Your Crear Wedding Budget!
Define your budget to save the wasting time on suppliers & people you can't afford. It's what you do with what you've got that counts. 
Focus on what's most important to you, and stick to that! t's easy to get carried away, once the wedding inspiration search begins.
Set your budget as early as possible. It will define everything you do from how many guests you invite to all the extra outside suppliers. 
Being clear about your budget is the biggest wedding planning time-saver - it stops you from wasting time on things & people you can't afford.
If family or friends offer to pay for something specific, check their budget for it. Don't overspend & assume they will be happy with the bill. If their budget doesn't stretch, then you can always add to it without having to highlight this to them.
A good example is the offer to pay for your wedding flowers, without the giver realising the realistic costs involved. Graciously accept whatever their budget. It may only cover the basics & the giver will be none the wiser to your additional topping up to the spend. You get the wedding flowers you want, & the giver will be delighted by their gift when they see the beautiful florals on the day. 
Your guests will appreciate that your champagne is delicious & the beer is plentiful & that you have looked after their every need. As hosts of your wedding celebration, remember your guests who have travelled to be with you are your number one priority. Don't skimp on their experience with cheap wine or not enough beer, only to blow your budget on dresses & shoes!  

WEDDING BUDGET TIPS
Planning a wedding can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be! We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to help your wedding budget stretch further.

Write Down Your Wedding Budget
It sounds simple, doesn’t it? It’s often overlooked because of how simple it is. Do you ever look at your food shop on the conveyor belt at the till and try to guess how much it’ll come to? We’re often wrong because without keeping a note, costs will escalate. Use a budget planner and add everything in to it. We mean everything, even that packet of Kirby grips! It all adds up and it’ll be easier to control if you can see what you are spending.

Beg, Borrow and Steal your Wedding Decorations & Accessories
Well, maybe not steal! But borrowing is a key way to keep your budget under control. It’s likely that you have friends that will have already got married. If you loved the frame they displayed their table plan in, or thought your best friend’s tiara was beautiful, ask if you can borrow it. You’ll need something borrowed for your wedding anyway so try and borrow where you can to keep costs down.
At Crear, we also have a selection of decorative items you may borrow for your special day. Some of these are free, others for only a small charge. Please speak to your wedding planner for more information as to what is available to borrow.

Call in Favours on your Wedding Day
Is your aunt a whizz on the sewing machine? Or a best friend who is a makeup artist? Don’t be afraid to ask Auntie Jane if she wouldn’t mind altering your dress instead of a gift, or if Sarah wouldn’t mind doing your make up on the day. Just make sure they know it’s OK to say no if they don’t feel they can do it.

Become a Wedding DIY Diva
At one point, DIY meant spending a Saturday afternoon in the hard wear shop looking at the different types of screw and tins of paint. Now it’s a wedding buzz-word, and with good reason. The more you can DIY, the lower your costs will be. Get acquainted with Pinterest for ideas for your decorations. Don’t go overboard and bite off more than you can chew. Crear studio doesn’t need much in the way of decoration to look beautiful and personal to your special day.
We also have wedding make up tips if you plan on doing this yourself by clicking here

Consider Pre-Loved Wedding Dress
How often does any bride wear her wedding dress for? A day (usually…). So why not consider shopping for a pre-loved wedding dress? You could snap up your dream dress for a fraction of the cost and you’ll know it was only worn once. It makes sense if you’re on a tight budget.
Or keep an eye out for local sample sales. You can buy a new dress at an absolute bargain.

Skip a Weekend Summer Wedding
It seems like tradition that weddings take place on a Saturday in summer. Break the rules! Why not look at a midweek, winter wedding. You’ll see a difference in price. A week day might be awkward for some, but your nearest and dearest will always make the effort to get annual leave and make it. 

Cut Out Wedding Favours
How many favours from weddings you’ve attended do you have in your home right now? How many did you forget to pick up? The chances are, if it can’t be eaten immediately (or downed in one), it’ll be forgotten as your guests focus on chatting, eating the delicious meal being served to them and then partying. So, skip the wedding favours – no one will notice! 

About the Bridesmaids...
It’s a lovely idea to include your best girls in your bridal party…but they’ll be at your wedding whether you’ve asked them to be a bridesmaid or not. If you cut down on bridesmaids, you save money on dresses, hair and makeup and thank you gifts. You can still involve them in your wedding by asking one to do a reading, one to be a witness as you sign the register or even to give a speech.
If you can’t bear the idea of having your day without your, why not have a frank chat with your girls and explain you’d love them to be part of your bridal party but would they mind contributing? Just remember – if you’re asking for them to pay for the dress (or you’re looking for a cheaper option) you need to be realistic; consider the high street for their dresses and keep your bridal party small.

Same for the Groomsmen
If the bride must cut back, so should the groom. You can have groomsmen and a best man, but can you ask them to wear a suit or kilt they already have? If that’s not an option, again look to the high street and suggest splitting the cost to make it more affordable.

Think About Wedding Flowers
If you have your heart set on wedding flowers, check out our Seasonal Blooms from Blooming Wild Crear Flowers – if your flowers of choice are in season, it’ll be much cheaper. 

www.crearphotography.com 

What style of wedding band will you choose?

The most popular wedding bands usually get booked up around 12-18 months in advance. You will need to book your band nice and early if you want to get your first choice, especially during peak wedding season. The prices quoted will often be provided on current petrol prices and they rarely go down. If you book them early they are contracted to the quote they provide.

Band fees will vary depending on the style of music, how many members of the band there are, how far they have travelled. Booking a midweek wedding, or an off-peak wedding, you are more likely to get your first choice of wedding band! All those we recommend will travel to and from Crear on the day.

What toe tapping wedding band would you as the wedding couple and your wedding guests enjoy? As a spectacular Scottish wedding venue, there is nothing we like more than a ceilidh. These appeal to all age groups, young and old. A ceilidh as your wedding entertainment is almost guaranteed to ensure everyone has a good time. Having a traditional ceilidh is a sure-fire way to get everyone up on the dance floor, and with a variety of dances, you are going to get your wonderful wedding guests dancing with everyone in the room. It’s a real icebreaker to get everyone at the venue talking and having fun together.

Now, you don’t need to go full out ceilidh if you are worried about your and your guest’s stamina! A fantastic compromise is a wedding band that can do a mix of both covers of popular rock and pop songs, with a ceilidh section in the middle of the set. This can also allow for a nice change of tempo. Perhaps your chosen wedding band can play the ceilidh section of their set just before the evening buffet. Allow your guests to have a wee breather a chance to recharge their batteries before dancing on into the evening.

As the acoustics in the Crear studio are excellent, how about considering a turning the studio into an old-fashioned Hollywood nightclub. Black tie wearing musicians playing the classics. Tables down the side allowing your guests to chat and catch up, with a dancefloor for your wedding guests to dance cheek to cheek to the intimate music.

We strongly advise you to take out a wedding insurance policy to protect any and all your financial investment during your wedding planning process through to your wedding day. No one expects to have to cancel their wedding however it can happen for many reasons both happy and sad, from finding out you are expecting, to illness and accidents or redundancy from work.

Basically Wedding Insurance covers you for your irrecoverable costs incurred as a result of the unavoidable cancellation of the wedding for reasons beyond your control. It also covers you for any issues that arise with your external suppliers.

Wedding Insurance was suspended during the Covid Pandemic, however Event Insurance was still available. Your Home Insurance Policy may offer you Public Liability cover.

Things to consider when choosing a hair & make-up artist

Its essential that you feel completely happy with whoever you chose. When selecting a make up artist, check out what products they use, ask how often they work (you don't want old stale make up that comes out once a month or less if its a 'hobby' job!) and note basics like how clean and hygienic their brushes and products look.

A professional make-up artist will work with a kit insured for thousands of pounds and be able to advise on the products that work best for your skin type.

This is also not the moment to be talked into a whole new look - its very important for the groom to recognise the bride! Be clear about what you want, however remember if you are unused to wearing much make-up, it may feel as if you are wearing a lot. You do need definition around your eyes & mouth to work well for the photographs.

A good make up artist will make you feel a million dollars and look your absolute best in reality and photographs. Anything less at your make up trial, try elsewhere. This is also not the time to feel obliged by a kind offer from family or friends ... if you are nervous with what the results may be, simply thank them for their generous thought, however you would not wish for them to work on your wedding day.

Please remember that at Crear there may well be more than a wee puff of wind so your hair needs to be firmly pinned or in a style that will only improve when wind swept! What may work well inside a city hotel where you are in control of the climate is not the style for a Crear bride.

Your Crear Wedding Drinks
The sign of a good wedding is one where the guests are enjoying themselves and are well watered! Whether you’re tee-total or are planning a big night on the champagne, we’ll share some tips to keep you and your guests watered with our guide to wedding drinks.

Wedding Reception Drinks
Welcome your guests to your wedding reception with a drink. You might opt for an aperitif such as a glass of champagne. Outdoor weddings in the summer months would benefit from a fruity cocktail such as Pimms. To ensure everyone enjoys your reception, we make sure plenty of water, soft drinks and juices for those who don’t partake in a tipple are provided.

Drinks with your delicious wedding breakfast by Crear Kitchen
When it comes to keeping your guests hydrated during your wedding meal, it’s usual to opt for a classic red wine and a classic white wine to be placed on the table. Your wedding guests will usually help themselves, choosing which they prefer and refilling their glasses as needed. Crear staff are on hand to replenish the wine and remove empty wine bottles. We will also ensure there are jugs of water on the tables. Crear provides a huge range of soft drink options which is included in the corkage charge for those who don’t drink alcohol, or have chosen not to.

For the toast and wedding speeches
It’s traditional for a glass of champagne to be served to each wedding guest before the speeches, so they can toast the bridal couple. Alternatively, you could serve up a glass of prosecco instead which is very popular and usually cheaper too.

How much wine is enough for your wedding guests?
How much you decide to provide your wedding guests with is usually an intensely debated topic. Too little and your guests will go thirsty; too much and you might see a side of your wedding guests you never knew existed! We usually suggest half a bottle of wine per guest, split between red and white. For more information on how much to provide, please click here

The first sip of the first drink is one that your guests will remember the most, so be it champagne, cava or prosecco make it a good one!

Taking into account the big drinkers and your non drinking guests, we recommend half a bottle of champagne and prosecco for the drinks reception followed by half a bottle of wine plus per guest for your wedding breakfast (meal)
We then recommend adding a little extra for those extra thirsty. 

For example for 80 wedding guests - 
select 24 bottles/ 4 cases of red wine
24 bottles/ 4 cases white wine 
plus 42 bottles/ 7 cases of champagne or prosecco. 
This is based 6 bottles per case.
If you are providing all the wine till the end of the night, add a little more. 
For your guests who would prefer a beer, bring wheelbarrows and we will fill them with ice and wheel them to where your guests are inside or out! The barrows then double up as presents from yourselves to gardening enthusiasts.
When your guests sit down for your wedding breakfast, we would suggest that if they keep their champagne glass we can top it up for the speeches. Alternatively your guests may want to move onto the table wine to toast. When glasses of champagne are provided just for speeches, half goes down the drain as most guests have moved onto red or white wine or beer.

Majestic Wine offer free delivery over £750. Our spirit bar is well stocked with local gins and whiskies.