Are you the type of person who dreams of having a luxurious day in a day spa being pampered all day long drinking champagne then heading to a vineyard for wine and cheese in the afternoon? Or would you prefer heading out on the town for a huge party with your girlfriends, strippers and all?

Depending on what type of person you are, you’ll want to make sure your maid of honour gets it right! Ensure you tell her straight out if you don’t want a big party, she’s not a mind reader and what might be perfect for one hen is completely different for another. There are lots of ideas floating around – you can have a destination hen’s night, gather together your girlfriends and head over to a close European country for a weekend of partying and pampering, or simply stay home and see what your city has to offer. 

Do you want a low key hens party? Or a wild hens party? If you are after the low key option, things such as brunches, race days, day spas and dinner parties can be lovely ways to celebrate your last moments of singledom without things getting out of control. If you are a wild one, you might like to have a large party in a hotel and hire strippers or male waiters to come serve drinks and canapes.

There are ways of having a wild night without paying for it the next day in memory loss and hangovers. Whichever way you choose to go, please tell your maid of honour so she can make your party one to suit you!

Wedding Wish Lanterns is a specialist in unique wedding and reception ideas. To contact us either email contact@weddingwishlanterns.co.uk or call 0845 500 1215

An Iconic Image

We’re skipping forward a few decades in this third installment of Wedding Lanterns‘ celebrity wedding series, to the shoulder-padded, bomber jacketted, bleach denim-ed, Pat Butcher ear ring-ed, 1980s, and to one of the most iconic and symbolically charged weddings of all time. This is of course the wedding of the late Lady Diana Spencer to our Prince Charles.

Looking back at images of the wedding ceremony now, in the light of all the tragedy that has come to pass since, one can’t help but feel the presence of impending doom lurking in the shadows. Were those smiles concealing a deep rooted uncertainty and sadness? Was that kiss just for show or born out of a genuine affection? Far be it for me to comment…What is certain however, is that when Lady Diana married Prince Charles in 1981, the wedding pictures became the images that defined an era. The dress, which spawned a decade of meringues, was designed by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel and featured a 25 foot train and 10,000 hand sewn pearls and sequins.

The wedding itself was a momentous occassion, as around 600,000 people filled the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the pair. In addition 750 million viewers tuned in fo the live broadcast, making it the most popular programme shown in history. It was a national holiday in Britain.

Fit for a Princess

The couple were married at St Paul’s Cathedral before an invited congregation of 3,500. Lady Diana was just 20 at the time. Arriving from Clarence House in a glass coach, the young prnicess made the three minute walk up the red-carpeted aisle (what a strangely symbolic nod to her new celebrity, a celebrity that was always at odds with her royal title), with her luxurious (and probably extremely heavy) train of ivory taffeta and antique lace flowing behind her. This was a wedding dress to rival the puffiest and boldest of gowns. There was certainly nothing subtle about it, but why would there be? This was, after all, a royal wedding.

Of course, we all know what happened in the next two decades…but still the wedding is lodged in people’s memories, frozen in time in an image which has become part of the warp and weft of British culture. Taken in isolation, it was a happy day, as weddings should be, and captured the imagination of a nation.

Had the wedding taken place in 2009, there may even have been a ritual releasing of wedding lanterns, as is the fashion of these days. Still, there’s William and Harry yet to come. I might just give Buckingham palace a call…

Here is celebrity wedding number 2 brought to you by the team who supply you with wedding lanterns on your special day…

On June 29, 1956, in the same year that Grace Kelly married her prince, an altogether different pairing was being officially recognised. Marilyn Monroe, pioneer of the dumb blonde stereotype, famed for her high pitched simple characters and blazing hot sex appeal, married playwright Arthur Miller. It was certainly not the most obvious match, but nevertheless it gave every beta-male, every underdog, every nerdy intellectual in America a little hope.

Monroe first met Miller in 1951, and it was at a party, a few days after their first encounter that the relationship between the two seems to have started. The party was thrown for him, and a number of young and attractive women were invited, but it was Marilyn whom Miller was drawn to. There was something about her, the vulnerability that seeped through her brazen surface, that attracted him- years later Miller reflected, She was a whirling light to me then, all paradox and enticing mystery, street-tough one moment, then lifted by a lyrical and poetic sensitivity that few retain past early adolescence -He felt protective towards her. The two of them danced together, and that, as they say, was that.

Happier Times

They got married un-announced, in a civil ceremony in White Plains, New York. City Court Judge Seymour Robinowitz presided over the somewhat hushed ceremony in the law office of Sam Slavitt (the wedding had been kept secret from both the press and the public). Monroe converted to Judaism (she was raised a Christian) before marrying Miller. It seemed to the casual observer that the happiness Monroe had been seeking for years, had finally been granted to her. With Miller on her arm, she was no longer perceived as a joke- something she greatly feared. But- as is so often the case, especially for such high profile lovers- the marriage was not to last. The couple divorced just a few tempestuous years later in 1961, and by 1962, Marilyn was dead.

This is not the happiest of celebrity wedding stories, and certainly not one you’ll wish to emulate, but its a little snippet of history that may just make you thank your lucky stars that you’re not media fodder, a vitim of the public’s quenchless obsession, a celebrity…

For the next few blog installments I will be finding the most interesting, outrageous, and unique wedding ideas for you to chew over, and with any luck you’ll stumble upon an idea that speaks to you, that matches your tastes and perfectly reflects your personality. So, without further ado, I’ll introduce idea number one…

A Medieval Themed Wedding: Have you ever dreamed about re-enacting an historical period as part of your wedding ceremony? If so, the medieval era is one of the most romantic and visually spectacular. There is so much scope for letting your imagiation run riot. Why not have a medieval banquet at the reception, complete with suckling pig spit roast, wild boar, mountains of spiced fruit and- of course- ale? The wedding attire is another area where you can really go to town. The bride would look stunning in the flowing, floor length, body skimming dresses medieval women wore. Perhaps add a garland or pointed hat head-piece for extra drama. The Groom could go down the rustic Robin of Sherwood route with tights, pointed boots, and waistcoat. Or maybe substitute peasant dress for the robes of royalty/nobility- think Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, or a Baron and Baronness of a large plot…

You could uses calligraphy to write your invitations, and seal them with a…seal- a wax stamp with you and your partner’s initials on it perhaps? Why not have a jousting competition and hire a medieval music group as well? Perhaps you already know a lute player or harpist? No?

With a  Medieval theme, the possibilities are endless, and it would certainly make for a very unique wedding, that’s for sure!

Wedding Wish Lanterns is a specialist in unique wedding and reception ideas.To contact us either email sales@weddingwishlanterns.co.uk or call 0845 500 1215

This is apparently what has been going on in recent months. In Orkney and Somerset recently, sightings of sky lanterns caused coastguards to alert emergency services, resulting in a painstaking search while the teams tried to find the origins of the mysterious lights, mistaking them for distress signals. It would seem that wedding lanterns bear a resemblance to more than just UFOs…Flare guns too apparently.

If you’re planning an al fresco wedding and intend to launch some wedding lanterns, by all means do. Go crazy. Launch one hundred if the mood takes you. Just remember a few things:

1-     Always take care when lighting the fuel cell

2-     Make sure there are no trees nearby

3-     Check the wind direction (making sure it’s not too windy of course)

And do warn the slightly visually impaired coast guards beforehand. Unless you want a very unique wedding that is!

Wedding Wish Lanterns is London’s original supplier of wedding lanterns, one of the most unique wedding ideas. To contact us either email sales@weddingwishlanterns.co.uk or call 0845 500 1215

This year wedding lanterns (well, sky lanterns) played an important role in Blur’s reunion performance on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury. They were launched to the “oohs” and “Ahs” of the euphoric crowd and prompted Blur’s Damon Albarn to comment on how beautiful they were. They may have also had something to do with the fact that Albarn broke down, overcome by emotion, during the set. Lanterns seem to have this stirring effect, which is perhaps why so many brides and grooms opt for them at their weddings.
Seeing as wedding lanterns are so perfect at weddings and festivals, why not ‘marry’ the two? If you’re planning a wedding or feel a proposal from your partner is just around the corner, then why not consider setting the date for this time next year, and having your ceremony at the festival? The positive and happy atmosphere would be a perfect setting to declare your love for your partner, and it would certainly be an unforgettable experience. Best of all, you could launch a host of lanterns in an atmosphere that screams out for floating lights to form part of the skyline.
A wedding at Glastonbury…it’s certainly something to think about.

Wedding Wish Lanterns is London’s original supplier of wedding lanterns, one of the most unique wedding ideas. To contact us either email sales@weddingwishlanterns.co.uk or call 0845 500 1215