What to Expect When You Commission a Bespoke Wedding Dress

Guest Contributor

October 19, 2026

If you have a clear idea of what you want to wear, commissioning a wedding dress gives you a say in everything from the silhouette to the last stitch. A bespoke studio develops the design with you, then builds it around your measurements over a series of appointments. It’s a commitment of time, money and creative energy, so knowing how the process works helps. From decoding the terminology to finding a studio that gets your ideas, here’s what to expect.

Not Another Toaster! Finding a Wedding Gift for the Couple Who Already Has Everything

Guest Contributor

Chris Hardy Photographer

October 14, 2026

Maybe they’ve lived together for years, their kitchen is fully stocked and there’s very little room for another set of glasses. Now they’re getting married, and you’d like to give them something they’ll be pleased to receive. But buying a wedding gift for a couple with an established home already takes a little more thought. With more people getting married om their 30s than 20s these days, the traditional shopping list of toasters, towels and dinner plates might have been completed several birthdays ago. Look instead at what they enjoy, what they’d like to replace or what they’re saving towards. There are plenty of ways to treat them without giving them a storage problem.

The Anti-Diamond Engagement Ring Guide

Guest Contributor

Natalescha

October 6, 2026

By now we've all heard the De Beers diamond lore. In 1947, one slogan to promote diamonds as the stone for engagement rings changed everything. ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ was conceived by a copywriter in an advertising agency and it's now widely considered one of the most influential marketing campaigns of all time. Before this, there was no particular stone always used for engagement rings. Yet just like Queen Victoria and her white wedding dress, diamonds became a trend. Tradition followed and history pretty much rewrote itself.

You Don’t Need a New Face to Get Married: The Alternative Bride’s Beauty Prep Guide

Guest Contributor

October 5, 2026

A simple, beginner-friendly guide to building a natural skincare routine for aging skin, what to use, what to skip, and how to keep it natural.

How to Choose an Unusual Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring

Guest Contributor

September 28, 2026

Choosing an unusual lab-grown diamond engagement ring? Compare distinctive shapes and settings, check the details and find a ring you want to wear every day

A No-Nonsense Guide to Getting Married in Italy

Guest Contributor

September 21, 2026

Search "elope in Italy" and you'll find a lot of local wedding planners selling a lot of different packages. This is great if you want a easy experience, but you won't necessarily have much room for personalisation or be able to make your wedding feel particularly unique.

How to Restore Old Wedding Photos and Give Forgotten Images a New Life

Guest Contributor

September 21, 2026

Bring old wedding photos back to life. Learn how to clean up damage, improve faded details, and make precious memories look fresh again.

How to Plan a Destination Wedding That Still Feels Like You

Guest Contributor

September 18, 2026

Planning a wedding abroad comes with a strange contradiction. You have chosen to travel somewhere new, yet many venues will offer you the same package experience as every other couple who has passed through before you. Same ceremony set-up, same chair covers, same three options for florals.

The Best Wedding Suits for Women: Where to Shop and What to Look For

Guest Contributor

Jamie Y

September 16, 2026

Wedding magazines have spent decades explaining how to find the right dress. Silhouettes, necklines, trains, veils, fittings and alterations have all been analysed to death. But if you want to get married in a suit the advice becomes considerably less helpful.

Cleaning & Preserving Your Wedding Dress

Guest Contributor

September 16, 2026

After the wedding, a lot of dresses are shoved into the back of a cupboard without so much as a second thought. Whether you want to sell it, save it for your children, or even have it reworked to wear again, its really important to get it cleaned first. Even if it looks pretty clean, it probably isn’t. Sweat, sugar, alcohol, make-up, and dirt don’t always show up straight away, but they can cause discolouration and fabric damage over time. Times this by a thousand if your dress is white or ivory.

The Nearlywed Diaries: Saying Yes to the (Green) Dress

Guest Contributor

Darkride Creations

September 9, 2026

It’s so hard to write an article about a wedding dress that doesn’t yet exist. But here goes nothing! When I think of my wedding and walking down the aisle, the last word that springs to mind is tradition. I’ve always been the black sheep of my family and proudly so. So, when it comes to wedding dresses, where do I even begin?

Should You Get a Psychic Love Reading Before You Get Married?

Guest Contributor

Natalescha

September 8, 2026

Getting engaged suggests you’ve already answered the big relationship question. So why, with the wedding approaching, would you pay a psychic to ask it again?

The Wedding Is Over, Now Its Time to Disappear

Guest Contributor

Shell de Mar

September 4, 2026

You have spent months answering questions. Round tables or rectangular? Plated dinner or buffet? Blush, bashful or a third shade of pink that kinda looks exactly the same? And don't get us started on all the guest questions that were already covered on your perfectly organised wedding website (eye roll!) Even the most relaxed wedding can generate way more decisions than you expected.

Ask An Expert: Suppliers, Sensory Overload and Staying Sane

Guest Contributor

Solen Collet

September 4, 2026

I’m autistic and finding wedding planning really overstimulating. Do you have any advice for making the process feel calmer and more manageable?

How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

Guest Contributor

Joanna Bongard

August 28, 2026

Your wedding bouquet has been carried down the aisle, passed between lots of diffident people, photographed from every possible angle and possibly abandoned beside the dance floor while you went feral to MCR. there are some beautiful ways to preserve them though, you just have to make the arrangements before the wedding because cut flowers start deteriorating fast. Do not leave the decision and research until after the wedding or you'll have much fewer options. if any at all.

What Every Couple Should Know About Wedding Supplier Contracts

Guest Contributor

Natalescha

August 27, 2026

Wedding contracts are easy to skim when you are keen to secure your date, but the details are very important. Never sign anything or pay a deposit until you've read and understood everything properly! A wedding supplier's contract should cove what they will provide, what you are expected to pay (and when) and what happens if either side cannot fulfil the booking. Here is what to look for:

The Bride Will Be Eating: What Finally Helped My Wedding Anxieties

Guest Contributor

Chymo More

August 27, 2026

When my fiancé brought up the idea of having a full-blown three-day destination wedding abroad in Portugal, you’d think I would’ve been over the moon with excitement. Instead, it triggered some of my deepest fears. Everyone always says, “A wedding is one of the few times in your life everyone you love will be in one room.” My brain’s response to that was: “Everyone we love? Am I…loved?” With that, my palms started to sweat, my chest felt tight, and I wanted nothing more than to hide. Now, reflecting on the past year of wedding planning, I can see the rollercoaster of my concerns and how they evolved every few months. Here are a few of them and what helped me work through it all. 

How to Plan the Wedding You Want With the Money You Actually Have

Guest Contributor

Louise Barry Photographer

August 27, 2026

While wedding planning is a really exciting time, it can also be seriously challenging if your budget is limited. While a big wedding might be pretty in posts on social media, beginning married life with debt is completely not worth it.

Do You Actually Want That, or Is It Just a Wedding Tradition?

Guest Contributor

Vivi Suthathip

August 25, 2026

Traditions have a habit of sneaking into even the most alternative-leaning couples' weddings. You say you don't want any of it, but then family expectations/ the idea of taking the easier route/ too much doomscrolling suddenly you find yourself pricing up favours, practising a first dance and wondering whether a receiving line would actually be a nice thing to do.

Ordering Your Wedding Dress Online? Here’s How to Not Get Scammed

Guest Contributor

Natalescha

August 21, 2026

Buying a wedding dress online has some obvious advantages. You can shop at midnight, avoid fitting-room spotlights and browse designs from independent labels around the world without travelling further than your sofa. It can also be a lot cheaper and opens up far more possibilities than the average bridal boutique, particularly if you want a black dress, a corset and skirt, a short hemline or something more unique.