Category Archives: Wedding Planning Advice

Why You Should Have an Eco-Friendly, Intimate Outdoor Ceremony

in Wedding Planning Advice. Written by Photos by

With COVID-related restrictions still very much up in the air and the weather finally getting warmer, many 2021 couples are choosing to elope outside. Today, photographers Jo and Patrick of Enchanted Bride have some top tips and things for you to think about if you’d like to follow suit!

An outdoor intimate wedding or elopement is the perfect choice right now because it is safe, sustainable, eco-friendly and kind to our planet. All you need is love, a sense of adventure, and maybe some good hiking boots. As well as keeping the planet smiling, your bank balance will thank you too as there won’t be expensive venue hire costs to contend with AND your pictures will be incredible – I mean, what’s not to love?

Since the pandemic, couples are realising there are many more options available to them and are focusing more on what is important. The great thing about having an outdoor wedding is it is easy to be flexible, it’s COVID safe andis much easier to reschedule.

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN ELOPEMENT?

An elopement is a small, intimate, meaningful, intentional wedding experience that is a
true reflection of your relationship as a couple, with the focus on the two of you. It is the day you choose to say your vows, using your own words, to each other, on your own in front of your celebrant or occasionally with a few close friends and family included.

ECO-FRIENDLY AND LOW IMPACT

Big weddings create a huge amount of waste. By having a small guest list, not sending out paper invites or using huge amounts of flowers and decorations, you reduce your carbon footprint. You won’t need to spend money decorating your outdoor ceremony location, nature is always the best backdrop. It also saves you time setting up and packing away, and you’re not buying anything that will only be used once.

BUDGET

Outdoor, celebrant-led elopements are cost effective. You will be able to save thousands by not hiring a licensed venue with the licensed ceremony room and their Registrar. This will allow you to spend money on what’s important for you.

DO WE NEED AN CELEBRANT OR OFFICIANT?

In England and Wales, an outdoor ceremony is not (yet!) legal so you will still need to go to the Register office to sign the paperwork. Therefore you do not HAVE to have a celebrant for your outdoor elopement, but having one is something we always encourage. A celebrant will be able to work with you to create and conduct your wedding ceremony for you, and make it really personal and special.

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Why You Should Have an Eco-Friendly, Intimate Outdoor Ceremony

💡

With COVID-related restrictions still very much up in the air and the weather finally getting warmer, many 2021 couples are choosing to elope outside. Today, photographers Jo and Patrick of Enchanted Bride have some top tips and things for you to think about if you'd like to follow suit!

Continue reading...

April 12, 2021

Five Reasons To Hold Your Hen *After* Your Wedding

in Wedding Planning Advice. Written by Photos by

We’ve been ripping up the rule book on weddings for a while now; ditching the white wedding dress, hanging out with your groom the night before and holding our own down the aisle (rather than being ‘given away’). So, why do we still feel pressured to keep with tradition when it comes to the bachelorette?

Hen parties have evolved so much in the last few years – from a one-night ‘last fling before the ring’ the night before the wedding to a weekend away with your besties a month or so before. But much like trends, traditions aren’t for everyone. Not everyone is going to like this season’s Balenciaga-esque wide-legged trousers and, understandably, not everyone is going to want to play to the regular hen party rules (including when to have it).

Here’s five reasons why its okay – perhaps even preferable – to hold your hen party way after the wedding day…

LOVE IS NOT CANCELLED

With COVID having disrupted nuptials for over 12 months now, there are few couples who haven’t been affected by the global pandemic. While some have turned to their calendars and postponed their wedding by actual years, others have been inching the date back in the hope that restrictions will lift sooner rather than later. With the government’s latest announcements, many couples have their hopes pinned on June 21st, but where does that leave the hen? While your wedding date might be safe (for the moment), the planning of pre-wedding hen and stag parties has gone swiftly
out the window.

For some, the hen and stag are the highlight of their events calendar; even more so than the wedding itself. They offer up a time to relax and reconnect with friends; make new memories and reminisce the old. To ditch that wild Bach you’ve been planning would be heart-breaking, especially when anyone planning a wedding in the last few years has been through enough. So, take your finger off the ‘delete’ button, and tap ‘postpone’ instead, because BOY do you deserve to keep your long-awaited celebration.

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Five Reasons To Hold Your Hen *After* Your Wedding

💡

We’ve been ripping up the rule book on weddings for a while now; ditching the white wedding dress, hanging out with your groom the night before and holding our own down the aisle (rather than being ‘given away’). So, why do we still feel pressured to keep with tradition when it comes to the bachelorette?

Continue reading...

April 5, 2021

Managing Wedding Ceremony Nerves

in Wedding Planning Advice. Written by Photos by

Having wedding day nerves is totally normal, but for a lot of nervous brides and/or grooms-to-be the ceremony is one of the biggest sources of concern. Alternative wedding celebrant Jeannene Powell is here to offer you a few insights and tips to help you transform those wobbles and nerves into excitement butterflies instead.

Even if you’re the kind of person who gravitates towards the limelight, you can still experience anxiety heading towards your wedding day. What will the day be like? How will people behave? Will it be strange having everyone starting at me all day? What if I fall flat on my face when I’m going down the aisle? And if you’re a normally shy or introverted person, these concerns are only going to be magnified.

If you’re feeling shy and self-conscious

If you don’t like being the centre of attention or you’re nervous about everyone looking at you, practice the things that you can in advance – from your entrance, to some of the words you’ll say. Doing this will help you do these things more comfortably on the real occasion and enable you to better focus your attention on your partner, instead of the fact that you feel shy.

If you’re worried about crying

Weddings are emotional occasions and tears are totally normal! However, it’s quite a common pre-wedding concern. Just accept the fact that it may happen, wear waterproof mascara, have some tissues handy, and just go with it if it does. Shedding tears happens so often during wedding ceremonies, it’s not something to be afraid of!

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Managing Wedding Ceremony Nerves

💡

Having wedding day nerves is totally normal, but for a lot of nervous brides and/or grooms-to-be the ceremony is one of the biggest sources of concern. Alternative wedding celebrant Jeannene Powell is here to offer you a few insights and tips to help you transform those wobbles and nerves into excitement butterflies instead. Even if […]

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March 29, 2021

Runaway Bride: Why All Roads Lead to Scotland

in Wedding Planning Advice. Written by Photos by

If the idea of skipping the hassle and fuss of planning a wedding and marrying your true love in secret is starting to appeal, then you’re not alone. Christina Golian from Scottish elopement blog We Fell In Love is here to give you the low down on what to think about if your heart is setting on eloping.

Wedding planning can be stressful even for the most laidback of brides. One study found that, on average, each couple spends 42 full days arranging their nuptials. No wonder then it can feel like having an extra job at times.

And while there are undoubtedly lots of fun parts along the way, there can also be potholes to navigate on the road to the aisle – family politics, people’s expectations and the pressure to hold a kickass party that will be remembered for all the right reasons, to name just a few.

There’s also the cost. What can start as a simple, fuss-free celebration can soon escalate until, before you know it, you’re booking a stately home for 150 guests and debating the merits of adding those sparkly charger plates to your budget (and to think we were going to get married on the family farm then have a relaxed BBQ!) At a time when so many people are struggling to buy their first home, it’s understandable that increasing numbers are choosing to put any savings they have towards a deposit instead.

But it’s not just the money, other factors come into play too. Perhaps you hate the thought of being the centre of attention or are worried that a panic attack will strike as you go up the aisle (this was one of my biggest fears in the run up to my own wedding). Or maybe you just love the idea and intimacy of tying the knot in private, and on your own terms.

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Runaway Bride: Why All Roads Lead to Scotland

💡

If the idea of skipping the hassle and fuss of planning a wedding and marrying your true love in secret is starting to appeal, then you’re not alone. Christina Golian from Scottish elopement blog We Fell In Love is here to give you the low down on what to think about if your heart is […]

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March 22, 2021

Navigating Social Media When Planning Your Wedding

in Wedding Planning Advice. Written by Photos by

Social media, what a wonderful way to keep up to date with your pals, have infinite knowledge at the click of a button and lift your spirits via hilarious cat memes. And nowadays, it’s also one of the go-to places for gathering inspiration for your big day. But while Pinterest and Instagram are a magical wonderland of pastel colourways, confetti, rainbow cakes and pom poms galore, there is also the real danger of falling to the dark side: Overwhelm, comparison, despair and a desperate need for validation from strangers.

Let’s take a look at how to stay sane around social media during wedding planning, so that your time online lights you up (like those neon signs you’ve been eyeing up) instead of weighing you down (like your partner’s mate who offered to DJ but has gone rogue on your playlist selection).

The average person in the UK spends 24 hours a week online (twice as long as ten years ago) and on average, checks their phone every 12 minutes! Humans are social animals so it’s no surprise that we’re attracted to social media and the feelings of being connected. So, what happens when we scroll? When we’re checking our social media feeds, we’re triggering the yummy reward centres of our brains. All those comments, likes and follows give us a big dose of dopamine, which makes us feel good. The problem is, we’re all getting way too attached to this pleasure system and it’s leaving us wanting more and more.

And it’s all too easy to think that everyone else is living a life that’s much more fun, colourful and put together than yours.

There are parts of our brains which are super ancient. These parts are all the time thinking about how we’re measuring up in our tribe and cannot differentiate between a photo of your Auntie Beverly (i.e. someone in your tribe) and Beyonce at the Superbowl. Think about that for a moment. This is why we have to get tech savvy around the amount of time and what type of images we’re feeding ourselves.

What can begin as a fun way to collect ideas for your wedding, can easily tail spin into the ‘compare and despair’ trap leaving you feeling like you’re not measuring up against everyone else.

Nothing is more important than your mental health, so do not fear brides-to-be, here are some handy tips to turn your online life from woe to wow.

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Navigating Social Media When Planning Your Wedding

💡

Social media, what a wonderful way to keep up to date with your pals, have infinite knowledge at the click of a button and lift your spirits via hilarious cat memes. And nowadays, it’s also one of the go-to places for gathering inspiration for your big day. But while Pinterest and Instagram are a magical […]

Continue reading...

March 15, 2021

How to be Camera Confident

in Wedding Planning Advice. Written by Photos by

Whatever your dress size, most brides-to-be have some pre-wedding wobbles about the photographs. You want to look your best because these photographs are going to be looked at for a very long time! Plus-sized brides particularly seem to lack a lot of confidence when it comes to being in front of the camera. Which is why we are totally thrilled that plus size mega babe and model Georgina Horne is here to share her tips and advice.

As a plus sized model, there are several questions that I get asked on the regular, one of the most common being “I am fat/ plus- size/ large and I am having a photo shoot/ getting married/ want to look good in photos, how do I pose?!”

There is no quick answer or magic formula to suddenly turn you into a posing wizard I’m afraid, and everyone wants something different. Some people want to appear slimmer, others want to be confident but everyone just wants to know how they can look and feel their very best.

I think over the years I have become more chilled about having my photo taken. For some people, it can be a shock to see a candid photo with a dozen chins and squinting eyes, but I now have made peace with the fact that I have many different looks. Sometimes I do look a bit rough and bad-angled – but that’s OK.

Ask to see past examples of your photographer’s work

Being a bigger girl means I do sometimes get paranoid. What of the photographer I’m working with is disgusted by my body? What if they can’t make me look good? What if I don’t look good?! And, you know what, maybe they don’t like my body – but tough shit, that’s their job to make you look and feel your very best, whatever your size.

A good photographer knows how to work with ALL bodies, no matter how they look. Before you book someone, look at their portfolio and see if they’ve photographed plus sized babes before. Do they look happy, confident and ask you hope you’ll look in your photos? If you don’t see any – ask them!

Vocalise your concerns

Your photographer is not a mind-reader. If you are particularly conscious of something, then tell them! They might be able to suggest poses where you’ll look and feel your best or shoot from different angles to highlight your best assets.

You could also show them a few examples of photos of yourself that you do like and some inspiration of other plus sized brides that you’ve found online. It’s important that you’re on the same wavelength but also that you’re being realistic. If you are a voluptuous size 20, don’t expect them to make you look like a size 12 in the photos. Tell them if you need their guidance or input or posing help, and the more photos they take the better, never forget that! God bless the digital age.

Continue reading

How to be Camera Confident

💡

Whatever your dress size, most brides-to-be have some pre-wedding wobbles about the photographs. You want to look your best because these photographs are going to be looked at for a very long time! Plus-sized brides particularly seem to lack a lot of confidence when it comes to being in front of the camera. Which is […]

Continue reading...

March 2, 2021