organising the big day to happen very soon after the engagement.

Here, Tanya explores this trend: “It used to be couples were engaged for 18 months to two years before they eventually said ‘I do’, but now we are seeing an increase in people wanting to celebrate their big day less than 12 months after the engagement takes place.