The festive season often brings with it a lot of proposals, so if that’s you and you’ve found your way here to begin your wedding planning process, first, CONGRATULATIONS! and second, you’ve come to the right place!
It goes without saying that this year is slightly different than previous when it comes to wedding planning certainty, however, be excited! There’s hope and optimism for the year ahead, so we’re giving you our tips and advice for getting started with your wedding planning during a pandemic.
Things are different, there’s no denying that, but with that comes an opportunity to be creative and think differently about things. Your wedding planning story is going to be different from anyone else’s outside of 2020/2021 so you might as well try and make it a good one.
And if this is all new to you, we have three years of wedding planning content, from tips and advice to DIY ideas and honeymoon inspiration here and over on our Youtube channel. If you have any specific video requests please feel free to let us know by commenting below or over on our Instagram page.
Well, that was an ‘interesting’ year. We know it’s been a challenging, heart-breaking and difficult year for most in one way or another, including you guys who have been trying to plan / replan your weddings on top of it all.
Bride Society’s year has been a little different too. The two of us haven’t been able to meet up to film in person since March and so we’ve had to adapt how we bring you our weekly YouTube content. We’re sad we’ve not been able to see each other or bring you some of the content we’d hoped to this year. But with the power of Zoom we have at least been virtually side by side on occasion, and in between times there has been a definite boost in the amount of wedding DIY tutorials available for you on our channel…we hope they’ve kept you occupied!
There have also been some positives in amongst it all over here at BSoc HQ…we’ve virtually met some new people in the industry and managed a few collaborations. We even hit some pretty significant milestones in the world of YouTube and Instagram along the way that were a big achievement for us. Thank you so much for your support…we genuinely appreciate every like, every view, every follower, every subsciber and every watch minute.
We hope you all have a lovely Christmas no matter what form it might be taking this year and we’re excited to be back with you on January 1st 2021 to start afresh.
If you’ve got some down-time over the festive period and want to get ahead on your wedding planning, don’t forget we’ve got an extensive range of videos you can check out, including our wedding trend predictions for 2021. Or, if you’re looking to get crafty for Christmas, we’ve got lots of festive DIYs too that are perfect for your home, not just weddings!
Our 2020 Christmas Wishes
Here’s to a more hopeful New Year, sending you all lots of love and best wishes,
DIY Air Dry Clay Christmas Tree Decorations | Wedding Favours | Place Settings | Gift Tags
Our air dry clay decorations are perfect for so many occasions! Wondering what to do for wedding favours for your winter wedding? Your guests will definitely take these home to put on their tree. Want to up-level your gift tag game this Christmas, these are sure to impress. Hosting the in-laws for the first time and want to add some place settings to your Christmas table? Bingo. Place setting and table gift all in one.
They’re so simple to make, you just need a bit of time as the clay will take a couple of days to dry out properly depending on how thick you roll it.
For our tutorial we used some old cookie cutters to create the star and heart shapes, but use whatever shape and size you want, or go freehand with a knife! Don’t forget to add a hole in the shape BEFORE you allow the clay to dry out. This means you/your guests will be able to hang the decoration up on their tree without any problems.
Once your shapes have completely dried, you can get on with decorating them! We used stamps to write the names and a message. If you’re using them as your wedding favours you could add the guests name on one side and your names/initials and the date on the other so they’ll always remember your special day when looking at their tree! To really add some Christmas sparkle, we also used some gold leaf. We used leafing size to attach the gold leaf to the clay shapes. But get creative! Customise your decorations however you want, with paint, gold leaf, glitter – anything goes!
I’m holding my hand up and admitting that on the 1st of December I was there, putting up my Christmas decorations, with Christmas music playing in the background, a Starbucks gingerbread latte in hand and rounded off the day by renting a Christmas movie. Yes, I’m that person…my husband just about tolerates it – mostly by spending the day in another room with his music drowning out mine and a promise that I’ll confine the Christmas ornaments that ‘creep him out’ to my office. It’s a finely tuned arrangement that works for us, haha!
The arrival of December, the Christmas decorations, the drop in temperature and those dark evenings, can all only mean one thing…. winter is here! Ok, so it might not technically be true for a few more weeks yet (crazy!) but for me, once all those things happen, winter has arrived. Surely I’m not alone on this?
This week we’re bringing you our inspiration for wintery tealight holders that will create the perfect winter wonderland look for your seasonal wedding or bring a little cosiness to your home during those dark evenings…and, let’s face it, afternoons! To me, winter has all the cosy vibes of autumn but with an added glitz and shimmer and so we’ve brought all the feels to our three candle holder designs:
DIY Winter Tealight Holders Tutorial
Having a go? Share your glowing winter vibes with us by tagging us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!
Any questions or requests? Drop us a comment below and we’ll do our best!
We’re really starting to get into the festive spirit and what better way than with a festive DIY – and an edible one at that!
We’re up-levelling your gingerbread biscuits by creating candy cane hugging gingerbread people! These are perfect as wedding favours if you’re planning a winter/Christmas wedding or as place settings for either your wedding table or Christmas table! Simply tie a tag around the candy cane to add the name or message.
You will need:
Candy canes
Royal icing and piping bags
Gingerbread person cutter
Rolling pin
Baking paper
For approximately 12 biscuits:
300g self raising flour
pinch salt
3 tsp ground ginger
100g caster sugar
50g margarine
3 tbsp golden syrup
4tbsp milk
We’re using rolled up baking paper to create the space that will be filled by the candy canes. You will need to roll up the baking paper to at least the thickness of your candy cane, preferably slightly thicker.
Keep it simple with your decoration or go wild with colour and sprinkles to really personalise your gingerbread people.
We’d love to see if you give these a go. Tag us on Instagram if you do!
5 weeks. 35 days. 840 hours. 50,400 minutes. Christmas is coming! Is it just me or do some of those numbers make Christmas seem like it’s just around the corner, and others like it’s still an age away?! I’ll let you pick which number makes you the happiest! I’m personally somewhere in the middle as my current mental state is something like, ‘somewhat unprepared but in need of something to look forward to’!
If you’ve just found yourself picking the number that makes it feel the furthest away because you’re currently panicking about a lack of gift inspiration for your other half, then fear no longer…we’ve got your back!
We know that this year Christmas prep. is looking a little different. The shop doors are physically closed, making it harder to browse for ideas, combined with a desire to shop small, support local and to buy online where possible to avoid crowds once we are allowed out again. Plus, with the need to purchase slightly sooner with online gifting to allow for delivery times, we thought we’d better bring you this gift guide ASAP! Whilst we’re offering general inspiration, we’re also showing you lots of examples in today’s video…the majority of which are from independent sellers and can be purchased online. Just call me ‘Buddy’(too soon for a Christmas film reference?)!
Whilst we’ve focussed in on gifts for fiancé(e)s, this gift guide still has you covered if you’re buying for a couple, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, or life partner etc. Whether you’re looking for stocking fillers or an extra special blowout treat (cos let’s face it, it’s been a heck of a year!), we’ve got inspiration for every budget.
Like the look of a specific gift featured in this video? All the featured gifts, and more, can be found on our Pinterest Board that accompanies this video here.
Want to leave a hint for your other half? No judgement here! Feel free to comment below or on YouTube which gifts you like the look of the most! Share the video, or simply ‘accidentally’ leave it open on your computer!
Happy Shopping!
NB. Please note, there are no affiliate links associated with this video and has been made entirely independently of any of the companies featured. We are not able to accept any responsibility for the quality or reliability of any of the sellers mentioned in this video, images shown as examples only.
Goodbye 2020! We didn’t quite manage to predict we’d be facing a worldwide pandemic when we filmed last year’s wedding trends video and we’re definitely regretting predicting that 2020 would be a bumper year for couples tying the knot!
However, we’re looking forward and we’re optimistic that weddings will be going ahead in 2021!
Obviously Covid is still having a massive impact across the world and even when things are back on track, we’re sure weddings will still be impacted in one way or another, either by necessity or choice.
So for our 2021 wedding trends video, we’ve thought about how weddings may be changed by events of 2020, as well as the usual trend predictions for flowers, outfits, decor and cake!
Check out the video below to see what we think will be some of the biggest trends in the wedding world in the coming year.
Wedding Day Makeup Q&A with Pro Makeup Artist, Naomi from Beyond The Literal.
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Did anyone ever teach you how to apply makeup? Like, properly? Not just hand you a mascara and say, “you put this on your eyelashes”! Me neither. Simultaneous equations – yes, makeup – no! I’ve occasionally walked past the makeup counters in beauty stores and considered sitting in their chairs, only to keep on walking when I see the reps faces which seem to be showcasing their entire product line simultaneously, combined with a fear of feeling obligated to purchase an infinite amount of products I’m not sure I want, need or like afterwards. Just me?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve maybe picked a few tricks up here and there over the years, alongside some tentative experimentation but overall you’re not exactly sure you’re doing it right, in the right order or in the ideal way for your face…and don’t even get me started on what the heck all those different brushes are for!
This week’s video features our very special guest, Naomi, who is an experienced professional makeup artist based in the USA. She not only has her own YouTube channel (find it here!) full of tips, tricks and advice but, in the age of social distancing, she also offers virtual makeup lessons (for more info. click here)! The perfect solution – experimentation in your own home, advice tailored to you as an individual, helping you achieve the look YOU want and no guilt trip to buy certain products before you leave! If you’re thinking of doing your own wedding day makeup, this could be the confidence boost you need.
We recently reached out to you over on Instagram to find out what questions you have about wedding day makeup…we put those questions to the Pro in this week’s video, so check out the video link below to meet Naomi and be empowered by her words of wisdom:
If you’re planning an autumn/fall wedding, you may be pondering how to include seasonal bits (read: pumpkins) into your wedding decor with a weddingy twist. Not everyone wants to full out Fall with orange pumpkins and gourds decorating every surface. (Though if that’s your jam, go for it!)
We think we’ve come up with a perfect solution, a nod to the season by using pumpkins, but wrapped in a perfect wedding appropriate jacket. And because everything is cuter in miniature, we’ve used mini or munchkin pumpkins to create our paper maché pumpkin place settings.
These are perfect for your wedding reception tables. The paper we’ve used is sheet music, this would be perfect for any music loving couple. Or how about using the sheet music to your first dance or a meaningful song. Not sure it could get more romantic!
We’ve applied it directly to a pumpkin using PVA glue so, although this DIY could be done in advance, we wouldn’t recommend doing it too far, otherwise your pumpkins may start to go a bit past their best.
As an alternative, you could use a pumpkin shaped item to paper maché, rather than the real thing! We’ve just used one layer of paper to cover the pumpkin, however, apply as many layers until you’re happy with the look of your pumpkin.
Leave to dry between layers. Once dry you will be able to write directly onto the pumpkin with your marker pen.
Add any extras you fancy, for example you could add a splash of gold by painting the stem of the pumpkin if you’ve left it exposed like us.
Got a Cricut machine? Why not create the name stickers and add those to your pumpkins.
For more wedding pumpkin ideas, check out our autumn playlist.
We’d love to see how you’d put your own spin on these so please tag us in your Instagram photos if you give it a go.
The concept of personalising everything wedding related is the hottest it’s ever been. We, and you alike, are all about your weddings being a reflection of your personalities, full of personal and unique touches. And the rise of the Cricut machines has given us at-home crafters all the tools we need at our fingertips to make this happen!
This week’s unique touch for your wedding are personalised slippers…a lovely gift for you and your bridesmaids to wear on the morning of your wedding whilst all the makeover magic is happening (also who doesn’t love a bit of outfit coordination for the photographs!). With our design you can easily change up the name and this time we’ve gone with location coordinates (of where you feel in love / wedding venue) instead of the wedding date, as let’s face it, in these COVID-19 times you’re likely either sick of having to remove & replace your date from items you’ve already made or are nervous about committing to fabric with your future date. With that in mind, using coordinates instead of your date is the perfect personalisation solution that allows you to scratch that creative itch now!Genius, we know!
For this tutorial we’re using a Cricut Maker machine. If you’re new to Cricut and are crafting for your wedding, this DIY is a great place to start with step-by-step instructions to get you on the road to vinyl success! Any questions? Let us know in the comments over on YouTube and we’ll do our best to help you out.
Materials we used (with product links if you need them!):
NB. This video is not made in association with Cricut or Hobbycraft. There are no affiliate links listed here. If you choose to use other materials or equipment to make this project, please refer to the Cricut website as instructions will vary slightly.
The Cricut website has a really useful heat guide for transferring your vinyl if you’re using different equipment/materials to ours, take a look.
Having a go? We’d love to see your cosy slipper creations! Tag us in your photos over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk.
Cakesicles are going nowhere fast and from the reaction to our first cakesicle tutorial, you should have all now mastered the dipping method. So now it’s time to try an alternative way of creating these tasty treats!
The shell method is slightly more labour intensive, however it can create a neater finished look, reduces the amount of excess chocolate you have to use and produces more consistent results if you’re after identical items, Bake Off challenge style.
As always, we’ve used the cakesicle mould linked below but this method works with any.
For the cake mixture: Use a ratio of 1:4 for the buttercream/cake quantities. You want the crumbled cake and buttercream mixture to hold together but not be too sloppy with frosting.
For this video we’ve used ready made cupcakes. Three cupcakes will comfortably fill the four spaces in the mould, and you’ll likely have a bit left over.
As for the chocolate, we’ve gone ‘Bridal’ again and used white chocolate for the shell of each cakesicle, however any type of chocolate will work. You will need approx. 2tbsp of melted chocolate for each; 1tbsp to coat the base and sides and then the other to seal the top.
We’ve combined trends and decorated our cakesicles with pressed edible flowers. These would be perfect for your Bridal shower, engagement party, individually wrapped as wedding favours or even an alternative wedding cake! You could easily coordinate the colours of the flowers (and/or chocolate) to the rest of your colour scheme.
N.B. Please remember to source your flowers from a reputable company and know which parts of the flower are edible. Stems are decorative only and should be removed before eating.
For almost instant pressed flower results we use this microwave flower press. It will press and dry your flowers in less than two minutes! Then they’re ready to adorn the cakes.
After a fail of attempting to add the flowers into the moulds at the beginning of the process (didn’t quite work as planned – see below!)…
The first attempt – fail!
…the easiest way to floralise your cakesicles is to simply paint the pressed flowers with some edible glue after the cakesicles are out of the moulds and ready for eating.
For full details check out the video below.
Having a go? Share your cakesicle creations with us by tagging us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!
Whilst I’m a summer sun kinda girl at heart, there’s still something I really enjoy about when autumn / fall first sets in. The cooler temperatures are a chance to rediscover some of those cosy jumpers that have been at the back of the wardrobe for the past few months, the changing up of menus meaning the chance to get my hands on a PSL (or more, who am I trying to kid!) again…or the idea of warming up with stews and wholesome soups. Those darker evenings signalling soft lighting, open fires and cosy blankets…and my favourite thing of all – how beautiful nature is at that point at which the trees start to turn. What do you love most about this time of year? Let me know in the comments below.
So to embrace those autumnal feels, we’re turning our attention to the soft, warm, inviting vibes that lighting can bring with a couple of tealight designs that really encapsulate all the fall vibes. We’ve got step by step instructions for how to create these rustic / woodland inspired tealights for your wedding…or thanksgiving…or just for the joy of it around the home, in this week’s video:
Autumnal DIY Tealight Holders
Having a go? Share your cosy autumnal vibes with us by tagging us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!
Any questions or requests? Drop us a comment below and we’ll do our best!
Looking for some inspiration for your place settings for your rustic wedding? We’ve got you covered!
These log slice moss place settings will fit in perfectly, are really simple, super quick to make, and can be made really far in advance! (No last minute wedding prep stress here!)
If you want to zhuzh them even more, why not add dried flowers, acorns, small pine cones, basically any other woodland-y bits you fancy. The options are endless!
When it comes to gift giving, I love to put effort in to the presentation (as well as the actual gift idea of course!)…for me how a gift is wrapped etc is all part of the excitement. That said, gift bags can be pricey! If you’ve gone all in budget wise on the gift, you may not be thrilled at the idea of spending more for flourishes that aren’t technically necessary…or maybe you just realised you’ve run out of wrapping paper! Cue the DIY gift bag! You’ll be surprised how easy it is to whip one up and you’ve probably got all the equipment you’ll need lying around the house already!
And don’t stop at gifts! These bags are the PERFECT size for confetti, sweet treats, favours and lots more. Easily personalised and colour coordinated to your wedding theme. Possibly our most multi-purpose wedding DIY to date!
All you need is one A4 sheet of paper (or cut some left-over wrapping paper to A4 size!) and a glue stick to make our gift bag! Then decorate as you wish (we’re showing you a couple of ideas).
Approximate measurements of finished gift bag: 15x11x3cm.
You will need…
Equipment used in this video (no affiliate links):
It’s no secret that we’re a fan of a sweet treat here at Bride Society and if one of these save the date biscuits landed on our doormat, we’d be clearing the calendar immediately and saving the date! (And no pencil here, it’d be pen all the way!)
In this week’s video we’re showing you how to treat your invitees to some edible info about your upcoming wedding. You will probably want to send the cookie with a bit more information as the biscuits won’t hang around for long!
We used the Pink Whisk sugar cookie recipe for our biscuits which has the great advantage that the biscuits don’t rise or spread during baking. Carefully transfer your cut out, unbaked cookies to a lined baking tin and they’ll stay in whatever shape you’ve chosen! Full details can be found here.
We used a 9cm square cutter from this set to shape the biscuits. However, if you don’t have a square cutter then simply use a knife to cut out the dough.
Personalise with your colour scheme and any sprinkles/edible glitter/decorations you like. And of course your own date! If you’re not confident with piping the information, you could use cutters and sugar paste to create the letters.
We’d love to see your efforts so don’t forget to tag us in your Instagram photos if you give them a go.
