Bride Society

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya | Resort Review

25 July 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Top Rated Mexico Resort, Secrets Akumal, Resort Review – Updated!

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We’re BACK, with a refresh of our Secrets Akumal resort review from 7 years ago! That time has flown and I’ve done some other exciting and beautiful exploring along the way (including other Secrets Resorts – check out those reviews here), but this luxury Mexican resort on the Riviera Maya has me coming back time and time again. Things have changed a little since the first time I went, shortly after it opened its doors, so I thought it might be time for an update. You can still check out the OG review on our channel as it’s a little more in-depth, but for the quick highlights or to see what’s been added in that time, you’re in the right spot.

This is truly the perfect location for a destination wedding, honeymoon or couples’ getaway – it’s rated 5 star on Expedia, is all-inclusive and adults-only…so already doing well in my books, but clearly I’m not alone in loving this slice of paradise as it’s been voted 2025 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best by TripAdvisor, placing them in the top 1% worldwide!

🏆 #1 Top in the World & Mexico
🏆 #1 All-Inclusive in the World & Mexico
🏆 #4 Luxury in the World & #1 Mexico
🏆 #1 Treat Yourself in the World

You can find and book this hotel here via Expedia (affiliate link).

So for a glimpse inside the resort, facilities, a look around their rooms and a sneaky peek at their menus – as we all know the food is key to any holiday decision, check out our latest review: https://youtu.be/uLhgkIILmfY.

Got any questions about the resort? Drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to help.

Is Secrets Akumal in the running for your destination wedding / honeymoon? Let us know in the comments!

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— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

High Street Bridal Shoes – Under £100!

3 July 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

We Tried High Street Wedding Shoes That Won’t Break the Bank!

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Weirdly, in the 8 years we’ve been putting out videos, we’ve never once reviewed…BRIDAL SHOES! So, let’s complete your wedding outfit with that all important footwear!

Unless it’s a boho or beach wedding where you plan to go barefoot, shoes are an important detail, even if it’s one that maybe isn’t seen by many (if you have a long dress anyhow!). From a comfort standpoint alone, you’re generally on your feet for most of the day, all topped off by a lot of dancing and this is not the day to be hobbling around due to blisters! It’s your chance to treat yourself to the shoes you’ve always wanted (who says they even have to be traditionally ‘bridal’?)! Or maybe you’re after something you’ll love but at a price point that’s kind on an already stretched wedding budget.

In our latest YouTube video, we tried on a selection of bridal shoes available from UK high street retailer NEXT, all under £100, from classic bridal heels to matching flats (that’s day to dancing covered!), giving you the intel on what’s comfy, if they’re true to size (to help out with that online ordering!) and what looks great in-person.

We’ve all been there right…you spend hours trawling the internet – online shopping. Zooming in on photos, wondering whether we should size up or down, will it look as good in person as online? We get that! Check out the video for the full review (scroll down for product links):

P.S. Break in your wedding shoes by wearing them around the house before your wedding day and carry blister plasters*, just in case!

*Affiliate link – Amazon affiliate

🔗 Links in order of appearance:

Which were your favourite bridal shoes? Let us know in the comments and tag us in your photos over on Instagram (we’re nosey and want to see what you picked!).

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— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Style a Wedding Table Without Using Flowers

2 June 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Wedding Table Styling with The Secret Bridesmaid

Whether it’s for budget reasons, allergies, or just simply not your vibe, you might not want to include flowers as part of your wedding table styling. In Part One of our Wedding Table Styling videos, we’re sharing some no floral wedding table styling inspiration from Steph, The Secret Bridesmaid.

Many thanks to Whistle Barns Wedding Venue for the use of their gorgeous reception space.

A big thank you to Steph from the Secret Bridesmaid for sharing her skills with us. If you’d like to have your venue styled by The Secret Bridesmaid, you can find her via her website and Instagram.

N.B. The naked flames used in this video were for artistic effect during filming for content creation, at a wedding or event held at Whistle Barns, naked flames are to be enclosed. Always check your venue’s policy on naked flames.

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Wedding Décor Alternatives to Fresh Cut Flowers

21 May 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Beautiful Wedding Decorations WITHOUT Fresh Cut Flowers!

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We love fresh cut flowers, don’t get us wrong! They are beautiful, full of variety and so many colour choices. It’s not hard to see why they are a staple at weddings, and I don’t even think I’m being bold to proclaim that they’re going nowhere.

All that said, there are lots of alternatives out there to have in place of fresh cut flowers, or indeed that could work alongside them. There’s no getting around it, the cost of flowers can mount up quickly! Strategies such as picking in-season blooms, choosing stems with large buds (when paying by the stem, you’ll need less with the bigger flower heads!), and interspersing them with our other décor ideas can all help lower the cost, but if it still doesn’t take it far enough for you, then you’re in the right place.

And of course, there more reasons than just money to look into alternatives (and of course, alternatives could be more expensive depending what you go for)! There’s the environmental impact, allergies, or maybe you’re just not that keen on them and want to get creative! Whatever your reason for searching for alternative décor ideas for your wedding, we’ve got something for everyone in this video!

What’s your favourite idea? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear what you’re planning to do for your wedding…and of course we absolutely want to sneak a peek, so don’t forget to tag us in your photos over on Instagram too @bridesociety_uk!

Etsy Father’s Day Gift Guide 2025

16 May 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

AD. Etsy Gift Ideas for the Father of the Bride / Groom

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Whether you’re engaged or recently married, we’re guessing your wedding is pretty forefront in your mind! And that’s great, we’re here for it. With Father’s Day coming up on June 15^th, gifting for your father figure is another brilliant opportunity to work the wedding angle!

If your wedding happened within the last year, this is a chance to reminisce with your father about the special moments you and he shared together on that day, through your gift. If the wedding is still on the horizon, the gift could be something special for him to use on the big day! We’ve covered all the angles in this week’s video as we dived deep into the small-shop world of Etsy, uncovering the most heartfelt, touching and keepsake-worthy gifts for the father of the bride/groom, 2025!

AD. We are affiliate partners of Etsy and all product links below are affiliate links – this means we get a small amount of commission if you go on to purchase items through this link, at no extra cost to you.

The Bride Society Father’s Day Etsy Collection

You can also check out Etsy’s very own Father’s Day hub

Did anything catch your eye? Let us know in the comments what’ll you’ll be getting for your father figure this year…we’re nosey! Also, chances of him spotting your comment on a blog in the corners of the internet are next to none I reckon!

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Unique Wedding Ceremony Ideas

22 April 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Ideas for a Unique Wedding Ceremony to make your day UNFORGETTABLE!

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Everybody loves a wedding; celebrating love and happiness, what could be better? But if you’re worried that your guests will be suffering from wedding fatigue by the time yours comes around, or simply that you’ve been to quite a few weddings already and are feeling the pull towards doing something a bit different to keep things interesting, then look no further! It’s certainly not a case of, ‘seen one wedding, seen them all’, people love, love! However naturally there does come a point where everyone knows what to expect. Well, not anymore…!

We get it, wedding ceremonies in England follow certain formats, as at the end of the day it’s a legal event where two people are entering a contract, so certain conditions have to be met…but that doesn’t mean you can’t sprinkle in a bit of magic here and there. You don’t even have to make big changes (though go for it if you want! You could even do the ‘legal bit’ at another time if you want full flexibility within your ceremony), we’re simply floating the idea of adding in an idea or two outside of the norm. If the idea of that has you thinking, “yes please!”, then you’re in the right place. Maybe it will be something that really shows off your personalities, is meaningful to the two of you, or is an adjustment to make it more in-keeping with what is important to the both of you.

It does take a little time to think about as we’re all so used to that same one structure that it’s hard to mentally break out of that, but that’s why today’s video is here! We’ve got a handful of really unique ideas for your ceremony that we think you’ll love, or at the very least, we think it will get your imagination going!

How are you mixing things up at your wedding ceremony? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear all about it! And don’t forget to tag us in your photos over on Instagram so we can have a nosey at what you choose!

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— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

How to Work Out Your Wedding Priorities

11 April 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

When you’re just starting out on your wedding planning journey, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to begin prioritising, or even thinking about which parts of a wedding are important to you. The services/suppliers that regardless of cost you want to include, or the elements that can be completely left out without any regret.

Even if you’re in a situation where budget is no object, it’s likely that you will still value some parts of the wedding over others and this is where working out your wedding priorities is an important first step to planning your wedding.
But remember, there are two of you in this marriage, so, regardless of if you’ve been dreaming about what your perfect wedding would look like since you were small, it’s important to work together as a team to make sure it’s the wedding that works for the both of you.

If that still feels like a daunting task, don’t worry, we’re here to help! We’re sharing our tips and advice on how to work out your wedding priorities, which will hopefully make the rest of your wedding planning a breeze!

If you have any other tips for how to work out your wedding priorities, please leave them in the comments below and help other couples who are starting the process of planning their weddings.

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Wedding Cake Display Ideas

4 April 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Backdrop inspiration to show off your wedding cake to the max!

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Let’s give cake it’s moment at your wedding! After all, the wedding cake is a BIG deal, and the cake cutting is such a classic photo moment within your wedding reception, that it definitely deserves more than being plopped on a table, shoved in the corner of the room!

There’s so many ways to do it! Some grand, some smaller but still packing that visual punch. We’re all used to seeing flowers incorporated into the design of the cake itself, but maybe you like the idea of a fairly understated cake design, and letting the backdrop do the work. Or maybe you want to go all out with the cake and the backdrop becomes it’s extension! Whether you’re picking an idea simply because you love it, because it specifically fits your wedding theme or to coordinate with your colour scheme, there’s an idea for every couple, taste and budget!

Love the idea but need to be budget conscious? You could go for a display that’s movable around your venue so you can double up on it’s uses. For example, if you want a photo backdrop for guests as they enter your reception, you could then repurpose that to behind your cake once all your guests have arrived, all well before that cake-cutting photo opp.

We’re all familiar with the concept of a cake stand, and even a cake topper, which is definitely a great starting point, but come with us into this week’s video and let’s give your wedding cake it’s shining moment!

Love these ideas? Visit our dedicated Pinterest board and get pinning!

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6 Reasons to Choose a Spring Wedding

28 March 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Despite the title of this blog and video, we do truly believe that you can’t go wrong with anytime of year for your wedding, and whatever season you choose for your Big Day will be wonderful. However, if you’re umming and ahring about the time of year to tie the knot, and debating whether a spring wedding’s for you, we’ve got 6 great reasons why you should choose a spring wedding.

Why not embrace the season being synonymous with new beginnings and create your new beginning stepping into married life in spring.
Lambs, chicks and bunnies are completely optional, although if you did decide to include them as part of your spring wedding then it’s essential to share your photos with us!

Now you’ve decided on the season, if you’d like more spring wedding inspiration, check out Our Favourite Spring and Easter Wedding Ideas video.

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Thanks for reading/watching! Got any questions and video requests – drop them in the comments.

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Wedding Suit Shopping

21 March 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Wedding Suit Shopping Made Simple For Your Big Day!

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Wedding suits – chances are you’ve owned and worn a suit at some point in your life, whether it was for a family wedding as a kid, for school or a job interview. But when it comes to your wedding day suit, we know you want it to be the suit of all suits, the suit that will never be out-suited, basically, the ultimate suit!

Whether you’re a semi-regular suit wearer or it’s been a minute (hello WFH era!), there’s just quite simply a different array of considerations when it comes to the suit for your big day. You might be dealing with a different climate, working to a theme &/ colour palette, needing to coordinate with other members of the bridal party…and then of course there’s the decision of renting versus buying! It goes on!

So, apologies if you’d been feeling chill, thinking, “oh it’s just a suit, I’ll rock up to the mall a week before the wedding, job’s a good’un” and now we’ve freaked you out with all the things you actually need to consider… Or if you were feeling bewildered about where to even begin and now your mind is spinning, again, we’re sorry! We won’t just leave you there, don’t worry…

You’ve got this! We’re virtually holding your hand through the whole suit buying process in this week’s video. 10 simple tips to help you narrow down your options and figure out what suit is right for you and your wedding, whilst making sure you are comfortable and feel like ‘you’ on your big day (just the most elevated version!). Talking you all the way through to on-the-day, ensuring you’re feeling prepared and confident, with no last minute panics.

P.S. Bonus tip – if you’re not getting ready at home the morning of the wedding, pack an emergency sewing kit, safety pins and a spare button or two (or know where they are if you are at home!).

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Thanks for reading/watching! Got any questions – drop them in the comments. Don’t forget to tag us in your suit photos over on Instagram, we’d love to have a nosy at what you end up picking!

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Choosing Your Wedding Cake – Where to Start

14 March 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

You’ve booked your venue, the date’s confirmed, you’ve secured your wedding photographer, so now you’re starting to plan everything else. And, with a lot of things when it comes to wedding planning, you may not have booked/ordered a cake before. Especially not one that could serve the amount of guests you’re planning to attend your wedding. Throw in different priorities when it comes to how you spend your budget for your wedding day and differing opinions over style and flavours, it can be difficult to know where to start!

But choosing your wedding cake can be one of the most fun parts of planning the wedding, as, before you confirm any bookings, you should really sample the cake you’ll be enjoying on your Big Day. Either at a wedding fair, wedding cake consultation or by ordering cake tasting boxes. With the latter you can even make a whole date night out of it while you discuss your favourites and choose your flavours with your other half.

We’re breaking down how to plan for your perfect wedding cake. From budget to design, to cake table styling to possibly your perfect cake not even being a cake at all…

If you’re interested in more wedding cake content, you can also check out our Wedding Cake Trends for 2025 video.

We’d love to hear what you’re choosing for your wedding cake. Is it even going to be cake? Let us know in the comments below!

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— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Tips for a Sustainable Wedding

7 March 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

5 Key Areas to Improve your Wedding’s Environmental Impact

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We’re not here to preach or be perfect, these tips aren’t going to achieve a zero waste, zero impact wedding. However, if you’re planning a wedding and wondering if there are simple, and ideally cost-effective, ways to help minimise your impact along the way, then this week’s video is for you!

We’ve tackled these 5 key areas within your wedding:

Wedding venue & Décor
Wedding stationery
Outfits & attire
Flowers
Favours

We’ve got numerous tips and ideas for reducing your environmental footprint in all of these categories, so we’re confident you’ll find something to adopt into your wedding. We already know you’ll have an amazing wedding day, and now you can feel extra good about it too!

Take on all the tips or just a few, it all helps. Let us know what you’ll be doing in the comments! Got any other simple ideas to share with other couples? Drop them in the comments.

Looking for more content like this? Check out our Eco-Friendly Wedding Ideas playlist over on YouTube.

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— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Wedding Fair vs. Wedding Open Day

28 February 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

The differences between wedding fairs and wedding open days

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After working in the wedding industry for over a decade, we’ve been around wedding related words and phrases a lot, so it can be easy to forget that just because a phrase or terminology may be obvious to you, not everyone will have heard it before. Especially if you’re newly engaged and haven’t been involved in any kind of wedding planning process before! Enter this week’s video… created following this thought process and hopefully will help make wedding planning easier (to understand at least!).

While wedding season may not have started in full force yet, the ‘shoulder’ seasons, spring and autumn are peak wedding fair and wedding open day season. Wedding fairs and wedding open days, the same thing right? Well not exactly. That’s why we’re sharing the differences between the two so you can decide which type of event works best for you; whether you’re more interested in exploring a venue and seeing how it might look on your Big Day, or want to meet a range of wedding suppliers who are going to help turn your ideas into a reality.

Any questions, or any other wedding related topics you’re unsure about? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help.

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— Rebecca and Laura

Wedding Photo Backdrop Ideas

21 February 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Backdrop Inspiration to make your Wedding Photos Magical!

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Your wedding day is one of the most magical days of your life, so of course you want your photos to be just as spectacular…but how? One of the most effective ways to elevate your wedding pics is by choosing the perfect backdrop. There are new and interesting ideas out there for every style of wedding, for your formal and in-formal shots, be it indoors or using an outside space. A good backdrop will not only look great in your venue and help set the vibe, but it’ll also have your guests wanting to take photos.

Whether you’re dreaming of statement pieces such as romantic moongates, modern magazine photo booths, or something smaller but still interesting, like a customised selfie mirror or polaroid frame, we’ve got a whole bunch of fabulous ideas to make your photos extra sparkly (and of course, Instagram worthy).

In our latest YouTube video, “Wedding Photo Backdrop Ideas,” we’re sharing some seriously gorgeous and creative ideas to make your wedding photos feel like they’re straight out of a fairytale (or a Pinterest board!). Let’s take a sneak peek at some of our favourite backdrops!

And speaking of Pinterest boards, you can pin all our finds and more directly from our dedicated pin board:

Let us know in the comments which backdrops have got you swooning!

Looking for more wedding backdrop ideas? Check out our Ceremony and Reception Backdrop Ideas here!

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— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Easy Valentine’s Cupcake Decoration Ideas

14 February 2025Bride Society Leave a comment

Simple Cupcake Decoration Inspiration for Beginner Friendly Cupcake Decorating

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Happy Valentines Day!
What could be sweeter on a day celebrating love than decorating some heart themed cupcakes?! These beginner friendly design ideas still look super impressive, whether you’re gifting them to your other half, or just enjoying them yourself!

These simple cupcake designs use only one type of piping nozzle and one colour of buttercream. Obviously you can decide to mix this up and use whatever equipment you have and whatever colours you fancy. We’ve also used some heart moulds in two different sizes to really stick with the theme!