Goodbye 2016

2016 has been a strange year for lots of reasons. World-wide there have been events that will impact on millions of people's lives for  years to come - we seem further away than ever from resolving conflicts. The list of people who have died continues to lengthen - from David Bowie in January to George Michael on Christmas Day and closer to home we have lost people who made a significant contribution to our community and have faced personal  health issues. We will not be sorry to see the end of 2016.

So as we enter 2017, we wish you all a truly peaceful, healthy and happy New Year. 

New web site

We have spent much of 2016 updating and re-designing our website. We have now added an online shop offering products that make lovely keepsakes or presents.

There  is some party decor which we will add to as we go along and get feedback regarding what you would like to buy.

One really special addition in our shop is a collaboration with Greenvelope - a North American online invitation site offering the ability to deliver elegant online invitations directly to all of your friends and family. Whether you want to upload your own custom design or tailor one of the exclusive designer suites, every invitation is delivered complete with personalised digital envelope, liner, stamp and RSVP tracking. There is also the facility to sign-up for wedding planning help. All online so truly environmentally friendly! 

Another departure for us is featured in the shop - we have compiled three ceremony packages at our most popular venues. They are departure for us from our usual bespoke offerings when everything is tailored especially to your requirements but we thought we'd trial the idea.

During January we will be blogging about our shop suppliers so you can get to know them. They are an interesting lot!

Also, we hope to have some news about a couple of wedding shows that we will be attending in the Spring where you will be able to meet us face to face. Please sign up to keep in touch and be first to receive our news.

Cabin luggage

As the holiday season is fast approaching, I thought I'd post this list I found of what size & weight case, individual airlines allow on board. They don't really vary that much but if you happen to be flying with an airline where the size/weight is at the small/light end and your case fits the larger/heavier profile, you could be in for a hefty payment when it's put into the hold!

The general guidance is that cabin baggage should have a maximum length of 56 cm, width of 45 cm and depth of 25 cm. These dimensions include wheels, handles, side pockets, etc. Please check current in force restrictions with your airline prior to travel.

MAXIMUM EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT ALLOWED IN ECONOMY CLASS
AIRLINE                                  MAX. DIMENSIONS                   MAX. WEIGHT
Aegean Airlines                       56 x 45 x 25 cm                            8 kg
Aer Lingus                               55 x 40 x 24 cm                           10 kg
Air Canada                              55 x 40 x 23 cm                           10 kg
Air France                                55 x 35 x 25 cm                          12 kg
Air India                                   55 x 40 x 20 cm                            8 kg
Air New Zealand                      (max. 118 cm)                              7 kg
Air Transat                               51 x 40 x 23 cm                          10 kg
Alitalia                                     55 x 35 x 25 cm                             8 kg
American Airlines                    56 x 36 x 23 cm (max. 115 cm)           
Austrian Airlines                       55 x 40 x 23 cm                            8 kg
BMI                                          55 x 40 x 23 cm                          12 kg
British Airways                          56 x 45 x 25 cm                         23 kg
Cathay Pacific                         56 x 36 x 23 cm                            7 kg
Delta Airlines                           56 x 35 x 23 cm (max. 114 cm)           
easyJet                                     56 x 45 x 25 cm           
 El Al                                         56 x 45 x 25 cm (max. 115 cm)    8 kg
Emirates                                   55 x 38 x 20 cm                            7 kg
Etihad Airways                         50 x 40 x 21 cm (max. 115 cm)     7 kg
Eurowings                                55 x 40 x 23 cm                            8 kg
Finnair                                     56 x 45 x 25 cm                             8 kg
Flybe                                        55 x 35 x 20 cm                          10 kg
Iberia                                       56 x 45 x 25 cm                           10 kg
Jet2                                          56 x 45 x 25 cm                          10 kg
KLM                                         55 x 35 x 25 cm (max. 115 cm)   12 kg
Lufthansa                                 55 x 40 x 23 cm                            8 kg
Monarch                                  56 x 40 x 25 cm                           10 kg
Qantas                                     56 x 36 x 23 cm (max. 115 cm)     7 kg
Qatar Airways                           50 x 37 x 25 cm                            7 kg
Ryanair                                    55 x 40 x 20 cm                           10 kg
Scandinavian Airlines              55 x 40 x 23 cm                             8 kg
Singapore Airlines                   (max. 115 cm)                                7 kg
South African Airways              56 x 36 x 23 cm                            8 kg
Swiss                                        55 x 40 x 23 cm                            8 kg
Tap Air Portugal                      55 x 40 x 20 cm (max. 115 cm)      8 kg
Thai Airways                            56 x 45 x 25 cm                            7 kg
Thomas Cook                           55 x 40 x 20 cm                           6 kg
Thomson                                  55 x 40 x 20 cm                           5 kg
United Airlines                         56 x 35 x 22 cm (max. 114 cm)           
US Airways                               56 x 36 x 23 cm (max. 115 cm)           
Virgin Atlantic                          56 x 36 x 23 cm                           10 kg 

 Looks as if you want the best cabin allowance BA has it. I did double check on their website as I thought it looked as if it might to be mistake but it isn't. The only other thing that their website stated was " you must be able to lift it into the overhead locker by yourself." 

Happy travels  

Some referrals

I'm not usually one to big up myself but it occurred to me that some of you looking here might like to know what past couples have said about Maple Leaf Weddings and the job we do.

So here goes .....

“We both felt that you did over and above what was required of you which is why the wedding was so good. You were incredibly approachable, ….. “

Jodie & Martyn

"It was such an amazing day and was more than we could have hoped for and was made so stress free by your preparation and planning that accounted for all our needs and the children's to. Your attention to detail and personal touches really set the bar high. The photography was amazing and we couldn't of asked for more."

                                                                                                                                                           Becki & Glen

"Maple Leaf Weddings are awesome. Really helpful, went above and beyond to ensure we had as little stress as possible but the best possible time... absolutely would recommend these guys."

Amanda & Emma

"What a wonderful Winter Wonderland Wedding we had in Canada, it's was just great, and was all made possible by Maple Leaf Weddings. We cannot rate them high enough. Pennie, our Wedding Planner, took care of everything, from arranging the whole wedding including taking care of our Marriage certificate, buttonholes, choice of music, limousine and arranging a wonderful Reverend who married us in the most beautiful setting imaginable. A huge thank you to Maple Leaf Weddings, and Pennie for providing such an excellent fun and friendly service. "

Paul & Mike

As you can see, there is quite a variation in the type of wedding you can have - a winter wonderland through to sunny skies! The temperature for the winter weddings, both in February but a  year apart, was somewhere around -14.5 °C and for the summer wedding it was about +37.4°C so really two extremes. The ladies who were married in May had a much more comfortable 22.4 °C. But whatever, the temperatures, Maple Leaf Weddings will rise to the occasion and make your dream, a reality.