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Congratulations on your engagement! Your wedding planning journey awaits! To help you get started, we reached out to our venues, and asked them to share their top tip for newly engaged couples. From choosing your wedding venue, and knowing what to look for, to checking venue availability and dates, we’ve rounded up all their expert advice to share with you.
“Our top tip when you’re planning your big day is to remember that it is YOUR day. So decide together what you both want, agree a budget, and then make a list. Aside from saying I do, choosing your venue is also a big decision. So do your research and make appointments with the wedding managers for viewings early in your planning. Make sure your quotation covers everything you need and that there are no hidden costs. And have fun with it, it is YOUR big day!” – Rebecca Prust & Kim Downer, The Duke of Cornwall Hotel
“Our top tip for newly engaged couples is to get your show round booked in. By seeing lots of different types of venue, you’ll be able to narrow down the one that’s just perfect for you.” – Hayley, Offley Place County House
“So, first of all, congratulations! One of my top tips for newly engaged couples would be to sit down and have a think about what it really important for you for the day when it comes to looking at venues – how you want it to feel, how you want it to flow. And when you start to enquire with venues, and when you start to visit them, discuss those things with the team. It will give you a very good sense of whether it’s the right place for you – if their vibe matches yours, and also if their values as a company match up with your values as a couple as well.” – Hannah Watson, Larchfield Estate
“Congratulations – you’re newly engaged! When you’re looking around wedding venues, my top tip is to always look for the unique features of a wedding venue. Some will be really obvious – otherwise the event manager or wedding coordinator can talk to you about them. So have a look for them and find out what they are. It’s so important – not only for you, because it’ll make your day so special, but also for your guests to talk about for years and years to come. And also, the people behind the venue, supplier or service are so important. They will be such a big part of the day, so get to know them and ensure their style of working is right for you.” – Harry South, Deer Park Weddings
“My number once top tip for selecting your venue would be to make sure you find somewhere that has the flexibility and scope to make sure they give you the day that you’re after, making sure to take into account all your ideas and your own personal requirements. Don’t rush any decisions and always have a notebook for any questions to ask people – otherwise you will forget!” – Luke Howard, Roundwood Function Centre
“The one thing I would recommend is having a wedding planning book, to bring with you when you have your planning meetings and appointments. Then you can make notes as well, as sometimes it can be overwhelming when there’s lots of information to go through. You can ask any questions and not feel as though it’s all in you’re head, because you’ll have it all written down. That will really help you stay organised. It’s also a great thing to keep with you forever. You can get them off Etsy or Amazon – they have lots of different prices, whether £10 or £18.” – Sarita Toor, The Keddleston Country House
With these top tips in mind, you’ll be planning the wedding of your dreams in no time! Keep on top of it all with our free wedding planning checklist – here to guide you every step of the way to ‘I do’.
Enjoy our selection of the most artistic shots for our Wedding Photography Awards. It’s all about the aesthetic and creativity – from colours and lighting, to composition and perspective.
The story behind this photo: “We’re always looking for new angles! Jane had to climb on top of a wardrobe to capture this shot of Emily checking her makeup and getting ready before heading off to Stone Barn to marry Dan.”
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: A beautiful and unique bridal prep shot. We love the use of framing and perspective, which tells the story of the bride getting ready and suggests what is next to come. We look through the dress hanger, at the bride looking at her reflection in the mirror, through to the window behind her, itself framed by the dress hanger. We also love the photographer’s determination – literally climbing on top of a wardrobe!
The story behind this photo: “The last shot of the night. We wanted to create a silhouette but it just wasn’t working how I envisioned. Then I gave the flash to the groom and told him to hold it low and point it at the bush and the flash created this incredible heart shape behind them. It was one of those once in a lifetime shots!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: What a dreamy and romantic shot! We love the effect of the flash against the bushes, with the natural heart shape behind the couple.
The story behind this photo: “Taken during the couple’s Belfast tour of the Titanic Belfast.’
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love this modern, urban shot, with its clean geometric shapes and bright lighting. These elements contrast nicely with the bride’s light, flowing veil.
The story behind this photo: “I had my husband Paul on the phone on the other side of the bridge to give instructions and stay out of shot.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love how the bridge frames the couple like a window, while the water reflects them like a mirror. An artful, well-considered composition and perspective.
The story behind this photo: “This was shot in the big glasshouse at The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew. I had the idea to try and make the couple look like they were lost in the undergrowth. I had to find framing that removed everything manmade. It took ages but was worth it!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the effect of this couple’s shot, with its striking composition and use of scaling. There is an illusory, otherworldly quality to it.
The story behind this photo: “Oonagh ONeill’s wedding day (my daughter). Even though there were other photographers shooting on the day (day off!!!), I had to capture one of my own style of wedding shots on the day too.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: An awe-inspiring, ethereal shot, backlit with an off-camera flash to illuminate the bride’s veil. We love how the veil holds the light, almost like a stained glass window. The symmetry is also very effective, with the sweeping stairs and paintings perfectly framing the bride. Including the intricate ceiling adds to the effect.
The story behind this photo: “Bridal prep – keeping it natural and unposed but showing the reality of the morning from a different perspective.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love this unusual perspective of the bridal prep, with its clever use of verticals and framing. The use of black and white elevates this candid shot.
The story behind this photo: “I was photographing details when I saw the reflection of the flower girl running around outside. I just managed to click the moment that she was perfectly framed.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love to see a natural, candid moment captured in such an artistic way. The use of angles, framing and perspective here is very well considered.
The story behind this photo: “I love creating artistic images and playing with mirrors and reflections. Catherine and Greg were there for it and allowed me to get as creative as I wanted at their wedding!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: A very striking and artistic shot. We love the doubling of reflections, and the way the blurring of the foreground draws the eye through the image.
The story behind this photo: “The bride and groom were walking from their ceremony in Bath back to the hotel they were staying in. I knew they’d be walking past this shop and had already decided earlier that I would try and dive in and get this shot of them framed by the mannequins’ legs as they went by. Sometimes creativity is planned as much as it is spontaneous.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is such an interesting and unique composition. We love how the static framing by the mannequins’ legs frames such a candid, dynamic moment.
The story behind this photo: “I got creative at night with some lights and fractals.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The play on light here is very striking. It gives the image an abstract, artistic quality, and contrasts beautifully with the darkness of the night sky.
There you have our best artistic shots of 2022! As a contrasting follow-up, next in the series is best candid photos – those natural, unposed, spontaneous, caught-off-guard snapshots.
Group shots are a great way to capture the overall theme and atmosphere of a wedding, featuring the entire party. Here are our top picks for our Wedding Photography Awards.
The story behind this photo: “Andy and Alyssa didn’t want any standard pictures. I shot Alyssa’s sister’s wedding just before lockdown, and was the photographer for six other couples who were guests at the wedding. So as you can see from the picture we all had a lot of fun. Venue was Bishton Hall in Stafford, and it was a festival vibe wedding.
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: We love the warmth and sunniness of this photo. From the pale blue suits and yellow sunflower dresses, to the backdrop of the ancient Greek temple, to the bright lighting, everything about the image screams fun. The poses of the wedding party are posed and theatrical, yet fun and light-hearted. There is a loose symmetry to the composition which is very effective – it holds everything together without feeling forced.
Read on for our list of honourable mentions, whose submissions simply blew us away!
The story behind this photo: “Matt the groom had some special Cuban cigars saved for his special day. He wanted me to capture the moment when he smoked them with his ushers. The evening atmosphere and backlit courtyard was perfect for it to show off the smoke and create a different kind of group shot.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love an unusual group shot, and this one is no exception. The chill poses of the men, and the effect of the smoke, create a very striking image.
The story behind this photo: “A fun group shot of Ben and his wedding crew.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the buzz of action captured in this photo as the wedding party happily make their preparations. It has a lovely candid feel to it.
The story behind this photo: “Sunset on the way back from the shot!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: Golden hour photos are always magical! The sun’s rays beautifully illuminate the figures as they walk back through the fields of wheat.
The story behind this photo: “The bride and the bridesmaids. When taking formal group shots, I encourage genuine laughs with creative prompts and suggestions.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The girls’ colourful dresses and laughing expressions caught our eye. An uplifting, refreshing twist on a classic bridal group shot.
The story behind this photo: “The couple wanted some non-traditional group shots with their wedding party.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love to see the grooms and guests enjoying themselves so casually – chatting, drinking, and just having a good laugh! A lovely light-hearted moment.
The story behind this photo: “Rain forced the garden group shots indoors, so I spied this sofa earlier and wanted to use it anyway, for a more editorial inspired shot.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the drama of this editorial shot. The intense frontal gazes of the wedding party, and muted colour palette, make for a very striking image.
The story behind this photo: “This was taken a little later in the day which made for a nice relaxed vibe to this group shot.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The late afternoon light gives this photo such a warm, uplifting quality. We love the group’s casual poses and candid expressions.
The story behind this photo: “One of the reasons I love this photo so much is THE VIEW! I’ve never taken a group photo in such a stunning location before, and I think that, and the sense of fun in it, is what makes it one of my favourite group shots of the year. The location is on the cliffs in Devon at Wurzell Weddings.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the sense of space created by the breathtaking natural landscape, and the relaxed poses of the guests themselves. A memorable group shot!
The story behind this photo: “The wedding was shot in Leeds and the bride was, well, a bit late. I saw the sun coming through the mist and therefore an opportunity to get my groomsmen shot. Scots in the mist.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The choice to shoot in black and white creates a moody atmosphere, perfect for such a misty scene. We love the groomsmen’s striking poses.
The story behind this photo: “Found a secret snooker room in the basement of the hotel. Gathered my lights and the full bridal party for this cool group shot.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is such a unique and creative group shot. We love its intensity and drama, as well as the candid poses of the wedding party in action.
There you have our best group shots of 2022! Up next: the best artistic photos, featuring the most aesthetic, beautifully shot, perfectly posed images from our most creative photographers.
It wouldn’t be a wedding without a couple to tie the knot! Enjoy our top couple shots for our Wedding Photography Awards, from the romantic to the comedic to everything in between.
The story behind this photo: “Jess and Jamie travelled from Singapore to elope in Glencoe in winter. The couple was dreaming about the trip to Scotland for so long! They were so happy and grateful for being there together. This picture was taken on the road of Glen Etive. Winter conditions created an amazing opportunity to capture beautiful images, which was very exciting for all of us that day. We wanted to capture these beautiful and genuine moments and the newlyweds just expressed that by starting to run for a while to release their energy and emotions. It was so lucky we managed to document that!”
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: We love the natural documentary style, set against the snowy peaks of the Scottish Highlands. The dark and subdued, wintry tones perfectly fit the setting and season and add a sense of drama. Yet there is a real sense of lightness and freedom in the couple’s joy and freedom. The bride’s expression is particularly striking – we love her excitement and laughter, and the way her hair is blowing in the wind.
Read on for our list of honourable mentions, whose submissions simply blew us away!
The story behind this photo: “I am always a sucker for a good bath. I am always looking to shoot something different and my couples are always up for anything.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a prize-worthy couple shot – both artistic and aesthetic, yet candid and humorous. We love its composition and symmetry.
The story behind this photo: “Tabitha and Jed eloped with just their closest family members by their side on a small island on the west coast of Scotland which they’ve been coming to for ages for holidays. We went for some photos after the ceremony and they really wanted to go for a little paddle in one of the slate quarries. They went in, it started to rain heavily, they looked at each other, Jed took off his jacket, threw it back to the shore, and the paddle became a swim. It was the most exhilarating moment. Then we just walked back to their cottage and you should have seen their family’s faces when they came back!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This photo perfectly captures the couple’s joy and exhilaration in the moment. We love to see them laughing and joyfully embracing the moment.
The story behind this photo: “During the ceremony we looked out of the window and snow started to fall. By the end of the ceremony it looked like a winter wonderland outside. Thankfully Raychel and Callum were as excited as I was to go and take some pictures in it…”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a breathtaking, magical photo. It transports you to another place and time. We love its cool, clean tones, and the luminous effect of the light on the bride’s flowing veil. The couple’s blurry reflection in the frozen water is also very striking.
The story behind this photo: “I wanted to make it look like a Rembrandt painting – the grandeur of the venue and this couple deserved it!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The artistry of this couple shot beautifully echoes the art hanging on the walls of the venue itself. We love the moody, dramatic lighting.
The story behind this photo: “The story behind this photo: “I love Stapleford Park. There are so many opportunities to take stunning photos outdoors and indoors. My aim is to take a special and unique wow shot for all couples on their wedding day. When I saw Charlotte’s wedding dress I knew straightaway where we needed to go to take this shot for the couple.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the unusual perspective of this shot, with the couple smiling up from below. We also love the shape the bride’s dress makes on the floor.
The story behind this photo: “Rebecca and Adam relaxing on a vintage sofa, at Rushpool Hall in Saltburn by the Sea.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a heart-warming, candid shot. We love to see the couple laughing together and enjoying each other’s company in such a relaxed and informal way.
The story behind this photo: “Drummer Luke and photographer Kirsty celebrated their love with a weekend long, mini music festival wedding. I wanted to make a unique portrait for them against the festival tents. Using a hand-made multi-coloured neon sign and some creative slow shutter speed, I created heart-shaped light trails around them. The evening was warm and balmy and as the music filled the air, Luke and Kirsty say it was one of the most special memories of their wedding.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This photo is a perfect balance of dreamy and romantic, and vibrant and colourful. A wonderful couple shot, full of love, joy and celebration.
The story behind this photo: “A fantastically happy couple at the wonderful Babington House. I had to shoot from low perspective to capture the epic feel of all the lanterns.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love to see such a joyful couple, smiling together and embracing. The lanterns hanging against the black sky create a lovely, dreamy atmosphere.
The story behind this photo: “Manvi (the bride) is a doctor and Conor (the groom) is a GP, and they met at medical college and fell in love at first sight. Conor always wanted to have an Indian-styled wedding and went to India with Manvi to do all the shopping for their wedding. They had their beautiful wedding in Larchfield Estate in Northern Ireland.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a beautiful, vibrant photo. We love to see the colours and patterns of the couple’s dress set against the natural foliage backdrop.
The story behind this photo: “Bride and groom are both endurance athletes with a great sense of humour and wanted their wedding photos to reflect their passion for running and fun!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love how this photo embraces the couple’s passion for running and their fun-loving, adventurous spirit. It is a refreshingly unique shot.
The story behind this photo: “Found a cool spot and captured a cool moment.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is definitely a cool moment! It’s a classic couple’s shot with the yellow wisteria hanging down and framing the bride and groom in a romantic arch. But what makes it are the couple’s happy expressions. A perfectly captured snapshot.
There you have our best couple shots of 2022! We’re following up with the rest of the dream team, so don’t miss our next article featuring the best group photos of the year.
No wedding would be complete without a showstopper of a cake and champagne to pop and toast with. It’s all about the celebration and joy of the occasion. Here are our favourite snaps of the year, hand-picked for our Wedding Photography Awards. From classic cake-cutting moments, to chic champagne towers, there’s something for everyone!
The story behind this photo: “This shot was one the bride had imagined for 3 years! It was shot at 8pm immediately before the first dance and was an amazing end to the day’s reception.”
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: What a vibrant and joyful photo! This is what cake moments are all about – cake, colour, confetti, celebration! There is a real party atmosphere, from the couple’s laughter to the guests’ cheering. We love the composition with the guests winding up the spiral staircase, showering the couple below with confetti. And the cake itself is incredible – towering and beautifully decorated. This may be a staged shot, but the reactions of the couple and their loved ones give it a wonderfully candid and natural feel.
Read on for our list of honourable mentions, whose submissions simply blew us away!
The story behind this photo: “Liz the bride loves champagne. So just after she said ‘I do’ we got the bride’s clan together to open a bottle. So much fun!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is such an uplifting and celebratory shot. We love to see the excitement of the three bridesmaids, and the champagne splatters on the camera lens.
The story behind this photo: “This was taken looking into a mirror. Early morning Prosecco livening up the late morning bridal prep.
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the spirit and liveliness of this photo. There is a real sense of togetherness and celebration, which is what champagne moments are all about!
The story behind this photo: “An LGBTQ+ wedding cake-cut moment with matching outfits for brides Lucy and Yak !”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love to see such a joyful and colourful image, with the matching floral outfits complementing the magnificent floral cake. The composition, with the cake centrally placed in front of the brides, is also very effective.
The story behind this photo: “After months of planning, Kat was finally able to enjoy the sweet taste of a doughnut and taste the success of all her hard work!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The expression of pleasure on the bride’s face speaks for itself! This is a moment of pure indulgence and delight, as it should be!
The story behind this photo: “During a workshop at Asylum Chapel run by Emmy Shoots.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: For a TikTok trend (check out the hashtag #champagnetower, with its 40 million views), this photo has such a timeless, classic feel due to being shot in black and white. The bride’s expression adds a fun, modern touch to this impressive shot.
The story behind this photo: “Shauna and Tom wanted something a little bit different and fun for their night portrait at The Old Kent Barn and you can’t beat a champagne spray!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is photo is both artistic and theatrical, and fun and playful. We love how the drops of champagne look like stars against the black sky.
The story behind this photo: “A completely unprompted moment between Ross and Dale where she grabbed the sharp end of the knife!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a beautifully candid and light-hearted image. We love the playful look the bride and groom share with each other.
The story behind this photo: “The bride was a Polish girl, and the groom was from Italy. The wedding was in Scotland, where they both met. Beautiful couple!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: Candid cake moments are the best, and this photo is no exception! We love to see the couple having so much fun with the cake-cutting. The way the groom leans back, as the bride playfully reaches out, makes for a vibrant, dynamic composition. The bright, colourful tones perfectly capture the spirit of the photo.
The story behind this photo: “The couple were eloping together in Scotland and we decided to kick off the celebration in style.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: An elegant and refined recreation of a classic Instagram-worthy moment. The artistic monochrome tones contrasts nicely with the couple’s playfulness.
The story behind this photo: “The less traditional cheese wedding cake being attacked by the bridesmaids…”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the drama and intensity of this photo, with its moody lighting and striking composition. Not to mention the bridesmaids’ fierce expressions!
The story behind this photo: “It’s like rain on your wedding day! When Abby and Cree were married it unfortunately poured down, so we made the best we could with being indoors. In their honeymoon suite was a huge jacuzzi built into the floor, so they jumped in and grabbed their prosecco! The rain might have ruined the outdoors but we found fun inside.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is such a sweet and intimate champagne moment. We love the way the brides are looking at each other, and kicking their feet up to relax in the tub.
There you have our top cake and champagne moments of 2022! Up next in this blog series is one for the romantics, with the best couples photos of the year.
We’ve put together our top picks of the most emotional ceremony moments for this year’s Wedding Photography Awards. From hugs and handshakes, to tears and laughter, each photo reflects the emotion and importance of the occasion.
The story behind this photo: “This is a shot of a mum of a groom. It’s actually the first second of her emotions. The next moment she went to tears. Then tried to hold herself together. I put a set of all three photos in their wedding album.”
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: It’s no wonder the mum of the groom got three photos dedicated to her intense display of emotion. We love how expressive her upturned face is , and how the light hits it, and how she clasps her chest. We also love how the close-up shot puts all the focus on her emotions. The warm tones enhance the feeling of hope and joy.
Read on for our list of honourable mentions, whose submissions simply blew us away!
The story behind this photo: “A VERY happy groom to just be newly married at Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The groom’s literal fist pump speaks volumes – it is a beautifully candid moment. We love the bride’s reaction and the way she looks at him full of laughter.
The story behind this photo: “When you say nothing at all – as if to say “I love you Dad”, and dad looks at his daughter thinking the same thing.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is such a sweet image. The emotions are more in the gestures than the expressions, as the bride gently rests her head on her father’s shoulder.
The story behind this photo: “The breadth of emotions in one image, with the tears of the groom, the joy of the bride and the pride and happiness of her father.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the storytelling involved in this image, as well as the contrast in emotions between the groom, the bride, and the bride’s father. It beautifully captures the whirlwind of emotions at such a special moment in a relaxed, natural way.
The story behind this photo: “I saw how proud the bride’s 101-year-old grandmother was, and wanted to capture her emotions.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: A beautiful, touching image. The composition is masterful, with the couple in the foreground but blurred, and the grandmother in focus between them in the centre, drawing our eyes to her expression of pride and joy.
The story behind this photo: “There’s a backstory to this wedding that’s too personal for me to share but it resulted in a VERY emotional ceremony. The atmosphere was electric. I find this image of it all getting a bit much for Heather very powerful indeed.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is an incredibly powerful and poignant image. We love how it captures the moment the bride glances up, caught up in the emotionality of the moment, fighting back the tears, as her partner quietly looks down.
The story behind this photo: “I absolutely loved these guys – Arpy and Cliff married at St Michael’s Manor, St Albans. They already had 2 kids, were moving to Chicago, and never intended to get married. Then Cliff popped the question and she was over the moon. She was cool as a cucumber until she walked down the aisle, then the nerves really kicked in, but Cliff knew what to do, and they laughed throughout the whole ceremony. One of the funniest weddings I’ve shot in a long while – I loved every minute.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love to see the couple laughing together and looking at each other with genuine love and affection. The choice to shoot in colour adds to the effect.
The story behind this photo: “Sandra entered the wedding venue like a movie star. Set to gently swelling music, a recording of her heartwarming words moved everyone to tears as she spoke of her undying love for Jeremy, her car pulling up at the end of the aisle at the speech and music crescendo. In bits and being consoled by his mother, Jeremy briskly walked halfway up the aisle to meet Sandra. Teary-eyed and surrounded by the packed, tight crowd of loved ones, he couldn’t wait to lift Sandra’s veil and finally marry the love of his life.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: Just reading the story behind this photo made us as teary-eyed as the bride. We love how this image captures the intimacy and intensity of the moment, emphasised by the close-up of the couples’ faces, and by the use of black and white.
The story behind this photo: “A very emotional reading of vows. The bride’s mother had passed away from cancer.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: A truly emotional photo, and a heart-wrenching story. Both took our breath away. Beyond the bride’s tearful, bittersweet expression, there is a desperation to the way she grips her husband-to-be’s arm. The choice to shoot in colour injects a measure of hope and light into what would otherwise be an entirely sombre and heavy image.
The story behind this photo: “I noticed this guest getting very emotional and her daughter seeming a little concerned and thought it made for a powerful moment and one that the couple would have been moved to see themselves afterwards.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a strikingly original composition. We love the focus on the little girl’s reaction to her mother’s reaction, emphasised by their centrality in the shot.
The story behind this photo: “This was such a joyful wedding! Groom Craig spontaneously twirled bride Lynsey as they walked back down the aisle after their ceremony.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love to see something unexpected and spontaneous, and this photo captures exactly that. It’s playful and fun, highlighting the joy of the ceremony.
There you have our most emotional ceremony moments of 2022! Get ready to party with the next episode in this blog series: the best cake and champagne moments of the year.
Continuing our Wedding Photography Awards blog series, take a look at our shortlist for the best first dance photos. Each captures the start of a couple’s journey together as partners for life, and all the magic, love, excitement and joy of the day.
The story behind this photo: “This was captured at Prestwold Hall, the couple are Chris and Michelle. The image was lit behind with two flashes to capture the movement and a bridesmaid was camera left in the shadows throwing the dress and veil. I really wanted to use the epic entrance vertical lines in contrast to the drama of a first dance, and the movement of the dress just works so well. Two or three attempts and we had it, and a very giggly bridesmaid!”
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: The artistry of this photo is entrancing. There is an otherworldly quality to it, which perfectly evokes the feeling of being transported in the first dance. The composition is masterful, with the couple standing in the middle of the dimly lit room, illuminated by the soft ceiling lighting, the bride’s veil flowing behind her. The solidity of the vertical columns contrasts beautifully with the weightlessness of the billowing veil. We also love the stillness of the moment, and the way the couple’s reflection is mirrored on the floor. It is overall a magical and awe-inspiring image, filled with beauty, grace and wonder.
Read on for our list of honourable mentions, whose submissions simply blew us away!
The story behind this photo: “This was the bride and groom’s first dance, with their engagement photo on the photo-wall in the background.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This photo combines theatre with intimacy. Silhouetted figures, spotlights and smoke contrast with joyful expressions, clasped hands, and the very personal touch of having their colourful engagement photo hanging behind them.
The story behind this photo: “This couple were the best dancers ever and filled the dancefloor all night, surrounded by their friends.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This photo beautifully captures the spirit and joy of the first dance. The smiles of the bride and groom are infectious, as are the smiles of their loved ones. We love to see the bride’s outstretched arms as she fully embraces the moment, and how she directly meets her partner’s eyes. Their love for each other is obvious, as is their shared bond.
The story behind this photo: “The glamourous Mimi and Bish enjoying their first dance”.
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the brightness and colour of this photo, which perfectly capture the love and happiness of the moment. The couple’s close pose, with their foreheads touching, and their matching smiles, creates a touching yet uplifting effect.
The story behind this photo: “I captured this great dance shot with the dress in full display. I like that both the dress and the light above are in a circle.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the energy and dynamism in this photo, especially of the bride spinning in her vibrantly patterned dress. There is a real sense of joy in the moment.
The story behind this photo: “Lauren and Dan doing the dirty dancing move during their first dance at Highley Manor in Sussex.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the feeling of freedom captured in this photo, as the bride soars in her partner’s uplifted arms. The use of greyscale adds a measure of sophistication, which contrasts beautifully with the light-heartedness of the pose itself.
The story behind this photo: “For the first dance, these two had all their guests throw confetti! Nothing like being showered in their love”.
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a fun, vibrant and colourful photo, which has a real feeling of love and celebration. We love how the hand throwing the confetti is in the foreground but blurred, drawing the eye to the couple just behind, who are in focus and clearly the centre of attention. We also love the bride’s expression of joy as she dances with her partner. The happiness of the guests in the background adds to the atmosphere.
The story behind this photo: “Nothing better than the rare occasion when the couple really enjoy their first dance, and even better when the guests gather round and enjoy it too.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The couple’s genuine joy is wonderful to see. We particularly love the bride’s carefree gesture of pointing to the ceiling. The composition is itself very artful, with the couple in the centre and the guests arrayed behind them in a semicircle. The drama of the photography contrasts beautifully with the passion of the subjects themselves.
The story behind this photo: “Just a beautiful expression of happiness from the bride in this favourite of mine.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: It was the bride’s expression that caught our eye too – the light in her eyes, the smile on her face. The elegance of the black and white image complements her serene joy. There is an almost luminous quality to it. We love the composition as well, with the couple in the foreground to the right, while the guests look on in the background.
The story behind this photo: “I asked the couple to take 5 minutes alone, and when I returned they were practicing their first dance. I captured this without them knowing!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The combination of drama and dynamism in this photo is breathtaking. The sinking sun bathes the couple in golden light, illuminating the bride’s dress as her partner spins her about. We love the ambience created by the play of light and dark. It is a perfect snapshot of an intimate moment in time set against a natural backdrop.
The story behind this photo: “The majestic Kings College in Cambridge was the perfect setting for this incredible wedding, so why not take in the full view from the gallery for this first dance image?”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This photo has the feeling of a painting, which gives it a majestic and impressive quality. We love the artful perspective from the gallery, with the couple in the spotlight in the centre and the guests surrounding them in a perfect circle.
The story behind this photo: “I lit this photo slightly differently due to the space and atmosphere to create a more “vibey” look that the couple loved”.
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the symmetry of this photo, with the two lights shining like stars either side of the couple as they embrace in the centre. Having the guests barely visible in the darkness is a masterful choice, as it puts the attention entirely on the couple and the enchanting moment they share, but reminds us that they are surrounded by loved ones.
There you have our favourite first dance photos of 2022! If you loved our line-up, stay tuned for the next in the series: the most emotional ceremony moments, sure to be a tear-jerker!
No wedding would be complete without a top-notch wedding photographer – the person responsible for making your special day last forever.
Our Wedding Photography Awards are here to celebrate just that. Take a look at this year’s selection of the most special wedding photos across 12 exciting categories, captured by our incredible wedding photographers, and handpicked by our panel of industry experts. We received 340 submissions in total – that’s 900 individual photos across all the categories. So a huge congratulations to all those photographers who have been shortlisted!
Go through the list and discover the story behind each photo and why we chose them.
And if any catch your eye, why not reach out to them on their Bridebook profiles to snap them up for your own wedding? After all, there’s no denying that the best wedding inspiration can come from dreamy photos of fellow brides and grooms who have already tied the knot.
Kicking off with the best first look photos. Seeing the bride in her wedding dress for the first time is always an emotional moment for all those involved, and one that’s so special to capture. It’s all about the emotions and reactions, from anticipation to joy to pride to love. We were blown away by the amazing submissions we received – here are our favourites.
The story behind this photo: “Becca and her bridesmaids were getting ready at the magnificent Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. Her mum helped her into her dress and I thought of arranging the first look with her bridesmaids – the looks on their faces, it was worth it!”
Why we chose this photo as our overall winner: For us, this photo perfectly captures everything a first look is meant to be. It is all about the beauty and magic of the big reveal, and the emotions and reactions of those in the room when the bride makes her entrance. We adore the line-up of emotions on each of the bridesmaid’s faces, from shock to delight to pride to awe. The composition adds to the effect, with the bride posing in the foreground with her arms spread out and her back to the camera, while the bridesmaids stand together side by side, their hands clasped in front of them. The luminous, golden lighting creates a warm and light-hearted atmosphere, which wonderfully captures the joy of those in the room. It is a photo which is both artful and natural, combining posed perfection with heart-warming humanity.
Read on for our list of honourable mentions, whose submissions simply blew us away!
The story behind this photo:“This photo is from the wedding of Poppy and Josh, who got married at Beaconside House in North Devon in 2021. The gorgeous bride, Poppy, bought her stunning dress from Champagne and Charlotte Bridal and had been waiting until the day to show to her adoring bridal party who raised the roof for the moment!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The expressions of joy on each of the bridesmaids’ faces are beautiful to see. We particularly love the gesture of the little girl covering her face, while the other children watch to see what her reaction will be.
The story behind this photo: “This was the first time the bridesmaids had seen the bride in her dress. They had no idea what style of dress she was going for and took bets on what she would have gone for. Needless to say none of them guessed right! They are a very close knit group of friends and definitely #bridetribe goals!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the energy and vibrancy in this photo – it is super fun, colourful, vibrant and full of joyful laughter. The reactions of the four bridesmaids are priceless, and really show the story of their attempts at guessing the style of their friend’s dress.
The story behind this photo: “This dad was making light of the day (joking all morning), until he saw his daughter. He couldn’t stop sobbing, making us all cry (yes, the photographer too!).”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The choice to shoot in greyscale adds to the intensity of the scene and gives weight to the composition. It perfectly captures that breathtaking moment when the dad sees his daughter before the wedding ceremony and is overcome with emotion.
The story behind this photo: “When the bride’s dad saw his daughter for the first time on her wedding day he was so overcome that emotion just took over. We love the look between mum and daughter while dad is struggling to hold it together.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The monochrome tones here perfectly capture the intensity and drama of this emotional moment. We love to see the bride’s visible gasp as she shares a look with her mum, who is herself overcome with emotion as she holds her husband close.
The story behind this photo: “We always love an emotional dad! I love how the bride squad really add to the energy and emotion in this shot.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: The composition here, with the bride standing in the foreground to the side, while the dad and bridesmaids stand facing her, is very artful, and adds to the emotionality of the photo. We love to see the varying expressions on each of their faces – from the intensity of the dad’s tearful pride, to the bridesmaids’ smiles of delight.
The story behind this photo: “I met Jane and Tom when they agreed to do their engagement session in the only snow storm we’ve had in 2 years! So their wedding day was going to be fun. Well it was fun but also full of happy tears, starting with this wonderful moment between Jane and her dad at the first look. She looked amazing and that veil was incredible!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This photo captures such a special moment. The dad’s expression of admiration and love for his daughter is beautiful, while the gesture of wiping the happy tears from his face adds to the emotionality of the composition.
The story behind this photo: “Dad and Rebecca were both so nervous to see each other for the first look just before the ceremony and the emotions showed the incredible bond they hold – even the venue staff shed tears over the beautiful father and daughter moment they shared.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love how this photo captures the dad’s outpouring of emotion at such a climactic moment. Having him in focus in the centre, with her in the foreground but out of focus, adds to the effect, and puts all the attention on his reaction.
The story behind this photo: “Jill’s reaction when seeing Kunal for the first time in church was absolutely priceless!”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love this unique interpretation of a first look. With the groom in the foreground but out of focus, the attention is on the bride’s reaction of excitement as her husband to be turns around to meet her eyes – a truly magical moment.
The story behind this photo: “I had just spotted the shoes coming down the stairs, and it seemed to tell the story of that moment”.
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is an artful, striking composition, that uniquely captures the moment just before the first look. It is the anticipation of the big reveal that really shines in this photo, with the bride’s family waiting downstairs as the bride takes her last steps towards them.
The story behind this photo: “The groom was so excited to see his bride walk down the aisle. I love his expression.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: We love the groom’s expression too! We also love to see how her eyes meet his, while the father of the bride looks down at his daughter with a smile.
The story behind this photo: “I love capturing these moments and the emotion from the bridesmaids was so touching. A beautiful moment.”
Why we shortlisted this photo: This is a classic, emotional first look moment. Capturing the bride’s reaction through her reflection in the mirror adds a lovely layer of extra depth.
There you have our favourite first look photos of 2022! If you loved our line-up, stay tuned for the next in the series: the best first dance photos, captured straight from the dancefloor!
Britain has the best wedding venues in the world. Our Best of Britain campaign is here to celebrate just that. Check out the top venues in the North West.
The Tudor Manor House Heskin Hall is a “hands on” family run venue. Our priority is to support couples through their wedding planning. We take their ideas and collaborate with our couples helping them to have a successful and relaxed day
“We would like Thank all of our couples who have all worked with us through what has been a difficult year. We have had some fabulous Lockdown weddings and are looking forward to the fun of all of those who chose to delay theirs. We have always felt that communication with our couples is always the best way forward to create the best of successful days. It has never been more true.” – Lynne, Heskin Hall
Samlesbury Hall is a stunning wedding venue for the best day of your lives! You will be drawn into ancient wooded grounds before you catch your first glimpse of this magnificent black and white medieval building, with a gorgeous emerald green lawn and sweeping driveway. It will be completely yours, exclusively for the day. The Whittaker Room is the perfect romantic setting for your ceremony and our 700 year old Great Hall is the most atmospheric room in Lancashire for your delicious wedding breakfast. Our Italian courtyard is the best spot for relaxing during your evening reception, especially when we have our wood fired pizza oven and street food shack fired up and cooking up tasty food for your guests. The front lawn is often the setting for garden games to keep guests entertained all day. Not forgetting of course, the best and quirkiest wedding accommodation in the UK.
“We would be delighted to welcome you to our beautiful wedding venue here at Samlesbury Hall. From the moment you arrive for your initial meeting through to the day we celebrate your wedding and you leave as a married couple we can assure you our passion and enthusiasm will shine through providing you with the most magical day of your lives.” – Rebecca, Samlesbury Hall
Browsholme and Tithe Barn has everything! Five potential locations for your ceremony in one, exclusive and stunning venue. Choose between the rustic yet contemporary splendour of the Tithe Barn; the outdoor tranquillity and beauty of the Pavilion by the Lily Pond; perhaps choose a forest setting at The Lonesome Pine (who’s whistling along?); the historical grandeur of the Regency Drawing Room; or for a smaller and more intimate setting, the newly refurbished Cart Shed. And on top of all that, the very best and experienced team to guide you through your day.
“I can’t wait to welcome you to Browsholme to show you our beautiful, romantic and friendly wedding venue. Let us transform your ideas and dreams into reality; a chat, a show round and a cuppa, the best way to start your wedding planning! And don’t forget to bring your pets if you want them to be part of your day.” – Rebecca, The Tithe Barn at Browsholme Hall
At The Lowry Hotel we offer a bespoke experience, making your special day an occasion to remember. Unique and innately stylish, The Lowry Hotel is the perfect setting for sophisticated and charming celebration. Whether you are holding a small intimate gathering or an elaborate party, we have a venue space to suit your needs. Our dedicated events planner will be on hand to guide you through every aspect of your special day, ensuring an unforgettable experience.
“Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! I believe your wedding should be as unique as you are and that is why I will be on hand to help build the perfect wedding package that showcases you as a couple. We have some brilliant packages available as a starting point, which are based on years of experience and the most requested elements, however these are be changed to really bring your vision to life. From your initial enquiry up to your wedding day you will deal with one event planner to ensure your day runs smoothly and is as stress free as possible. I hope to hear from you soon.” – Laura, The Lowry Hotel
Eden Barn is an exclusive, family-run wedding business with our couples at the heart of everything we do. Situated in 100 acres of beautiful open countryside, our rustic Barn together with our very personal approach make our venue the perfect place for your dream day.
“We would be delighted to welcome you to Eden Barn, our unique and charming ‘rustic’ barn wedding venue. Come and have a tour of the Barn and picturesque grounds either virtually or in person and our family can talk you through how we can work with you to create your perfect wedding day at a price to suit most budgets.” – Eden Barn
Hidden River Barn is a newly built unique venue set in the stunning Cumbrian countryside. The barn sits has a stunning riverside location and has been designed to incorporate a rustic chic design with 11 chandeliers, a double roaring log fire, wood fired pizza oven and a stylish ceremony space. Couples can treat their guests to staying in one of the 5 luxury log cabins with hot tubs onsite and exclusively hire the site including the Hidden River House which can sleep up to 20 people with private hot tubs.
Skitby is licensed for Civil Ceremonies,and our quirky barn venue offers full exclusivity for your special day. We pride ourselves in our ability to offer a very personal and bespoke wedding planning experience and view the process as an exciting journey leading to your “Happily ever after!!†We ensure that you have a designated member of the team on hand throughout the day.
We like to think that we are the venue with serious personality, from our packages to our team our personality and love for weddings shine through. Just like other venues we have accommodation, grounds, beautiful spaces, awards but it is our personality and flair that sets us a part.
“Congratulations on your engagement, you must be so excited! Make sure to enjoy the initial wedding planning stages and focus on what you as a couple want from your wedding day!” – Olivia & Katie, Sparth House
Blending modern elegance with charm and romance The Glass House is a unique and neutral venue can be transformed into your theme but also looks beautiful with minimal styling. Twinkling fairylights, glittering crystal chandeliers, crisp modern lines and glass walls blend seamlessly with wooden beams and endless countryside views to capture the beautiful elegance of an English wedding.
“Congratulations on your engagement, now comes the exciting part of the planning process choosing your venue. This can be a daunting process but Bridebook is the perfect platform to help. The Glass House top tip is to trust your heart as well as weighing up the more practical pros and cons. During a viewing you should be able to visualise your wedding in the venue and get excited at the prospect of planning your special day there. One of The Glass House’s key features is its versatility and ability to showcase your vision and theme in a beautiful space. You won’t find distracting swirly carpets or curtains just fresh white walls, fairylit wooden beams, glittering chandeliers and expanses of glass with countryside views stretching for miles.” – Laura Cobain, The Glass House at Staining Lodge
Nestled at the southern tip of Lake Windermere in the Lake District, The Swan is the perfect wedding venue for you and your loved ones to celebrate the most important day in your lives. The views are breathtakingly beautiful, and the hotel has a cosy yet glamorous feel, well suited to a range of weddings styles from quirky and vintage to elegant and glamorous.
“We are delighted that you have found your way to us and are interested in celebrating your very special day at The Swan! Nothing brings a smile to our face like seeing a happy couple tie the knot, and we understand it’s not just about the flowers and first dance, but all the details in between. From the day of your first meeting with our wedding coordinator to the day you say “I do” you will receive an excellent service from our team and we will together tailor the perfect day to suit your idea of how you want to celebrate this very special occasion.” – Hanna, The Swan
The Old Grammar School is a beautiful, historic barn-like venue built from stone and oak. Only 10 minutes from Manchester city centre yet set in a secluded setting by a stream. Every wedding reception includes exclusive hire of the venue. For every wedding reception, absolutely everything is brought to the venue and set-up from scratch (the bar, kitchen, tables and chairs etc) enabling every wedding reception to be as unique as possible but without the big price tag. All of our menus etc are quoted specifically for each customer based on their number of guests enabling our customers to build their own package.
“If you are looking for a beautiful, characterful, friendly venue within the Manchester area we would love to hear from you. Please do get in touch to speak to us and to arrange a viewing” – The Old Grammar School
The Villa Wrea Green is a quaint country house hotel set in the wonderful surroundings of rolling parkland and open fields in the Lancashire countryside. At The Villa you can have a bespoke wedding, The Hall is available for ceremonies and smaller wedding breakfast’s, a stunning purpose-built Pavilion is suitable for all occasions and our Piano Lounge is ideal for meeting and greeting your wedding guests. Our venue is furnished to a high quality standard and it has been delighting visitors for years, often inspiring them to return again and again.
“At The Villa Wrea Green you can be sure to capture those fairytale wedding moments and we are here to help make your dreams come true. You can be assured of a warm welcome from The Villa Team. Nothing is too much trouble and we pride ourselves on the high standards our guests have become accustomed to. Our highly experienced team includes a dedicated Wedding and Events Manager & Wedding Coordinator to advise, support and assist you in all aspects of planning your wedding to ensure your day is everything you want, and more. It is your day your way.” – Kathryn Dagger, The Villa Wrea Green
At Stirk House we combine the charm of the 16th Century building with a modern twist, so our couples have the best of both worlds for their photos. We also pride ourselves on the staff at the venue – “the whole experience from the day of booking through to the wedding day itself and beyond, the staff will go above and beyond to make your dream wedding day come true”.
“I am so excited to meet you all and discuss all things weddings! After a tough 2020, a wedding is something for you both to look forward to, and it’s the perfect time to start planning. Myself and the team at Stirk House have years of knowledge between us, and cannot wait to help with all aspects of the planning, and to answer all of your questions. We build amazing connections with all our couples, and you will usually find me crying at the back of the ceremony room too on your wedding day! We can accommodate both small intimate weddings, to huge parties for all your friends and family; either way, we will look after you throughout this whole process to make sure your day is tailored to you and your vision, so that you can have the day exactly how you want. We look forward to speaking with you soon to plan your special day!” – Danielle, Stirk House Hotel
Our wedding event spaces are situated in the conservation area of Castlefield, located in the heart of Manchester City Centre, minutes from tram and train links and with ample parking for customers. Natural daylight floods all our spaces, some of which take their inspiration from the industrial heritage of Castlefield, and others which our architect designed and are unashamedly modern. We offer a wide range of menus specially created by our chefs at Alberts Shed.
The hotel is set in over 9 acres of beautiful Saddleworth countryside with incredible views across an open valley. With the original farmhouse buildings, now home to our ceremony chapel, being constructed in the 17th Century and with the recent addition of a reception hall, the Grains Bar Hotel is a perfect blend between rustic and modern. This diversity allows us to cater for weddings of all sizes, from intimate days for 10 to 150 evening guests, we have the space and versatility to provide all you need.
“The Grains Bar Hotel is so proud to have been nominated as a ‘Best of Britain’ Wedding Venue. Seriously, on behalf of Lisa, Louise and our dedicated wedding team, we owe a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us since 2017 and we are looking forward to the future and being a part of those precious days for many years to come. Since our first conversations about hosting weddings at the Grains Bar Hotel, it has been a passion to provide the best possible day to our couples. It’s something we are, and always will be working on, as we try to offer everything you need to help take the stress away from organising a wedding. This includes every member of our hardworking team, a dedicated wedding planner, an on-site florist & decor coordinator, talented chef, ‘Scenic’ Hairdressers & Beauticians and all our other trusted local suppliers.” – Grains Bar Hotel
Set within the stunning Lorton Valley, New House Farm is a dream venue offering uninterrupted views down towards Buttermere and beyond. Dating back to 1650 and with a capacity of 130, The Hayloft is a complete blank canvas ready for you to create the wedding of your dreams, exactly as you wish. Coupled with the newly
“Hello to all newly engaged couples and a huge Congratulations on the start of your new life together. My team and I can’t wait to help make your wedding dreams come true. I look forward to hearing from you.” – Hazel
We are the only authentic stately home in Merseyside and one of the few stately homes operating as an event venue that have strong backing and influence of their owners especially an Earl & Countess. Their high standards in quality, service and excellence are invaluable to the team who strive to deliver a 5* service each and every time. This quality and professionalism can be seen evidently from the 5* reviews we receive on Facebook and questionnaire feedback. We have also won many accolades from, Best Wedding Venue in Merseyside for the 4th year running by County Brides, to the most recent regional award for Best Historic Venue by The Wedding Industry Awards 2021. Everything we do we take pride in and is managed directly in house by a dedicated and passionate team. From our very own housekeeping, gardener’s, chefs using fresh produce grown on the Knowsley estate, to the running of a slick and seamless event. Our aim is to deliver the most memorable and wonderful experience to each and every guest who enters our doors.
“My wedding was one of the best days of my life and now, my husband and I invite you to celebrate your big day in our home, Knowsley Hall. All weddings held here have one thing in common; they all provide a truly memorable experience to be cherished by all involved.” – The Countess of Derby
Our stunning grade II listed building situated in the heart of Manchester city centre, boasts 13 suites including Manchester largest rooftop terrace and 8 guest bedrooms onsite. Combining glamorous 1920’s architecture with 21st century cutting edge design, we are a hidden gem in the city. Our recent restoration has seen a full refurbishment of stunning original features, making this the beautiful setting for you and your guests to celebrate this special occasion. This is the ultimate venue for those seeking an elegant urban grandeur never seen before in Manchester and with a licence to hold civil weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, your whole day can be planned around the one venue, ensuring your guests a day to remember.
“Our reputation has grown due to our personal service and exquisite food and we would love to invite you in to see our beautiful spaces and to discuss your wedding in greater detail. If you choose to visit us, we will take all of your ideas and plans and can add and assist as much as you need including suppliers that best suit your style. We hope you love the venue just as much as we do and hope to be part of your special day. With love, Kelsey & Ritchie”
Panoramic views over the River Mersey and a prime location on Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront; The Venue at the Royal Liver Building offers an impressive setting for every occasion. The contemporary white interior offers a complete blank canvas space with a polished finish that easily transforms into your vision, making it the perfect backdrop for your perfect day. This unique wedding venue provides the perfect space for ceremonies and receptions at Liverpool’ most iconic venue, in the heart of the city. The Venue can seat up to 160 people for vows and up to 200 people for a wedding reception and evening party and is licensed for ceremonies, civil ceremonies and civil partnerships. Say I DO in the Royal Liver Building with unforgettable views whilst you take your vows. If you love Liverpool, there’s no better place to be.
“Did you know you can get married in The Royal Liver Building? Here at The Venue we will tailor a classically stunning Wedding package just for you, and turn your day into the weddding of the year. Plus your will be celebrating in one of the most iconic buildings in the City.” – The Venue Team
A very experienced and super friendly team, always on hand when you need. We can tailor packages to suite your budget and ideas. Your wedding your way.
Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club rests within 450 acres of park and woodland in the heart of Northumberland. Just 24 miles from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Linden Hall is a natural oasis of calm away from the bustling city. You will be captivated before reaching the end of the quarter mile, tree-lined driveway where this Georgian Grade II mansion house awaits you.
The interiors radiate charm and sophistication with luxurious furnishings, period features and roaring logs fires in the winter. With grand stone masonry, a sweeping staircase and dome skylight, your photographer will be spoilt for choice.
The manicured lawns provide the perfect setting for an outdoors ceremony or a garden drinks reception. Bursts of colour from seasonal blooms provide the perfect backdrop all year round.
The University of Manchester boasts some of the most stunning and iconic venues within Manchester and the north-west that provide the perfect backdrop to a memorable day. From an original library, a Hogwarts-style Great Hall, and Stan the T-Rex in our Manchester Museum – we’e got something a great collection of venues to offer something for everyone. Whether you studied at Manchester or not, we’ve got everything to go provide forever last memories!
“We understand that your wedding day is a truly unique and memorable occasion and we’re on hand to ensure it’s just that. Our team has a wide range and depth of experience and knowledge collected over the years that we use help every couple make their special day everything that it means to them. It would be a pleasure to host your special day.” – Adam Woof
With 27 guest rooms in addition to a stunning Bridal Suite and state-of-the-art Cristal Suite dressing room our Country House has everything you could ever want for your wedding day and more. Our ten acres of grounds which are exclusively yours for the day include a magical woodland walk and extensive gardens with uninterrupted views of the Lancashire countryside. Our Ballroom which can accommodate up to 145 daytime and 250 evening guests is elegantly styled in a neutral decor to complement any wedding day theme.
“Winning County Brides Best Wedding Venue Lancashire for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years is testament to the fantastic team we have; every single person goes above and beyond to consistently exceed expectations ensuring that you have the wedding day you’ve always dreamed of. Our friendly dedicated team are with you every step of the way from the moment you walk through our doors.”
Since March 2020, our industry has experienced the most challenging times in recent history. Amidst the hundreds of thousands of wedding cancellations and postponements, our industry has maintained its strength and resilience through unprecedented challenges. It has been wonderful to see business owners coming together virtually to support one another through the UK Venue Slack group, the ABWB, the #whataboutweddings campaign, our Bridebook government petition, industry letter-writing to MPs and more.
I’d like to share some key considerations based on my unique experience as not only the CEO of wedding planning app Bridebook, but also as a fellow wedding venue owner of Hedsor House. I also co-founded HelloFresh and was formerly an investment banker at UBS during the last financial crisis, so have had a varied career with some very relevant experiences. I’ve also been in direct communication with the CMA and a panel member of the Law Commission overseeing regulations for wedding venues, all of which enables me to gain insights into the current state of the industry from many sides.
Looking ahead, we unfortunately know that 2021 will be a challenging year too. However, we all have opportunities that we can leverage to position our businesses as best we can at this time. I encourage you to think about each of these key considerations.
Key Consideration 1: Prioritise Cash Flows
Key Consideration 2: Optimise Your Team
Key Consideration 3: Understand the Current Market
Key Consideration 4: Understand the Government Regulations
Key Consideration 1: Prioritise Cash Flows
Cash is vital. This can not be emphasised enough. Focus on cash. We know that weddings will be back at some point, we now need to secure enough cash to ensure that our businesses are around for that moment. Make sure you understand the implications of postponements and deposit amounts to your cash flows, and make adjustments accordingly.
A. Adjust deposit structure to frontload sales. Beware the underlying cash flow issues that postponements may have on your business. Take a close look at your cost to host a wedding, and compare that with to the deposit you charge clients. If your cost to host a wedding is >50% of the clients’ total fee, and you charge a 50% deposit, you may have an upcoming cash flow issue.
For example: Suppose you charge £10,000 for a package wedding, it costs you 70%/ £7,000 to host the wedding, and you take 50% deposit. Whilst receiving the first £5,000 deposit is useful and lucrative, beware being lulled into a false sense of security on the second payment. Though you will receive a second £5,000, you will have £7,000 outgoings so will actually have a net cash outflow. Postponements stack these outgoing up. If your hosting costs are less than your second deposit, then you don’t have this issue.
In a normal year, hosting weddings and selling weddings balances out, so you have positive cash flow. However, a year filled with hosting postponed weddings and selling weddings 2 years out may have a new cash impact for your business. Know your costs, know your cash flows, and make adjustments to your cost structure or deposit structure to ensure you stay cash flow positive. Frontloading sales early on is a key way to address this issue. The further out you can sell dates, the smoother your cash flow will be.
B. Give upgrades, not discounts. A discount hits your cash flow and net profit instantly, while an upgrade doesn’t. Think about the timing when your business is impacted from these types of incentives, and encourage your sales team to promote incentives that affect your bottom line as late as possible, with the least amount of impact to your cashflow.
For example, let’s consider £1,000 off venue hire versus £1,000 off champagne on the wedding day. The first option costs you instantly from net profit and cashflow now, while £1,000 champagne, likely only costs you £330-£500, and the cash flow impact is only at the wedding. Consider that actually £2,500 of free champagne might have the same net profit impact for you as £1,000 upfront discount, still has a later cash flow impact, and is likely much more persuasive to the couple!
Key Consideration 2: Optimise Your Team
Making sure your team is equipped to handle your upcoming business needs is vital. As we approach the biggest engagement season of the year, with 40% of the year’s engagements occurring between December and February, a huge opportunity awaits and a capable sales team should be in place to maximise results.
Be mindful of redundancies. Ensure your business is ready not only to host weddings like mad in 2021, but to sell like mad into 2022. You may be considering redundancies, but I urge you to think seriously about the repercussions. For most venues, the cashflow saving of a redundancy will be less than if that person sold one (1) additional wedding a month, or took administrative duties off a salesperson so that salesperson could sell an additional one. Beware of a vicious cycle, that if you cut costs too heavily, you may be unable to sell due to administrative overload on your sales team which can become increasingly unproductive.
A key consideration when considering the difficult decision to make someone redundant is their replaceability and the actual saving. For example, if you are making an employee redundant you may give them 2-months settlement. Hiring their replacement may cost a 20% recruitment fee, and training up the new colleague may take another 2 months. In this scenario, if you believe their role will be required within 6 months from November, then it would be a false economy to follow a redundancy route. A mutual agreement of reduced hours / sabbatical / temporary role reassignment may be a more optimal route for both parties and for morale.
Be prepared for engagement season enquiries. Be ready for another 100,000 engagements at Christmas, and have your team ready to secure business. Position your team wisely, and consider shifting roles to prioritise sales. If possible, get operational team members handling relations with existing couples and postponements, while your sales time focuses all their efforts on gaining new business. Think ahead how your entire team can work together to maximise time dedicated to new sales. Cross-training your team now will pay off later.
Key Consideration 3: Understand the Current Market
Beware increased competition. As with the last financial crisis, the competition for wedding business will increase significantly thanks to corporate business shifting to weddings. Corporate business will be affected by COVID much longer than weddings, so corporate venues will focus more on weddings in the absence of corporate events. In a recessionary environment, the first business expense cut is corporate events. Businesses have a responsibility for their employees’ health and safety so will feel very nervous about arranging large gatherings for a very long time. Just like personal travel will recover much quicker than business travel (eg Summer holidays bounced back rapidly this August, but business travel was still firmly on hold) corporate events will follow the same pattern. Ensure you are well positioned to capture and compete with this new competition for wedding business in the coming 6-12 months. We have seen this first hand, as we launched Hedsor House to focus on corporate business in 2008 until the financial crisis hit, which was when we pivoted to the stability of weddings. We already see many corporate businesses following this path.
Get timing and pricing right. Focus on late 2021 and 2022 wedding sales. Bridebook already has a backlog of over 100,000 2020 couples waiting to find their venue and we all need to be ready for this backlog to release. At this stage, venues should be booked around 40% of 2022. Across the country, 2022 is already getting booked due to postponed Covid weddings taking 2021. In fact, 57% of all Bridebook’s bookings in September were going into 2022, and 62% in October.
Filling 2022 key dates with new business, rather than postponements, is crucial for your future business viability. Selling these dates early is key to this.
Dynamic pricing for your business is incredibly important too. This will allow you to maximise sales by actively shifting couples into weekday rather than weekend bookings. If you need any guidance on dynamic pricing, do message your Bridebook venue consultant.
Key Consideration 4: Understand the Government Regulations
While our industry is impacted significantly by COVID-specific regulations, we are also experiencing impacts from changes stemming from the Law Commission as well as CMA guidance. Make sure you’re up-to-date on the impacts these governing bodies have on your business’s opportunities, competitors and contracts.
Easing of location and celebrant restrictions. On 3 Sept 2020 the Law Commission announced suggested changes to how and where couples can get married, that will ease the red tape experienced by couples and venues for approved legal weddings. I was on the commission panel during the consideration process, and feel that it is not only positive news that antiquated laws are being updated, but that new opportunities will arise for us amidst the easing of these restrictions.
The changes will likely allow weddings to take place outdoors, in a wider variety of buildings, with loosened restrictions on celebrants, ceremonies and notice-giving. While many within our industry may be wary of increased competition from non-traditional venues, we should not expect a rush to weddings in McDonalds. Couples will still want large groups of friends and family, in beautiful settings, where they can dine together in one room, and not be reliant on the weather, and that are run by experienced staff. This all leads back to the professional venues of today. We can also view the easing of these restrictions as opportunities for us to conduct wedding ceremonies more freely on our own premises and in our outdoor spaces, enabling us to enhance our current wedding offerings. Do note that celebrant weddings are already very popular, although not legal, and the vast majority of them take place at approved premise wedding venues anyway. The easing of these celebrant and ceremony restrictions benefit our venues by offering more freedom and flexibility to our clients while on our premises. We can expect further updates later in 2020.
Post-covid refund rules recommended by the CMA. On 7 Sept 2020, the CMA released guidance on wedding services affected by COVID-19, specifically on cancellation and refunds, alongside the CMA open letter to the wedding sector. Their guidance was clarified in regards to Covid and where Covid means a wedding cannot be hosted without substantial differences to the agreed contract.
Further details of a CMA action involving Bijou Weddings Group were released which concluded the fair and reasonable non-refundable amount to be 37.2% of the total cost of the wedding. On 9 Oct 2020, Bridebook issued an update to the CMA Guidance Summary, which includes an assessment of the decision with Bijou Weddings Group and continues to add updates to this page.
I know these last seven months have been difficult, and I applaud all your efforts to keep calm and carry on, despite the many adversities your business has faced. I know that we are all poised for a boom in bookings come engagement season, only two months away. I strongly urge you to take some time to seriously think about all of these key considerations and make sure your business is in the best shape possible for the next 6-12 months.
I see plenty of hope for our industry. From Bridebook data in September, we see newly engaged couples’ predicted budgets have remained unchanged versus 2019. Couples still want the large weddings we all know and love, and they are willing to wait for when it is possible. 2021 and 2022 will likely be the busiest years of weddings ever. We want to be sure you are there to work with them when that time comes.
I also urge venue owners and managers to get connected with your fellow industry colleagues on the UK Wedding Venues Slack group, a forum of thousands of wedding venues across the country, supporting each other and discussing relevant issues on a daily basis.
Now is also a great time to ensure that your digital presence is in tip-top shape, in preparation of the Christmas influx of prospective couples to your website, social media and Bridebook profile. Make sure all your photos, videos and details are up-to-date. Remember that couples love social proof, so chase any outstanding reviews from clients and fellow colleagues (share this simple link to collect reviews), and add testimonials to your Bridebook profile and website wherever possible.
Additionally, book a call with your Bridebook venue consultant to learn about ways to boost your presence among local couples, by heading to THIS PAGE or emailing business.bridebook.co.uk. If your business doesn’t have a Bridebook profile yet, create a free profile and our team will be happy to welcome you to our wonderful community of wedding professionals.
There are so many moving parts in our industry right now, and I truly want you to be the best equipped business you can be to navigate the difficulties and come out on the other side stronger than ever.
If I or the Bridebook team can help with anything, do get in touch.
In just a few weeks, the world’s weddings have come to a halt. The COVID-19 global pandemic has led to widespread wedding business closures and the cancellation of thousands of weddings globally.
With isolation measures in place around the world, wedding businesses are now forced to navigate the uncertainties of moving peak season wedding date bookings into the future while still trying to reach new couples in order to stay afloat. Understanding what couples want and need during this time is essential to ensure each business is making the best strategic decisions.
Bridebook, the world’s #1 wedding planning app, has teamed up with Style Me Pretty, the world renowned top inspirational wedding resource, to deliver this free report to you.
This in-depth report presents 30+ pages of insights, from 6,000+ couples in over 85 countries, on how COVID-19 is affecting weddings in all stages of engagement. You’ll learn:
Wedding date preferences for postponing couples vs. new bookings
Expectations for postponement of weddings later in 2020
Impact of COVID-19 on wedding costs
Impact of COVID-19 on the wedding budget of newly engaged couples
Video tour preferences among newly engaged couples
..and more.
As a member of the global wedding community, Bridebook feels the heartbreak of both the couples whose wedidng days have been jeopardised, as well as the industry professionals whose livelihoods are now at risk. We know that venues and professionals around the world are giving up so much while postponing months worth of weddings, and we know that difficult times lie ahead for your businesses, even after restrictions are lifted.
On behalf of couples everywhere, thank you for being a part of one of life’s happiest moments, and for being generous and caring to the thousands of couples whose celebrations have been put ‘on hold’.
All of us at Bridebook look forward to providing as much guidance, insights and support that we can in order to keep this wonderful wedding industry strong and growing.
Please find below a resource for all the steps we’re taking to assure that you are supported during this unprecedented time.
Our belief at Bridebook is to approach every situation with C.A.R.E. It’s with this mentality that we are approaching this challenging time in our industry. Bridebook’s number one priority is the health and safety of our employees and our communities, including our couples and our business partners across the UK.
Community: Weddings are made through teamwork. Our resource hub and live community create a friendly, supportive environment that elevates the entire industry.
Ambition: In just 3 years, we’ve become the #1 wedding planning app in the UK, and we’re only getting bigger. We invite businesses to collaborate with us to accomplish their goals.
Respect: We respect the skills and expertise of everyone who works in the wedding industry – young and old, big and small, traditional and modern – and we ask you to share your knowledge with us.
Education: True excellence relies on targeted, meaningful insights. We give businesses the real knowledge they need to meet and impress couples.
Below details the measures that we have put in place so far, along with resources to help you tackle and beat COVID-19.
We understand that each business’s experience is different, therefore if you have any recommendations as to how we can support you better please contact us at business@bridebook.co.uk. The Bridebook Business Team are on hand and ready to support you in any way we can. We promise to listen to every request, learn from your feedback and to continuously look for ways in which we can navigate this challenge together.
How Bridebook is helping
Open letter to the Government
The CEO and founder of Bridebook.co.uk, Hamish Shephard, has sent out an urgent call to support and save our community and industry amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
This is an opportunity for all professionals, businesses and staff within the UK wedding industry as well as couples, families and wedding guests to highlight the insensitive and uncooperative behaviour of wedding insurers amidst the mass wedding cancellations due to COVID-19. Join us in asking for support from the British Government to ensure these insurance providers cover their responsibilities during this crisis.
Bridebook continues to be at the forefront of the industry, building advanced technology to support businesses during these unprecedented times. Since the 16th March 2020, the Bridebook product team have built and released:
COVID-19 Status Updates: Keep your current bookings, suppliers and prospective customers informed of your status during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Internal team messaging: VenuePro members are now able to interact with their team with ease and assure efficient enquiry management using instant messaging on Bridebook.
Venue Partners
Prioritised support
To support our existing VenuePro Classic and Expert members we are offering a series of additional benefits that support you and the promotion of your venue. Benefits include:
Social shout outs
Editorial access
1-2-1 consultations
New product releases
And more…
Your Account Manager will be in touch with further information about the above benefits.
Free tool access
To support our community through these extremely tough times, we are offering venues free access to our entry-level VenuePro Lite tier until the 1st of June. Benefits include:
Increase your reach with Search boost
Stand out with an enhanced profile tile
Promote late availability & offers on your listing with Special Offers
Completely free – no payment details required
(N.B. VenuePro Lite members will not appear above VenuePro Classic or Expert members in Search
Venue Community
UK Wedding Venue Community
The next few months are going to be tough for our industry. We must all band together as a community to share our learnings, latest news and guidance, in order to help each other get through the other side. Bridebook have created The UK Wedding Venue Slack group to serve as a space where we can discuss experiences, share latest updates and support each other.
Live video series
Amidst the whirlwind of coronavirus, Bridebook CEO and Founder of Hedsor House will be sharing updates on the ever-changing situation and its effect on our industry. Head here to see the videos covering topics including postponements & cancellations, visual show rounds – how to, and more…
New resources
By gathering insight from our community and industry specialists, Bridebook will be putting together resources that will help us gain a better understanding of the new normal. We’ve created a hub of articles which include guidance on everything from supporting your remote team to effectively managing your business through this time.
Live activities This situation is difficult for all, so let’s have a bit of fun too! Bridebook will be curating a series of fun and energising activities to help you stay sane (and get fit in the process). Activities will include weekly virtual cuppas, yoga & nutrition, dance classes and more… Join the UK Wedding Venue Slack Group for regular updates.
Supporting our employees
Fully remote workforce
Bridebook is now fully remote and employees are required to work from home. We are using virtual communication tools including Zoom, Slack, Google Hangouts & email to keep the team motivated and engaged. To see our tips on remote working best practices head here.
Remote onboarding
With new members joining the Bridebook Team, we have built a virtual onboarding training plan to ensure our new team members are set up and ready for success. We take the onboarding of our employees very seriously so as to sustain our company culture.
The Bridebook team works Monday – Friday, between 9:30-5:30. We are all now working remotely, but are very much reachable and here to support.
Is Bridebook offering any additional support to wedding venues during this time?
Yes! As the article above details, the whole Bridebook team have been working hard to think of ways to further support our venues. From educational articles & videos to temporarily free premium tools to support businesses – we are here to help as much as we can.
I am a VenuePro member, who can I discuss my membership with? For VenuePro members, access your priority support by contacting your dedicated account manager at gabriela@bridebook.co.uk.
What does COVID-19 mean for enquiries?
Coronavirus is taking its toll on weddings, but people are very much still getting engaged! Enquiry volume will likely be more unpredictable over the upcoming weeks, but the new business is still out there. Engagement season only ended recently, and Bridebook are seeing a steady acquisition of new couples every day. Make sure you keep up your marketing!
Couples and wedding professionals across the country left over 25,000 reviews and testimonials for their beloved wedding venues & suppliers. After careful consideration and a thorough evaluation of this year’s entries, the 2019 Wedding Award Winners have now been crowned in their respective categories!
A massive thank you for all those who participated, and a special shout-out to all our wedding suppliers who won a Certificate of Excellence for their contributions to the wedding industry throughout 2018.
So without further ado, here are the Bridebook Wedding Award Winning Suppliers of 2019:
Bridebook is the UK’s number one wedding planning app, with over 16,000 registered wedding businesses and more than 1 in 3 couples planning their wedding with us.
The buzz around wedding fairs and open days is back, and it’s a couple-attraction technique that all wedding suppliers should look to incorporate in their 2018 marketing plan.
When it comes to showcasing wedding venues, nothing beats an online or offline advertising campaign like a real life tour of the venue itself.
Wedding fairs and open days have the unique, face-to-face ability to make newly engaged couples visualise their wedding day more vividly than any online experience could.
This kind of experienced based couple attraction technique is called experiential marketing – or event and engagement marketing – and it’s a technique that’s usually very expensive. That is, unless you ARE the wedding venue in question; in which case it’s a low cost, high impact way to increase wedding bookings in 2018 and beyond.
Creating a real wedding experience for loved-up couples
Experiential marketing – that is, immersing a potential client in a fun and memorable experience that reflects the product of service you’re offering – is an excellent way for wedding industry professionals to create a closer bond between engaged couples and your wedding venue or business.
Think about it… if a wedding venue or exhibiting wedding supplier stirs positive emotions in a bride or groom then they’re far more likely to remember and associate those great feelings with you and your wedding business; which in turn is likely to lead to more bookings.
Simple.
And it’s a client attraction tactic that wedding venues and suppliers are starting to adopt more often as the true effects of this marketing approach on bookings are realised.
A recent Bridebook survey found that of 2,200 newly engaged UK couples surveyed, 63% had attended wedding shows near where they lived and 40% of those couples had attended a wedding fair at the wedding venue they later went on to book.
5 reasons why wedding fairs and open days are becoming increasingly popular
In terms of return on investment, wedding venues do remarkably well out of open days and fairs, as the latest Bridebook survey proves.
But if you still need convincing, here are 5 additional benefits to choosing open days as a sustainable and impactful form of new client attraction in the wedding industry…
1. Group viewings for couples
Wedding venue staff save bundles of time by inviting groups of couples to view their venue and grounds all at once rather than having to dedicate their time to individual meetings.
Your time is valuable but if you want to increase bookings you must make couples feel special when visiting your wedding venue.
When you host a wedding fayre or open day, you can spend time decorating your venue and making it perfect for maximum impact, rather than having to work around existing events and guests – as is often the case when hosting individual meetings with couples.
2. Connecting with fellow suppliers and networking
Wedding fairs provide an opportunity for venues to promote existing, preferred wedding suppliers and meet new local suppliers.
Invite local wedding suppliers along to your open day and invite existing partner suppliers to set up a small stand offering information about their product or service.
When venues can offer couples approved supplier contacts they’re helping to take the stress of organising a wedding and all the little bits that need addressing away from the happy couple.
It’s essential that local wedding suppliers forge strong relationships with each other to help all non-conflicting parties build a presence online and secure more bookings. The alternative to this is to do nothing and let non-local wedding suppliers with bigger budgets dominate your online space and take local business away.
3. The scarcity complex
One key factor in the decision making process for soon-to-be brides and grooms is how desirable a particular venue or wedding supplier seems to be.
Subconsciously as human beings, we want what is perceived to be in demand.
By opening your doors to groups of couples rather than individuals, wedding venues and suppliers can often generate a kind of ‘battle for bookings’ as soon to be newlyweds compete to secure the best day for their big day.
4. Showing off your venue in a number of different themes/seasons
How great is it to be able to show newly engaged couples first hand how your wedding venue looks in spring, summer, autumn and winter? Now that’s a USP!
Nothing is more likely to evoke emotions in visiting couples than being able to serve mulled wine by an open fire at a wedding show in winter, or host games on the lawn during a summer wedding fayre.
Hedsor House & Park host an Indian Summer Inspired Wedding Showcase on 27th September where guests can enjoy a glass of fizz and wander around the grounds at their leisure; taking in the Indian inspired ceremonial seating in the domed hall and viewing first hand how their wedding breakfast could look in the recently refurbished ballroom.
5. Invite existing bookings along too
Couples love to revisit their venue whilst planning their big day and they love to show it off to family and close friends too. Why not invite them all along to your next open day for the sake of ‘decorative inspiration’ and, at the same time, boost attendee numbers and show couples potentially looking to book your venue how many other couples are already committed to planning their wedding with you.
This tactic leads us back to the scarcity complex as you’ll be showing newly engaged couples how many others have already chosen to book your venue for their big day.
Wedding fairs and open days are here to stay
Despite experiencing a bit of a dip in popularity a few years ago, the buzz around wedding fairs and open days is back, and it’s a couple-attraction technique that all wedding suppliers should look to incorporate in their 2018 marketing plan.
If saving time and increasing wedding bookings is on your agenda for 2018/2019, you’ll want to get in front of the people who matter today.
Do you have a wedding fair or open day that you’re looking to advertise? Share the details with beth@bridebook.co.uk and we will share it with our social community of 350K for FREE!
Welcome to this week’s Supplier Story! ‘Supplier Stories’ is an original Bridebook Business article series, where we go behind-the-scenes and into the wedding world through those that know it best – the experienced and talented venues and suppliers across the UK.
So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?
The Barns at Lodge Farm Supplier Story:
This week we’re heading to Essex to meet The Barn at Lodge Farm‘s owner Bryony Graham. Having completed a doctorate, Bryony was drawn back home to her family farm and started channelling all the skills she learned as a scientist into creating this amazingly flexible and adaptable wedding venue just a stone’s throw from London.
So without further ado, Bryony, over to you!
1. Tell us about yourself and your journey in the wedding industry so far.
I’m Bryony, and I absolutely love the farm where I grew up. You’ll find me at my happiest in the filthiest jeans imaginable and some steel toecap boots scrabbling around in the back of a barn (an accurate summary of my childhood) and 18 months ago I jacked in ten years of academic training (including a degree and a PhD) to start a business running weddings and events on my family farm.
2. From Scientist to Owner of a wedding venue, what drew you to the wedding world?
Well, in a nutshell, a rather sad set of personal circumstances. My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was sitting the finals of my undergraduate degree, and her illness continued throughout my PhD and postdoctoral career. When she died the year before I got married myself, I completely lost momentum in the lab and needed a change of direction. I felt a very strong draw back to the farm itself where I’d grown up, and after my husband and I got married there ourselves in 2016, I decided that if we were going to make a go of it properly it would have to be all or nothing – so I left my job, convinced him to leave London for rural life (aided by the purchase of a Labrador puppy) and I’ve not looked back since.
3. Do you think barns as wedding venues are growing in popularity or becoming overpopulated?
I think that relaxed and informal weddings as a whole are growing in popularity, whether they be in a barn (which of course naturally lends itself to a chilled out vibe) or in a pub, town hall, field or woodland. Many people have a desire to create a celebration of their commitment to each other that reflects their personalities, and they don’t want to be forced into a restrictive package which doesn’t allow them any flexibility to be themselves. That’s why I think barn weddings have grown in popularity so much over the past few years, and will probably continue to remain a favourite – but more because of the relaxed feel they have, rather than the barn setting specifically.
4. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently? How will you overcome this?
Without wishing to seem as though I’m reeling out a stock dinner-party answer, Brexit will pose a huge challenge for everyone next year (and of course not just the wedding industry). If the economy is affected dramatically, people may be reluctant to spend as much on their weddings as we have seen over the past few years, and the remarkable growth of the industry may fall quite sharply. Having said that, people will still get married – they just might spend less, and so it’s up to us to come up with a reasonably flexible pricing structure that is prepared to accommodate any potential drop in spending.
5. What trends are you seeing in the industry?
This probably lends itself to our venue in particular as our exclusive use packages mean we’re able to provide our couples with a lot of options, but we’re seeing a significant proportion of our couples opt for very informal catering (food trucks, grazing tables, etc). I personally love this trend as it creates such a wonderfully happy and relaxed vibe, but there will always be a place for the three-course meal too!
6. What is the biggest challenge you faced in setting up The Barns at Lodge Farm?
Securing planning permission, without a shadow of a doubt. Although there was an overwhelming amount of local support for the project, the bureaucracy was endless. It took us nearly two years from start to finish, but we were determined to start as we meant to go on, and not be restricted to only being able to do a handful of events a year. I have always been rather all-or-nothing in my attitude to life (which is at times a blessing and a curse!)
7. It can be difficult for new wedding venues to receive a kick start. Have you had a positive interaction from couples so far?
We have been absolutely blown away by the demand – we finally had our planning permission approved in February this year, and we already have 21 weddings booked for next summer (which we’re delighted with, given the fact we’re only open from June till October and have hardly done any marketing whatsoever!) I’ve loved meeting every single one of our couples, as they’ve all viewed the venue mid-refurbishment and had the vision and faith to book regardless. I’m so excited to see all our plans come together over the next few years – the barns are a stunning blank canvas as they stand, but they’ll be incredible once we’re finished!
8. Have you been able to use your scientific background in this new venture?
Absolutely, although less to do with the genetic analysis side of things and more to do with the project management…! In the lab, you come up with a question, design an experiment to answer the question, do the experiment (A MILLION TIMES), analyse the data, and then start again. You’re constantly juggling a thousand tasks (some experiments take hours, and others take months) and managing data analysis, writing papers and grants, teaching, and so much else besides. I’ve found that running a business essentially employs all of those skills which I’ve had to hone over the years (predominantly due to the finite number of hours in a day and my own lack of sleep…!) I’ve been trained to think independently and that definitely helps – self-doubt is a killer and having the confidence to believe you’ve made the right call and the humility to take a deep breath when you realise you haven’t is really important.
9. As a new wedding venue, do you think an increase in positive reviews for The Barn will help drive the business to success?
Without a shadow of a doubt. Any venue can make itself look spectacular with clever photography, a beautiful website and perfectly curated social media accounts, but true words of happiness from a genuine couple is undoubtedly the most powerful selling point there is.
10. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?
It varies from couple to couple, as some stay in touch more than others, but I communicate with each couple via email a lot during the run-up to the wedding. After they’ve booked, we offer second viewings where they can come back with their families to have a look around and see all the spaces for themselves – I love meeting everyone, and seeing all their relationships unfold. As we also offer couples exclusive use for the entire weekend, I also get to know people on the day before the wedding when everyone is setting everything up and making it all look beautiful. We pride ourselves on being a genuinely family-run business with a very personal touch (I live onsite, so am very much involved!) and we only host one wedding each weekend and one per week for the very reason that we don’t want to be a wedding factory, and we want to get to know each and every one of our couples personally.
11. What is the one piece of advice you would give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
This is such a well-worn path, but be prepared to work harder than you have EVER worked in your life – the kind of hard work that will put strain on relationships, make your friends think you’re ignoring them, make yourself doubt every decision you ever make. It is utterly relentless. If you’re the kind of person that thrives on the adrenaline that comes from having an endless to-do list, very little sleep and constant moving goalposts – then go for it. It is the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do. But if you like turning off your emails at 6pm every day to go to the pub, put on Netflix, play sport – forget it. I say this as someone who is utterly hopeless at finding any sort of balance, so I’m not saying I’ve got it right – but the hard reality is that if you drop the ball, there isn’t anyone else to pick it up, so you have to push through whether you like it or not. I have, however, been known to fuel my VAT return with wine just to make it bearable (apologies in advance to the poor accountant who has to pick apart that mess at the end of the year).
12. What do you think makes The Barn at Lodge Farms unique?
My answer to this question has changed massively over the 18 months I’ve been running the business full-time. A year ago, I would have said it’s our proximity to London, exclusive use packages, stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Now, I would say it’s undoubtedly US, as a family and as a place – which is tough to say out loud without coming across as hideously egotistical, but it’s what our couples say so I guess it must be true! When they visit for a viewing, they’re met by myself or my Dad, will probably be followed around by our psychologically flawed cat Tyson (the weirdest cat you’ll ever meet), they’ll hear the history of the farm, and inevitably see how much we love the place – because we genuinely do. We allow two hours for each viewing so people never feel rushed in and out, and have time wander round at their own pace. It’s our home, and we’re inviting people into it because we think it’s bloody great. And there is nothing better than seeing those barns full of people having the best day of their lives.
13. What are your thoughts on Bridebook?
So far, I have been blown away by the professional and personal service I have received – there are quite literally thousands of venues on the app, but all correspondence I have had to date has been incredibly personal and attentive. I know first-hand how much effort that is to maintain (see above…!) and as a result, I value and respect it hugely. The app/website themselves are slick and effective, and we saw enquiries start to come in within a week of being listed, despite the fact we’re new and don’t have a huge amount of content (images, testimonials etc) to add to our profile. Keep up the brilliant work!
Bridebook Business’ aim is simple: we want to make sure that your Business profile is seen and matched with as many of our happy couples as possible.
Our Venue and Supplier search is one of the fastest growing Bridebook features; in fact, we’ve seen an increase of 700% in searches since the start of this year!
So to ensure that we can continue to provide an industry leading wedding supplier search function it’s imperative that we continue to innovate and enhance our systems.
The Bridebook team have been working on 6 Business Account updates that will improve your SEO, help you increase and manage enquiries, and simply benefit your business all round.
1. Wedding Venue Analytics Dashboards
Bridebook is launching bespoke analytics dashboards for registered wedding venues to ensure that the benefits of having a Bridebook Business profile are fully realised.
Wedding venues will soon be able to identify:
Search position per county – it’s no secret that the more information wedding suppliers share online, the more visible they’ll be to engaged couples. Wedding venues will now be able to see where they feature in terms of search position and visibility in their county! Adding more information to your Bridebook profile will increase your search position…
Total enquiries received – weekly or monthly enquiries will be featured / COMING SOON: Monthly enquiry breakdown
Review score – wedding venues will be scored based on reviews added directly to their profile. By sharing your Bridebook URL with couples and asking for feedback you can increase your score and benefit from…
Monthly search appearances – identify peaks and troughs in the couple engagement lifecycle and see how adding information to your profile affects appearances month on month.
If these dashboards are as successful as we expect they’ll be, we’ll roll them out to all registered UK wedding suppliers.
2. Wedding Industry Reports
All wedding suppliers registered with Bridebook will now gain access to Wedding Industry Reports; providing the most comprehensive insights into the planning behaviours and spending patterns of couples today.
This free data is essential in helping all UK wedding suppliers strategise in line with what the wedding market of today expects from us.
3. Your Enquiries Manager
Bridebook is excited to introduce Enquiries Manager – one easy to use, organised portal that enables you to manage and track your enquiries in the simplest of ways.
Once added, your event details will instantly appear on your Bridebook profile and we will share your event with our social community of over 250K followers – no catch; it’s all completely free.
5. Bridebook Badges
Bridebook has launched 3 types of digital badges that can be personalised to your business and which link directly to your Bridebook profile.
This means that you can instantly build your industry reputation by adding your personalised Bridebook.co.uk badge to your website or email signature to showcase your profile to potential couples and fellow suppliers.
Simply head to business.bridebook.co.uk, login to your account and select ‘Profile Settings and badges’.
6. Linked Accounts
A simple but fab development is the ability for all wedding suppliers to now set up multiple login emails for one profile/account and multiple profiles under one login account.
This saves you and your team from having to share one set of login details and enables each member of your team to make their own updates under their own profile.
It’s time you started maximising the impact of your Bridebook profile…
To update your Bridebook Business profile, log in to your Business Account HERE. Once updated, you will instantly increase your profile searchability and you will be able to connect with our community of 100,000 couples.
It’s so important that you spend a little time each week adding all the photos, videos and information you love about your business – don’t miss out on enquiries and bookings by not selling your services well enough.
Looking for more tips and tricks on how to grow and market your business? Like the Bridebook Business Facebook Page and receive weekly updates from industry experts and thought leaders across the UK.
Who can I contact for help?
For any questions about your Bridebook Business or your free wedding business account on business.bridebook.co.uk, email our friendly supplier success team at business@bridebook.co.uk who always want to hear from you. We look forward to helping make 2018 / 2019 a successful year for your wedding business!
Looking for more wedding industry supplier stories and couple insights? Head to the Bridebook Business Hub, the home of wedding industry knowledge.
Do you ever feel like leaving the corporate rat race behind in favour of doing something that feeds your soul, awakens your senses and propels you in the direction of a lifestyle you could only ever dream of?
Katrina Boydon is a successful, British born marketer who spent many years abroad (in Russia, France and the United States, to be specific) building a professional career to support her growing family of 4 children and 2 dogs with husband Steve.
In 2014, the family made the life-changing decision to return to Britain and open a glamping site in Shropshire. Barnutopia welcomed its first guests in the summer of 2015.
The family hosted their first wedding in August 2017 and today, Barnutopia is a busy, successful wedding business that attracts 5-star guest reviews and is even set to feature on a prime time TV series in April as a British small business success story.
Today, we have the privilege of meeting Katrina to find out a little more about the success story behind this yurt glampsite in the Shropshire countryside.
Bridebook: Where did the idea for Barnutopia originate from?
Katrina: It came to us over a period after leading active outdoor lives as campers. We could see the attraction of being able to enjoy the outdoors without having to carry all the stuff that goes along with traditional camping. Our children participated in several yurt glamping trips with their Montessori school in the United States and our final fling in the US was a 6,000-mile cross-USA trip in a caravan. With our 4 children and 2 dogs that simply would not have been possible as a camping trip.
What came first; the venue or the concept?
The concept. We knew that we wanted to open a glamping site and actively sought out a suitable property with land.
Why Shropshire? Do you know the area well or did you perhaps spot an opportunity or gap in the market?
After living abroad for over 20 years and moving internationally several times, we wanted to move to a place where we didn’t have to start completely from scratch (family, network of friends, knowledge of area). I was born and grew up in Llangollen about 15 miles from Oswestry, where Barnutopia is based. Steve’s parents live in Welshpool, 15 miles from Oswestry in the other direction. We were not set on Shropshire; Powys, Cheshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham and Flintshire were all possibilities.
As we viewed properties we took into consideration the location (looking for easy access but rural surroundings) and proximity of similar or alternative businesses, tourist attractions, walking, hiking, town amenities. Tanycoed Farm had all these things in a particularly stunning spot.
Owing to your successful Marketing background, I’m sure tons of aspiring and existing wedding business owners would love to know more about your Barnutopia marketing strategy…
Ok, so from a top level perspective, our short term objective is to generate venue-hire bookings for at least 30 weekends each in 2018, 2019 and beyond.
Our medium term objectives are to maintain a solid web presence on multiple platforms and media, and to establish a client base for midweek bookings.
And our longer term goal is to generate weekend and midweek bookings for 30-40 weeks of the year allowing us to have time out for maintenance and for ourselves.
Could you talk us through any marketing wins / successes you’ve enjoyed, including what has worked well for the business in terms of exposure and business generation…
Yeah, good question. My strategy from the start has been to be everywhere online. Our web presence is very well developed. Facebook has been a huge source of enquiries and traffic to our website, such that over 50% of bookings are via our own media. The rest come through directory websites like Bridebook.
I’m flexible and responsive as a new business Owner/Manager, and I try out new creative offers and variations on packages constantly. If I find something that works, I replicate it, but don’t leave it at that.
When we first set up Barnutopia we targeted families, primarily. We had very few whole-site or exclusive use bookings. This has flipped now and we have whole-site bookings nearly every weekend and far fewer individual, family / friends bookings.
What lessons have you learned so far?
It’s hard to say what I’ve learned from a marketing perspective when it is so intertwined with what I’m learning about the glamping and the wedding industry in general.
Generally, I would say that you cannot get tired of presenting and promoting your business. It may seem to you that it’s the same-old same-old, but you aren’t your audience. Your audience may be seeing your 20th iteration on a wedding venue ad, but it’s the first time for them. Keep it fresh and interesting for THEM.
How have your marketing resources been split between mediums?
Approximately:
TIME: 35% website development, 65% social media, 20% directory listings
MONEY: 5% website, 35% social media, 60% directory listings
How have online wedding planning platforms and directories fared in terms of your expectations versus delivery?
As expected to be honest. I am getting a steady stream of enquiries through a variety of free and paid listings on wedding directories, so it’s doing the trick.
Would you recommend signing up to online wedding planning platforms and directories if asked by other wedding venues? Why?
Yes. One way or another you are going to have to pay to market your venue. If you have the time and skills to do it yourself then great, but time and/or money has to be expended to generate business.
Large wedding directory sites have a budget that small businesses cannot compete with; so, unless you want to disappear into cyber oblivion you must be where the enquiries are.
What proportion of your marketing efforts are targeted specifically towards wedding industry audiences versus a more all-inclusive approach?
Currently around 50% weddings, 25% existing audience, 25% new target audience
Have you developed any interesting insights into the wedding industry or learned what seems to work / not work in this field?
Compared to other whole-site reservations, I think the ante is upped for weddings. Couples book a venue, not a site. The expectation is bigger, better, slicker.
We’ve had some big whole-site reservations made on the fly for non-wedding, friends and family gatherings. The person booking looks at social media pages and website, makes an enquiry and then books, often without any verbal exchange at all.
This has never happened for a wedding.
For weddings, couples always view before booking. This is reflected in the information published and sent to persons enquiring about weddings. They want to know and think about it a lot more before making their decision.
We’re big on pushing the importance of reviews at Bridebook. How impactful are good reviews in your experience of the wedding industry so far?
Nearly every guest who stays with us says they have read our fantastic reviews. Oddly, having lots of reviews already seems to inspire even more people to write their own.
Can you tell us anything about the TV series in which Barnutopia features?
The series follows a number of British business during their first year in business. The mentor for the series is a well known British TV personality and business woman. Barnutopia is one of the success stories. It is due to start airing in April 2018 and tentatively our episode should be on May 14th.
As a British small business success story, we have to ask; what is the secret to your success?
I would say the secret to our success is that we know what we want out of our business and we love what we do. In addition to this, we are practically inclined and aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty.
Of course, we invest heavily in promoting Barnutopia and it’s our goal to be everywhere online. We’re also not afraid to adapt and change in keeping with the ever-evolving expectations of our clients.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs what would it be?
Make sure you have at least some of the expert knowledge and skills you need to be successful or you will be overwhelmed with learning.
Thanks to Katrina for this inspiring and informative interview which should help any new wedding businesses or aspiring wedding professionals understand a little more about the journey from ‘great idea’ to even greater success.
As always, we welcome any questions or comments.
Looking for more inspiring wedding industry stories? Head to the Bridebook Business Hub now. The wedding industry professional’s one-stop shop for the all the latest news and top tips to power your wedding business.
The Bridebook.co.uk Wedding Awards 2018 results are in, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this year’s winners!
Determined by reviews of their past couples, these florists, photographers, caterers, venues and general dream makers, have each been crowned the 2018 Bridebook Wedding Awards Winner in their respective category.
Congratulations to all the winners, and a special shout-out to all our suppliers who won a Certificate of Excellence for their contributions to the wedding industry in 2017. If you’re looking for your dream team, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these Certificates displayed on their Bridebook profiles!
And to the couples still planning their wedding, who knows if one of these champs will help put together your dream wedding…
See all the winners of The Bridebook Wedding Awards below:
Winner: Dodmoor House – “Winning the award has definitely resulted in our venue receiving more enquiries from Bridebook and we have also held the number 1 search position in Northamptonshire for more than six months.”
Winner: The Wellbeing Farm – “It has certainly helped raise our reputation across the North West – we’ve been incredibly proud to say we were the winners of the North West Venue of the Year! It has been an amazing accolade and experience.”
Winner: Quantock Lakes – “When we received the news, we were thrilled to share our Venue award win on our Facebook page which we pinned to the top of our page. The post has reached over 10,000 people and received over 1,300 clicks. The exposure we have received from the award has been phenomenal and we enjoy using the Bridebook hashtag regularly on both Facebook and Instagram. We have sold many weddings this year through our Bridebook listing and award. The award has helped install confidence in couples coming to view Quantock Lakes for the first time as Bridebook is trusted and well known by many couples.”
Winner: Larchfield Estate – “We were so delighted to be chosen as the NI venue of the year, it has meant a lot to the team as shows that our care and hard work ensures our couples have the best day. Our enquiries through Bride book have increased in the last year and I am sure the award has helped raise our profile within the industry.’
Winner: Samantha Jayne – “The experience was fantastic. Simple to enter, great to market to clients etc. Winning was freaking AMAZING! It’s been a huge opportunity to create more awareness about my business, gain more clients and grow my business! I’d highly recommend that other businesses take part. It’s the best form of advertising! Clients and prospective clients love to see that you are doing well and this gives them more confidence in your ability to provide your service to them!”
Bridal Beauty of the Year
Dani Roberts Makeup
Winner: Dani Roberts Makeup – “It has boosted my confidence in myself that I am making my clients happy and with the title behind me it also increases confidence in future brides to book me and know they are going to be in good hands!”
Cake Maker of the Year
Cakes by Nina
Winner: Cakes by Nina – “Wherever I’ve mentioned I have won 2018 Cake Maker of the Year people seem to have heard of Bridebook and have congratulated and recognised the reward. It’s a wonderful award to win because it is actually based on what your customers actually think of you and it is lovely to know what people truly think of your work.”
Winner: GDC Weddings & Events – “Winning my award has given clients more confidence in booking. I’ve had lots of enquiries and actual booked Events since winning. A fantastic status also to have won this prestigious award!!”
Dress & Accessories Supplier of the Year
Sarah’s Wedding Boutique
Winner: Sarah’s Wedding Boutique – “We really enjoyed entering the Bridebook awards 2018. Unlike a lot of awards in this industry, this award is based on actual feedback from our customers rather than a panel. Our customers really got on board and wanted us to win too so they were happy to write a review for future brides to read. (It was lovely for us to read them too!)”
Entertainer of the Year
The Wedding Crècherz
Winner: The Wedding Crècherz – “Winning the Bridebook wedding awards 2018 meant the absolute world to us. It opened up so many opportunities for us, and added gravitas to our name and branding.”
Florist of the Year
Mrs Bouquet Floristry & event styling
Winner: Mrs Bouquet Floristry & event styling – “We display our award on our desk in the showroom and take it along to any wedding fairs we attend. Our upcoming brides absolutely loved that we won & of course our previous brides were ecstatic to say they had award winning suppliers.”
Winner: RLA Wedding Designs – “When I found out that I won I genuinely cried! I was so overwhelmed. Winning has boosted my confidence and given me a great platform. To say I am a national winner gives all my potential customers the faith and trust to book with me and also gives my current clients the ability to say that their invites were created by an award winner!”
Transport Supplier of the Year
Churchtown Wedding Cars
Winner: Churchtown Wedding Cars – “Being the UK’s transport provider of the year is an amazing accolade and we proudly display the logo for our customers to see. It gives them the confidence that our past brides and grooms have enjoyed an amazing experience and they can read the reviews too.”
Videographer of the Year
Veiled Productions
Winner: Veiled Productions – “Winning Videographer of the Year has been brilliant for the business. I’ve certainly had more bookings through Bridebook this year than last year – couples like reading from past clients and hearing about their experiences with us, on their wedding day and after watching their films back. It shows we are a trustworthy wedding supplier too which is so important when planning a wedding.”
Bridebook is the UK’s number one free wedding planning app, with over 16,000 registered wedding businesses and more than 100K couples planning their wedding with us.
Welcome to this week’s Supplier Story! ‘Supplier Stories’ is an original Bridebook Business article series, where we go behind-the-scenes and into the wedding world through those that know it best – the experienced and talented venues and suppliers across the UK.
So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?
RSA House’s Supplier Story:
Photo Credit: Guy Collier
This week we’re shining the spotlight on Rosalind Craven, Wedding Co-ordinator at RSA House. Set amidst the daily hustle and bustle of of London’s West End, RSA House is a hidden gem in all its Georgian splendour. Each room is completely unique with its own tale, making it a remarkable place to say ‘i do’ on your very special day.
So without further ado, Rosalind over to you!
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I still sometimes cannot believe my luck that I have fallen into the wedding world as it has always been a dream to work in such a creative and diverse industry, and the perfectionist in me loves nothing more than a flawlessly planned event!
Asides from wedding planning and marketing, I enjoy discovering new places to eat with friends, spending time in the countryside or by the coast, listening to all sorts of music and a new hobby this year has been practising calligraphy – which comes in handy when couples are missing a placecard or two on the big day!
2. Share the story of yourself and RSA House.
Since starting in the events industry I have worked in many different types of venues and organised over 150 weddings. Having tried working in the corporate events sector, I found myself coming back to weddings because I missed the more personal relationships you build with people and the creativity and challenges involved in planning such intricate events. Working at RSA House particularly appealed to me because in addition to having such a fascinating history, all of the profits from the events go back into supporting the brilliant work that the charity does.
3. What do you see as the biggest challenge for couples planning their wedding?
I would undoubtedly say that the biggest challenge for couples these days is the overwhelming amount of choice that there is in the wedding market. Then on top of all these decisions to make, people often tell me that they get pulled in every direction by family members and friends who want to help. The most important thing to remember is that it is YOUR day. The final decision lies with you so remember that you don’t have to please everyone!
4. What wedding venue trends are you seeing in the industry?
One trend that I am particularly loving for winter weddings at the moment is a move towards choosing more homely, filling and charmingly simple dishes for the wedding banquet. Our last wedding at RSA House requested a bespoke dish for their main course of ‘Bangers and Mash’, which went down a treat with their guests on a cold December day! It was such a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed the food.
5. What advice would you give to a couple who is just starting to plan their wedding?
The first step is to find the venue and pick a date! Once the venue is secured, then you can ask your wedding coordinator to give you lots of advice about the best suppliers to use in that area. Venue coordinators will be able to help you in lots of areas, not just related to the venue and catering.
6. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?
Although the amount of choice that technology has generated for couples these days can seem a little daunting at first, it is hard to imagine how people used to plan a wedding without Pinterest! All of the information you could possibly need is right at your fingertips and couples have access to a wealth of advice and support from industry experts along the way. Forums are also a wonderful way to be able to chat to other newly engaged couples who might be going through the same experiences as you.
7. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?
As I look after each wedding we have here at RSA House, it is lovely to be able to see every wedding through from the very first enquiry to the day itself. During the planning process couples are welcome to organise the day via email or in person – whatever suits them best. I often work with a lot of couples who live abroad so even if they cannot visit us in person, I can get to know them and what’s important to them over the phone or Skype.
8. What do you think makes RSA House unique?
The thing I love most about how we work at RSA House is that in addition to personally looking after every couple that books with us, I am also there on the day to ensure that every little detail we have discussed throughout the planning is always carried through to fruition. Having worked in several different venues, many may offer a coordinator to help you plan the day but there will be a different person present on the wedding day itself. Having that consistency of communication is such a crucial part of creating the perfect wedding day.
9. What do you think makes for an unforgettable wedding?
The best weddings I have seen are when the couple really put their personal stamp on the day. Letting your personality shine through things like the decorations, music, entertainment and food is one way to make your wedding day truly unique. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and often it’s the smaller touches like personal family traditions that make the day memorable for everyone.
10. What’s your favourite wedding memory?
It would be impossible to name just one favourite memory from the weddings I have organised. However, the best feeling is when you see the couple truly relax and enjoy their day. Nearly all couples say that their wedding day goes by so quickly, so the last thing you want is for them to still be worrying about timings and logistics. It is the most rewarding feeling when they wholly put their trust in you and just enjoy every moment of their day.
11. What do you love about Bridebook?
There is such an overload of information available about weddings these days that it can be overwhelming for newly engaged couples who don’t know where to start. Bridebook is a fantastic way to keep all of your planning in one place and get helpful suggestions on how you can take things step by step.
A huge thank you to Rosalind for sharing her Supplier Story. See the stunning RSA House in their Bridebook profile.
Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at beth@bridebook.co.uk.
We asked wedding and networking expert Becca Pountney to share her top tips on how to triple your business by simply saying hello.
Becca started her journey as a stylish Wedding Videographer and worked her way through networking to create Engage Weddings – now hosting many supplier events across the UK. Find out how you can also meet with your local suppliers and grab every opportunity that comes your way!
‘It’s not about what you know, but who you know.’ This is true in so many areas of life and when you run your own business it’s a fundamental truth. As wedding business owners it’s too easy to spend long periods of time in front of the computer expecting opportunities to come our way. That can be a lonely place. Doors to new opportunities rarely open on their own, yet if you give them a little push there can be huge benefits.
One of the fastest ways to grow your wedding business is to grow your network. Networking online using email or social media can be great tools, but nothing beats getting out there and meeting people face to face. People buy from people they know, like and trust so get out of your comfort zone and start building those relationships.
As wedding suppliers, we are in a unique position to work together and collaborate. A bride and groom will be looking for a variety of different businesses to create their dream wedding. Brides will often look to suppliers as a trusted source, and will ask them for their recommendations. If you build up a network of contacts who are recommending you to their clients, you are going to see some great results.
How do I get started?
Find a local networking group that you can go along to and book a place. If you can, find a group that is specifically for the wedding industry as it will mean you meet very relevant contacts. There are groups like this meeting across the country. If you can’t find one near you, why not set one up yourself? I did just that and that is how Engage Weddings began. Having moved my videography business from Bristol to rural Bedfordshire I realised I needed to make new local wedding connections. Having failed to find an existing network I asked around at a wedding fayre to see if any suppliers would be interested in meeting up for a drink. 25 suppliers attended the first meet up and the events have been growing ever since. If I can do it, you can do it too.
Be confident
Networking can feel much scarier than it really is. Arrive armed with your business cards and your head held high. Everyone is there for the same reason as you and will be really willing to chat. Find a small group of people and say hello.
Don’t reel off a sales pitch
People are there to meet people, not to be sold to. Ask questions and listen to the people that you are talking to, wait for them to ask what you do before you tell them, if they ask they are genuinely interested in connecting.
Speak with as many people as possible
Try to move around and talk to as many people in the room as you can, you never know who you may be able to collaborate with. Remember you are not only networking with the person in front of you but their whole network of contacts. They may not have a need for your services right now, but they may know somebody who does.
Collaboration not competition
If you meet someone who has a similar business to yours, don’t see it as competition. You may be able to share tips and advice with one another, you may even be able to pass work on to them if you are already fully booked.
Follow up after the event
In the days following the event send out emails to people you have met, perhaps even try and meet them for a coffee. The more people who know about you and your business, the more opportunities will come your way.
Now get out of your comfort zone and get out there and start meeting new people. Be open, honest and approachable and people will be happy to work with you. New opportunities are behind the doors – now just go and give them a push.
Bridebook Business Hub is here to make sure you have the information you need to build a strong digital presence and grow a successful business in the wedding industry.
Head to Bridebook Business Hub now for more wedding industry insights and top tips.
