If you are looking for answers to any wedding planning dilemmas, send your questions to us at
Please also contact us if you have any further suggestions to the following questions.
 Question
We feel a bit embarrassed about including details of our gift list with the invitations. How do we do this without appearing to be expecting presents?
It's perfectly acceptable these days to include details of a gift list. In fact most guests will be relieved to see that they can choose something that you definitely want, it can be really hard to choose the right wedding gift. You will usually be provided with small cards to place inside the invitation, giving details of where your gift list is held and instructions for buying from it. As well as a traditional gift list, you may like to run a charitable gift list alongside this - giving your guests the option of either buying you a personal gift or being able to donate to a charity of your choice (good option if you don't really need anything).
If you aren't provided with gift registry cards, you could add a small note to your invitation inserts:
Your presence at our wedding will be the biggest gift of all but if you do wish to buy a present for us, we have a gift list with (company) - gift registry no. ________
We already have all we could ever wish for and we would love for others less fortunate to benefit from our special day. If you would like to help us to help others, we have set up a gift list with (charitable company).
Question
Any tips on where to sell a second hand wedding dress? I can't find a shop locally that will do it (the trade has been killed off by e-bay apparently) and I've failed to sell it through local free ads - are e-bay and charity shops the only options left? - from Natasha.
Answer provided by Eco-Friendly Weddings
I've not been able to locate any shops in the areas you asked about - Cheshire and Lincoln, but the following website service may be of use -
Sell My Wedding Dress
covers the whole of the UK - just put an advert on their website and set what price you want. There's also a few other similar internet services available where you can post a wedding dress advert, just type 'sell wedding dress' into your search panel.
If you were up in Scotland I would have also suggested
Moira Brown Bridal Hire
(she's on our website in the Bridal Wear section). Moira hires out dresses and buys second hand dresses in good condition.
Question
I'm going to propose to my girlfriend and want to suprise her - I don't know where to start with a ring. Help!
I usually find that a chat reveals quite a lot, and recent photos of your beloved in her best frock is always helpful for me to establish her style. I can show you a portfolio of designs for other clients and usually people get a feel for what might be the right direction for their girlfriends. It's ok - I'm here to help and I'm used to picking up the threads of ideas and developing ideas. We can be as bold or as conservative in the design as you like- I provide the drawings and then you direct the process. I'll keep you right as far as scale, size and suitabilty.
Question
What size of cake will I need for 120 guests?
The answer to this question can vary quite a bit, depending on the shape of the cake, and the types of cake it is made from. For instance, a square cake provides more portions than a round or heart shaped cake, and a fruit cake will provide approximately twice the number of portions that a sponge cake of the same size and shape would give. This is because fruit cake portions are usually 1” square, whereas sponge type cakes are typically cut into 1”x2” slices. For an all sponge cake to serve 120 generously, you would need a 4 tier cake (6”,8”,10” and 12” tiers). If you were to have one or more fruit cake tiers, then a 3 tier cake would be sufficient. If you are having a cake made for you, there’s no need to worry about working it out yourself - discuss it with your cake designer. Once they know how many portions you need, and what shape and design you would like, then they will be able to work out the correct size of cake. However, even if you don’t need many portions, but still fancy a big cake to give the wow factor, you could ask for one or more dummy tiers to be added. And if you would like a smaller cake, but have a lot of guests to feed, then an extra ‘cutting’ cake, which goes straight to the kitchen, could be the answer. And remember – you don’t need to have the same kind of cake on each tier – most couples now mix and match, and it means that everybody’s tastes are catered for.
Question
I require disposable plates and cutlery and wanted banana leaf plates preferably but cannot find a uk distributor or alternative. I have found wooden cutlery, would you be able to help in my quest for a greener wedding? - from Kelly.
Answer provided by Eco-Friendly Weddings
Thank you for your query. I have some info for you which will hopefully help in your quest to find eco-friendly plates for your wedding. I have specifically searched for compostable tableware as this is more eco-friendly than biodegradable (which although good, biodegradable still requires more heat and longer time to breakdown). Compostable tableware can be put straight into a home compost bin and is usually made from things like leaves, corn starch, sugar cane, etc.
The following businesses do things like sugar cane plates and compostable cutlery: Ecomundi, Party Plastics and Goodness Direct.
Another idea are Palm Leaf plates and bowls (very similar in look to banana leaf plates) - available here, or if you don't want the plates looking too rustic then tableware made from natural corn starch and fibres would be ideal. You can get these here or click the images below to go directly to some eco tableware options:
I hope this helps you, so far I haven't been able to source banana leaf plates in the UK but I think the palm leaf option might be good. If anyone knows where to get banana leaf plates in the UK, please do contact us.
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