Birmingham, famed for its Bulls, Balti and Black Sabbath but also home to some of the most beautiful wedding venues in the UK…
Are you looking for a venue with a difference near Birmingham? Bridebook.co.uk has found 25 venues in and around the city that are stunning, fun, or a little bit quirky! Take a look at these incredible places, or hunt for yourself using our Wedding Venue Search tool.
1. Packington Moor
Just outside of Birmingham and surrounded by acres of woodland and countryside, Packington Moor makes jaws drop. This authentic stone barn with rustic beams gives off a light and airy feel for a perfect wedding.
This stunningly quirky venue holds productions throughout the year…and also weddings! Birmingham Repertory Theatre is ideal for couples who want a hint of dramatics included in their wedding day. Let’s get the show started!
The Kitchen Garden Cafe is a totally unique place to host your special day. It is an eco-friendly gem in the centre of Birmingham which offers heaps of charm for your wedding setting.
Inside the majestic exterior of Hampton Manor Hotel, you will find stylish and contemporary decor with a deep history at the heart of the venue. Surrounded by lush gardens, and only half an hour from the city of Birmingham, this venue is a rather grand oasis.
5. Bawdon Lodge Farm
In Charnwood Forest lies Bawdon Lodge Farm, the perfect place to set up a magical tipi or marquee wedding. Event professionals will be on hand to help your dreams become reality in this countryside haven.
This stunningly quirky idea is great if you want to create an unforgettable experience. Deckerdence is a double decker bus that creates the centrepiece to your marquee and, with an onboard bar, you’ll have your guests’ attention within seconds!
Hagley Hall is an incredible Georgian Palladian manor house on the border of the West Midlands. With its magnificent state rooms and acres of parkland, this venue is brilliant for your bespoke wedding.
These gorgeous 18th Century barns are just 20 minutes from Birmingham and have striking high-ceilings for a dramatic look. Shustoke Farm Barns is made up of several red-brick buildings that you can use as you wish for your special celebrations.
Fancy saying ‘I Do’ among the flowers? This is your chance! Birmingham Botanical Gardens offers fascinating landscapes and 3 beautiful event spaces that are sure to please all of your guests.
With an incredibly distinct exterior, Gorcott Hall is a 16th Century, Grade II listed Tudor building. Inside, the character continues with timber beams and open fireplaces to add loads of warmth to your big day.
New Hall dates back to the 13th Century, showing off its glorious exterior and wonderful grounds. The oak panelled rooms and sunny terraces welcome you to New Hall Hotel & Spa, which is fit for a King and Queen!
A combination of contemporary style with original features is present in the outstanding setting of Redhouse Barn. Within 5 acres of Worcestershire countryside, this one-of-a-kind venue is bound to impress.
The 18th Century manor house of Swinfen Hall Hotel is a sanctuary of interior decor, ornamental gardens and has a deer park in the grounds. Perfect for feeling like a princess on your wedding day.
Make your wedding day unforgettable by choosing Dudley Zoo & Castle as your special location. With a renovated sensory garden, 40 acres of beautiful grounds, and over 1,000 animals from across the globe, you can’t go wrong with this venue.
Nestled in the Worcestershire countryside, Bordesley Park‘s 16th Century manor house is the perfect setting for a fun and relaxed wedding day. Stunning decor, lush gardens, a luxury marquee and even a trampoline are included to take away the stress from your day.
The beautiful surroundings of Aston Wood Golf Club make this wedding setting totally unique. This venue can cater for intimate celebrations in the oak-panelled dining room offering delicious catering and impecable wedding service.
In rural Worcestershire, you will find the grand structure of The Elms. This beautiful Queen Anne manor house provides elegant lounges and stunning decor in every room to add the icing to your cake on your special day.
The contemporary setting of Mythe Barn is based in an idyllic location just outside the hustle and bustle of Birmingham. From ceremonies in the Oak Barn to wedding breakfasts in the Grain Store and outdoor courtyard celebrations, this venue is a special one.
Sat on the edge of woodland in the Staffordshire countryside, the character and romance of this venue will complete your magical day. Pendrell Hall offers crisp, stylish interiors, The Morning Room – a haven of wooden features perfect for ceremonies, and 3 bridal suites to choose from.
Rich in history and full of regal charm, Stoneleigh Abbey is an incredible fairytale venue just 25 miles from Birmingham. It brings elegant rooms with timeless features and the famous Saloon which Queen Victoria once dined at!
Wootton Park is a barn style venue overlooking a lake and island for the most stunning photo opportunities. The landscaped gardens and 16th Century farmhouse in their own secluded valley are yours to do with what you wish on your big day.
In nearby Staffordshire, the very lavish Alrewas Hayes venue will put a spin on your wedding day. Boasting traditional rooms with period features and the luxury Lakeside Marquee, anything is possible here.
This beautiful Grade I listed Georgian mansion is also a renowned art gallery and is surrounded by 120 acres of picturesque parkland. Compton Verney offers the striking Adam Hall, perfect for ceremonies and wedding breakfasts on your special day.
A stone’s throw away from the city of Birmingham lies Grand Station. The decadent and timely nature of this venue’s function rooms will stun your guests and give you the grandeur you require for your special entrance.
If you fancy something a little more quirky, Erasmus Darwin House is for you! With 250 years of history and doubling as a museum, this venue will add heaps of charm and character to your Birmingham-based wedding.
Still unsure about which wedding venue to choose? Are you looking elsewhere in the UK? Help is at hand! Use Bridebook.co.uk’s Wedding Venue Search and type in your preferred location.
If you’ve still got tonnes to plan for your big day, Bridebook.co.uk can make the planning process much easier. Fill in your wedding guest list, wedding budget and use our wedding checklist to make sure you don’t forget about anything in your busy schedule.
Here are 4 outdated wedding traditions that wedding suppliers should scratch off the list when working with 2017 / 2018 couples.
The wedding suppliers tick list is changing as we near 2018…
As wedding suppliers, we all have very different stories to tell when it comes to catering to the unique tastes and preferences of the soon-to-be-wedded couples we work with.
But we’ve noted a few old school traditions that seem to have reached the ‘death do us part’ portion of the wedding planning process.
As with most traditions, over time, their true meaning and significance is lost because they simply aren’t relevant any more.
Here are 4 outdated wedding traditions that wedding suppliers should scratch off the list when working with 2017 / 2018 couples.
1. The bouquet toss
Wedding florists…when was the last time a bride ordered an extra bouquet to toss to her single ladies?
It was probably a while ago.
We’ve all experienced that cringe-worthy moment when the dance floor is cleared and the singles are asked to line up and prepare to fight for the good-luck petals. Fortunately for all wedding guests of 2017 and beyond this strange custom has almost completely disappeared.
Wedding florists and wedding planners – don’t bring up the bouquet toss unless the couple bring it up themselves. It may make you look a little ‘last year darling’.
In fact, instead of throwing the bouquet to singletons, wedding flowers are now being given to wedding party guests as gifts to take home. Waste is a thing of the past.
Fun fact! Do you know where the bouquet toss originated from? In medieval Europe it was good luck to touch the bride so rather than have her dress grabbed at, she’d throw her bouquet at the crowd to distract them and then she’d make a run for it. I think a hug is the done thing these days…
2. Smashing cake in the bride’s face
Smashing the cake into the bride’s face is a tradition that stems (albeit tenuously) from the breaking of bread over the bride’s head for the sake of fertility and as a demonstration of male dominance.
We’re pretty sure nowadays it’s just an act that makes for silly photos and memorable moments but most brides are understandably not over the moon when it comes to being coated in cake for the remainder of their wedding day.
Wedding cake suppliers – breathe a sigh of relief because your iced masterpiece will actually be enjoyed and appreciated by guests as intended.
Modern day brides and grooms are choosing to skip this ritual altogether and instead, are investing more time and money in making their wedding cake an elaborate affair and a significant feature of their day.
Once upon a wedding, accessories were supposed to take a back seat and let the dress do the the talking.
But brides today are opting for big, bold accessories to bring their look up to date. Cue brightly coloured shoes, show-stopping hair pieces and statement necklaces.
Wedding dress and accessories suppliers – note that many brides today are choosing to invest their money in one big focal piece rather than lots of little accessories. Make sure your collection reflects this shift so that brides can visualise the complete end result in your boutique without having to shop elsewhere for more contemporary pieces.
4. Bridesmaids should carry matching bouquets
Couples are now choosing to mismatch floral arrangements including asking bridesmaids to carry different flowers in a similar hue or similar flowers in different but complementary shades.
Or dare to be different and offer paper bouquets to brides! Cheaper than real flowers and way cooler – your brides can make their new-age bouquets as wacky as they like!
Stand out as a wedding florist of tomorrow by offering this idea to couples to show you keep abreast of the latest trends and can cater to them accordingly.
Don’t go changing…
…unless you’d like to win more bookings and develop your wedding business!
It’s really important for wedding suppliers to adapt with the latest wedding trends – whether ditching old or adopting new because you want to be taken seriously as a contender in the wedding industry of tomorrow.
By offering information on things newly engaged couples may not have even thought about, you’ll earn their trust and most likely, a booking too.
Newly engaged couples usually begin their wedding planning journey by choosing a venue.
This means that you’re faced with dreamy couples making big decisions that they may not be completely qualified to make this early in their wedding planning journey!
Evidently, the look of a venue is the key driver in a couple deciding which to choose, followed by price and capacity.
But there are a few other crucial questions couples often forget to ask whilst caught up in the moment.
Give your wedding venue the edge over competing venues by offering this information upfront and forcing them to ask the same questions of competing venues.
7 things wedding venues should clarify to help win hearts and bookings
1. Mention the wedding coordinator
If you’re going to be on hand throughout the wedding planning process but you’ll be handing over to an on-the-day wedding coordinator or qualified team member on your potential clients actual wedding day, mention this.
Be upfront and say that you’ve got an excellent wedding day coordinator who you’ll all work closely with throughout the planning process, and that this person will make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.
Reassure the couple that they’ll get a chance to meet this person before their big day once all of the important details have been captured accurately to make sure that they are comfortable that everything is in hand.
2. Let the couple know when they’ll have access to your wedding venue
If you’ve got another wedding planned at your venue around the same time, let the couple know this and if possible give an approximate time that they’ll be granted access to rooms in order to set up and decorate.
This conversation may seem a little premature but it’s something the couple will need to consider, and your forethought at this stage will be gratefully received and prove that you have thought of everything for them / not missed a trick.
3. How does everything fit in the space they’re looking to hire?
Create a vision for couples when you’re showing them around your wedding venue. It can be difficult to visualise a wedding if the room the couple is looking to hire isn’t set up for one at the time of their visit, so walk them around and mention where they could have the top table, the buffet and the dance floor.
By helping build a vision for the couple they’re more likely to imagine their wedding there and book.
4. Mention the entertainment equipment you have to offer
Lots of couples fail to ask about the logistics of evening entertainment and then fall short when they realise they need to provide their own equipment.
Let the couple know that they’ll be saving money on evening entertainment at your wedding venue because you already have a state of the art sound system with speakers and handheld microphones in place, which could be used for speeches and music.
If you’ve got cool lighting options for the evening, add this into the conversation too.
5. Give the option for a dinner the night before or brunch the day after
Help the couple to really make the most of their wedding experience by offering to host an arrival dinner for close guests the night before the wedding, or a brunch the day after.
Tagging on an additional meal will again help build a vision for the couple and show that you’re aware they’ll want to make the most of the time they have with their nearest and dearest.
6. Be bold and mention the weather
Although this applies particularly to weddings hosted outdoors (where discussing a plan B option in case of rain is vital) it also applies to indoor weddings, as it will affect photographs and will mean the possibility of soggy guests.
Mention the dreaded ‘R’ word and reassure the couple that if it happens, it won’t affect the smooth running of their day.
It’s also worth mentioning that if guests have brought coats, bags and umbrellas, your venue will operate a simple cloakroom or provide a rail or storage that is tucked out of the way.
7. Be open about any restrictions your venue carries
Whether your venue has noise restrictions after midnight or doesn’t allow flash photography in some areas, you’ll need to be open with the couple upfront to avoid problems later down the line.
In this scenario, it’s better to lose a booking by being honest than to disappoint a couple so much that you’re left with negative reviews and very unhappy clients.
Open the door to more information about your wedding venue and couples will love you for it
As a wedding professional, it’s important that you lead your clients to make the right decision for them and their wedding day.
Most information regarding space, equipment and service inclusions at wedding venues is limited – particularly at the early stages of planning when venues are being shortlisted – and details of what brides and grooms can expect to get for their money is unclear.
By offering an abundance of information on things the newly engaged couple may not have even thought about, you’ll earn their trust and most likely, a booking too.
Did you know that Millennials now use Pinterest as much as Instagram?
There’s something strange happening in the wedding industry where Pinterest and wedding suppliers are concerned…
Predominantly viewed purely as an online scrapbook designed to help wistful couples build a vision for their big day, the word ‘Pinterest’ seems to incite an involuntary groan from many wedding venues and suppliers who are unsure of how to make this ‘platform of unattainable dreams’ work in the real wedding world.
Despite being one of the newer social media platforms, Pinterest was the fastest independently launched site to reach 10 million unique monthly visitors according to the latest study by market research leaders, Statista. In fact, as of April 2017 Pinterest reported a whopping 150 million active users on its site.
That’s a pretty sizeable audience.
But who’s pinning what?
Did you know that Millennials now use Pinterest as much as Instagram? If we dive deeper into user demographics for the board we can see that 81% of Pinterest users are women and almost 50% of these women are aged between 18-34.
You don’t need us to tell you that this is ‘prime bride’ age.
The masterminds at Pinterest saw weddings as one of their core markets a long time ago, and they recently commissioned a study to examine all wedding-related Pins and activity to get an idea of just howsignificantly weddings feature as a topic on the platform.
Here’s a summary of the key results:
1.Over 40 million people “turn to Pinterest for guidance across the wedding planner journey” every year
2. Pinners save almost 900 million Pins about weddings every year
3. Pinners conduct 378 million wedding-related searches every single year
4. 27% of Pinners plan for their wedding several times a day, compared to 18% of non-Pinners
This latest research proves that weddings constitute a huge market on Pinterest and that couples pinning on the platform are more engaged and involved in the wedding planning process than those that aren’t.
Sounds to us like they’re the kind of people we want to be in front of.
And if that’s not proof enough that weddings are and always have been one of the most pinned-about topics, a survey published by the Daily Mail back in 2012 revealed that 70% of Pinterest users had wedding-themed boards before they were even engaged. Awkward, you may think. Opportunity, you must think.
This statistic indicates a level of intent by soon-to-be newly engaged couples (or at least, they hope so) whose behaviour suggests that they will use the platform as their primary planning and idea building tool.
So why do wedding suppliers feel anti-social about this platform, rather than Pinterested?
We’ve asked several partnering wedding venues and suppliers for their thoughts on Pinterest and why it doesn’t seem to take priority over other social platforms for wedding industry professionals.
We found that the three main drawbacks of the platform are as follows:
Pinterest only enhances unrealistic expectations for brides and grooms, making wedding planning more difficult for wedding suppliers
It’s a ‘dreamers’ platform rather than a conversion based revenue stream
It requires you to post high quality images to get noticed – the expense of which (financial and time) isn’t justified by the return
It appears that many wedding venues and suppliers aren’t taking Pinterest seriously because it’s not a channel designed for direct customer engagement and bottom of the funnel conversions. But the value to be had in being present in an environment where your target demographic is sharing attractive and desirable images and essentially building the vision for their big day must be realised.
Image sharing is just a hop, click and a follow away from a website lead, and we’re going to take a look at how you can get started and improve your chances of winning bookings using this pinning platform.
How wedding suppliers can generate interest from Pinterest
1.Set up a quality profile for your wedding business
Setting up a Pinterest account is simple. Make sure that you use a striking, high quality profile picture and include a concise profile description of your wedding business, using relevant keywords and including that all-important link to your website.
Once you’re set up and before you start building an image portfolio it’s important that you remember Pinterest isn’t about promoting your wedding venue or business – it’s about gathering and showcasing high quality images that relate to your specialism and inspire couples so that they want to share and pin them.
2. Create specialist Pinterest boards
Create categories of boards for couples to follow – such as ‘winter weddings’, ‘UK wedding venues’ or ‘wedding flowers’ and then begin to fill your Pinterest boards with original photographs and pinned pictures.
You don’t have to go over-board (pin pun intended) – usually between 5 and 10 boards is fine but if you really think you need more, just try not to go over 20 as it will become difficult to fill and manage them all.
Success on Pinterest is pretty much entirely dependent on the use of high quality imagery and fortunately, the wedding industry is one of the most photograph-centric of them all. You could ask couples (or go direct to the photographers) if they’d mind you using a few of their professional photographs to eliminate the expense of you having to regularly arrange for original photographs to be taken yourself.
Pinterest makes it easy for you to pin images directly from your website and blog. When you pin an image, the source of that image is saved which means that when your saved images are repined by other users, your website will stay listed as the original source of that image.
Put simply, it’s likely that attractive imagery will result in visits to your website as long as you use great imagery on your website – which you should be doing anyway.
4. Optimise your images
The majority of pictures you’ll pin and share on the site will either be uploaded directly by yourself, your couples or pinned from other places.
Whilst you can’t change the documented source of photos already on Pinterest, you can ensure you optimise any new images you’re uploading.
Once you have uploaded your new images click on “edit” and you’ll be able to include a description of your new picture and a link back to your website. However where possible, you should try and Pin directly from your website as it is a more web friendly and customer ‘share friendly’ approach.
Regardless of which pinning method you prefer, you should always include a short description of the image when you pin it.
5. Try out promoted pins
Because the vast Pinterest audience constitutes your main target demographic, wedding suppliers should consider using promoted pins to ensure that your best Pins appear in the most relevant places.
Why not test three of your best performing pins on various target audiences. Use time of day, location, age and perhaps ‘stage of wedding planning process’ as unique identifiers when testing your pins on different audiences to see which types of content work best for which audience.
6. Pair up and pin with other wedding suppliers
As we always say to wedding suppliers, why wouldn’t you help yourself by offering to help others?
Offer to promote other wedding suppliers and businesses you’ve worked with.
Wedding venues could create a “beautiful wedding flowers” board or a “gorgeous wedding cakes” category and ask the relevant suppliers to provide professional pictures. Wedding planners could use Pinterest as part of their social promotional package for advertising clients and have a “beautiful wedding venues” board which could feature venues they’ve worked with or products used.
This is an easy way to keep your Pinterest board populated with high quality images and it’s a great way to help cement partnerships within the industry.
Smaller businesses will love this technique as they’re most in need of increased online visibility and discoverability by potential clients. You can offer them exposure on your Pinterest account and guarantee fresh content for yourself with little effort.
Complementary images like these can also be found through re-pinning, which will help interaction with other pinners – including brides, grooms and other wedding suppliers.
Get Pinterested in this platform today
We’re not expecting this blog post to change the minds of every wedding supplier overnight. What we do hope is that we’ve given you a few good reasons to consider including this channel in your marketing plan in 2017 and beyond.
Getting started is a piece of cake, and as long as you know what to expect from the platform – that is, exposure with the hope of website visits – then you should see great value in investing a little time in it now and again.
Join your future clients today and show a little Pinterest in image sharing, optimising and showcasing the pics that make you tick.
Check out Bridebook’s Pinterest to see the idea boards and inspiring images we’re providing for couples.
Wedding venues are 90% more likely to be shortlisted by couples if they pick a powerful profile picture.
Wedding venues are 90% more likely to be shortlisted by couples if they pick a powerful profile picture.
As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.
The profile picture you choose to introduce your Bridebook portfolio or indeed any social media profiles your wedding business owns is more important than any other content on the page.
A recent Bridebook survey of registered UK based ‘wedding planning’ couples revealed that 9⁄10 brides and grooms shortlisted their wedding venue based on its profile or thumbnail picture alone.
The profile picture is the opener; the hook that encourages newly engaged couples to stay on your page and scroll through more photographs or read more information about your wedding services.
Your profile picture is the online equivalent of eye contact, a smile and a firm handshake when meeting potential clients face to face.
So what makes for a good profile picture?
Many wedding venues and suppliers will choose to use a profile picture that succinctly captures what their wedding business is all about; such as a photograph of a wedding venue or a wedding cake.
And whilst this is the right approach in terms of needing your profile picture to be relevant and able to instantly tell first time viewers exactly what your wedding service or product is all about, we mustn’t forget to inject personality, fun, love and warmth into our profile picture.
Weddings are about love, and couples looking for wedding venues, wedding planners, dresses or florists will be drawn to photographs that exude emotion over those that don’t.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
Sandhole Oak Barn is a beautifully designed oak wedding barn set in the rolling Cheshire countryside. However, the first picture we see when we visit their Bridebook profile simply doesn’t do the venue justice. Despite the blue sky in the photograph the overall image feels a little cold and unromantic.
When we scrolled through a few more images of the venue we discovered two beautiful photographs that would work much better as profile pictures.
These images are warm, romantic and the presence of people in the pictures enables newly engaged couples to better relate to the venue and its purpose.
This first image shows a crowd of wedding guests enjoying themselves amidst a hazy backdrop and the second image is of the front of the wedding venue – as per the original profile picture above – but includes a newlywed couple standing in the entrance which makes for a far more impactful image.
Nancarrow Farm is a glorious wedding venue made up of a number of barns on a working farm near the Cornish coast, and they’ve got it right with their chosen profile picture.
This beautiful photograph is the first thing we see when we land on their Bridebook profile page and it features the wonderful rustic barn with a happily married couple embracing in its doorway; evoking a feeling of love, romance and simplicity.
Elmore Court is a stunning manor house situated in Gloucestershire and overlooking the Cotswolds, and despite their profile picture effectively advertising the venue in all its grandeur, we can’t help but think adding newlyweds and a little sunset glow would make for a more affecting profile picture.
Here’s their current profile picture:
And here’s what we’d prefer to see when we land on the wedding venues profile page:
Choosing the right profile picture for your wedding business is ultimately down to you and your preferences. What makes an image stunning is partially subjective but you can follow a few general rules to increase the chances of your profile picture winning you wedding bookings.
Personality is vital when choosing a profile picture to represent you and your wedding business.
Include people in your picture – ideally the married couple but wedding guests work well too – as this will help newly engaged couples searching for a wedding venue or supplier to better picture their big day with you and relate to the emotions conveyed in your image.
We are all visual creatures and with so much choice out there for couples planning their wedding it is more important than ever to stand out. Grab visitors attention with your profile picture and thumbnail and you’ll be 90% more likely to be shortlisted for bookings.
Who needs a thousand words when you’ve got a showstopping profile picture…
In a world where competition is rife, isn’t it nice to think that wedding suppliers could help each other out? Here are 3 ways in which wedding venues and photographers can team up for maximum marketing opportunities…
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Where no conflict of interest exists, why wouldn’t we form a partnership and support each other’s efforts?
Wedding venues and wedding photographers still typically tend to go it alone where marketing is concerned. But why, when the products and services at each others disposal are so perfectly fitting as the ideal marketing vehicle?
Wedding venues rely almost exclusively on photographs to sell their locale to newly engaged couples. They compete online with other local wedding venues firstly on aesthetics, and then on details such as price, package, dates etc.
And with so many competing venues showcasing beautiful imagery on their websites and sharing exquisite photographs on Facebook, Instagram and other social feeds, it’s never been more important for wedding venues to feature unique, artistic photography.
Similarly, wedding photographers are fast becoming hailed as one of the most important investments for couples getting married in 2017 and beyond. But competition is stiff.
What better way to get noticed for your photography skills than to photograph some of the most superb wedding venues in the UK, add them to your portfolio and share them online?
3 ways in which wedding venues and photographers can work together
1. Remember to tag each other when you promote your weddings online
Ok this may seem like an obvious one but it’s surprising how many wedding venues and photographers still don’t tag each other when sharing photographs on social media.
This is one of the easiest ways for both parties to extend the audience reach of their posts and get their content seen and shared by more people.
Clearwell Castle has the right idea. Here, they’ve re-posted a photograph taken at their wedding venue; remembering to tag the all-important photographer.
2. Extend photo opportunities beyond weddings
Blenheim Palace is a wedding venue that’s truly realised the benefits of partner photography and is capitalising on the fact that it’s a very attractive place for photographers (amateur and professional) to include on their portfolio.
Blenheim Palace is using #picoftheweek and #justgoshoot hashtags to promote photography of their venue on Instagram, and people are loving it.
Although the photo’s aren’t specific to weddings, they’re still advertising the venue and its grounds. By adding a few strategic wedding hashtags, wedding venues and photographers could subtly promote each other’s skills in a similar way.
Photographers swoop on the Palace to snap away – hoping that their pictures get chosen to advertise the venue and hoping that in doing so, a mention by Blenheim Palace on social media may get them noticed as a serious contender in the photography world. And in return, Blenheim Palace receives free marketing through the circulation of standout, original photographs.
3. Recommend each other
It is of course easier for wedding venues to recommend wedding photographers when brides and grooms book their weddings, however photographers can still return the favour by leaving reviews and recommendations for venues on their website, and by publishing social posts to promote their work at the venue in question.
Venues should ask this of partnering photographers as standard.
Wedding venues and wedding photographers can also leave recommendations for each other on their Bridebook profiles. Showcasing photographers and venues you work well with puts couples at ease and shows that you support other experts in the industry – helping both parties build a network of likeminded suppliers.
Wedding venues and photographers should make the most of free marketing opportunities wherever they can.
In a world where competition is rife, isn’t it nice to think that us wedding suppliers could help each other out?
Wedding venues and wedding photographers are a match made in heaven where this kind of mutually beneficial relationship is concerned.
Take free marketing opportunities where you can. Help promote each other’s products and services and publish photographs that benefit both parties on your website, social channels and on your free Bridebook profile – which should be packed full of all your important wedding business details.
There’s huge potential for wedding venues to maximise how they use Facebook and to generate bookings and business as a result.
We’re not here to tell you that social media is taking over the world. You already know that.
But deciding where to focus your online marketing efforts as a wedding venue supplier and knowing *how *to individually tailor your approach for each social channel can be tricky.
According to the latest study into the most famous social network sites worldwide in April 2017, Facebook stands out as the clear market leader and largest social network by active users today; boasting 1.97 billion monthly active users, followed by Whatsapp (1.2 billion) and Youtube (1 billion).
Facebook is the perfect platform for wedding venues – and wedding suppliers in general – looking to market their products and services because it is the number one network for close, friendly connections over mass media broadcasting.
It is a channel made up of networks of people likely to recommend products and services to their connections, and it is a platform that enables you, as a wedding supplier, to publish both written and visual content that sells your services.
Facebook is a marketing channel that wedding venues in particular cannot ignore and we’re going to explore the ways in which you can boost your wedding bookings on this platform this summer and into the future.
But firstly, let’s address a growing (or should we say, declining) problem with Facebook.
Organic reach (i.e. how many people you can reach for free when you post content on your page) on Facebook has dramatically declined since around 2012, which – if you’re active on Facebook right now – you will probably have noticed.
This is down to two things. Firstly, there’s simply too much content being published on the platform which means we’re all facing far greater competition when it comes to getting our content seen. And secondly, Facebook is now trying to display super relevant content to specific groups of people, rather than serving all content to all folk.
So the social landscape is changing and we need to change with it. More than ever before the focus is on delivering specific, relevant content to the right people and in the right ways to be seen. And being seen means being booked.
Here are 5 ways in which wedding venues can improve reach, engagement, interactions and subsequently get more bookings through Facebook alone, today:
1. Paid advertising works
Facebook advertising really isn’t that scary or expensive if you know how to approach it, and let’s be clear; we’re not suggesting that you ditch existing efforts in favour of paid.
Facebook is encouraging us to consider incorporating targeted paid advertising into our social strategy rather than just using the platform as a free broadcasting channel. The reason for this is because of the renewed emphasis on content relevance and targeting.
Facebook is taking care of a lot of your targeting for you already when you post organically thanks to an updated Facebook algorithm which now adapts to individual user preferences. Put simply, this means that if someone regularly looks at photos of your wedding venue rather than reading written content, the Zuckerberg army will deliver more photos and less content to them in future.
But we can take this one step further through the use of Facebook ads (which can run for as long as you like and can be set to expire when your allocated spend runs out) and serve highly specific advertisements to specific people in your target demographic at a time and on a device that best suits your audience.
For example, a particular wedding venue may target engaged couples within a certain distance of their venue, e.g. wedding venues in London, as well as by age, gender and lifestyle preferences.
Facebook insights (which you’ll all have access to via your Facebook account) or Google Analytics (if you’ve set this up for your website) will be able to tell you much more about the kinds of people you’re attracting, such as whether they prefer to read your content on a mobile or tablet. Use these insights to build a highly engaged audience on Facebook.
In summary, you don’t have to throw a lot of money at Facebook advertising to benefit from an improved reach, and remember, it is about supplementing – not replacing – organic efforts with paid.
2. Be selective with the content you post
It’s time to switch from untargeted, frequent publishing to targeted, selective publishing.
Whether you’re paying to sponsor the Facebook post or not, your objective should be to get as much engagement from each post as possible. Basic targeting options are available for organic posts e.g. engaged couples in London, which means that you have no excuse not to be thinking about the audience and the purpose of your content each and every time you post.
Delivering more relevant content to the people who matter most to your business is the key to securing more bookings.
Top tip: be sure to include trigger words in posts that indicate important events (e.g., “congratulations”) which will get the attention of Facebook (who love jumping on special events) and the engaged couples you’re looking to target.
Overly self-promotional Facebook content is not the best way to win business, and by that, we mean the kinds of posts that read “Hold your wedding at our venue and we’ll give you 10% off!” or “We pride ourselves on delivering the best weddings in the business”.
Produce useful and informative content for your audience that aims to drive traffic to your website and blog. These owned assets of yours are where your conversions and bookings are likely to happen.
With reviews and recommendations becoming increasingly important for brides and grooms in the decision making process, you can post subtly promotional content by sharing the good news stories and the positive comments of couples who’ve held their wedding day at your venue.
There’s nothing more powerful than photographs and comments from a happy couple who’ve had the best day of their lives at your wedding venue. This should be the angle you adopt.
It’s also worth partnering with wedding suppliers who’ve worked on weddings at your venue. Ask them to leave their own comments on your Facebook page and engage with your content, and then do the same for them.
And encourage fans to engage with your posts when they see them, so that they see more of them. This could be as simple as adding a reminder to “Please Like and share” at the end of your posts.
3. Share videos and Broadcast on Facebook Live
Did you know that Facebook ranks live video higher in the news feed, and that users spend 3x more time watching live broadcasts than traditional videos on Facebook? This means that if you can get couples live streaming their wedding day on Facebook, you’re more likely to be seen by the brides and grooms you’re looking to attract!
Why not start broadcasting your very own live footage of your wedding venue on Facebook today and kickstart your mission to improve organic reach!
Record live behind the scenes footage of your team setting up for a wedding (but be careful not to capture anything personal to the couple who’s wedding your hosting unless you have their prior permission) and include footage of florists, caterers and musicians – remembering to tag all parties involved in the live stream; subsequently leveraging your audience reach through the audiences of other wedding suppliers.
4. Update your photo gallery
This sounds like an obvious one but we really shouldn’t underestimate the power of a great picture.
See.
Save and utilise all exceptional images from weddings held at your venue and make sure any less than spectacular snaps are removed.
Your best photographs should take pride of place as your venue’s Facebook profile picture and cover photo, and you should change these feature images now and then to test which garner the most attention and to therefore inform which photographs are best shared in future to win engagement.
5. Beware the competition
Be careful not to rely too heavily on competitions or to boost your competitions too often.
The reason for this is that your audience will perhaps increase (for the short term at least) but you’ll find you often attract people less likely to spend money on booking your wedding venue and more likely to just want to win something.
Organic content and paid advertising (not boosted posts) is always best and keep competitions as an infrequent treat rather than placing them at the forefront of your social campaign.
There’s huge potential for wedding venues – and wedding suppliers in general – to really maximise how they use Facebook and to generate bookings and business as a result.
Get out there and tap in to the 2 billion internet users currently using social networks today.
Have you found this article useful? Leave us a comment!
The UK’s divorce rate is at its lowest level for nearly 50 years. Couples now enter marriage knowing their partner and relationship better than ever before leading to marriages becoming increasingly strong and lasting.
Wedding planning app and website Bridebook.co.uk has surveyed 4,000 recently married couples and discovered a change in this generation’s perception of marriage:
Results show that couples are getting married considerably older than the last generation (average bride or groom is 8 years older than in the 1970s) and the majorityalready live together (89% of couples). They have long relationships before marrying (4.9 years on average) and have had previous serious relationships before ‘finding the one’ (2 previous serious relationships on average). Marriage has become a consensual independent decision free from external pressure (84% discussed marriage before the proposal, 83% felt no pressure to marry) – it is an ‘opt in’ personal choice. The number of weddings has started to rise (2.7% annual growth in latest figures) after a steady and dramatic decline in the past 50 years and the number of divorces is at its lowest level since 1971 as people are more secure in their relationships prior to marriage than ever before. Commitment as a concept has become refreshingly relaxed in comparison to previous generations.
Key findings: TIMEFRAMES OF MARRIAGE
The average age of a single woman getting married in 1971 was 22.6 years old, now it is 30.8 years old.
The average age of a single man getting married in 1971 was 24.6 years old, now it is 32.7 years old.
The average couple were in a relationship for 4.9 years before getting married. This breaks down as –
Dated for 1.4 years (17 months) before moving in together.
Then lived together for 1.83 years (22 months) before getting engaged.
Then were engaged for 1.67 years (20 months) before getting married.
The total average time living together before marriage totals to a whole 3.5 years.
The average number of serious relationships each member of the couple had before marriage = 2.
Key findings: MARRIAGE’S INCREASE IN VALUE
– 95% of couples would recommend getting married.
– 91% of couples choose to get married to demonstrate commitment. Only 2% due to social pressure, 2% financial, 2% convenience.
– 85% of couples say marriage makes a relationship stronger.
– 83% never felt any pressure to get married. 92% feel there is less pressure to get married today than parents’ generation.
– 73% stated that they value marriage more now than they did as a child.
Key findings: VIEW OF RELIGION IN MARRIAGE
– Whilst 41% of couples got married in a church, 52% of couples claim to be “Not at all religious”.
– Only 8% of couples cited religious reasons as one of the primary reasons for getting married (91% cited demonstration of commitment, 30% cited planning to have children).
– 57% of couples who chose to get married in a church chose due to “Sticking to traditions” and 22% due to “Parental expectations”.
Key findings: CHANGES TO RELATIONSHIP SINCE MARRIAGE
– 80% feel that since getting married the level of commitment has increased (3% decreased).
– 60% feel that since getting married the level of happiness has increased (5% decreased).
– 57% feel that since getting married the level of trust has increased (4% decreased).
– 56% feel that since getting married the level of love has increased (4% decreased).
– 41% feel that since getting married they share a better mental wellbeing (4% worse).
– 33% feel that since getting married they have a better sexual relationship (11% worse).
Key findings: OTHER
– 46% of couples have a child within 2 years of getting married.
– 26% of couples hadn’t broken up in their relationship before marrying.
– 82% would consider marriage counselling if the need arose.
– 83% don’t believe you have to be married before having kids.
Hamish Shephard, founder of Bridebook.co.uk, says:
“It is fantastic to see how the marriage is evolving with today’s modern couples for the positive. Marriages are becoming stronger than ever, relationships happier and more committed than ever, and couples more independent and consensual in their decisions than ever.”
“Whilst living together before getting married, having serious relationships out of wedlock, or getting married when you are older were previously frowned upon, for the modern couple these can clearly be very positive steps to finding “the one” and having a fantastic long-lasting marriage”.
“Weddings are now focused on the celebration of a couples’ life-long commitment to one another, rather than the start of a new life together, and hence have become bigger and bigger occasions.”
“We have reached a tipping point where the divorce rate will likely be on the decline for the foreseeable future as marriage increasingly becomes the fully informed independent choice of couples wishing to demonstrate their commitment to one another without the pressure seen in previous generations.”
For further information, interviews and images please contact Harriet or Sarah-Jane at Harriet Hunt Communications
Whether you’ve recently started to plan your wedding or you’re right in the thick of it, you probably noticed something fairly quickly – weddings can be costly. In 2024, the average cost of a wedding is £20,775, and that’s before you’ve even got to the honeymoon or considered the cost of the engagement ring. So if you’re trying to figure out how to plan your dream wedding and stay firmly within your budget, you’ve come to the right place.
In this post, we’re going to take a deep dive into how to save money on a wedding and offer you plenty of tips to make sure you don’t go over your wedding budget.
Before we go over the many ways you can save money on your wedding, make sure you have a solid idea as to what you want to (realistically) spend. To give you a helping hand, you can use Bridebook’s useful wedding budget calculator.
Throwing a lavish and expensive wedding is a fabulous way to spend your big day, but it’s important not to get too carried away. Have a chat with your partner about what’s really important for both of you and create a list that categorises the must-haves and the nice-to-haves so you know what can be cut if you get a little too close to the top end of your budget.
Planning a wedding is a lot of fun, but it can also be a stressful time. That stress, combined with spending a great deal of money, can be create challenges. Remember to be open and honest with your partner and try not to get your heart set on something before you’ve booked it. The last thing you want is to be disappointed if something doesn’t quite work out how you hoped.
What’s the average cost of a wedding in 2024?
Average UK Wedding Costs: With and Without the Engagement Ring and Honeymoon
As uncovered in our ultimate wedding budget breakdown, the average cost of a wedding in 2024 is £20,775, not including the ring and a potential honeymoon. When you factor the engagement ring and honeymoon into your budget, the average cost rises to £25,952, which is a huge amount of money to spend.
It’s important to remember that this is just an average, and the actual cost of your wedding will depend on many factors, including the cost of the venue, number of guests, time of year, and even how many tiers there are on your cake.
Of course, you don’t have to spend this amount, or anything close to it – couples have weddings which range from costing less than £1,000 to costing £100,000 or more. If you budget wisely, make some careful decisions and plan ahead, you can make significant savings while still ensuring you have your dream wedding.
What are the best tools for saving money on your wedding?
When the time comes to start planning your wedding in earnest, the excitement can take hold and before you know it you’re creating spreadsheets, browsing Instagram hashtags and Pinterest stores, and your Google search history is nothing but venues and flower shops. But before you dive into the deep end, why not consider a tool to help you save time, money and effort?
We recommend using Bridebook’s state-of-the-art wedding budget tool to keep track of your expenses and make sure everything is taken care of. We also have a wedding planning app so you don’t have to keep a stack of notebooks with you or carry your laptop around when you meet vendors – you’ll have everything you need right there on your phone.
Can you save money on your wedding by inviting fewer guests?
When you’re getting married, we understand that it’s a big deal and you’ll probably want to invite every family member, friend, colleague and acquaintance you have. However, having a set number of guests will ensure you keep the guest list limited, which will save you on the venue, catering and invitation costs. It may be tempting to invite everyone you know to come and celebrate with you, but doing so will increase the cost of your wedding and could push it beyond your budget.
To put it into perspective, the average couple spends around £200 per guest – that means, if you’re ruthless with your guest list and invite 100 guests instead of 150, you’ll save over £10,000. If you’re not prepared to make cuts quite that drastic, even just cutting back your guest list by five could save you around £1,000.
A twilight wedding is a wedding that starts later in the day and is a great way to lower the cost of your wedding. It not only means you’re using your venue for a shorter amount of time, but you also bypass the expensive wedding breakfast and you pay vendors and staff for fewer hours as well.
For example, Friern Manor Country House Hotel offers a twilight wedding package starting at £3,500 for 70 guests, compared to £7,995 for a traditional wedding – that’s half the price! That means you can have all the celebrations of every other wedding, only condensed into a shorter amount of time. It’s the perfect way to make massive savings on your wedding if you’re happy to have the ceremony take place later in the day.
If you’re planning a wedding on a budget or just looking to save a bit of cash, knowing how to break down your budget will be one of the most important parts of your overall wedding planning, but how to stick to it? In this video course, Bridebook founder (and qualified wedding planner) Hamish Shephard explains how to plan a wedding on a budget, sharing his expert money-saving tips on everything from your wedding venue to your catering and more.
If you haven’t set the date yet, you can find huge savings by avoiding the busy seasons, certain days of the week and popular locations. So, if you’re happy to not have a Saturday wedding in the middle of summer, slap bang in the middle of London, you could save thousands. For example:
Choose a midweek wedding. You’ll save on almost every wedding supplier by joining the 50% of couples who hold their big day on any day other than a Saturday, which is the most popular day to get married. To maximise your savings, the cheapest day to get married is a Tuesday. Suppliers are usually happy to offer reduced rates on days that otherwise wouldn’t be booked.
Consider areas outside London. Couples are now spending over £15,000 (or 77%) more to marry in the capital. So, like other savvy couples, why not consider having your wedding somewhere outside of the capital (both Wales, and Yorkshire and the Humber, are the cheapest regions to get married in)? Plus, not only is a wedding away from your hometown a great way to save money, it increases the feeling of magic, mystery and adventure.
Have a winter wedding. Try to avoid peak wedding season, which is between June and September, when costs are the highest. Costs are lowest in the winter, with January and February being the cheapest months in which to tie the knot (24% less than the UK average). So, if you don’t mind it being cold outside, it could be a great choice. And on the off-chance there’s frost or snow, it’ll give you the opportunity to take unique wedding photos.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that many venues offer discounts and special ‘late availability’ packages in off-peak wedding seasons or to fill a space left by a cancellation. This can make even the most premium ones a far more affordable option if you’re happy with a bit of last-minute planning and organising. A great example is Holdsworth House Hotel, an idyllic wedding venue with 32 bedrooms, charming courtyards and enchanting gardens.
If there’s one thing people remember about weddings, it’s the quality (and quantity) of the food. Whether you go for a four-course breakfast or an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring around-the-world cuisine, food is guaranteed to excite your guests. For that reason, you won’t want to cut corners when it comes to your food, but there are still some creative ways to save money while not compromising on quality. But, with couples spending around £5,700 on wedding catering, it can account for around a quarter of your entire wedding budget.
As we’ve already highlighted, you can slash these costs by cutting the number of guests you invite, as there will be fewer mouths to feed. Your friend’s boyfriend of two months? Sure, you like them, but do you like them enough to pay £62 per head for them to eat a three-course meal? Cutting out a table of eight will save an average of almost £500 on food and drink (as well as saving you in table numbers and stationery). Not to mention that cutting your guest list might also give you the ability to choose a smaller, more affordable wedding venue.
If you’re keen on having a lot of people there, why not invite them to the evening reception? That way, no one will get offended about not being invited, and you’ll save money by not having to feed as many guests at the wedding breakfast. Alternatively, why not skip the expensive wedding breakfast altogether and have a breakfast buffet instead? A buffet drastically reduces costs by only requiring limited staff, plus it offers guests a wider choice.
Many people enjoy a drink or two at a wedding, and the most obvious way to save money is by not offering an open bar. Save over £2,000 by offering a paid bar. This requires your guests to pay for their drinks themselves, and stops everyone from accidentally over-indulging. Plus, guests won’t expect an open bar, with two out of three couples opting to let their guests pay for their own drinks.
Another way to save money is by choosing a more affordable fizz for the toasts. Champagne may be a luxurious choice, but cheaper alternatives like prosecco, sparkling wine or Cava will still go down just as well.
You may also be able to hire your own mobile bar instead of going with what the venue offers. One of our vendors, Near and Far Mobile Bar Ltd, is an excellent option as they set up their mobile bar at the venue, provide staff and bartending service, and offer pre-wedding consultation. Whoever you hire, just make sure they have a license. Or, you could choose to provide your own bubbly. Just bear in mind that the venue may charge a corkage fee. This can sometimes be more expensive than going with what the venue offers.
Below are just a few tips for helping strip those costs right back, while still ensuring you get wonderful professional photographs.
Consider an express package. Instead of having the photographer spend the whole day with you, ask if they offer two or three-hour packages, where they come and take shots of the venue, the bridal party and your close friends and family. Opting for fewer hours is the best way to reduce costs, but does mean forgoing pictures of you cutting the cake and your first dance at the evening reception. Some photographers also provide a second camera person and opting out of this service can significantly lower the cost.
Hire a local photographer. Local photographers will usually charge you far less than those who have to travel far and charge additional fees for those miles. Here at Bridebook, we have a huge range of fantastic photographers, so you’re sure to find one who operates where you’re hosting your wedding.
Go digital. If you forgo professionally printed albums as 9 out of 10 couples now do, you could save £250+. Most modern photography packages include a link to your own online gallery, where you can browse and enjoy all your favourite shots at your leisure. You can then always use a photo-developing service, such as Snapfish, to print your photographs for a fraction of the cost later on.
While the majority of couples choose to have a photographer shoot at their wedding, a third of couples also choose to hire a videographer to document and capture their big day in a candid and natural way, with the costs in line with that of a photographer. If capturing your wedding on video is important to you, there are plenty of ways to save money on a videographer too.
One way to save money on a wedding videographer is by hiring a professional who might not have as much experience as others. An up-and-coming videographer, who is new to the business, will have plenty of enthusiasm and passion, but not quite as much of a portfolio. They may also not have a range of expensive kit, such as drones or 4K cameras, but should still be able to produce a beautiful video for a price that fits within your budget.
You may also be able to save money by asking not to have any complex editing or cinematography, which can add a lot of time to post-production.
One of the expenses that might take you by surprise is the price of your wedding flowers, at an average cost of around £1,100. This is due to florists having to source different flowers, create elaborate artistic displays, and transport them to the venue, which all requires time, dedication, skill and expertise. That being said, there are ways you can save money on wedding flowers which mean you can have a luscious wedding filled with flora while sticking within your budget.
Many wedding florists have years, if not decades, of experience providing flowers for hundreds of weddings. That means they’re equipped to work with any budget – including yours. Speak to your chosen florist, tell them what you’re looking for and trust them. As with all wedding vendors, communication is key.
Here are a few money-saving tips for choosing wedding flowers:
Choose flowers with big heads. Not only do they look gorgeous, but generally, the bigger the flowerhead, the fewer stems you need to fill out an arrangement, which can cost a lot less than having multiple small-headed flowers.
Go for flowers that are in season. While it may be tempting to ask for roses at your spring wedding, they’ll cost a lot more then than they would during late summer or autumn, because they wouldn’t be in season. Choosing flowers that are in season will naturally help keep costs down.
Choose a naturally beautiful venue. Go for an outdoor wedding with plenty of surrounding greenery, so you won’t have to pay for additional decor. Great outdoor venues can include vineyards, parks and private gardens.
Opt for foliage over flowers. Greenery is super popular right now and many couples prefer to go with garlands to adorn their tables or drape over the altar. The best part is, foliage is typically way more affordable.
Wedding decor peppers your personality across your big day, but depending on your theme, the costs can quickly add up. The average cost of professionally sourced wedding decor is £1,500, but there are plenty of ways to save money if you’re willing to compromise, such as by creating DIY decorations or sourcing them from specialist vendors. If you’re happy not to have personalised decorations, you can slash this amount to just a couple hundred pounds. Check out our blog post on how to save money on wedding decor for more inspiration.
Another expense is the cost of marquee hire, which averages around £4,200. This depends on the size and type of marquee you go for, so if you’re not set on either of these, you can make significant savings by having a more basic marquee type. Another way to save money on a wedding marquee is by avoiding peak times, such as Saturdays and/or the summer months, as prices can be much higher during the busiest and most popular periods.
Your wedding cake is most likely the most expensive dessert you’ll ever buy, with the average cost at around £400 – £500. After all, it’s not just hugely symbolic: you’re paying for an edible work of art. Yet just like the cake itself, there are layers to the cost. The larger your wedding party, the bigger the cake will be, and the more expensive it will be too. If you do have a lot of guests, a cake with a less complex or intricate design will help keep costs down. You could also consider a dummy layer that replaces a layer of cake with polystyrene – not as tasty, but generally cheaper (though this isn’t always the case).
Due to the skill and time needed to make them, fondant and sugar flowers will typically cost more, so you can save money by forgoing them where possible. A lovely and cost-effective option (not to mention fashionable) is a naked cake with fresh flowers or fruit. Not only does a naked cake require less buttercream and fewer time-consuming decorations, but it still looks and tastes amazing.
Wedding cupcakes are another cute option and usually cost around £4 per guest; they’re generally easier to make and decorate, look adorable in pictures, and are often cheaper than a showstopping multi-tiered wedding cake.
For entertainment, it ultimately depends on your wedding theme. To keep costs down, consider creating a DIY kid’s table if children are coming to your wedding. A collection of colouring books, crayons and a box of Lego will save you £500+ that you would have to spend on a kids’ entertainer.
When it comes to music, if you’re interested in a live act, unless you want Tylor Swift at your wedding, a solo singer will generally be far more affordable than a band, simply because you’re paying one performer instead of four or five. Similarly, a DJ is often a more budget-friendly option and is almost guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. You can actually save up to £900 by choosing a DJ over a live band (though a band will offer that unique touch to your evening reception).
Firstly, you can reach out to bridalwear boutiques and ask if they have any upcoming sales or bridal dresses at discounted prices. There’s every chance that in a week or two, there may be a sale that slashes the price of many of their dresses, saving you a bundle. And, it may be an awkward conversation, but asking your bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses could save you £300+.
Most bridal shops sell sample dresses in styles they’re either discontinuing or no longer want to sell at discounted prices. These are dresses you and other brides-to-be try on in the shops, but if you can look past this you can make significant savings. You can also opt for high-fashion brands – ASOS, Chi Chi London and Little Mistress all sell wedding dresses at super affordable prices (just note that these are unlikely to match the quality and service of a bridalwear boutique).
The amount of gorgeous second-hand dresses out there shouldn’t be underestimated, and you can save as much as £750 by finding a vintage or pre-loved dress. Plus, only 5% of brides buy a second-hand dress, which means you won’t face much competition if you opt for something pre-loved.
To save money on a veil, why not have it as your ‘something borrowed’ and ask a family member if you could use theirs? If you’re willing to compromise, you may also have other accessories at home already, including a belt and bowtie, or jewellery and handbag, which may already work with your wedding outfit.
It’s also worth checking the depths of your shoe cupboard to see if you have some shoes that will work. Just remember to give them a polish to make them extra shiny. And remember that, again, you might have to compromise on the exact look and quality you originally envisioned . Check out our dedicated post to discover more ways to save money on wedding accessories.
The thought of walking down the aisle, all eyes on you, is both exciting and probably a little nerve-wracking. But, when you look amazing, it can help you feel confident enough to melt those nerves away. This is one of the many reasons why hiring a professional to take care of your hair and makeup is important to so many brides and, in most cases, totally worth it – that and it’s one less thing for you to worry about on the day. But, with couples spending an average of £690 on hair and makeup (as well as other pre-wedding rituals) cutting costs where possible can be a lifesaver for budget-conscious couples.
The most obvious way to significantly save money on wedding hair and makeup is by biting the bullet and doing it yourself, or asking your bridesmaids to take on the responsibility. This could save you up to £330+, but comes with its own set of risks (which we set out in our article on demystifying bridal beauty costs). If the DIY approach isn’t ideal, you could instead consider hiring a makeup assistant , who won’t be as experienced as a hair or makeup artist but will still have worked closely with one at plenty of weddings.
Another cost-saving option is to travel to your stylist or beautician on the morning of your wedding, rather than having them come to you at your venue. This could potentially halve the amount you spend on beauty. Just note that you won’t get the same level of on-the-day care and attention, including last-minute touch-ups and veil adjustments, which might be stressful).
While not generally quite as pricey as a wedding dress, today’s couples spend an average of £700-900 on suits for their wedding. While a bespoke, tailored suit might be appealing, high-street retailers offer a great range of wedding suits for around £150 if you’re on a tight budget. You may also find a great suit or tuxedo at a local second-hand store or charity shop, but bear in mind you’ll likely need to have it altered to fit you perfectly (which will bump up the costs).
Another option to slash the price of a suit is through renting, which can cost as little as £50 per suit. Plus, if all the groomsmen rent their tuxes or suits from the same place, there’s a good chance the groom’s suit will be free, or at least discounted. And even if this isn’t an advertised offer, it’s always worth asking.
Your wedding ring is the one piece of jewellery you’ll rarely take off, so will be with you through thick and thin – which is why couples spend an average of £1,000 on their wedding rings. However, it is possible to save money on wedding rings by not relying on expensive metals such as gold and platinum, instead opting for something such as silver or titanium, which could lower the cost to as little as £50 per ring (and still be durable over years of wear and tear).
You may also want to seriously think about whether or not you want to choose wedding rings with set diamonds or other precious stones. While it may look incredible, it will be far more expensive than if you were to choose a plain band. Also, the thicker the band is, the more expensive it will be, so consider choosing a band that is on the thinner side to reduce the cost.
With Pinterest full of gorgeous and creative wedding invitation ideas, it’s hard to forgo a beautiful professionally-designed invitation in favour of a less aesthetic amateur one. But, you don’t necessarily have to do that to save money. Choose the invitation style of your dreams and go digital, and give your guests the option to RSVP digitally too. This will massively reduce the cost of your wedding stationery, on which couples spend an average of £400.
Almost a third of today’s couples don’t use paper stationery, such as menus and invitations, so consider joining them! Save money on wedding stationery by using sites like Paperless Post, or design your own beautiful digital invitations to email to your guests and save almost £300. At the wedding, a decorative chalkboard can explain the menu and agenda for the day – beautiful and often cheaper than paper (plus you can box it away as a keepsake post-wedding).
A registry office wedding is already one of the most affordable choices when it comes to a wedding on a budget, costing an average of £1,342. However, it’s possible to save even more money on a registry office wedding if you opt for the basic ceremony only, which means it could cost you as little as £57 (not including the £35 it costs for each of you to give notice).
It can also be cheaper to get married during quieter periods, so make sure you avoid peak times such as Saturday afternoons or the height of summer.
Hiring a wedding planner may sound like another cost you could do without – after all, the average cost of a wedding planner is £2,436, or about 10% of your overall budget. But, wedding planners can actually help you save money in the long run by ensuring you stay within your budget. Not only that, but being in the industry means that wedding planners also have plenty of contacts and connections and can help you land the best deals, discounts and savings as a result, and they’re expert negotiators as well.
One way to save money on a wedding planner is by hiring them to do a partial wedding planning service, which means they come in with a few months to go before your wedding to make sure everything is as it should be. It’s a far more affordable service, but obviously not as thorough as if you were to hire them at the very start of your planning journey.
A wedding celebrant is a wonderful way to personalise your ceremony, particularly if you’re not looking for a religious wedding or you’re a couple with mixed faiths. However, because a celebrant can’t legally marry you, there are further costs due to the need to also hire a registrar. And, with the average cost of a celebrant being £500, this can be an important cost to consider.
To save money on a wedding celebrant, consider compromising on the level of service involved. Ask if they’ll consider not meeting with you ahead of the wedding, and if they’re happy to rely on a questionnaire to personalise your ceremony. Similarly, many celebrants will want to speak to your family and friends about your relationship; cutting out this service may help to lower the price. Just be aware that you may not get as bespoke or thorough a service.
Go down the DIY route. DIY favours can really reduce your costs, and if you’re happy with them not being super personalised, you could get the cost down to less than £1 each.
Consider cheap sweet treats. Edible favours are usually a more budget-friendly choice, such as retro sweets, biscuits, or even homemade jam.
Keep packaging simple and practical. The simpler the design, the more affordable the packaging will generally be.
Donate to a charity. A charity donation made on behalf of your guests allows you to control how much you spend, and makes for a thoughtful and generous gesture.
Depending on your plans, you could spend a good chunk of the first half of your wedding day being driven from A to B to C and back to B again. For that reason, wedding transport can be expensive, with couples spending an average of £700 on the vehicle and driver of their choice.
To save money on wedding transport, consider hiring a venue that allows you to have the ceremony, breakfast, reception and accommodation all in one, so you only need to pay for an hour or so of time. Or, if you know someone with a classic car or something with some oomph under the bonnet, call in a favour in exchange for an invite and a night of free drinks.
Your honeymoon is your chance to relax and unwind after a year or more of full-on wedding planning. The honeymoon is non-negotiable for many couples and is one of the biggest splurges, costing an average of £4,300.
It can be tempting to book your honeymoon early to help you budget, but if you’re flexible with where you’re happy to go, you could grab a bargain by booking a last-minute deal a week or two before your wedding.
But if you have your sights set on somewhere in particular, reduce costs by travelling on off-peak days: Wednesdays and Thursdays are usually the cheapest for international flights. It also goes without saying that during busier times, such as school holidays or the summer months, it’s often expensive to travel. If your wedding is booked on such an occasion, why not postpone your honeymoon by just a couple of weeks and save money by travelling off-peak?
The cost of wedding insurance might feel like an unnecessary expense – as low as £30 for the most basic cover, to £100 -£180 on average, to up to £20,000 – but it can save you thousands down the line in the unlikely event something goes wrong.
You can save money on your wedding insurance by only choosing a basic policy, such as a policy which doesn’t include public liability. If you also forgo a marquee, you won’t need to add a marquee insurance extension to your policy, further bringing the cost right down.
Despite being a specialist type of insurance, comparison sites such as Money Supermarket let you compare quotes from various providers so you can secure the best policy. Just double-check that your chosen insurer includes everything you need and provides you with the right level of coverage.
Spending the ‘right’ amount of money on a wedding gift is something that plagues the mind of many wedding guests, but the cost of a wedding gift can vary dramatically based on several factors, including your relationship with the couple and whether or not you’re in a couple yourself.
But, there are ways to save money on a wedding gift. Why not club together with other guests, turning what would be several smaller gifts into a single larger one?
If the couple has a gift registry, it should include gift suggestions to suit a range of budgets. Don’t buy your gift from the first retailer you find it in – if you shop around you might be able to find a bargain, or at the very least something very similar with a far more affordable price tag.
Plan your dream wedding with Bridebook
There you have our top tips to help you save money on your wedding. For more information, check out our individual savings pages for even more ways to cut down your spending and make your wedding budget go further.
Here at Bridebook, we have thousands of wedding venues and suppliers to suit any budget. Sign up today and start planning your dream wedding!
Arranging your wedding flowers can be a mind-boggling affair due to the multitude of options for integrating flowers into your wedding day. The below list includes all the main flower options you may want to consider. These are suggestions only, not necessities. Pick and choose what suits your wedding theme. Pinterest is a great place for flower inspiration.
Once you’ve finalised your Guest List – and we mean finalised, not nearly finalised – it’s time to send it to your venue and your caterers so they can prepare accordingly. We’d tend to advise against sending your Guest List before it’s fully finalised as you’ll end up sending revised version after revised version, and that risks leaving you (as well as your suppliers!) confused.
How Can You Make Sure You Have All This Information?
Well, there’s one easy way to keep track of all this information – it’s your Bridebook’s handy Guest List Tool! You can use it to keep track of your RSVPs, +1s and any extra information like dietary requirements and access needs too.
If you haven’t sent out your invitations yet, make sure to include a clear RSVP deadline. As a rule, set your RSVP deadline at least six weeks before your big day. We also recommend that couples always check with their venue, caterer and other suppliers if they will need confirmation of numbers earlier than this and adjust accordingly.
If you’ve already sent out your invitations and your RSVP deadline is fast approaching (or has even already gone by), don’t be shy! Reach out to any guests who haven’t yet RSVP’d to confirm whether or not they’ll be attending.
With these tricks up your sleeve, you’ll have your Guest List finalised in no time – and then it’s back to the fun stuff! Did someone say cake tasting…?
Planning your wedding is a fun, exciting and challenging time. It’s fun and exciting because you and your best friend are planning the biggest party of your lives before you spend the rest of your lives together. It’s challenging because, unfortunately, it’s actually pretty expensive to plan a wedding.
In the UK, the average cost of a wedding is £20,775, which is a considerable amount of money for most couples. It’s amazing just how expensive weddings can become as budgets spiral out of control. Small costs can quickly stack up. Plus, if you don’t keep on top of invoices and payments, it can soon suck the joy out of the experience, and become something altogether stressful.
The great news is, there are things you can do to make sure you don’t get carried away and you keep on top of your payments. In this post, we’re going to dive into how to pay for a wedding, including budgeting and payment options, as well as tips for making sure you manage your money smartly.
How to pay for a wedding: cheat sheet
Check out the below cheat sheet for the key takeaways when it comes to paying for your wedding. Refer back to it whenever you need to.
Follow this cheat sheet when thinking about your wedding payments
If you’re looking for how to pay for a wedding on your own, this isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. We’ve already covered how the average UK wedding costs almost £20,000, but that figure is exactly that – an average. So, there are plenty of weddings that cost way below this (as well as some that cost far more, of course). And, a wedding that costs far less than the average is a much easier and more achievable goal if you want to pay for it all yourself.
Here are a few things to consider if you want to pay for your wedding:
Set a realistic budget. If you’re going it alone, you may have to consider what are must-haves compared to nice-to-haves.
Consider the venue carefully, because some cost way more than others. For example, getting married in a castle will cost you around £12,454, while a registry office will cost around £1,342.
Rather than a wedding that takes place across a whole day, you can slash costs by having a twilight wedding, which takes place during the latter half of the day.
Ramp up your monthly savings where possible – even one less meal out per month could save you around £1,000 over the course of a year (if you regularly eat in places that are a little pricey, that is).
Think about how you could make money through a side hustle. It shouldn’t take too much time – after all, you still need downtime and an opportunity to actually plan your wedding. But, you could earn an extra £1,000 a year and avoid paying any additional tax.
Choose to get married during off-peak days and months, which could save you thousands. With only 13% of couples getting married on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there’s also much less competition out there.
Be open to compromise – if you are, there are plenty of ways to cut costs.
When you plan your wedding there are quotes, figures, deposits, instalments, direct debits and invoices flying around from all different directions. With so much going on, how are you supposed to keep track and make sense of everything? Below are a few things to keep in mind so you don’t get lost wading through mounds of overdue invoices.
Agreeing on your budget is more than sticking your finger in the air and plucking out a magic number. If you do that, and then try to fit your venue, catering, outfits, rings and more around it, you’ll soon realise that you’re likely to run out of budget.
Of course, it’s useful to have an overall figure to aim for. But, in order to do this accurately, you first need an idea of what each individual vendor is going to cost. The best way to do this is by using a budget calculator, which helps you visualise everything using realistic figures. That way, you can instantly see that your dream venue, which costs £8,000, might not align with the overall budget of £10,000 that you were hoping for.
If you’re not quite sure about what you want at this stage, it can be useful to use average wedding costs to get an idea of what it might set you back. From there, you can determine where you can make savings and which costs are your non-negotiables. Getting out there and gathering quotes will also help you figure out how realistic your dream vendors are.
One important point to remember is that your life will continue long after your wedding. You and your new spouse may want to go on your honeymoon, buy a house or start a family – and all of those require money. So, while you may want to throw a lavish and memorable wedding, you might not want to start married life from square one.
You’ve worked out your money, you know how much you want to spend on your wedding, you’ve maybe even started booking one or two vendors, such as your venue and caterers. The deposit for your venue could be as much as 50% (but is usually closer to 10%), which could instantly drain your bank balance. So what does that mean for the other countless things you need to pay for over the coming months?
There are several ways couples choose to pay for their wedding. They may use one of these methods or a combination of several. Which you choose is down to you, your preferences and your financial situation:
Personal savings
Pay by monthly instalments
Credit cards (though not necessarily recommended due to high interest rates)
With so many quotes flying around and important vendors to book, how do you know which one you should book and pay for first?
The most important thing to secure first is your date. This is predominantly decided by your chosen venue and whether or not they have availability on the date you’d like to get married. If this is a peak date, such as a Saturday during the summer, then you may find that you have to book this at least a couple of years in advance. If you’re happy to get married midweek during the winter, you’ll have a lot more flexibility.
Once you’ve secured your date at your chosen venue, you can start fitting everything else in, which you’ll probably want to do in order of whatever’s most important to you. For example, it may look a little something like this:
Photography/Videography
Catering
Celebrant/Registrar
Flowers
Cake
Dress/Suits
Transport
Entertainment/Music
As the big day draws closer, you’ll also want to sort out your accessories, rings, favours and hair and beauty. There are also the invitations, which you’ll want to put together fairly early so you give your guests as much notice as possible.
Another way to approach it would be in order of the most expensive. Get the larger payments out of the way first, such as the venue, food and dress, then think about the cake, transport and entertainment a little later on. Of course, if you do that and you leave it too long, it does risk your chosen vendor not being available for your date.
When you start making payments, the worst thing you can do is not keep track of which bills you’ve paid and when. Every time you make a payment, no matter how small, make sure you keep a record of the who, when and how much.
We’ve built a super smart budget tracker to help you manage the costs. You can make a note of how much you’ve paid so you know exactly what balances are still outstanding – perfect if you want to avoid complicated spreadsheets!
As you pay each vendor through their preferred payment method, mark this off your tracker as you go. As devastating as it may be to spend so much money in such a short amount of time, it will feel great getting these costs ticked off your lists.
Once all the payments have been made, you’ll feel like the cloud has been lifted and once again you can look towards your wedding, enjoying that wonderful mix of excitement and joy.
Once you’re deep in planning mode and it feels like things are going well, it can be easy to get carried away. You might even feel like a wedding planning genius! When this happens, it can be easy to feel a little overconfident. This can lead to the odd mistake, which is more than likely avoidable.
Some of the most common wedding payment mistakes include:
Purposefully overspending, which means payments can quickly become unmanageable. Don’t let anyone else sway how much you spend.
Refusing to be flexible can potentially cause issues. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that everything will go 100% to plan, so be open to compromise.
Even with meticulous planning and budgeting, sometimes costs can rise and you go over budget. Failing to have a contingency plan means unexpected costs will sting a lot more than they might have otherwise.
Always share concerns and worries with your partner. Chances are, they’ll share the same thoughts (which is why you’re getting married, right?) and you can think of a plan B together.
Don’t book anything without getting several quotes, first. Quotes will help you see if the vendor you choose is offering a fair price.
Don’t forget to ask for a discount from every vendor you book. Almost everyone you get a quote from will have some wiggle room – usually, you’ll save at least 5%, which can add up massively.
We get it, weddings are incredibly expensive, and even if you’ve carefully budgeted and you’re on top of your payments and savings goals, the costs can still sting. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can save money on your wedding. Just a few ways include:
Get married on an off-peak date
Choose a venue outside of the city – especially London
Hire more inexperienced vendors, such as your cake-maker and photographer
Choose in-season flowers and arrangements that use more foliage
Go for a cake with a simple design to save on decorating time
This is just a taste of the ways you can save money. Check out our comprehensive guide to saving money on your wedding, which features dozens of cost-cutting tips.
Two thirds of couples ask for help to pay for their wedding, so if you can’t pay for your big day by yourself then it’s okay to ask for a little support from your family.
When doing so, give them a heads up that you want to ask them to help pay so you don’t spring it on them unexpectedly. Then, sit them down and share your budget and plan with them in person so you can explain what you’d like and how they can help. The more they can see you’ve planned everything thoroughly, the more they’ll be inclined to help if they can.
Need a few more handy ways to understand more about paying for your wedding? Here are ten helpful tips for scraping and saving.
Treat your budget as your bible.
Be realistic and don’t set your heights too high. It’s easier to add more on later if you’ve underspent than it is to take things away if you’ve overspent.
Have a contingency plan in case something goes over budget – try to allow for around 10%.
Always start by booking your venue, as this is often the biggest expense and the trickiest to secure.
Always think about the bigger picture. If one thing doesn’t quite go to plan, there will more than likely be ten things that do.
Start paying for things as early as possible to avoid missing payments and accruing fees.
Prioritise vendors that are most important to you.
If you’re asking family for financial support, do so as soon as you can so you know your total budget early on.
Try not to rely on your credit card. The last thing you want during the build-up to your wedding is looming credit card debt.
Consider opening a dedicated savings account that the two of you can pay into each month. Having it right there will help you keep track of how much of your budget you have left.
Manage your wedding payments on Bridebook
Here at Bridebook, our handy budget calculator helps you keep track of how much your wedding costs so you don’t accidentally spend too much. Sign up and start planning your perfect wedding today!
Since your bridal party have been so helpful with your wedding preparations, it’s only fair that they get some kind of reward for their efforts! Well, that’s the idea behind giving them gifts. This is optional of course. Nobody is forcing you to dish out gifts! If your wedding party have been genuinely helpful however, this is a nice touch as it lets them know that their help is appreciated. What you buy and how lavish you are is completely up to you. If you intend to go big with your gifting, you may want to budget this into your budgeter spreadsheet as this could end up being a significant cost!(this is often overlooked). Here are the people you would traditionally buy gifts for:
Best man
Maid of Honour
Other groomsmen(optional)
Other bridesmaids(optional)
It’s also traditional to buy a bouquet of flowers for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom(1 each!) which will set you back an extra £100. Remember to budget that in.
You may also wish to purchase a gift for the fathers if you feel compelled to. This is not a traditional option so you would be breaking the mould!
A gift for the wedding officiant is also something you may wish to consider. This would just be a small token gesture to thank them for their part in your wedding day.
Finally, a gift for your fiancé prior to the wedding(or on the wedding night) will never go amiss as it adds a final flourish of romance to what is already an uber-romantic day!
The wedding is approaching fast and the tasks are piling up! It could be tempting to postpone your haircut to the last few days before the wedding to keep it looking as fresh as possible….but this is a mistake! Your hair takes time to settle into a new style, making a last-minute haircut a bad choice. Most hairstylists would advise you to get your hair trimmed and coloured around 2 weeks before your wedding (tweet us if you disagree). Any earlier than this and your hair would have the opportunity to grow too much before the wedding, potentially ruining the style. Any later than 2 weeks before and your hair may not fully settle into the style. The other advantage of getting a trim 2 weeks before is that if the stylist makes any mistakes, you have time to try and rectify it.
Once your hair is trimmed, try experimenting with the style you plan to do on your wedding day to see how it looks. If you feel that something doesn’t look right, look for small changes you can make to improve it. You may want to go over this with your hairstylist.
Read more about working with your wedding hairstylist
‘I had prepared an excellent speech for you today, but unfortunately, now that I’m married … I’ve been told to read this one instead.’
‘I have been told that this is usually one of the only times in a married man’s life when he can speak without being interrupted … I may be here sometime.’
‘I didn’t actually receive an invitation to the wedding, so I hope I haven’t just eaten somebody else’s meal.’
‘When I asked [bride’s] father if I could marry his daughter, he wanted to know if I would be able to support the family. The answer was no! I was only planning to support his daughter. The rest of them would have to look after themselves.’
‘A lot of people believe that girls marry men who remind them of their fathers, which explains why [bride’s] mother crying so much during the ceremony.’
‘I was a bit nervous about giving a wedding speech so I had a look online for some tips. The best advice came from Franklin D Roosevelt who said “Be sincere; be brief; be seated”. So…..thanks very much for coming!’
‘[bride] says that I never listen….or something like that’
Those who want to get married near their home town
Those who want to get married(a little further away) in a different city
Those who want to get married in a different country
In this hack, we are going to talk about the latter. This hack is for those adventurous couples who take their entire wedding overseas to create the ultimate dream wedding. This is the destination wedding!
Choosing the location
This is the hardest part. Where do you begin? Well, as always, a good place to start is your wedding theme. Do you already have a theme in mind for your wedding? If so, try to choose a location that suits your theme. Consider if you want an outdoor or indoor wedding and scope out areas that you think would be well suited. Keep in mind that the best weather usually occurs during the tourist season which could mean that your dream location ends up being really busy (a beach full of spectators probably wasn’t on your wish-list). If you already have a location which is important to you and your fiancé or that has some sentimental value, these locations bring an added touch to your wedding which can make it even more special. Of course, always keep an eye on the price to check if it’s in your budget. There are some additional costs needed for a destination wedding which we will discuss in more detail below.
Money-saving tips
If you plan to get married outdoors, use the natural beauty of the location to save on decorations. Likewise, try decorating indoor areas with local goods, adding an authentic feel. This could include plants, produce, crates etc. Be creative.
Look for non-city locations with cheaper flights, venues and accommodation. Just make sure that it is easy enough to travel there and that there are enough hotels to house all your guests.
Block-book hotels
As mentioned above, depending on when you book, it could be tourist season and there may not be enough accommodation available to cover all your guests. To avoid this, block-book hotels or self-catering accommodation in advance. The quicker you can finalise your guest list the better, as this will give you a more accurate idea of the total number of guests you need to book rooms for. You can then ask your guests to pay you directly to allow you to settle the bill with the hotel. For more complex bookings (e.g. if you are arranging self-catering or room-sharing), a Facebook messenger group can be incredibly useful.
Visit first yourself
Oh what a burden! It is highly recommended that you visit the location/venue yourself at least once before you get married. Ideally, you would want to visit before booking your venue and visit a few possible venues to make sure you are completely happy with it. If you are going to go to the effort of getting married abroad, you need to make sure it’s right. If possible, try visiting 2 or 3 times. This is something else to add into the budget.
Vendor issues
Do you plan to hire a local vendor for your destination wedding or are you bringing a vendor with you? If they are a local vendor, you would probably want to meet them first, prior to booking them. If they don’t speak English, you may want to consider hiring a local English-speaking wedding planner to liaise with all vendors on your behalf (it’s an added expense but could save a lot of hassle). If, on the other hand, you are bringing a vendor with you, there will probably be a requirement to pay for their travel and accommodation costs. If you need to do this for multiple vendors, costs will quickly skyrocket.
Local marriage requirements
This is a biggie! It is essential that you check the legal requirements of getting married in whatever country you choose. Many countries have a residency requirement which means that you must reside in the country for a certain period before your wedding ceremony. The duration of this period differs between countries although some countries are quite lengthy e.g. France is 40 days!
Warn your wedding party in plenty of time
It’s important to stay aware of the financial responsibilities you are placing on guests by getting married abroad. Unless you plan to pay for all your guests’ flights and accommodation, give your guests as much notice as you can so they can prepare accordingly. This is especially true for your wedding party and guests who you are really close with as you want to ensure that they are able to attend.
Can all your guests travel?
It’s also good to consider if all your guests are able to travel? For example, any friends who will be in the late stages of pregnancy around your wedding date may not be able to make it.
Weather and Outfits
Unfortunately, getting married abroad still does not guarantee good weather and you should prepare a backup plan if the weather takes a turn for the worse. As well as rain, wind can cause a serious issue for outdoor weddings. We have outlined some wind/rain busting solution in our beach wedding hack.
Your outfits should also be weather appropriate. Make sure to choose lighter fabrics that you won’t overheat in. Unless you are having a destination wedding in Greenland, in which case the opposite is true!
If you are considering a destination wedding, the above points are your key considerations to whether you think it will be achievable. If planned well, a destination wedding can actually work out cheaper if you choose the right location(although that’s not the best reason to opt for a destination wedding). Keep in mind that the difficulties of wedding planning are immediately doubled when you are planning the wedding overseas so you need to decide if it’s worth the extra effort. But don’t let me put you off! A destination wedding can be one of the most spectacular weddings imaginable……and if it’s what you want, who cares how difficult it is…..just do it!
Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life, but it brings with it an unusual cocktail of emotions. Joy, nerves, excitement, panic…to name a few. The combination of extreme fear and extreme excitement at the same time is a very strange feeling. Of course, nerves and fear are totally expected. Getting married is a big deal and the thought of exhibiting the event in front of 100+ guests can make it all-the-more daunting. Let’s face it! You’re not going to be able to get rid of all the nerves, but a few quick tips can make all the difference between anxiety and bliss.
1. Do what you can to relax in the morning
The morning of your wedding is where the real nerves start. Here are a few tips:
Start the day with a bath
You may not feel like eating, but going out for breakfast can also be a nice start to the day
A good way to keep yourself calm is to get some company. Ideally, you want to have somebody with a calming personality with you as you start to get ready. Parents, friends or other members of the wedding party are a good place to start. If you’re getting ready on your own, your mind is free to race and that’s when panic can set in. Get distracted, get some company.
2. Remember what it’s all about
There are many things that you may be feeling anxious about…..the ceremony, speeches, first dance etc. Whatever it is, try to remember that these things are only moments in time, they will be finished as soon as they start. Your marriage however is going to last forever. As pleasant as these individual parts of your wedding are, they are only components of the overall celebration of your marriage. Focus on the reason for the day, your love for one another and you will find yourself hopelessly distracted from everything else.
3. Remember that nobody wants you to mess up
If you are nervous about the audience that will be watching you getting married, don’t be! Remember that everyone you have invited is there because they love you and want to share this day with you. Nobody is hoping you mess up (if they are then don’t invite them!). If anything goes wrong, nobody is going to mock, it just becomes a humorous moment that you will be sharing at dinner tables for years to come.
4. Take it all in
If you are too busy panicking, you may forget to take in the events of the day. It’s so easy to get distracted by your nerves, so instead, just focus on the beautiful little moments that occur during the day. Soak in every conversation, embrace every hug and every handshake. It flies by! And regardless of how nervous you were at the start of the day, you will most likely go to bed saying it was one of the greatest days of your life. Live in the moment. Take it all in.
Are you looking for some quotes from famous individuals for your wedding speech? Here is a short list to get you started:
“I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.” – Groucho Marx
“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” – Allan K. Chalmers
“The man who says his wife can’t take a joke forgets that she took him.” – Oscar Wilde
“A man is incomplete until he’s married. After that, he’s finished.” – Zsa Zsa Gabor
“Some women pick men to marry, and others pick men to pieces.” – Mae West
“There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day, knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.” – Ronald Reagan
“The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman’s heart.” – Timothy Titcomb, J. G. Holland
“It’s not as great a day for the bride as she thinks. She’s not marrying the best man.” – Anonymous
“It’s a funny thing that when a man hasn’t anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married.” – Robert Frost
“Any fool can have a trophy wife. It takes a real man to have a trophy marriage.” – Diane Sollee
“You know you are in love when you see the world in her eyes, and her eyes everywhere in the world.” – David Levesque
Crafting the perfect wedding playlist is a skill in itself. Your task is to take your guests on a musical journey that tells them a story or guides them in a certain flow of emotions.
The ceremony music is a bit more self-explanatory so we won’t discuss that in this hack. Instead, we’ll discuss playlist structure for the other 2 key (musical) points of the day.
Backing music for the meal
The dancing
Music is such a personal thing. There will be songs that remind you of certain moments in your life and instantly transport you back to that time. There will also be songs that are a shared memory for both you and your fiancé. These songs are often a great starting point for building your playlist if you are willing to share them with your guests. You can then work around them with songs of a similar style.
You may wish to place the songs in chronological order of their meaning to your relationship….. i.e. from when you met until the present day. This can be a nice touch and will be very special for you(even if it means nothing to your guests). Whether you tell your guests the significance of the songs is up to you.
The other option is to use songs that you feel match the tone of your wedding and you believe your guests will enjoy. For the meal, don’t use anything too lively. Some unfamiliar relaxing backing music is a good choice as your guests probably won’t know the words(you want your guests to talk to one another…..not sing throughout the meal). Listen to the words, not just the sound of the song! I heard about one couple who chose “Still haven’t found what I’m looking for” by U2 for their first dance! Cringe!
The evening playlist is a bit different because you don’t want all the songs to have the same tone. The best way to structure the evening playlist is like this:
Lively(get your guests up and dancing and working up a sweat)
Quiet(let your guests relax, grab a drink and have a slow dance)
Lively again(Once your guests have got some energy back, finish your night in style)
This is a good balance of lively and quiet. Your guests won’t be too exhausted but have had the opportunity to dance as much as they wanted to.
Booking your wedding music is one of the most fun tasks in your wedding planning. It is the soundtrack of your wedding and the backing music to your first dance! A big deal! So it’s important to get this right. Here is a quick 4-step guide to power through this task quickly and happily, whether you are booking a band or DJ.
1. Think about the style
The best place to start with all vendor bookings is your wedding theme. The same is true for booking your wedding music. If you don’t have a wedding theme yet, we would suggest coming up with one as soon as you can as it makes your life a whole lot easier. Once you have decided on your theme, try to base your music around this. Certain themes are naturally suited to certain genres. E.g. a 70s themed wedding would be well suited to a disco/funk band, whereas a rock n’ roll wedding would be best suited to a……erm……90s pop band(obviously). Of course, it’s important to make sure you like the genre yourself. Looking at your theme will at least give you a starting point.
2. Do the research
The next step is the research phase. The best place to begin your search is on wedding directories such as Little Book for Brides or music-specific-directories such as Hireaband. An alternative approach is to use a site like Soundcloud. Most bands/artists on Soundcloud won’t promote themselves as a wedding band but you can still reach out to them and ask if they would be interested. This is a good choice if you want something a little bit more unusual.
3. Initial enquiry
Depending on how tight a deadline you have, you can either contact bands individually based on your preference or you can build a small list of potential bands and contact them all at once. Reach out with a simple email to check their availability on your wedding date, how much they charge and what their service includes(this is a good point to ask if you have any specific requests e.g. can they play a certain song). This is a casual enquiry so don’t feel obliged to book after this first email.
4. Book
Once you have found a band/artist/DJ that you are happy with(you should be happy with the music and the people), it’s time to confirm the booking. Confirm in writing, ask for any contracts that they provide and pay the initial deposit to confirm the booking. You have just booked your wedding music. Nice!
