by Hanami Dream | 8, January, 2020 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips
Leap year proposals
There’s an extra day to play with this year as 2020 is a leap year. So we will have the pleasure of the 29th February for the first time again in four years. When it comes to proposing, traditionally a leap year meant that the tables were turned and women could have the chance to propose.
Unlucky leap year
Superstition suggests that 2020 may be a bit erratic. Many cultures believe that leap years are unlucky. Reportedly, the world goes a bit erratic with crazy weather patterns, additional suffering and a pretty gloomy outlook. Hence why some countries believe it is unlucky to make major decisions in a leap year like buying a house or car, or getting married. It is also traditionally seen as unlucky to get married on a leap day (29 February), though some people comment that you’d only have to remember your wedding anniversary every 4 years.
Whether you’re superstitious or not, before you rush to send out your save the date cards, here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Friday the thirteenth
There’s another two seemingly unlucky Fridays to avoid in 2020. Superstition often forces couples to avoid the 13th of the month (especially if it falls on a Friday). Other dates that are supposedly unlucky include your birthday, the day of a full moon, April Fool’s Day and it used to be forbidden to get married in Lent and Advent by the church.
Set the date
Some people think that 7 is supposed to be a lucky number whilst 4 is deemed unlucky in Japanese and Chinese traditions, so dates with these numbers may be sought after or avoided by couples. Instead perhaps you want to pick a meaningful date to you such as the anniversary of the date you first met, a memorable date that you’ll remember like 12/12/12 or a nod to your heritage such as your grandparents’ wedding anniversary date.
Think ahead
Consider which year you will get married. This may seem basic but if you want to do something soon then suppliers and venues may already be booked up. So, think about how long you have to plan the
wedding. The more notice you give then the more likely you are able to have your first choice of date.
The four seasons
Depending on when your wedding is in the year could affect what the weather is likely to be like. It could also influence your themes, colours, venue, attire, transportation, food choice etc. Also, different seasons can have an impact on the price and availability of food and flowers. Venues may have different prices depending on the time of the year. And it’s worth bearing in mind whether your key guests or wedding party would be available in school holidays.
Gone till November
Old superstitions state your fate as a couple depending on the month you choose to wed. Some say it was unlucky for a couple to get married in May. Whilst June and other summer months are very popular and even December is gaining in popularity, presumably so that people can use holiday time around the big day. It is worth considering different months as popular ones are in demand so prices may increase and availability will decrease.
Eight days a week
Ironically in another old poem, it states that getting married on a Saturday is unlucky which nowadays is the most common day for people to tie the knot. However, it is also one of the most expensive days too. More people are now considering other weekdays as options and Sundays too (although this used to be deemed as a mark of disrespect).
A hard day’s night
A wedding after dark used to be considered unlucky but you could split your guests up to have some come for the whole day and others just join you for the evening part of the day so you don’t have to pay for all of them to have a sit-down meal.
Look outside your bubble
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events. Take in to consideration public holidays , sporting events, religious festivals and other key guests’ occasions (like birthdays or wedding anniversaries.
Here’s a list of some events in 2020 (in England) that could influence your choice of dates, that you may wish to avoid or embrace:
Public holidays
- New Year’s Day 1 January
- Good Friday 10 April
- Easter Monday 13 April
- May Day Bank Holiday 8 May (changed this year in order to coincide with VE celebrations)
- Spring Bank Holiday 25 May
- Summer Bank Holiday 31 August
- Christmas Day 25 December
- Boxing Day 26 December
Sporting events
- Six Nations Tournament 1 February – 14 March
- Super Bowl 2nd February
- Boat Race 29 March
- Grand National 4 April
- London Marathon 26 April
- FA Cup Final 23 May
- Champions League Final 30 May
- UEFA Euro 2020 12 June – 12 July
- Royal Ascot 16 – 20 June
- Tour de France 27 June – 19 July
- Wimbledon 29 June – 12 July
- Henley Regatta 1 – 5 July
- British Grand Prix 17-19 July
- Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo 24 July – 9 August
- Paralympic Games 25 August – 6 September
- ICC World Twenty20 18 October – 15 November
Religious festivals
- Epiphany 6 January
- Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
- Orthodox New Year 14 January
- Passover 8 – 16 April
- Easter Sunday 12 April
- Ramadan begins 23 April – 23 May
- Eid 31 July
- Diwali 14 November
- Hanukkah 10-18 December
- Christmas
Other occasions
- Burns Night 25 January
- Chinese New Year 25 January (year of the rat in 2020)
- Valentine’s Day 14 February
- Leap day Saturday 29 February
- St David’s Day 1 March
- St Patrick’s Day 17 March
- Mother’s Day 22 March
- Shrove Tuesday 25 March
- Clocks go forward 29 March
- April Fool’s Day 1 April
- St George’s Day 23 April
- Eurovision Song Contest 12 – 16 May
- Chelsea Flower Show 19 – 23 May
- Trooping the Colour 13 June
- Father’s Day 21 June
- Glastonbury 24 – 29 June
- Independence Day 4 July
- Clocks go back 25 October
- Halloween 31 October
- Guy Fawkes 5 November
- Remembrance Day 11 November
- Thanksgiving 26 November
- St Andrew’s Day 30 November
- New Year’s Eve 31 December
‘Unlucky’ dates
- March 13th 2020
- November 13th 2020
- August 13, 2021
- Friday, May 13, 2022
Good luck on your quest to pick a date for your wedding day (and therefore your wedding anniversary date for years to come). I know a lot of thought will go in to answering the question of ‘So, when is the big day?’ Remember to pick a date that works for you.
Enjoy celebrating in 2020 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
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by Hanami Dream | 8, January, 2019 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips
Happy New Year! And huge congratulations if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Before you rush to send out your save the date cards, here are some things to bear in mind when setting your wedding date:
Date
Superstition often forces couples to avoid the 13th of the month (especially if it falls on a Friday and there’s two in 2019), your birthday, the day of a full moon, April Fool’s Day and it used to be forbidden to get married in Lent and Advent by the church. Some people think that 7 is supposed to be a lucky number whilst 4 is deemed unlucky in Japanese and Chinese traditions, so dates with these numbers may be sought after or avoided by couples. Instead perhaps you want to pick a meaningful date to you such as the anniversary of the
date you first met, a memorable date that you’ll remember like 12/12/12 or a nod to your heritage such as your grandparents’ wedding anniversary date.
Year
Which year are you thinking? This may seem like a basic question but if you want to do something soon then suppliers and venues may already be booked up. So, think about how long you have /want to plan the wedding. The more notice you give then the more likely you are able to have your first choice of date.
Time of year / season
This could affect what the weather is likely to be like which could influence your themes, colours, venue, attire, transportation, food choice etc. Also, different seasons can have an impact on the price and availability of food and flowers. Venues may have different prices depending on the time of the year and will your key guests or wedding party be available in school holidays?
Month
Old superstitions state your fate as a couple depending on the month you choose to wed. Some say it was unlucky for a couple to get married in May. Whilst June and other summer months are very popular and even December is gaining in popularity, presumably so that people can use holiday time around the big day. It is worth considering different months as popular ones are in demand so prices may increase and availability will decrease.
Day of the week
Ironically in another old poem, it states that getting married on a Saturday is unlucky which nowadays is the most common day for people to tie the knot. However, it is also one of the most expensive days too. More people are now considering other weekdays as options and Sundays too (although this used to be deemed as a mark of disrespect).
Day or night
A wedding after dark used to be considered unlucky but you could split your guests up to have some come for the whole day and others just join you for the evening part of the day so you don’t have to pay for all of them to have a sit-down meal.
Rest of the world
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
- Public holidays
- Sporting events
- Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2019 that could influence your choice of dates:
- New Year’s Day 1 January
- Epiphany 6 January
- Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
- Orthodox New Year 14 January
- Burns Night 25 January
- Chinese New Year 5 February – year of the pig
- Valentine’s Day 14 February
- St David’s Day 1 March
- Mardi Gras 5 March
- Shrove Tuesday 5 March
- Mother’s Day 31 March
- St Patrick’s Day 17 March
- First Day of Spring 20 March
- Clocks go forward 31 March
- April Fool’s Day 1 April
- Grand National 6 April
- Boat Race 7 April
- Good Friday 19 April
- Passover 19 – 27 April
- Easter Monday 22 April
- Earth Day 22 April
- St George’s Day 23 April
- London marathon 28 April
- Cinco de Mayo 5 May
- Ramadan begins 5 May – 4 June
- May Day Bank Holiday 6 May
- Eurovision Song Contest 14-18 May
- FA Cup Final 18 May
- Chelsea Flower Show 21 – 29 May
- Monaco Grand Prix 23 – 26 May
- Spring Bank Holiday 27 May
- Cricket World Cup (England) 30 May – 9 June
- Women’s World Cup (France) 7 June – 7 July
- Trooping the Colour 8 June
- Father’s Day 16 June
- First Day of Summer 21 June
- Royal Ascot 22-23 June
- Glastonbury 26-30 June
- Wimbledon 1 – 14 July
- Henley Regatta 3 – 7 July
- Independence Day 4 July
- British Grand Prix 12-14 July
- Eid 11-15 August
- Summer Bank Holiday 26 August
- Friday 13th September 2019
- Rugby World Cup (Japan) 20 September – November
- First Day of Autumn 23 September
- Diwali 27 October
- Clocks go back 27 October
- Halloween 31 October
- Guy Fawkes 5 November
- Remembrance Day 11 November
- Thanksgiving 28 November
- St Andrew’s Day 30 November
- Friday 13th December 2019
- Hanukkah 22-30 December
- First Day of Winter 22 December
- Christmas Day 25 December
- Boxing Day 26 December
- New Year’s Eve 31 December
Plus other upcoming ‘unlucky’ dates of :
- Saturday 29th February 2020
- Friday 13th March 2020
- Friday 13th November 2020
And not forgetting the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo 24 July – 9 August.
Enjoy celebrating in 2019 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
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winner UK Blog Awards 2018
by Hanami Dream | 14, February, 2018 | #UKWedLunch
#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 14th February 2018
As well as general wedding planning chat, this week we’re feeling romantic – so share your proposal story for Valentine’s Day inspiration #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 1: Say it with chocolates – put the ring inside a kinda egg! #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 2: Keep then guessing – good things come to those who wait! #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 3: Spell it out – in vegetable seeds and watch the message grow! #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 4: Whisk them away for a romantic weekend – just be careful with the ring in airport security #UKWedLunch
Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s day. Please do share your proposal stories #UKWedLunch
This week’s proposal stories are taken from ‘Real life proposal stories‘ #UKWedLunch
Thank you for all the RTs, follows and likes! Hope to see you again next Wednesday 1-2pm for more wedding planning chat #UKWedLunch
As well as general wedding planning chat, next week will be about local marriage requirements #UKWedLunch
JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT
by Hanami Dream | 1, January, 2018 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips
Happy New Year! And huge congratulations to you if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
- Public holidays
- Sporting events
- Royal occasions
- Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2018 that could influence your choice of dates:
- New Year’s Day 1 January
- Epiphany 6 January
- Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
- Orthodox New Year 14 January
- Burns Night 25 January
- Winter Olympics 9-25 February
- Shrove Tuesday 13 February
- Valentine’s Day 14 February
- Chinese New Year 16 February dog
- St David’s Day 1 March
- International Women’s Day 8 March
- Mother’s Day 11 March
- St Patrick’s Day 17 March
- First Day of Spring 20 March
- Boat Race 24 March
- Clocks go forward 25 March
- Good Friday 30 March
- Passover 30 March – 7 April
- April Fool’s Day 1 April
- Easter Day 1 April
- Easter Monday 2 April
- London Marathon 22 April
- St George’s Day 23 April
- May Day Bank Holiday 7 May
- Ramadan begins 15 May
- Royal Wedding 19 May
- FA Cup Final 19 May
- Spring Bank Holiday 28 May
- Trooping the colour 9 June
- Eid 14-15 June
- Father’s Day 17 June
- Royal Ascot 19-23 June
- First Day of Summer 21 June
- Wimbledon 2 – 15 July
- Independence Day 4 July
- Henley Regatta 4 – 8 July
- British Grand Prix 8 July
- Summer Bank Holiday 27 August
- First Day of Autumn 23 September
- Diwali 19 October
- Clocks go back 28 October
- Guy Fawkes 5 November
- Remembrance Day 11 November
- Thanksgiving 22 November
- St Andrew’s Day 30 November
- Hanukkah 2-10 December
- First Day of Winter 21 December
- Christmas Day 25 December
- Boxing Day 26 December
Enjoy celebrating in 2018 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
by Hanami Dream | 8, February, 2017 | #UKWedLunch
#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 8th February 2017
As well as general wedding planning chat, this week we’re feeling romantic – so share your proposal story for Vday inspiration #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 1: Say it with chocolates – put the ring inside a kinda egg! #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 2: Keep then guessing – good things come to those who wait! #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 3: Spell it out – in vegetable seeds and watch the message grow! #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 4: Whisk them away for a romantic weekend – just be careful with the ring in airport security #UKWedLunch
PROPOSAL IDEA 5: Say it with flowers – pick their favourites and make it personal #UKWedLunch
Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s day next week. Please do share your proposal stories with Hanami Dream #UKWedLunch
This week’s proposal stories are taken from ‘Real life proposal stories‘ #UKWedLunch
As well as general wedding planning chat, next week’s theme will be on ‘wedding dresses through the years’ #UKWedLunch
JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT
by Hanami Dream | 1, January, 2017 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips
Happy New Year!
I love this time of year. It’s when our metaphorical diary is full of blank pages yet unwritten.
For lots of people, the new year is a popular time to book holidays, make resolutions, kick start a new healthy regime and start thinking about personal special occasions that we have coming up.
Plus the start of the year often spurs people to pop the question and/or kickstart their wedding planning.
Huge congratulations to you if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
- Public holidays
- Sporting events
- Royal occasions
- Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2017 that could influence your choice of dates:
- New Year’s Day 1 January
- Epiphany 6 January
- Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
- Orthodox New Year 14 January
- Burns Night 25 January
- Chinese New Year 28 January
- Valentine’s Day 14 February
- Shrove Tuesday 28 February
- St David’s Day 1 March
- St Patrick’s Day 17 March
- First Day of Spring 20 March
- Clocks go forward 26 March
- Mother’s Day 26 March
- April Fool’s Day 1 April
- Boat Race 2 April
- Passover 11-18 April
- Good Friday 14 April
- Easter Day 16 April
- Easter Monday 17 April
- St George’s Day 23 April
- London Marathon 23 April
- May Day Bank Holiday 1 May
- FA Cup Final 27 May
- Spring Bank Holiday 29 May
- Royal Ascot 16-20 June
- Father’s Day 18 June
- First Day of Summer 21 June
- Eid 26 June
- Henley Regatta 28 June – 8 July
- Wimbledon 3 – 16 July
- Independence Day 4 July
- British Grand Prix 7-9 July
- Summer Bank Holiday 28 August
- First Day of Autumn 22 September
- Diwali 19 October
- Clocks go back 29 October
- Guy Fawkes 5 November
- Remembrance Day 11 November
- Thanksgiving 23 November
- St Andrew’s Day 30 November
- Hanukkah 13-20 December
- First Day of Winter 21 December
- Christmas Day 25 December
- Boxing Day 26 December
Enjoy celebrating in 2017 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
by Hanami Dream | 31, January, 2016 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips
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Photography by Farrow Photography
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It’s February and it might be the shortest month but it is often referred to as one of the most romantic months of the year (especially if Hallmark have done their job properly in convincing you, if you didn’t already agree). Plus this year there is double the chance of a proposal this month (if you are waiting for one patiently) with not only Valentine’s Day on the 14th, but as it is a leap year you can take matters in to your own hands and pop the question yourself on the 29th. We look forward to hearing all the forthcoming engagement stories and wedding plans. (Meanwhile if you are looking for inspiration on ways to propose (or if you just love hearing how people get betrothed) then take a look at some proposal stories from real brides that we’ve curated.)
Congratulations if you are recently engaged. Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and how wonderful to be spreading good news amongst your nearest and dearest. Unfortunately, just telling the romantic (or run of the mill) engagement story is often not enough information for some of our family and friends. And I imagine that almost in the same breath as wishing you their congratulations, one of the first questions that you’ll get asked (again and again) when you first announce your engagement is ‘So, when is the big day?’ (After you’re married the question then becomes ‘So, when are you having a baby?’ But that’s a different story!)
If you’ve not set the date yet, this can be quite a daunting question and certainly one that requires quite a bit of thought. So before you rush to send out your save the date cards, please let us offer our guidance on how (and when) to set your wedding date.
- Consider the holy trinity of wedding planning
For me, there are three key aspects of wedding planning that go hand in hand and pretty much affect every other thing that is connected with your big day. These are Venue, Guests and Budget (otherwise known as where, who and how much). They co-exist as you can’t really pick your venue without knowing how much you have to spend and how many people you want to invite. Likewise, you might not be able to invite all your guests due to venue size and money constraints. And let’s face it, your budget may well dictate whether you can afford your dream venue or how many second cousins removed can be invited. So they’re a bit like the chicken and the egg (and the farmyard!) as you can’t decide one thing without the other. (Don’t worry we’ll be talking lots about these three elements in future blog posts coming very soon!)
Anyway, I digress as we are actually talking about the when aspect of wedding planning at the moment. However, the where, who and how much elements very much affect when your big day will be too. For example, venues may have different prices depending on the time of the year and do you when your key guests or wedding party be available. Trust me, nearly all the decisions you have to make about your wedding will come back to one, two or all of the elements in what I class as the holy trinity of wedding planning.
- Timing is everything
I married a school teacher so instantly my choices were limited for wedding dates if I wanted to have a honeymoon after the ceremony. (Honestly, I used to take a holiday in November time to enjoy some winter sunshine before I met my husband. But even before kids, I had to resign myself to more expensive non term time holidays! Heavy sign!) So, we chose the summer holidays which then meant we had to consider other people’s travel commitments and it impactedon our budget as it was in the height of wedding season. We also had to consider availability of certain suppliers at a busy time. One benefit of marrying a teacher though is that we weren’t restricted to a weekend date which made it cheaper on the venue costs (although would mean that some of our guests had to take a day off work). See what I mean about it always coming back to decisions or compromises based on cost, guests or venue!
So you have to decide what are your must haves (ie what you’re not willing to compromise on) and what you can be flexible with. For example, in order to get your dream venue are you willing to wait a couple of years to get the right date. Here are some things to bear in mind when picking your date:
- Year – which year are you thinking? This year? Next year? Or several years down the line? This may seem like a basic question but if you want to do something this year then suppliers and venues may already be booked up. So think about how long you have /want to plan the wedding. The more notice you give then the more likely you are able to have your first choice. Only last week I heard a supplier say that they have been booked for a 2020 wedding – now that is forward planning!
- Time of year / season – this could affect what the weather is likely to be like (although who knows what the British weather is up to at the moment!) which could influence your themes, colours, venue, attire, transportation, food choice etc etc. Also different seasons can have an impact on the price and availability of food and flowers. I really wanted the church to be crammed full of cowslip when I got married but this is just nowhere to be seen in August!
- Month – the old Catholic marriage song below states your fate as a couple depending on the month you choose to wed. At the time, it was unusual and unlucky for a couple to get married in May as this was the start of Summer and was marked by a pagan feast. Although this superstition may date further back to Roman times. On the contrary, June and other summer months are very popular and even December is gaining in popularity, presumably so that people can use holiday time around the big day. It is worth considering different months as popular ones are in demand so prices may increase and availability will decrease.
Marry when the year is new, always loving, always true,
When February birds do mate, you may wed or dread your fate
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you’ll know
Marry in April when you can, joy for maiden and for man,
Marry in the month of May, you will surely rue the day,
Marry when June roses blow, over land and sea you’ll go,
They who in July do wed, must labour always for their bread,
Whoever wed in August be, many a change are sure to see,
Marry in September’s shine, your living will be rich and fine,
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry,
If you wed in bleak November, only Joy will remember,
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
- Day of the week – ironically in another old poem, it states that getting married on a Saturday is unlucky which nowadays is the most common day for people to tie the knot. However it is also one of the most expensive days too. We chose a Friday which still had the benefit of being near a weekend for people to tag on holiday and was slightly cheaper. More people are now considering other weekdays as options and Sundays too (although this used to be deemed as a mark of disrespect which is probably why it is not mentioned in the version of the poem I sourced).
Monday: Brides will be healthy
Tuesday: Brides will be wealthy
Wednesday: Brides do best of all
Thursday: Brides will suffer losses
Friday: Brides will suffer crosses
Saturday: Brides will have no luck at all
- Date – superstition often forces couples to avoid the 13th of the month (especially if it falls on a Friday), your birthday, the day of a full moon, April Fool’s Day and it used to be forbidden to get married in Lent and Advent by the church. Some people think that 7 is supposed to be a lucky number whilst 4 is deemed unlucky in Japanese and Chinese traditions so dates with these numbers may be sought after or avoided by couples. Instead perhaps you want to pick a meaningful date to you such as the anniversary of the date you first met, a memorable date that you’ll remember like 12/12/12 or a nod to your heritage such as your grandparents’ wedding anniversary date.
- Time of day – as someone who is very much driven by their stomach, I would always advise to think about how meal times fit around the formal parts of the day. You don’t want to be having a ceremony when everyone’s tummies are rumbling and there’s no sign of a meal for hours. (As an aside, always keep your guests fed, watered and entertained.) Wedding ceremonies that took place before noon were said to be lucky versus the inverse in the afternoon. However, if you hold a later ceremony you could save money if you only have to feed your guests once in the day.
- Day or night – a wedding after dark used to be considered unlucky but you could split your guests up to have some come for the whole day and others just join you for the evening part of the day so you don’t have to pay for all of them to have a sit down meal.
- Duration – nowadays more and more couples are choosing to have a weekend long wedding over 2-3 days to enjoy the company of their friends and family for longer. This would obviously add cost and commitment from all parties if you were going for his option.
- What else is going on in the world
You may be living and breathing your wedding and everything else in the world is taking a back seat. However, things are still going on around you and some national, local and annual events may have an impact on your guests involvement, availability and enjoyment. For example:
- Public holidays – you may want to avoid them as they might increase traffic on the roads near holiday spots or because guests will have family commitments. Or embrace them as people will instantly have a day off.
- Sporting events – things like the Olympics this year, the FA Cup final and the Euros may be distracting if you’ve got any keen sporting fans attending your wedding.
- Royal occasions – it doesn’t look likely there’s a royal wedding this year (we were certainly worried Will and Kate were going to pick the same date as us in 2011!) but the Queen is celebrating her 90th birthday in June so people may have plans to mark that occasion.
- Other people’s occasions – no one really wants to share their big day with someone else’s thunder. So you may want to avoid other people’s birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and religious festivals. Unbeknown to us, there were two other couples that were guests at our wedding who got married on the same date as us (they are teachers too!). They actually liked it as it was a great way to celebrate their own anniversary. However, if it had been a milestone anniversary they might have thought differently. Likewise picking a date near a close friend or family member’s own wedding day might not go down too well either.
Take a look at a list of some events (in England) in 2016 that could influence your choice of dates.
And here are the 2017 dates for your diary to consider.
Plus the 2018 dates for your diary.
Here are the 2019 dates for your diary – https://www.hanamidream.co.uk/dates-for-your-2019-diary/
And here are the 2020 ones too.
Good luck on your quest to pick a date for your wedding day and therefore your wedding anniversary date for years to come. I know a lot of thought will go in to answering the question of ‘So, when is the big day?’ Remember to pick a date that works for you (and the holy trinity of wedding planning obviously!)
We’d love to hear your engagement stories please contact me with how you proposed or were proposed to.
by Hanami Dream | 31, January, 2016 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips
Here’s a list of some events (in England) still to come in 2016 that could influence your choice of dates:
- Chinese New Year 8 February
- Shrove Tuesday 9 February
- Valentine’s Day 14 February
- Mother’s Day 6 March
- St Patrick’s Day 17 March
- Good Friday 25 March
- Easter Day 27 March
- Easter Monday 28 March
- Boat Race 27 March
- April Fool’s Day 1 April
- Passover 22-30 April
- May Day Bank Holiday 2 May
- FA Cup Final 21 May
- Spring Bank Holiday 30 May
- Queen’s 90th celebrations 12 June
- Ramadan 6 June – 5 July
- Father’s Day 19 June
- Wimbledon 27 June – 10 July
- Independence Day 4 July
- Eid 7 July
- Euros 2016 final 10 July
- Rio Olympics 5 – 21 August
- Summer Bank Holiday 29 August
- Guy Fawkes 5 November
- Remembrance Day 11 November
- Diwali 30 November
- Thanksgiving 24 November
- Hanukkah 24 December – 1 January
- Christmas Day 25 December
- Boxing Day 26 December
- Christmas Bank Holiday 27 December
by Hanami Dream | 6, January, 2016 | blog, tips
We are nearly a week in to this brand new year already and I’m sad to be taking the Christmas decorations down with the arrival of Twelfth Night. I used to really enjoy Epiphany celebrations when I lived in France – eating the delicious galette des rois and finding the little charm so you could wear the king’s crown!
It is a bit of a relief to have the season of endless lists safely tucked away for another 11 months though (what with Christmas card lists, present lists and food shopping lists to name a few). Don’t get me wrong, I really like Christmas and I LOVE lists (hey, I’m a wedding planner, lists are what floats my boat!) but things seem to get a little crazy in December.
Then at the end of the year there always seems to be lots of compilations celebrating and commemorating the best bits of the year. Goodness, even Hanami Dream got in on the action this year with our top 10 most popular wedding blog posts in 2015 and our top 5 most popular blog posts overall in 2015. Some of our favourite compilations of the year included:
But I do love this time of year. It’s a time of new beginnings: a new year, new year’s resolutions (*see some of mine at the end of the article), new goals, new plans for the future and the days are finally getting longer again! It’s when our metaphorical diary is full of blank pages yet unwritten. It also seems to be a time when there are an abundance of engagement stories after Christmas or New Year proposals. And with Valentine’s Day just over a month away and it being a leap in 2016, we’re sure there’ll be a few more stories to add to the pot shortly.
So the start of the year often spurs on people to kickstart (or reignite) their wedding planning too. I adore weddings – which is a good thing really! Weddings are such a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. There’s not many times in your life that you have all the people that you care about in the same room at the same time and they’re all there just because two people fell in love with each other. When else would you bring all your circles together in one place? (even Google+ keeps your circles separate!)
For me, I always wanted to get married and admired both sets of my grandparents who celebrated their diamond wedding anniversaries (and beyond). I was determined to aspire to have the same thing for myself despite experiencing the sad adverse reality of my own parents’ marriage. On top of this, my romantic notion was peppered with weddings in films and television programmes that influenced my youth such as:
- Scott & Charlene in Neighbours (I still can’t believe that programme has been going over 30 years!)
- Charles & Diana (who can forget the puff ball sleeves and the huge long train!)
- Monica & Chandler in Friends (how beautifully romantic to fall in love with your best friend)
- The One with All the Wedding Dresses episode in Friends (even though my husband thinks it’s a crazy idea I still want a wedding dress party with my friends for my significant birthday in a few years’ time! I’ve no idea if I’ll be able to fit in my wedding dress by then – so maybe that’s another goal to add to the list!)
- Pride & Prejudice (who didn’t fall in love with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (the stammering Hugh Grant, the whole ‘will they, won’t they’ story line had me hooked)
- Saved by the Bell (yes, Zack and Kelly did get married eventually after being childhood sweethearts. It was a cheesy episode set in Las Vegas but proved that your first love can be your last love too)
- Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (how did Lois not spot that Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same gorgeous man?!)
- Prince William & Kate (they got married the same year that we did so this event heightened the build up to our big day)
Probably the most influential and meaningful weddings that I was honoured to be a part of (prior to my own of course) were those of my two closest friends in July 2007 and August 2008. It was wonderful to be one their bridesmaids (although at the time I thought I was destined to only ever be a bridesmaid and not a bride. I even thought about being a professional bridesmaid at one point!) It feels so wonderful to share someone’s special day and be part of the wedding party.
I waited a long time for my own Prince Charming (honestly I thought the film 27 Dresses was written about me!) but was over the moon to have my own fairy tale day eventually. It was whilst planning my own wedding in 2011 that my real passion for wedding planning took over. I realised how precious it was to have all the people I cared about in one room at the same time. In the space of 18 months I encountered birth, death and marriage (not in that order!) which had a life changing effect on me. So my new beginning was to make Hanami Dream a reality. I decided I wanted to help others to celebrate their own personal milestones. I find that organising these types of occasions is much more rewarding than my old corporate life.
This year has already started with great excitement as I am thrilled to be entered in the UK Blog Awards.**
If you like reading my blog then I’d really appreciate your support. So please vote for Hanami Dream in the wedding category of the UK Blog Awards #UKBA16 http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2016/my-entry/hanami-dream
Voting is open until Monday 25th January 2016 at 9pm. You can vote once a day, every day for 3 whole weeks! So please keep voting.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
*Some of my resolutions for this year include learning to hula hoop (I always think it’s something that I should be able to do but confirm the opposite when I pick one up! And I hope this skill is easier to pick up than the year I attempted to learn the running man!), eating more veggie meals (I’m currently in love with Lorraine Pascale’s Eat Well Made Easy recipe book) and moisturising more often (hmm, with two small children and a husband to look after, time to myself is often in short supply so we’ll see how this one goes!) Hopefully I’ll be able to manage at least one of these by the end of the year!
**More than just a wedding blog, Hanami Dream Wedding and Special Occasion Organisers provide inspiration and help you to celebrate the personal milestones of your life. The blog looks at wedding tips, trends and traditions with real life stories and examples from my own family history. Looking at examples from the past and future trends to provide inspiration to couples who are wedding planning and celebrating milestone occasions.
by Hanami Dream | 16, December, 2015 | blog, trends
Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
Despite some couples’ originality, there are always trends that appear and popular themes that epitomise a particular era (think puff ball sleeves from the eighties). Sometimes fashion, films, television programmes, interior design, celebrity weddings and even current affairs influence these trends. Of course, there are some timeless and classic themes that never seem to go out of favour, and with the latest film in the Bridget Jones series set for release next year we’re sure the romantic theme will continue to be strong.
So what does 2016 hold for us? Well for one thing, it is a leap year. So will it bring about lots of proposals from women on the 29th February and encourage some excited wedding planning as a result?
It will be a time of revelry as a nation again as the Queen will be celebrating her 90th birthday on 12th June. This could prompt some street party themes using inspiration from the Union Jack colours. Red, white and blue could also be at the forefront of people’s minds with the culmination of the American elections as well.
Plus, let’s hope we’re also able to mark the achievements of our British footballers in the UEFA Euro 2016 finals in France and Spain, as well as our athletes in the Olympics next year. Maybe some sporting themes could become prevalent as a result of these events or perhaps weddings will be inspired by the Rio party atmosphere of the Brazilian venue of the Olympics.
2016 also marks 350 years since the Great Fire of London, 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, 950 years since the Battle of Hastings and 50 years since England win the football World Cup.
Take a look at our curation of predictions for wedding trends to look out for in 2016 (and see more of our inspiration at pinterest.com/HanamiDream/):
Venue / themes
- Jungle themes could see an increase next year with the CGI live action release of the Jungle Book film. Think subtle animal prints and loads of greenery. Marry this with the excitement of the Rio Olympics and you’ll be transported to the stunning, relaxing and lush green rainforests of Brazil, surrounded by colourful and vibrant décor in greens, blues and gold. A carnival full of samba dancers, exuberant feathers, magnificent masks and energetic music will get everyone joining in!
- Or perhaps a more civilised tea party could be more up your street, inspired by the release of the film, Alice Through The Looking Glass. This is going to be Tim Burton at his best again so think quirky and extravagant details. Afternoon tea with a twist.
- Perhaps a wild west theme complete with cowboys appeals to you – wanted posters, panning for gold and arriving on horseback just like the Magnificent Seven in the 2016 film remake.
- Comic book inspiration comes in the form of new films of Batman v Superman, X-men: Apocalypse, Angry Birds, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Out of the Shadows and Captain America: Civil War. Your inner child can go to town and have colourful, playful fun with this theme or perhaps you want to use more of a hint of the gothic style comic books. Alternative bouquets made of comic pages, mini action figures instead of button holes, secret identity t-shirts under the groomsmen’s shirts, superhero capes for the guests or cartoon invites can bring this theme together.
- Or perhaps, an outdoors medieval banquet would suit your big day in the same vein as the Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur film directed by Guy Ritchie. With floral crowns, moss, wicker and naked cakes in a beautiful castle setting or in a stunning forest or garden.
Décor
- We are so pleased that the metallic trend seems to be still going strong and not showing any signs of tiring just yet. Sequins are a welcome addition to this trend or pair metallics with cool agate for a contemporary feel.
- By contrast, there’s also a uprising of tribal prints with the influence of Moroccan and Indonesian accents. Dark woods, earthy colours and block prints.
- Romantic themes are still using ruffles and the use of ombré colouring on anything you can and for a cute factor there’s good old polka dots.
- Video booths are seeing a surge in popularity as technology continues to move forward and couples are looking for more unique and original ways to capture and remember their big day. However, some are also using their weddings as a chance to have a break from technology and encouraging their guests not to use their phones during the day.
- This old vs new trend continues as some chose to use classic styled furniture brought up to date such as beautifully designed chalk boards whilst others choose modern styling with Perspex chairs and tables.
- Backdrops were the big news of 2015, but next year is all about aisle runners – whether these are printed, a covering of petals or use clever lighting.
- On top of this suspended décor is all the rage – for an industrial chic style with Edison lighting or floral chandeliers in a rustic theme.
Flowers
- Flowers are a big focus in 2016 not only in the décor but with hair accessories and headwear. Plus a new trend of ring corsages is emerging and the use of wild flowers like daisies.
- It doesn’t all have to be about the flowers as foliage will be as important or instead of flowers in displays.
- Alternatives to traditional flowers are seeing the use of succulents in bouquets, on tables and given away as favours.
- Plus instead of the usual confetti, there is now a herb toss as another option which gives such lovely aromas to this part of the day.
Clothing
- Bridal wear is really seeing a big shift in trends to provide new, innovative and unusual styles to make sure the bride makes a statement and is different to any other on her big day. Trends that appearing on the catwalks (that will surely influence trends next year) include: mix & match separates, crop tops, high necklines, off the shoulder, asymmetric hems, backless dresses and plunging v necks on the back.
- For the more daring and alternative bride perhaps try fringing, jumpsuits, palazzo pants, peakaboo skirt or even a cape.
- Rather than a plain dress, some brides are opting for a floral one or even camo print (which is starting to be really popular in the US – not necessarily in classic hunting camo but how about a pink or snow camo, or try accessorising the traditional camo with orange accents).
- Not ready for this kind of statement just yet, then perhaps you can go the extra mile with your footwear. Perhaps using your shoes to highlight the colour of the day or to write your feelings on the soles so everyone can see when you kneel at the alter!
- For the men, it’s all about smartening up next year – go the whole hog with a tuxedo.
Colours
- The Pantone® Color of the Year 2016 will certainly play a big part in influencing colours next year. And next year we get two colours for the price of one in the form of Rose Quartz and Serenity. It’s the first time Pantone® have ever announced two colours and a long time since a pastel colour has hit the top spot. They are a nice calm change to the recent bold jewel colours of the last ten years. We can already see these colours featuring singly in couples’ colour schemes and look forward to seeing people using them in tandem too. There certainly won’t be a shortage of choices for your ‘something blue’!
- So pastels will be big next year and play a big part in the use of non-traditional colours for the wedding dress becoming more popular.
- We predict that there will be more mix and match styling with the bridesmaids – either with different styles in one colour or bridesmaids’ dresses using different colours that all tone in together.
- We look forward to seeing more dark blues, silver, mocha and terracotta.
Cakes & catering
- There’s nothing we like more than cake but next year will see a few alternatives coming to the fire front. Firstly some couples will be using their cake as the pudding so it might not take a tradition guise instead it might be a cheesecake or pancake stack.
- Also making an appearance with be the cake fake – all the style and presence but not actually a cake. Welcome the pork pie stack, cheese ‘cakes’, or three tiers of quiche.
- If it is a real cake then look out for mixed shapes tiers and more ‘free from‘ varieties making an appearance.
- Above everything food will be theatrical in 2016 and take centre stage – we can’t wait for more champagne towers to join the revival!
These are a few of our predictions for wedding trends in 2016. See more of our curation and inspiration at pinterest.com/HanamiDream/
May we take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
