Latest news with #weddings
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Would you want toilet rolls and kitchen towels as a wedding gift?
THEY may not be the sort of gifts that would send the recipients into throes of ecstasy, but at least they're going to be of use. Bypassing the usual crystal wine glasses, fine china tea sets and his and hers jewellery, Tesco has launched a wedding gift registry featuring everyday items like loo roll, bin bags and shower gel. The supermarket chain's Really Useful Stuff bundle also includes toothpaste, kitchen towel, antibacterial hand wash and shampoo. If you ask me it's a great idea. Unlike many wedding presents these items won't end up at the back of a cupboard for years, but will go straight into everyday use. Wedding gifts are problematic, both for the couple on the receiving end and for friends and family. When I got married we invited only a handful of guests, all close family, who asked what we wanted. Our presents included a microwave oven, a duvet cover, a lovely glass vase (also still in use) and a gorgeous wooden salad bowl, all, bar the oven, still in use today. My now sister-in-law, who had been living in China, gave us a pot of Chinese rice wine, traditionally drunk by the bride and groom to bring good luck. We were delighted with everything. But had we had a big wedding with a large number of guests, I can say for certain we would have stipulated no gifts, to avoid accumulating 18 sets of bath towels, 13 toasters and ten personalised chopping boards. As a guest, choosing a present, especially if you're not familiar with the couple's lifestyle, can be tricky. It's not only about what to buy, but how much to spend. You don't want to break the bank, but neither do you want to appear a cheapskate. Most couples already own a toaster when they tie the knot. Picture: Pixabay This sort of dilemma is perhaps even worse with wedding lists. These place people in a quandary. I've been to a few weddings where people's names are flagged up beside the gift they have chosen, so everyone knows who has opted for the set of three tea towels as opposed to the 13-piece Ultimate Le Creuset Cookware set. We were once invited to a wedding, prior to which the John Lewis gift list contained numerous ludicrously expensive items such as a sofa and a dishwasher. It was a morning suit affair too, so I was thankful that we managed to come up with a fictitious trip to Tasmania that sadly clashed with the date. We sent a gift voucher based on what we could afford. Wedding lists, and indeed presents generally, are intended to equip the happy couple for their new start in life, but nowadays most couples have already been living together for some while - as my partner and I had for more 12 years - so their household needs have already been met before tying the knot. Research carried out for Tesco found that many couples are ditching items typically associated with wish lists, like fine china and furniture, in favour of more practical goods. Cost increases mean the average couple now takes a year to pay off their wedding, which could be behind their desire to receive household essentials rather than luxuries. I like the traditional Greek wedding idea of pinning money on the bride and groom's clothing or throwing it towards them as they dance. It's a fun was of giving, with no way of anyone - guests or newlyweds - knowing how much anyone has donated. We recently attended a lovely wedding, at which there was no obligation to give anything, but if we so wished we could donate towards the couple's honeymoon, which we were happy to do. I wonder, does anyone still stock up their 'bottom drawer'- traditionally the place that a young, unmarried woman would put things - mostly household items like towels and tablecloths - to use once she was married?
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Tips for planning a wedding at a time of new tariffs
NEW YORK — Weddings in the United States are often dependent on goods imported from countries hit with new tariffs. Vendors and engaged couples are navigating higher prices and supply worries after President Donald Trump went to war over trade around the globe. Exports from dozens of countries, including major centers for goods such as cut flowers, wedding gowns and decorations, are now subject to extra taxes when they reach the U.S.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Tips for planning a wedding at a time of new tariffs
NEW YORK (AP) — Weddings in the United States are often dependent on goods imported from countries hit with new tariffs. Vendors and engaged couples are navigating higher prices and supply worries after President Donald Trump went to war over trade around the globe. Exports from dozens of countries, including major centers for goods such as cut flowers, wedding gowns and decorations, are now subject to extra taxes when they reach the U.S. Wedding professionals see potential for pivots to alternative sources. Some recommendations for people who are planning a wedding while the tariff situation remains in flux: TIP: Rethink how you buy Buy local. Buy from non-tariff countries. Buy used. Buy from vendors that promise not to pass on the new taxes. Some businesses are breaking out line items stating what new costs they're imposing on consumers. Some are not. Without that information, it's harder to gauge quality by price. Does something cost $25 because it's worth $25 or because it's a $10 item with a huge markup slapped on? Dig into reviews if buying online. If buying offline, take an up-close look at textiles, candles and other goods. TIP: A warehouse by any other name ... Katie Sexton in Chicago is a project manager for an international e-commerce shipping company. She's also getting married in June 2026. She has warehouse-size thoughts on getting around tariffs. The best bet to see the full pricing picture of an item is to find brands that are shipping it from within the U.S., she said. A company doing that will most likely have adjusted their prices higher already to include the tariff cost they incurred upon importing to the warehouse. That means fewer surprises at checkout. Transparency is a friend as tariff drama plays out. TIP: Work with existing inventory Weddings are often heavy on rentals of all kinds: tables, chairs, linens, glassware, dinnerware, dance floors, lighting, tents. And companies special order items all the time. Tariff uncertainty has complicated custom orders because of pricing instability a year or more before a wedding, said Morgan Montgomery, co-owner of the rental company Paisley and Jade in Richmond, Virginia. She buys rental items from China. 'If they wait to make a decision now, we will need to re-quote, as our suppliers are tweaking prices constantly,' she said. The solution? Work with the existing inventory of your vendor, even if it stifles your creative vision. TIP: Think long and hard about contractsVijay Goel, co-owner of Los Angeles venue 440 Elm and caterer Bite Catering Couture, is among wedding vendors pointing to the need to tweak contracts. He recommends booking for rental goods with a substitution clause. That would allow a couple to switch to something else if the price of an item rises closer to their wedding date. 'Maybe Napa sparkling wines will make more sense than French Champagne? Select vendors that have a flexible mindset and the ability to help you navigate choices,' Goel said. No crystal ball required. TIP: Is it a destination wedding? Pack it rather than ship it Jaime Coast, who designs wedding invitations and other stationary as owner of the online shop Cotton and Bow, recently had clients in the U.S. get married in Canada. They needed paper goods shipped to their wedding planner before their big day. 'I tried to estimate what the taxes would be in advance on the Canadian government website, but the calculators hadn't been updated yet. What was estimated to be a $60 bill turned into a $500 bill upon pickup,' she said. Her tip? Bring items with you when possible and avoid shipping altogether. TIP: Not all flowers are created equal Kimberly Sisti, owner, lead florist and wedding planner for Sisti & Co. in San Diego, said prices are already out of control. And that includes U.S. growers who are seeing higher demand and may be taking advantage of tariff chaos by raising prices. She has an unusual tip: Look for a florist whose prices already well exceed business costs. 'If you have a healthy markup on your labor and goods, then a 10% tariff shouldn't break the bank and affect your customers at all,' she said. 'In fact, you can probably absorb the cost and keep your clients confident and happy.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Tips for planning a wedding at a time of new tariffs
Weddings in the United States are often dependent on goods imported from countries hit with new tariffs. Vendors and engaged couples are navigating higher prices and supply worries after President Donald Trump went to war over trade around the globe. Exports from dozens of countries, including major centers for goods such as cut flowers, wedding gowns and decorations, are now subject to extra taxes when they reach the U.S. Wedding professionals see potential for pivots to alternative sources. Some recommendations for people who are planning a wedding while the tariff situation remains in flux: TIP: Rethink how you buy Buy local. Buy from non-tariff countries. Buy used. Buy from vendors that promise not to pass on the new taxes. Some businesses are breaking out line items stating what new costs they're imposing on consumers. Some are not. Without that information, it's harder to gauge quality by price. Does something cost $25 because it's worth $25 or because it's a $10 item with a huge markup slapped on? Dig into reviews if buying online. If buying offline, take an up-close look at textiles, candles and other goods. TIP: A warehouse by any other name ... Katie Sexton in Chicago is a project manager for an international e-commerce shipping company. She's also getting married in June 2026. She has warehouse-size thoughts on getting around tariffs. The best bet to see the full pricing picture of an item is to find brands that are shipping it from within the U.S., she said. A company doing that will most likely have adjusted their prices higher already to include the tariff cost they incurred upon importing to the warehouse. That means fewer surprises at checkout. Transparency is a friend as tariff drama plays out. Weddings are often heavy on rentals of all kinds: tables, chairs, linens, glassware, dinnerware, dance floors, lighting, tents. And companies special order items all the time. Tariff uncertainty has complicated custom orders because of pricing instability a year or more before a wedding, said Morgan Montgomery, co-owner of the rental company Paisley and Jade in Richmond, Virginia. She buys rental items from China. 'If they wait to make a decision now, we will need to re-quote, as our suppliers are tweaking prices constantly,' she said. The solution? Work with the existing inventory of your vendor, even if it stifles your creative vision. TIP: Think long and hard about contracts Vijay Goel, co-owner of Los Angeles venue 440 Elm and caterer Bite Catering Couture, is among wedding vendors pointing to the need to tweak contracts. He recommends booking for rental goods with a substitution clause. That would allow a couple to switch to something else if the price of an item rises closer to their wedding date. 'Maybe Napa sparkling wines will make more sense than French Champagne? Select vendors that have a flexible mindset and the ability to help you navigate choices,' Goel said. No crystal ball required. TIP: Is it a destination wedding? Pack it rather than ship it Jaime Coast, who designs wedding invitations and other stationary as owner of the online shop Cotton and Bow, recently had clients in the U.S. get married in Canada. They needed paper goods shipped to their wedding planner before their big day. 'I tried to estimate what the taxes would be in advance on the Canadian government website, but the calculators hadn't been updated yet. What was estimated to be a $60 bill turned into a $500 bill upon pickup,' she said. Her tip? Bring items with you when possible and avoid shipping altogether. TIP: Not all flowers are created equal Kimberly Sisti, owner, lead florist and wedding planner for Sisti & Co. in San Diego, said prices are already out of control. And that includes U.S. growers who are seeing higher demand and may be taking advantage of tariff chaos by raising prices. She has an unusual tip: Look for a florist whose prices already well exceed business costs. 'If you have a healthy markup on your labor and goods, then a 10% tariff shouldn't break the bank and affect your customers at all," she said. "In fact, you can probably absorb the cost and keep your clients confident and happy.'
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bid to dismantle Beaumanor Hall's chimneys amid safety risk
The 175-year-old chimneys of a historic hall in Leicestershire could be dismantled and stored to allow the venue to reopen to the main building of Beaumanor Hall in Woodhouse, near Loughborough, closed in April after the chimneys were found to pose a "potential risk to the public and staff" by structural Leicestershire County Council said the closure would mean disruption to weddings and receptions booked at the hall "for at least 10 weeks".The authority has now applied for planning permission to dismantle the chimneys, some of which weigh more than seven tonnes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. An application submitted to its own planning department said the "deteriorated" chimneys would be taken down to a "safe height" to allow people back into the building "at the earliest opportunity".The bricks would be "protected" in a "secured compound", the application added, with the chimneys to be restored to the "previous dimensions and arrangement" at a later date. The main building, which dates back to the 1840s, is the only part of the site shut, with school and outdoor residential stays still set to take hall has hired a marquee in the grounds for wedding ceremonies and in April it said it was "looking at alternative venues for couples with wedding receptions".The application also seeks to retain these marquees until 4 July alongside security fencing, a temporary office building, and a toilet block.
