A Real Bride’s Top Wedding Tips

You may have noticed recently that I have been sharing lots of wedding planning ‘Top Tips’ across my social media, both from suppliers I have worked with and couples I have helped in the past.

Whilst we are in lockdown, I thought this might help to keep feelings high and to share ideas with future couples planning for their own weddings.

When contacting my couples to ask them what their top tip would be, I received such a fabulous response with some amazing top tips...

Amongst my replies was one from Frances and Oli who didn’t just send me one tip, Frances replied with several. With so many tips to choose from I thought this lovely bride deserved a blog post all to herself!

When it comes to your hen do, make sure you get the right bridesmaid to arrange it. In my friendship group I have lots of friends from different friendship groups. So, the one that arranges it should be confident and outgoing, you can’t have someone arrange it for you, that is shy.

When choosing your bridesmaids ask the girls that you know will wholeheartedly be there for you no matter what, leading up to and on the day itself.

With your bouquet, you have to decide if want to keep your bouquet forever, or throw it to all the unmarried women at the wedding. Though a sweet thing to do, it’s quite an archaic tradition and do you want someone’s date you hardly know catching your bouquet and throwing it away a couple of days later?

You could opt to make your own bouquet, you can pick up artificial flowers from your local floral wholesaler at a fraction of the price.... artificial bouquets can look beautiful and won’t break the bank.

Or, you could of course buy flowers from a local florist 1-2 days before, and make the bouquet yourself. They’ll be lots of YouTube videos you can watch for inspiration and step by step instructions.

For my bouquet I wanted it to be made out of brooches so I could display it and keep it forever. I had a few brooches from family and I collected more over a two year period. My brooches cost between £1 and £10 and although some of them were cheap they all had meaning to me. In memory of my late father two of my brooches were feathers and angel wings, I also had flamingos which I love.

I made my bouquet by buying an oasis bouquet handle from my local wholesaler and some strong craft glue. My now husband Oli, wired each brooch and I glued them on, it looked phenomenal and still does to this day. If you don’t fancy a brooch bouquet then, perhaps buttons, or cabochons or even your nan's beads.

For most woman getting married, they have their fathers to give them away, I unfortunately had lost mine. Thankfully my brother stepped in and gave me away. If you’re in a similar situation, ask somebody who will do you proud on the day.

In my opinion most women should know that it’s unacceptable to wear white to someone else’s wedding. This might sound old fashioned, but until you’re about to be a bride, does this really matter? I went to a wedding the year before mine and a guest wore a white lacy dress, the bride was in floods of tears in the toilets. It was so sad.

So, with the advice I had been given I politely wrote on my invitations that only the bride was to be in white, ivory, cream, or blush.

Your hair and make-up should absolutely reflect you!

I wanted to look like me, but better...so if you are like me and absolutely adore make-up, then go mad!

Also, make sure you have as many trials as you want. They can be a pretty penny, but it has to be right...

Some brides opt to do it themselves, but I wouldn’t have coped with that and my wedding day nerves. I can definitely recommend Charlee Hulbert who is a phenomenal makeup artist.

A good make-up artist will make your day and you get to feel like a princess!

I wanted my bridesmaids to feel as special and glamorous as I did. If you’re paying for a trial then a bridesmaid won’t normally pass up on that opportunity but you could ask the bridesmaids to chip in a little for theirs.... I expect most will.

Make-up trials are also a really fun thing to do as you get to feel totally pampered and pretty with your bridesmaids. At mine my mum made cakes and I brought Prosecco and it was jolly good fun. Your girlfriends will love bringing cakes and scones and then to wash them down with booze...who wouldn’t? Don’t forget to ask your bridesmaids how they want their hair and makeup as it’s important they have as much input as possible. Afterall, it’s their day as well, so it’s lovely for them to feel and look beautiful too.

If you are not a born planner the thought of planning your own wedding can be daunting and quite scary. Knowing where to start can be difficult but it can be extremely helpful to seek advice and tips from people that have been through it and will understand what you are about to go through. Hopefully Frances’ top tips have given you a few ideas and might help you with some of your own wedding plans...

However, don’t panic if you are struggling with your wedding planning, if you need some help or advice then please get in touch. As an ‘On the Day’ wedding co-ordinator I will ensure your day runs smoothly as well as helping you along the way with timings, writing up your own tailored time-plan, supplier recommendations and anything else you might be stuck with...