It’s Been a Process!

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What We Made for Our Own Weddings!

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For the first time Laura & I (Rebecca) are bringing you behind-the-scenes access to our own weddings!  We’ve shown you how to make A LOT of different things for your weddings on our channel over the last 4+ years…if you’ve ever found yourself wondering what we actually made for our own weddings, well, now we’re telling you!  In today’s YouTube video we’re talking you through most of what we DIY’d for our own weddings – or at least what we could remember, it’s been a while for both of us at this point! 

As you might imagine our own weddings have been a big source of inspiration when it’s come to content for our channel, so for your viewing convenience we’ve included links to all the DIYs we mentioned in the description box underneath this week’s video over on YouTube.

Now for all the disclaimers!  Unlike Laura who has always been a crafting master, I really only began my crafting journey whilst wedding planning.  In all honesty I didn’t used to ‘get it’, the idea of walking around Hobbycraft would have been my equivalent of watching paint dry and seeing a homemade card would make me cringe.  My crafting days had basically been left behind with fingerprint paintings back in Primary School.  But all that said, when it came to my wedding, I wanted to be hands-on and I was on a modest budget, so I began the process of blowing that thick layer of dust off the creative side of my brain.

I think Laura would agree that even when we started Bride Society, the DIY based videos on our channel were much more her department for a while and I sat much more comfortably in the planning advice side of things.  As the years have passed, my craft equipment and tools have grown significantly and so has my creativity, including going all-in by purchasing a Cricut Maker…yes, Hobbycraft is now my idea of a good time (not an ad, I’m just obsessed!) and my home office looks more like a craft station than anything else.  Believe me, this could not have been the predicted outcome of me aged 18 walking out into the world!  All this to say, please don’t judge my DIYs in this video too harshly, it was all done in Rebecca-the-crafting-early-days, with not much more than a pair of scissors and a printer!

So, if you’re a crafting-novice and thinking about crafting your way through your wedding, please feel reassured you can do it (especially with the help of our videos), but unlike me, please don’t wait until AFTER your wedding to buy the craft tools…seriously, even if it’s just a craft knife!  Life would have been sooooo much easier!

Enjoy the peek into our weddings!  We’d love to see what you’ve been DIY’ing for your weddings so far, tag us in your photos over on Instagram!

— Rebecca at Bride Society x

Move Over Easter Bunny

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How to Make Air Dry Clay Easter Egg Decorations

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As much as we’re fans of mini eggs and allllllll the Easter chocolate, we do concede that you might not want to go full on Easter themed if you’re having your wedding around that time. Subtle nods to the season, may be more your thing.

That’s where our dried flower, air dry clay hanging ornaments come in! We couldn’t resist using the classic Easter egg shape (however you can create any shape you like with a template or cookie cutter) but gave our ornaments a more rustic/natural feel with how we decorated them. Of course we’re big fans of combining favours and place settings where we can, to save some of that precious budget, so we used alphabet stamps to add guests’ names. Et voilà, personalised wedding favours FTW!

Dried flowers, or wheat in our case, created the beautiful imprints in the soft clay. These can be highlighted once the clay has dried to add a splash of colour – or just keep them au naturale!

But our hanging decorations are just to give you an idea, you can go wild with your decoration! Use anything and everything to create your imprinted patterns, and if you’re fans of bright colours, use paint (suitable to use on ceramic) to jazz up your ornaments. We’d love to see what you come up with!

You will need:

  • Air dry clay
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutter or template and knife
  • Stamps/Dried Flowers for decoration
  • Paint/Pens to add details after the decorations have dried
  • Clear Acrylic Spray Paint
  • Twine/Ribbon to use for hanging

Giving this Easter DIY a go? Show us how you got on and tag us in your photos over on Instagram: @bridesociety_uk, we’d love to see!

-Bride Society

Bring On The Unicorns!

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Spring-Easter Wedding Favourites

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Whilst every winter is feeling longer than the last, when Spring finally starts to show a tiny glimmer of peeking through the ground, the whole of the nation suddenly feels more hopeful and breathes a collective sigh of relief that, yes, more daylight is coming! This happens year in year out and yet it always feels as if it will be dark by 4pm forever, the idea of feeling motivated to start any task after 6pm (at best) seems like that of a possessed person and the idea of being able to simply step outside the front door without the military operation that is layering up for the Great British Weather is basically like seeing a unicorn. But, eventually, come it does, an excitement builds inside when the alarm clock sounds, you peer through your bleary eyes to find the sun has finally begun to rise before you…then when you FINALLY get to return home after a long day of sitting in a room, potentially with no windows, and you realise there is still a hint of daylight? Well! Stop right there, it’s time to throw a party (even if only a mini one for a party of one whilst you dance like Chandler in your mind!)!

Spring gives us all the feels for very good reason and starting the freshest & most hopeful of seasons off with a celebration like a wedding seems the perfect idea to us.  Spring / Easter-time brings with it an array of inspiration to cast its influences over your big day.  Nods to a theme laced subtly throughout your day is always the key to getting any wedding theme right, so in this week’s video we have rounded up some of our favourite ideas, along with some of our own previous tutorials, to inspire your spring / Easter wedding. 

Check out our Pinterest board that supports this video here, you’ll find all the images featured in our video so you can Pin your favourites to your own boards.  All Bride Society DIY videos mentioned in this video can be found via the links in the video description box over on YouTube…Tip: add them to your ‘save for later’ playlist so you can easily find them when you’re ready to start on your DIY projects!

What’s your favourite thing about spring? Comment below!  Can you tell we’re SO ready for it over here at BSoc?!

Using any of the inspiration in today’s video for your wedding?  Tag us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to feel your Spring-Easter vibes!

— Bride Society

Easy Easter Bunny Favour Bags

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How to Make Easter Wedding Favour Bags

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A roll of brown paper, a glue stick, some ribbon and a pompom, oh and not forgetting the Easter treats! That’s all it takes to make these cute Easter Bunny favour bags. Perfect for kids’ wedding favours, but let’s face it, the grown ups would be more than happy if they found these at their place setting too!

The options are almost endless with what you can fill your treat bags with. We went classic with mini eggs (is it even Easter if you don’t have mini eggs?!), but you can tailor it to your specific guests and budget.

You can make these favour bags any size you like, but for our video we cut a piece of brown paper approximately 21cm x 26cm. This created a bag roughly 9cm wide and 22cm tall. Personalise with ribbon and even add your guests’ names to create place settings and favours all in one.

Giving this Easter DIY a go? Show us how you got on and tag us in your photos over on Instagram: @bridesociety_uk, we’d love to see!

-Bride Society

Critters Exposed!

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Hidden Wedding Costs

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When planning a wedding it can quickly feel like you’re paying out hand over fist quicker than you can blink. Much like booking a holiday or moving house, some things in life, no matter how desirable the ultimate thing is, are simply littered with unexpected costs.

It is of course still possible to be frugal, we don’t mean to panic you…there will always be costs but it can be done!  Or indeed be as extravagant as you fancy!  But at the end of the day, none of us like being caught out by extra hidden expenses we didn’t account for.  In fact it’s such a problem that wedding planners often suggest allocating around 10% of your overall budget in anticipation of dealing with them!

A key component to frugality, or simply spending smart, is being aware of where those sneaky costs are lurking and we’re here to expose the pesky things!  Bring on the serenity of knowing you can plough on with your wedding planning without fear of any critters biting you on the butt when you’re not looking!

We hope you find this helpful! Have you encountered any other costs you weren’t expecting? Share them in the comments over on YouTube to help out the rest of our bridal community!

Looking for more content from us?  Check out our Instagram and Pinterest!

–Bride Society

Hobbycraft Wedding Range 2022

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What’s New in Hobbycraft for 2022 Weddings | Hobbycraft, Ginger Ray, Hootyballoo Haul

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It’s been a while, but when we ask over on Instagram, one of the most highly requested video ideas are hauls! So, we’re back with a look at some actual new products from the High Street! Our channel is full of DIY ideas for DIY couples so it’s no surprise we’re big fans of Hobbycraft. Both for the range of items available and the ease of picking them up.

We went for a browse and picked up a selection of the items available we thought would be perfect for creating those extra special touches for your wedding. We bought items from the Hobbycraft own brand as well as Ginger Ray, Hootyballoo and more.

Buying any of these products?  We’d love to see!  Share your photos with us over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk.

Items mentioned:

NB. All views and opinions expressed in this video are that held by Bride Society and are in no way affiliated with Hobbycraft. All pricing and other information provided in relation to the products mentioned were correct at the time of filming to the best of our knowledge.

Video request? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll do what we can to make it happen!

-Bride Society

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

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Debunking Wedding Lies & Myths

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We’ve all heard them, “don’t say ‘wedding’ it doubles the cost”, or, “you’ll get a feeling when you find ‘THE dress’ [wedding dress]” …there are countless lies, myths and outright porkies that people will say to you whilst you’re wedding planning.  So many of them only seem to serve to create stress and worry, so having been through the entire process of planning weddings from start to finish ourselves, we are here to debunk and tell it to you straight. 

…And guess what, neither of us got ‘the feeling’ dress shopping…great if you do, but you’re not alone if you don’t, there’s nothing wrong with you!

Walk this way to your stress relief…

Got any questions or video requests? Leave them in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help. Share the wedding lies you’ve been told with us over on Instagram: @bridesociety_uk, we’d love to hear what else is being said and try to help!

Looking for more content like this? Check out this playlist.

Back to Basics

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Everything you need to know about getting married in England and Wales in 2022

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Back in 2018 we filmed our Wedding 101 video to give you the bare bones of what you actually NEED to be able to get legally married in England and Wales as a UK citizen. Since then there have been some changes so it was about time we filmed an update.

So put aside those colour charts and centrepiece ideas for now, we’ve got the key facts you need to know to take you from not married to married, whether you’re planning a religious ceremony, civil ceremony or civil partnership.

For the most current and accurate information, please visit the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships

Unsure where you should give notice? Find your Register Office: https://www.gov.uk/register-offices

N.B. Please note that whilst all the information in this video is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of filming and on the date the video was launched, UK law in constantly evolving and for the most up to date information you should consult the government website here.

-Bride Society

I Love You More Than…

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Beginner’s Cricut Tutorial: Valentine’s Day Mug

If you know me, you’ll know the way to my heart is through Starbucks, basically anything Starbucks related will do.  It’s just my thing and has been for a solid 18 years now (I just had to do the maths on that and am now slightly freaked out by how I could possibly be old enough for it to have been that long!), so you know you’re in safe waters with this one (P.S. it is also my birthday this week…I’ll just leave that there).

A Starbucks gift card is of course always a strong gifting life choice, but if you’re looking for something a tad more personal that will come with a stack more brownie points, then it’s time to pull out the Cricut! Our, “I love you more than…[x]…maybe” coffee cup design will win the heart of any tea/coffee-lover in your life this Valentine’s/Palentine’s Day.  Now, this is hard for me, but I will commit to writing this, here on my little corner of the internet to be seen for the rest of time…you can use any mug or cup with smooth sides for this tutorial, it does not have to be a Starbucks cup [coughs].  Ok, quickly moving past that…

Today’s Cricut tutorial is suitable for absolute beginners starting out on their Cricut learning curve.  So please fear not if this is you!  We’ve got you!  We’ll take you through step-by-step how to create the design (which of course can be adapted to your wording of choice) in Cricut Design Space, then how to cut and ultimately apply the vinyl to your mug/cup.  You can find the time stamps for each of these sections in the description box under the video over on YouTube.

Here’s what we used:

• Reuseable Cup of choice (…ours is from Starbucks)

• Cricut Maker* (other Cricut machines can also be used)

• Fine Point Blade (usually included with the Cricut Maker machine)

• StandardGrip Mat

• Cricut Basic Tool Set

• Transfer Tape

• Cricut Premium Vinyl, Dark Red* (similar to what we used)

• Cricut Premium Vinyl, Tulip (similar to what we used)

(*Affiliate links – we get a small percentage of the profits made through our referrals.)

If you’re in Canada, you can find the vinyl here: https://bit.ly/3BbWIRu and https://bit.ly/34KfWS3

USA: https://bit.ly/3HFPjfC and https://bit.ly/3HCnTau

Got any questions or video requests? Leave them in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help. Tell us how you got on and tag us in your photos over on Instagram: @bridesociety_uk, we’d love to see what you chose to do with yours (yes, even if it wasn’t using a Starbucks cup!).  

Looking for more content like this? Check out this playlist.

NB. This video is not made in association with any third party.  All affiliate links are clearly marked*.

Happy Valentine’s / Palentine’s Day!

Love, Rebecca & Laura at Bride Society x

Something a Bit Different

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How to Tie Multiway Dresses | Knots, Twists and Cross Over

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Welcome to the fourth and final instalment of our Multiway Month. So far we’ve shown you how to tie classic, one shoulder, halterneck and bardot styles and this week we’ve got some styles that don’t quite fit in those categories. Something a bit different!

We’ve got knots and twists and cross overs, so there’s sure to be a style perfect for your bridesmaids!

You can find time stamps in the video description box to jump ahead to a particular style. Plus, check out the ‘Multiway Dress’ playlist if you’ve missed our first three videos in this series.

Want to find out more about Steph’s luxury multiway dresses and what The Secret Bridesmaid has to offer? You can find her via their website here & Instagram here.

Thanks again to Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid for collaborating with us on this video series, it was a lot of fun to work with you again. We really hope you all find the videos helpful!

Want to see even more style ideas? Let us know in the comments.

What was your favourite style? Join us on Instagram, we’d love to see how you tied yours!

– Bride Society

Give us a Shimmy!

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How to Tie Multiway Dresses | Bardot & Halterneck

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We’re back with our third instalment in this mini series of ‘how to tie multiway dresses’, and this time we’re all about Halterneck and Bardot styles.

As we’ve been editing these videos and looking through the photos, I’ve continued to be amazed at how many distinct ways there are to tie one piece of fabric (it’s seriously impressive)! And yes, I was there on the day, but in my defence, I was the one in the dresses so couldn’t really see what was happening – it’s been a pleasant revelation since the filming day! And there’s even more to come!

If you’re just joining us, here’s what has gone down so far…We asked the pros, aka Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid, and brought you ‘Multiway Month’ – 4 weeks of instructional videos showing you how to tie her Luxury Multiway Dresses in some of her favourite styles. We kicked things off with ‘The Classic’, next we brought you some Greek goddess ‘One-Shoulder’ styles and now we’re here with her uber elegant ‘Halterneck and Bardot’ looks! So whether you fancy showing a cheeky bit of shoulder to shimmy the night away or maybe you’re more about an elegant neckline with some almost regal vibes, this week’s video might have just what you’re looking for…

You can find time stamps in the video description box to jump ahead to a particular style & don’t forget to subscribe whilst you’re here, so you don’t miss the next instalment of ‘Multiway Month’ as there is still more to come! Plus, check out the ‘Multiway Dress’ playlist if you’ve missed our first two videos in this series.

Tip: Mix styles to suit each bridesmaid so they feel comfortable and match colours for a coordinated look.

Want to find out more about Steph’s luxury multiway dresses and what The Secret Bridesmaid has to offer? You can find her via their website here & Instagram here.

Thanks again to Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid for collaborating with us on this video series, it was a lot of fun to work with you again. We really hope you guys find them helpful!

Want to see even more style ideas? Let us know in the comments.

What was your favourite style? Join us on Instagram, we’d love to see how you tied yours!

–Rebecca & Laura at Bride Society

No Chips on These Shoulders

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How to Tie Multiway Dresses | One Shoulder

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Welcome to week two of Multiway Month! We’re back with Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid to bring you even more ways to tie her Luxury Multiway dresses. This week we’re going ‘One Shoulder’! From Grecian Goddess to keyhole details, Steph’s showing us some of her favourite one shoulder styles. If you missed last week’s video, we kicked off our video series with some ‘Classic’ styles.

You can find time stamps in the video description box to jump ahead to a particular style & don’t forget to subscribe whilst you’re there. You don’t want to miss the next instalment of ‘Multiway Month’ as there is LOTS more to come!

Want to find out more about Steph’s luxury multiway dresses and what The Secret Bridesmaid has to offer? You can find her via their website here & Instagram here.

Thanks again to the lovely Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid for collaborating with us on this video series, it was a lot of fun to work with you again and we really hope you guys find them helpful! Want to see even more style ideas? Let us know in the comments.

What was your favourite style? Join us on Instagram, we’d love to see how you tied yours!

–Rebecca & Laura at Bride Society

It’s a Classic!

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How to Tie Multiway Dresses | Classic

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When it comes to styling multiway dresses, the sky is pretty much the limit.  However, if like me you love the concept of multiway dresses but have no idea where to start and would probably end up looking like a bowl of spaghetti without clear guidance, then you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve asked the pros and we’re here with Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid, to bring you ‘Multiway Month’ – 4 weeks of instructional videos showing you how to tie her Luxury Multiway Dresses in some of her favourite styles, kicking off this week with ‘The Classic’.  Yep, you get more than just our two faces for the next few weeks!

But we couldn’t just leave it there…we’ve given you a few different ways to put an extra twist on that ultimate classic look. You can find time stamps in the video description box to jump ahead to a particular style & don’t forget to subscribe whilst you’re here, so you don’t miss the next instalment of ‘Multiway Month’ as there is LOTS more to come!

Top tip: a second pair of hands will be infinitely helpful!  Bride tribe teamwork required!

Want to find out more about Steph’s luxury multiway dresses and what The Secret Bridesmaid has to offer? You can find her via their website here & Instagram here.

Thanks again to the lovely Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid for collaborating with us on this video series, it was a lot of fun to work with you again and we really hope you guys find them helpful! Want to see even more style ideas? Let us know in the comments.

What was your favourite style? Join us on Instagram, we’d love to see how you tied yours!

–Rebecca & Laura at Bride Society

Glue Guns at the Ready!

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DIY Wedding Essentials

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Happy New Year!

We’re back from eating copious amounts of festive food and spending maybe a little bit too much time on the sofa!
2022 couples you can say you’re getting married THIS year!

And if there was a proposal over the festive season, CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to our little corner of the internet, where we hope to inspire, help and answer any of your wedding planning dilemmas! We have an ever growing collection of videos to work your way through, but if there is anything specific you’d like to see from us, please leave us a comment either below or over on Youtube or Instagram.

We’re kicking off 2022 with a video aimed at all you crafty couples who are planning on DIY-ing all or part of your wedding. Whether it’s just because you love to get stuck in, or a way to make your budget stretch a bit further, wedding DIYs can really add some personalised flair to your wedding day.

We’re talking through some of our essential tools and equipment for your DIY wedding, from the budget friendly (i.e. things you may already have lying around the house!) to the budget busting. Everything we think would be useful for your wedding projects! 

Top tip from us: Don’t leave it until after the wedding to purchase some of the things mentioned like one half of Bride Society…

You can find more information about Cricut here.* (This video is no way sponsored or endorsed by Cricut. But we are fans and have a whole playlist of Cricut DIY ideas over on our Youtube channel)

If you have any other suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. And we’d love to hear what you’re planning on DIY-ing for your wedding!

-Bride Society

No Mean Feat!

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Our Annual Christmas Message | 2021

Well, it’s been a year!  A mixed bag of highs, lows, and anxious waits on the wedding front for suppliers and couples alike.  I still sometimes sit here finding it hard to comprehend all that’s actually happened in the past two years…or not happened I should maybe say!  To those of you who finally made it down the aisle this year, CONGRATULATIONS from us both…we know that was no mean feat!  We’ve seen so much support amongst the bridal community over on Instagram, and it’s been lovely (whilst also heart-breaking) reading all your messages going back and forth, if nothing else good has come from all this, we know there are new, budding friendships out there.

Thank you to all of you who have supported Bride Society throughout 2021, whether it’s been through watching our videos on YouTube, liking, subscribing, following, commenting, DM’ing, pinning, reposting…we appreciate every single thing you do as it supports our little business and lets us keep doing what we love.  If you’ve got any video requests or thoughts about what content you’d like to see from us in 2022, let us know in the comments!

We’re excited to show you what we’ve got in store for the New Year, but in the meantime, we hope you and your other half have the most magical of Christmases and we’ve got everything crossed for what 2022 will bring!

We’ll be back on January 7th at 4pm GMT!

— Rebecca & Laura at Bride Society