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Wedding Forum - Rachel & Lee's Steampunk Wedding 2016...

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  1.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
      edited
     
    So, we actually booked the wedding when Butterley Grange Mansion held their very first open day a few years ago. We've had 4 years to plan it and it's going pretty well indeed. :D

    I can always remember being a kid and driving by the mansion and saying how it was mine. Haha. When they made it a venue I just HAD to go.

    Our package was just amazing. Normally weddings there would cost anywhere from £8000 to $15,000, so we were amazed when we were given an offer for attending the launch. £5000 for exclusive venue hire for the day, ceremony in the bandstand, use of the wedding planner (Who is lovely), food from their onsite award winning chef, use of their bridal suite overnight and other bedrooms for guests, pool party brunch the day after with finger food AND a free engagement party in their private onsite nightclub.

    I could have fainted.

    We've been saving up bit by bit ever since and we are on track.
  2.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    I recently contacted a local wedding cake maker about an estimate and for design discussion. I have long been admiring her work through her shop window, but have never been able to get a hold of her personally and was always told to 'come back when she was in' by other staff.

    I finally found a Facebook account and got in touch through there, shared my phone number and waited. She told me she'd give me a call the following morning. Never got a call.

    A few days later I found a message via Facebook saying that she hadn't forgotten me, it's just that she was super busy and that she would call me in the morning just after 10AM. Guess what? No call until 6 PM when I was in the middle of cooking!

    Burned leeks aside, we had a really nice chat about what I wanted. I told her I had seem a cake on her site that would be PERFECT and I'd only need a few changes. My theme is steampunk/victorian with an ivory, gold and duck egg blue colour scheme. She ooed and ahhed and said that she had done a steampunk cake before for a birthday and that it shouldn't be too difficult at all. I mentioned that I wanted the same kind of cake only with an extra tier and alternating colours to match the them. She said it would be super easy to do and I should get back to her with the colours as a design. (I'm an illustrator you see, so I told her I'd sketch it and show her what I meant.)

    She quoted me £150 - £200 for what I had told her and explained that if I wanted extras like pearls or diamantes that it would cost a little bit more and that if I had foam or silk flowers (Which I do!) that it would bring the cost down, as sugarpaste can be expensive and tricky.

    I spent a while on my design last night making sure the colour tones were just right and posted it, only to get a message back saying "Would work with the other aspects we spoke about interweaved into the flowers BUT not within the budget you quoted Im afraid Rachel. Start saving your pennies now x"

    I'm confused. I already discussed the changes BEFORE she quoted me and the changes are only really an extra tier and colour changes. (Oh and a tiny amount of gold chain, but I only added that to fill in space and I can take it or leave it.) But, she was already OK with that. We even discussed deposit prices and so on. I haven't added any pearls, diamantes, or shimmer powders and such to it, so I don't get it.

    Cake is for 30 to 37 people and really is not that much different at all to the original.

    As I say, I only changed the colours which is actually something we discussed in great detail. I am in the same town as her in Derbyshire, so she said it wouldn't be too hard to do. She also never mentioned set up costs.

    I also made her FULLY aware of, my wedding is not until the 24th July 2016!

    We don't have too many local cake makers, so it's very difficult for me without having to travel by bus quite a distance into the city.

    I have started asking at the other cake makers too. I just hope they can deliver the same design I want, because some of them don't own shops and do it entirely as an online business.

    Anyway... On advice I went to one of the only local cake makers left to choose from and I had high hopes when she replied all professional and cheery. Such a stark contrast to the previous one. I was even saying to my H2B how happy I was with her reply. She said she'd be going away for a while so would meet up after she returned when she got back. I said that was not problem, showed her the design and explained the date and everything. We swapped mesaages and such and everything was so positive! I thought that I'd finally found someone I could mesh well with to make it.

    I logged in to find this:

    "Hi Rachel,

    Im afraid I only use hand made flowers. Cake decorating is my hobby and passion not baking. I only do that because the two come hand in hand.

    If you are wanting to use artificial flowers, have you tried [PLACE] on {Road]. They don't make their own flowers so Im sure will be happy to use something else. Their cakes are very good and I believe they are quite reasonable.

    Should you change your mind and decide to go for the hand made option, by all means let me know and I will be pleased to arrange to meet you.

    Sorry I cannot help you at this time.

    Regards"

    Uh... OK. Yet ANOTHER sudden switch!

    I replied:


    "Would you have any objections to me adding on the flowers myself if I can get hold of them?"

    I got this in reply:

    "What I was trying to say Rachel is that baking is not my main interest. I don't bake for a job, this is purely a hobby, so I only offer a limited choice of flavours and only bake cakes because I need something to put my decorations on. There are plenty of people out there more qualified than me in the baking department such as [Person] at [Place] or [Person] at the cake shop at the top of [Street]. Im sure they will be delighted to offer plain cakes in a range of flavours or even source the flowers for you if they can."

    I'm confused! Why market yourself as a professional cake maker if... I don't... What!? Is anyone in this area even remotely suitable? The heck!? D:

    (Starred names out for obvious reasons)

    Oh and now she is ignoring me. :/

    I only have 3 choices left and one of those I don't even like their cakes. :C
  3.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    So, I had someone recommend a cake maker husband and wife team that is out of my area but deliver. So, on their recommendation, I looked at their site and contacted them. Beautiful work and a lovely choice of flavour. I was assured as well that they were nice people and accommodating.

    The reality? They outright REFUSED to make me a red velvet tier and gave me a huge lecture via email about how it's unhealthy, causes cancer and so on and so fourth. I explained that I prefer it traditional and made using beetroot and NOT with food colouring.

    They THEN started picking on my design by saying how out of proportion it is! JEEZE LADY! I drew it in 5 minutes! Give me a break! I'm hardly going to give you a masterpiece for a god damned CAKE example!
  4.  
    • Mrs M Wade
      CommentAuthorMrs M Wade
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    You're getting married at the same place as Emmilou. You're not far away from either of us.

    Sounds like you're having a bit of a nightmare. Have you got a written conversation from the First Lady you spoke to that said she could do all the things you asked for and also the price she quoted? X

    Members signature icon
    Became Mrs Wade 06/08/2016


  5.  
    • Mrs M Wade
      CommentAuthorMrs M Wade
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
      edited
     
    You're getting married at the same place as Emmilou. You're not far away from either of us.

    Sounds like you're having a bit of a nightmare. Have you got a written conversation from the First Lady you spoke to that said she could do all the things you asked for and also the price she quoted? X

    Members signature icon
    Became Mrs Wade 06/08/2016


  6.  
    • Mrs M Wade
      CommentAuthorMrs M Wade
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    Not sure why it posted twice

    Members signature icon
    Became Mrs Wade 06/08/2016


  7.  
    • Emmilou82
      CommentAuthorEmmilou82
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    I got so excited then seeing you are getting married at Butterley Geange Mansion too..... Eeeek

    We are the 30th July 2016 and I cannot wait.

    Jane is lovely and took me wedding dress shopping!!! She is great

    Sorry to hear about the cake disaster. I had a bad experience too and am struggling to trust anyone with it again.

    I have decided to go to a proper cake shop but it's out of town and double the price but it's stunning and i know it will be done as required x

    I hope you get it sorted

    Members signature icon
    Marrying 'The One' on 30th July 2016
    I am now Mrs Emma Stokoe xx

  8.  
    • Whovianbride
      CommentAuthorWhovianbride
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    This all sounds awesome hun. X

    Members signature icon
    Met June 2009 on my Birthday,Met again July 2009 and got
    together, May 2010 Moved in,Jan 2011 got pregnant,
    August 2011 Got our own place, 2011 Had our Baby Girl,
    Dec 2011 Got engaged, July 2015 Getting married! Yay!
  9.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    Mrs M Wade 2b - Unfortunately not. For some reason it's vanished from my inbox along with a bunch of other emails. I'm not sure what's going on there. Argh! I could murder Outlook.

    Emmilou82 - Eeee! Awesome! So not long after mine. :D

    I've been trying to get Jane to give me a hand with flower ideas and she said she'd email me some stuff and take me to a flower wholesalers place, but I haven't heard from her in a while. I think I might get my poking stick out. Haha. SHe's so nice and I don't understand some of the bad things I hear from other people. It's confusing.


    ---


    UPDATE:

    I now have a cake maker down for it! And they aren't awkward. In fact, they quoted a very reasonable proce of £119 for 3 tiers. I've tested their cakes and they are so good! I highly recommend you go visit them even if you don't need a cake anymore just to buy some of their stuff. xD Emma's Cakes of Ripley. (Just say cola and beetroot cake lady sent you. She'll know exactly who you mean. Haha. )
  10.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    So, me and the Mister had a real hard think about wedding rings. We;ve always been the type who have steered away from the norm, so we wanted something unique.

    The Mister gave me a promising ring the year before we got engaged that was silver with a baguette cut Iolite with 3 teeny Marcasite stones either side of it.

    My engagement ring is actually made from silver and has a Blue John stone, something that is unique to the county that I live. He got it from Matlock Bath in a local jewellers. His idea was that I could always carry a piece of my home with me.

    That said, the wedding rings had to be just as awesome and unique. We had originally wanted coloured titanium carbide bands, but then changed our minds to titanium and meteorite. Meteorite rings are just amazing to look at and suit us perfectly.

    However, when searching for the ideal set we came across an indi jeweller based in the US that did meteorite mixed rings. He worked with rare woods, stones and even things such as deer antler. It was then we spotted them.

    His and hers custom sized blue dinosaur bone rings with titanium inlay. (Etsy Robert W Bruce Blue Dinosaur Bone)

    We couldn't resist them! I'm now waiting for them to be finished and arrive. It could take up to 4 months. :D
  11.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
      edited
     
    Hnnnnnnnnnnnn, I put a spanner in the works.

    For a the past few years I've been working with a wedding dress designer who has a shop in Derby. I visited his store and ended up mentioning the fact that I was a professional illustrator. Well, long story short, we struck a deal where I'd illustrate his book project that he was doing and he'd make up my dress from the design I had created for it and give me a monster discount on the final price, or give me a huge discount on one he had in stock if I ever found one.

    I worked on the illustrations for him and he started sourcing material, but sometimes the communication would go quiet and then he stopped making dresses himself and hired his own seamstress for it all. I recently spoke to him and he was still on board and everything, but I wanted something made by him in all honesty. He did amazing work. :(


    What was the spanner in the works? I recently visited a store in my town (Glitz and Glam in Ripley) to look for bridesmaids dresses and made the mistake of agreeing to try on a wedding dress I saw. It was new in and was amazing. I tried it on and had 'that feeling'. You know... 'The one' feeling. I ended up ordering it. Dx

    EDIT - BUSINESS NAME REMOVED

    Now I'm feeling so bad about spending so long working on designs for my dress and working with the maker and such... but I couldn't help it.

    Oh, those who want to see it look up Lilliana couture. It's the 'Angelica' dress. Though it looks SO different on me to what it does on that model. I don't think the photo does it justice.
  12.  
    • Velcro
      CommentAuthorVelcro
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    oooh steam punk wedding this sounds fab!

    Members signature icon

    Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey
    *Kelbel* is my wedding twinny!
  13.  
    • Emily17
      CommentAuthorEmily17
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    If you're worried about upsetting him, I wouldn't be.
    1. he isn't making your dress himself anymore which was what you wanted
    2. there have been periods of silence from him even though you have been doing work for him.

    Have you already given him your drawings? if not charge him :)

    Members signature icon
    Met in 2009
    He proposed Jan 2014
    Will become Mrs P 7th October 2017
  14.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    I've given him samples, but I never give the full res images unless payment/goods have been received, so no problem there.

    I guess I could always let him work on something else. Maybe a venue decoration.He keeps offering a custom fabric, so...


    ---


    In other news... My feathers are somewhat ruffled at the moment.

    I'm searching for a make-up artist here in Derbyshire (Or the surrounding areas) who can do my make-up next year. The issue is that I suffer from a very rare condition called Aquagenic Urticaria which basically means I'm intolerant to liquids, gels, waxes and oils. (If makes me puff up and I get a burning, painful, red rash.) So I need a make-up artist who is OK with using powder only, or mineral powders.

    I've emailed so many make-up artists that I've lost count. I've had replies back all saying they can't (Or won't in some cases) do it... :(

    It's crazy. Surely there's SOMEONE out there who is OK with only using powders on me. It's not as if the rest of my bridal party have this issue, they'll be fine with regualr make-up.
  15.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
      edited
     
    UPDATE:

    I'm still getting 'no' back from a lot of make up artists. It seems no one wants to do it, or uses just powders. :/

    I had a call from a recommended make up artist the other day, but she only deals with airbrushing. However, she said she'd be happy to work with products I buy in for myself.

    The thing is... I don't wear make-up, so I don't really have anything she could use. And the suggestion of buying in a bare minerals starter kit makes me screw my nose up a bit, as it's expensive. As someone who doesn't wear make-up I'm worried about wasting money on something I'd only use once.
  16.  
    • Emily17
      CommentAuthorEmily17
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    Are they worried about using them on your sensitive skin? Seems weird that that won't do it. I'm sure there must be people who do it

    Members signature icon
    Met in 2009
    He proposed Jan 2014
    Will become Mrs P 7th October 2017
  17.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    They haven't said either way. I just explained what medical professionals have told me to use (Powders and/or mineral based stuff) and I assured them that it wouldn't kill me or anything. Haha.

    You'd think there would be wouldn't you. :/ It's crazy that so many just don't want to use powders only... At this rate I'll be having to buy stuff and do it myself. (Which will be totally crappy and wasted after one use. Haha.)
  18.  
    • Emily17
      CommentAuthorEmily17
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    That seems a shame. Tried looking for you yesterday but just found powder rooms. Was actually quite difficult to see what they were offering without calling...

    Members signature icon
    Met in 2009
    He proposed Jan 2014
    Will become Mrs P 7th October 2017
  19.  
    • Emily17
      CommentAuthorEmily17
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    I'm going to b00ts for mine. Can't you go and go to a bar3 min3rals counter??

    Members signature icon
    Met in 2009
    He proposed Jan 2014
    Will become Mrs P 7th October 2017
  20.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    [UPDATE]

    So, I'd been trying to get in touch with places that may be able to help with the make up, but every place I called was so far away. (As I say, the counters are a distance away from me and I don't drive due to disablities, so I have to rely on others when they aren't working or busy.)

    However... My mother, who visist a gym local to her, happened to be on their website and discovered they do Bar3 M1ner4ls! HAHA! I called them up, had a trial for free and managed to buy a starter kit for a really decent price. Much cheaper than other places I've seen. She even swapped out the 'warmth' powder and added a blush instead since I don't suit warmth. I just hope I use it besides on the day...

    ---


    In other news, I may have found my photographer. Though I've been finding things a bit awkward lately. We were supposed to meet this weekend, but I ended up in agony with muscle pains the night before and overslept. She had travelled over an hour to get there and I felt terrible. I instantly called and apologised, but I still feel bad. Then, to make matters worse, she kept trying to email the contract and it wouldn't come through! ARGH! I hope she doesn't think I'm a time waster. ;_;
  21.  
    • Emily17
      CommentAuthorEmily17
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    Great news about the makeup :) so glad you found somewhere to help you!

    Members signature icon
    Met in 2009
    He proposed Jan 2014
    Will become Mrs P 7th October 2017
  22.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    Yeah. I only hope it was worth the money I paid for it. I really begrudge getting it. Haha.


    ---


    Having a bridesmaids dress dilemma at the moment. Decided that style I want, but the cheapest I can find them is still quite a lot of money and I'll be needing 4 of them. It's so nice though and can be worn in different ways. I have fussy bridesmaids who don't all like showing off parts and who are concerned about weight, so it's ideal. BUT DEH MONEYS! Argh.
  23.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    Got my guestbook yesterday in the mail. It's amazing! (Photos in my albums.)

    I got an artist I've known for a while to make it. She lives in Wales and she does some brilliant work. Steampunk budgies. Heehee!
  24.  
    • Melty Cat
      CommentAuthorMelty Cat
      Just marriedBadgeBadge
     
    Having a bit of a hard time at the moment with the photographer and wanted to ask for your advice.

    She was contacting me every day bugging me to sort out the contract she apparently sent (Which I never got until I told her to send it to the Mister's email address. Sounded like she kept spelling mine wrong) and then when I finally did she stopped replying as much.

    I haven't been able to sign it since it was a text document and she wanted me to just fill it in digitally and email it back. I just added details like the date and number of guests and such, but she says that it doesn't matter about the signature as she 'considers the fact that I filled it out to be binding'. Also, in her contract (Fine print I might add) it demands she be added to the guest list and given a meal, which I was going to do anyway, but I found that an odd piece of fine print to say the least. Is that normal practice?

    I keep trying to arrange a meet up with her, but she keeps saying she wants to meet her end despite the fact that I've told her loads of times that I don't drive and that it's hard for us to get up that way with mine and the Mister's situation. Her last reply was something to the effect of 'I’d love to have time to go to your area , but it might be easier to meet nearer'. Which confused me since she told me when we first started talking that she'd have no issues visiting me to meet up. *Scratches head*

    Maybe it's just me finding it all odd. Me and my silly brain. :P
  25.  
    • Whovianbride
      CommentAuthorWhovianbride
      Ticker backgroundIs poweruserJust marriedBadgeBadgeTicker foreground
     
    Alot of photographers and band etc have it in there contact that they are fed. But talk to your caterer about a vendor meal for them (1 course, not the full 3 or what not x)

    Members signature icon
    Met June 2009 on my Birthday,Met again July 2009 and got
    together, May 2010 Moved in,Jan 2011 got pregnant,
    August 2011 Got our own place, 2011 Had our Baby Girl,
    Dec 2011 Got engaged, July 2015 Getting married! Yay!
 

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