Plans are in full swing for our annual Wedding Open Day on Sunday 26th February 2012.

Our Wedding Open Day gives couples from across the Bristol region the opportunity to visit Alveston House and experience the warmth and hospitality of the team and of it’s owner and General Manager, Julie Camm.

We have been licensed for Civil Ceremonies for over 12 years and during that time have seen hundreds of happy couples tie the knot from all over the South West of England.

Our Ceremony Suite has recently been refurbished together with a number of bedrooms throughout the hotel – all of which will be on show during the Wedding Open Day. Whether you are interested in a Civil Ceremony or Civil Partnership, a complete Wedding Package or simply an informal evening Wedding Reception we can design a personal, bespoke Wedding Package just for you.

Due to the popularity of the event we have had to limit numbers this year as we want to ensure that you will be able to see the hotel and talk to one of our Wedding Co-ordinators in peaceful surroundings. Attendance will require pre-registration via our website and will only take a couple of seconds.

Visit our Wedding Open Day page on our website by clicking here. You can register your interest and we will contact you with further details.

We look forward to welcoming you to Alveston House Hotel very soon.

Once again Christmas and New Year have proved popular times for those romantics amongst us, with Wedding Engagements taking place all over the Bristol area during the festive holidays.

We have been contacted by many ‘brides and grooms-to-be’ since Christmas Day – all wanting to plan their perfect Wedding.

The good news is that we not only provide inclusive Wedding Packages to suit those couples wanting a Ceremony, Wedding Breakfast and Evening Reception with Buffet and Disco but we can also provide bespoke Wedding Packages tailor-made to each couple’s preferences.

Whether you are wanting to arrange an informal Wedding Ceremony followed by a Finger Buffet or a more traditional Wedding to include a delicious 3 course Wedding Breakfast we would be delighted to provide a quote specifically written for you.

As well as being licenced for Civil Weddings and Civil Partnerships, Alveston House Hotel, Bristol, is also a popular venue for the renewal of Wedding Vows – another great excuse for a fantastic party!

Please call us now on 01454 415050 to discuss your Wedding plans – we would love to hear from you.

Congratulations on your forthcoming Wedding…

Organising a Wedding can be a very stressful time for any couple…but you’ll be pleased to know that we have everything you need to know about preparing for your special day all wrapped up in one helpful little Wedding Tips booklet.

Many couples from Bristol have already found our tips and suggestions of great value when organising their Civil Ceremony, Civil Partnership, Wedding Day or Reception. From choosing your Wedding attire to selecting your last dance at your Wedding reception we have everything covered.

Julie Camm, our owner and General Manager here at Alveston House Hotel, has over 2o years experience of planning perfect Weddings for couples from all over Bristol and the South West.  For us, Weddings are our speciality so you can rest assured that you are in very capable hands when you choose Alveston House Hotel, Bristol as your Wedding Venue.

If you would like to read Julie’s tips for the perfect Wedding then please click here and we will send you your own personal copy of ‘The top 50 insider tips to planning the perfect Wedding’.

We look forward to helping you plan your Perfect Wedding Day…

The Day Before the Big Day!

It’s the day before the wedding of the year, just 24 hours until Miss Middleton takes her vows and becomes Princess Catherine. As the country gears up for celebration and the army of suppliers arrange the final details what will Catherine be up to on her last day as a single woman?

Chances are she will be doing what most Brides do on the day before their Wedding, check her dress is perfect, that she has all her accessories, running through the plan for the mornings preparations and most importantly spending some time with those closest to her. The Middleton family has taken up residence in The Goring Hotel in preparation for Friday so Catherine will be able to spend some private time with them. Whatever the size and style of your wedding, by now everything should be safely in the hands of your chosen suppliers so all you Brides need to do is relax! It is perfectly normally to have a few pre-wedding jitters and it is great to have family and friends around to distract you from dwelling on these – maybe get a manicure or massage with your Mum or best friend or maybe watch a film with a weddingy feel. Try and get an early night, especially if you have a morning ceremony to prepare for, so you wake refreshed and revitalised. And most importantly take some time to savour the fact that the next day will be the start of your life with your very own Prince Charming with the added bonus of not having several billion people tuning in to watch!

The Final Countdown

The Royal Wedding is finally upon us, on Friday Prince William will marry Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey as the rest of the world looks on. But while the rest of us are relaxing and possibly enjoying an extra long Easter Break the Royal Couple wont have much time for relaxation at the moment as they make sure everything is ready for their Wedding Day.

Like any Bride in the week before her Wedding it is likely Catherine is using the time to check all the last minute details of her day. Now is the time to be double checking timings, confirming delivery schedules, confirming the seating plan and packing for honeymoon amongst other things. While Miss Middleton may have a whole army of advisors to take care of all of this for her, don’t feel daunted about these final checks; this is when your Bridesmaids really prove their worth. Delegate the task of phoning the suppliers and tying up the details to your support team. It is also a good idea to appoint someone as a contact on the day for any last minute glitches – the Best Man or Maid of Honour are ideal for this as they have probably been most involved through the planning of your Wedding and are easy to spot on the day. This will leave you time to get organised for your honeymoon and ensure all you have to worry about on the day is enjoying yourself.

Stag Dos and Don’ts

Taking us all by surprise Prince William has sneaked off for his Stag Do without anyone other than the invitees knowing about it! Even now the official comment remains at “I can confirm that Prince William’s stag party happened this weekend” although reports lead us to believe he and 20 or so close friends spent the stag weekend at a family friend’s country retreat. Not exactly what the world expected when the royal rebel Prince Harry was appointed Best Man and put in charge of his brother’s farewell to bachelorhood.

Tradition would have you believe the only acceptable itinerary for a stag do begins with dressing the Stag in a dress, is punctuated by multiple glasses of alcohol and finishes with leaving the Groom-to-be tied to a lamppost but clearly this is no longer the case. We might not all have landed gentry amongst our circle of friends to call on but there are a wealth of companies around to cater for this growing trend. Quad biking, paint-balling, clay pigeon shooting and white water rafting are just some of the activities on offer, perfect for the Groom who doesn’t fancy a night on the town but still needs to indulge in a testosterone-fuel shindig. Plus, if the resident party animal Prince Harry can curb his natural instincts and give his brother a send off more befitting the future king, it gives some hope to the Brides who are worrying senseless because their fiancé has chosen Dave “The Partyman” Jones as Best Man!

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

In a turn towards a more American that British tradition, the Royal Wedding will feature two wedding cakes. Leicestershire based cake designer Fiona Cairns has been commissioned to create the traditional wedding cake which will be a multi-tiered fruit cake with white and cream icing featuring the four flowers of the home nations. Miss Middleton has also selected a range of flowers which are associated with different meanings to be incorporated, including the aptly named ‘Sweet William’ flower. The second cake has been requested by Prince William and will be a chocolate biscuit cake, a Royal Family favourite from his childhood.

Your cake will form a centrepiece of your reception venue so it is vital that it incorporates the theme of your day or has a clear connection to you and your partner. If you choose a traditional multi-tiered cake take some inspiration from Catherine and choose decorations that mean something to you; if your dress has beading detail, perhaps use this to inspire the piped icing design, or consider having sugar paste flowers to match those in your bouquet. If you go for a more informal style of cake you can really go to town – did you first meet at a sports match? Was the proposal on top of a mountain? Why not recreate one of these events with a carved and shaped cake so your guests can share the moment. Of course if you can’t choose between tasteful traditional and crazy contemporary you could always follow the royal couple’s example and have both!

The Gift List Quandary

One aspect of wedding planning that has seen massive changes of the years is the Gift List. No doubt the 1,900 or so guests invited to Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s wedding were beginning to wonder what the appropriate gift might be; when you’re talking about the future King and Queen a toaster is not really going to cut it. The Prince and his Bride have taken control and set up a Charitable Gift Fund for their guests, and any particularly generous member of the public, to contribute to in honour of their wedding on 29 April. The fund will support various charities individually selected by William and Catherine.

With more and more couples living together before they take their vows and with the average age of marriage creeping up it is not surprising that the traditional gift list made up of plates, toasters and new sheets is loosing its appeal. Most of us find that when we move in with our partner we end up packing up the duplicates for the charity shop rather than needing to buy more. So what is the answer? William and Catherine have come up with one good solution; guests and well-wishers are able to show their support for the royal couple whilst at the same time helping some lesser known but extremely worthwhile causes.

This isn’t the only option – travel companies have cottoned on to this gap in the market and your guests can now purchase your honeymoon for you! You select the location and your guests can contribute to anything from the plane tickets to on-site activities like scuba-diving or jet-skiing. Of course, you may really want to update your crockery and cutlery, the big departments stores still offer the traditional Gift List if you are so inclined. Some couples are brave enough to just ask for monetary contributions; if you decide this is what you’d prefer it may be best to outline a project the money is earmarked for – a new conservatory or kitchen perhaps. Your guests want to feel their gift is something you’ll remember as being a wedding gift, they may not be so happy to contribute if they think the money is going to buy a your weekly shopping!

Four Legs or Four Wheels?

Or in the case of Miss Middleton – both! It has been widely reported that Catherine had chosen to break with royal tradition and arrive at her wedding by car rather than by horse-drawn carriage. The collection of State Cars at her disposal includes Bentleys, Rolls Royces and Daimlers and it has been reported that Miss Middleton has chosen one of the Rolls Royces, specifically the very car that was damaged as it carried her future in-laws through London.

Once married, Prince William and his new wife will travel from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Place in the 1902 State Landau, the beautiful open carriage that has also transported William’s parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales and his uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of York to their wedding receptions.

When selecting your wedding transport there is much to consider; how far have you got to travel? How many people do you need to accommodate? What fits best with your style of wedding? There are plenty of companies offering classic Rolls Royces and Bentleys for weddings so make sure you shop around to get a good deal. Bear in mind that if you have chosen a dress with a large skirt you’ll need a vehicle with plenty of space! Other options include stretch limousines which are especially useful if you have a large number of bridesmaids to transport or you can even hire a red London Bus to take your whole wedding party from your ceremony to reception!

If a horse-drawn carriage has always been your dream there are several important considerations, the first being how far you need them to take you. Most providers of wedding carriages put a limit on how far the horses will travel, both for the health and wellbeing of the animals but also due to time – horses take a lot longer to get somewhere than a car does! It is also worth considering the weather; Catherine and William have sensibly decided not to bank on the British weather and should 29 April be a wet and windy day they will be using the famous Glass Coach instead of the Landau. While you may not be able to stretch to a ‘back-up’ plan do make sure that if you have chosen an open topped carriage that it has a folding roof that can be put up should it rain – you don’t want to arrive at your ceremony looking like you just stepped out of the shower!

From Choristers to an RAF Fanfare

News has been released of the musicians due to be involved in the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The royal couple have chosen the Choir of Westminster Abbey, the Chapel Royal Choir, the London Chamber Orchestra, the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force and the State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry to be involved in their marriage ceremony on 29 April.

The official website for the wedding said the Prince and future Princess had “taken a great deal of interest and care in choosing the music for their Service” which is good to hear as music plays such a crucial role in setting the tone and enhancing the ambiance of the day.

Whatever style of wedding you are planning make sure you and your partner take time to discuss and select music that is important to you. If, like Prince William and Miss Middleton, you have chosen a church ceremony there are a few traditional choices that jump out – Wagner’s Bridal Chorus and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March for example. Don’t feel these are the only options open to you, speak to your organist if something less popular appeals to you, they will also be able to suggest some pieces that may suit you. They will also be able to help you with your hymn choices and can suggest hymns that work well together and are easy for the congregation to pick up, this is particularly important if a large number of your guests are not regular church goers.

If you are planning a Civil Ceremony or Partnership the options open to you are much more numerous. Providing the music has no religious content you have a free rein, although you should consider your venue – if you’ve chosen an intimate venue the ornate sounds of the Wedding March may not sound in keeping. Consider more contemporary songs that are important to you and your partner and are from a genre that reflects the style of wedding you are planning. Although instrumentals are very popular there is no rule that says your processional and recessional music cant have lyrics – songs like Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do” and Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” can make perfect entrance pieces.