…not french hens, but a special festive message from Bride Society!
Merry Christmas to all of Bride Society! And no, we’re not late to the party with this message….there are 12 days of Christmas and I won’t be told otherwise!!
Whether you’re a bride, groom, bridesmaid or anyone else that has been part of the Society over the past year, we hope you’ve had a wonderful year planning your weddings and we are excited to have been a part of your journey in some small way. Thank you for being a part of what we create, it honestly matters so much to us every time one of you follows us on Instagram, subscribes to our YouTube channel, sends us a message or comments on a post – we notice it all!
If you’ve just about maxed out on family time (we know you love them, but…!) and Christmas movies, take a moment to watch our Christmas message to you and we look forward to helping you plan your wedding in the New Year.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from Rebecca and Laura at Bride Society xx
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”…. weddings that is!
We couldn’t let this time of year go by without discussing some of our favourite ways to add some festive touches to your winter/Christmas weddings. From wreaths to snow covered mason jars, candy canes to pigs in blankets canapés, you can pick out some subtle touches or go full on festive extravaganza!
This weeks video is packed with festive inspiration.
Christmas is a great time to get married, venues look beautifully decorated when festive touches are used (we’re thinking embracing the darker evenings with fairy lights, candles and a few sparkles!), and food options are especially great during this season.
We’d love to hear if you’re planning to add some festive touches to your winter wedding! Tag us in your photos over on Instagram if you do!
Find our Pinterest board that accompanies this video here.
Recipe – makes 30 biscuits (approx.). We actually only need two for the cake toppers, the rest are just for fun!
Ingredients:
350g Plain Flour
85g Golden Syrup
175g Dark Muscovado Sugar
100g Butter
1 Egg
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1tsp Ground Cinnamon
1tbsp Ground Ginger
To decorate:
Water
Icing sugar
Black Food Colouring
At this point in the season I’m a good vat-full of gingerbread lattes in, interspersed with a few eggnog lattes for good measure. The Christmas tree is up and I’m one good Christmas movie and countless bad ones down (recommendations welcomed!).
Whilst fully embracing the festive vibes, it came to us…how
adorable would gingerbread people be as wedding cake toppers (or just on your
Christmas Cake…but you might just want to decorate them differently from us
else it could be weird, just saying!)?!
If you’re having a festive wedding, we don’t think you can get cuter
than this!
Bake with us in today’s video as we show you how we made our little gingerbread couple…totally not bad luck to eat yourselves afterwards! Haha.
Having a go? Tag us in your photos @bridesociety_uk over on
Instagram, we’d love to see your take on them.
We’re big fans of cake here at Bride Society so when we decided to film our wedding trend videos looking ahead to the New Year, we thought it was only fair to give it the attention it deserves with a specific wedding cake trends video for 2020.
If you’re looking for a more general wedding trends video, then you’re in luck, check out our 2020 trends video here!
Instagram handles for all suppliers shown in the video:
Our round up of our favourite winter wedding ideas!
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Who said Winter is dreary? Well, ok, most of us at one time or another, but if you’ve decided to have your wedding at this time of year, we’re thinking you are probably someone who has seen the good in the season!
We love all things warm and cosy around here – give me a chunky knit jumper and a mug of hot chocolate, throw in some soft lighting and if you can muster up a roaring fire, then life is good! …That has led me to imagine a bride in an oversized jumper over a wedding dress, and bizarrely I’m thinking that could be quite cute (not so much for walking down the aisle – I’m not crazy, but in between times)! Who’s with me?
Ok yes, the season has it’s challenges, but it is also full of everything from the cosy jumpers I was just fantasising about (full disclosure – wearing one right now!), to sparkle and glitz! What more could you want? And whoever it was that just said “sunshine”, shush!
Laura and I put our heads together and came up with our top loves for winter weddings in today’s video. We’ve got it all covered from décor to attire to food and those extra special touches! Check out our dedicated Pinterest board accompanying this video here.
Useful links:
Our Pinterest board accompanying this video can be found here.
Our YouTube Winter Wedding Playlist where you can find all our videos related to planning your Winter-time wedding is here.
The countdown has begun to the end of the year so it’s time that we look ahead to the new decade and the expected wedding trends for 2020!
There are rumours in the wedding industry that 2020 will be a bumper year for weddings as couples appreciate the symmetry that the round number of 2020 gives.
As weddings are often planned over a prolonged period of time, i.e. it’s not unusual to be planning your wedding for one or two years before the Big Day, trends in weddings can also appear over multiple years. In this year’s trends video, we’re talking about the new trends that will appear in the new year as well as a few ideas that we think are here to stay.
So get ready for chat about sustainable weddings, grazing tables, dried flower decor and much more!
Let us know if you’re planning on incorporating any of these ideas in to your wedding. We’d love to hear about it!
And if you’re interested in what we had to say about 2019 and whether we were right in our predictions, like did frosé turn out to the big drink of summer weddings?!, you can still check that video out here.
Wedding Candles ‘Unboxing’ with The Secret Bridesmaid (gifted)
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So, it’s safe to say that airport security won’t be offering us employment as sniffer dogs anytime soon as we are both clearly unskilled when it comes to being able to identify smells! That and we are human beings, but I’m confident that would be the lesser of the two problems for them! (Blog continues below…)
KEEP READING, details below!
This week, Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid sent us a range of her soy candles to test out! Happy days, our houses have never smelt so good (we live with boys after all)! I will preface this whole exercise by saying these look beautiful and smell amazing…she personalises the candle tin lids to feature your details and has so many designs to match your look. Whether you want them as wedding favours, names for your place settings, thank you gifts, or maybe even a Christmas present – she can take care of you! Now, whilst they do smell amazing… Laura and I set ourselves the challenge to ‘guess the scent’…let’s just say that was a mistake on our behalf! Haha, who knew that would be so hard? Also, in my defence, having a cold didn’t exactly help my situation…watch now to see who won!
GIVEAWAY: CLOSED. The Secret Bridesmaid is giving Bride Society viewers the chance to win a handmade decorative bridal hair comb worth £45! Visit our Instagram @bridesociety_uk for details of how to enter and t&c’s!
WAIT, there’s more!The Secret Bridesmaid is giving you 10% off purchases when quoting “BrideSociety10”. Order directly through Steph and keep an eye on her website as there is always more exciting stock arriving!
NB. The candles featured in this video were gifted to Bride Society, however all opinions and comments made in this video are those held by Bride Society who retain full editorial control over the video / blog content.
You’ve spent countless hours meticulously planning every detail of your ceremony and wedding reception…but wait there’s more! Sorry, there’s always something else when it comes to wedding planning isn’t there?! The wedding morning!
It’s really easy to overlook your wedding morning, the bit after you wake up (if you even slept!) and before the official part kicks off. You may be thinking, “I just need to get ready, what’s there to plan?” Well, whilst this is true and if you don’t want to think about it anymore beyond figuring out your timings, you can definitely leave it at that…but it is still a really significant part of the fun and enjoyment of the day and we want you to wring out every last ounce of happiness you can from this special day! So, to help you get your day off on the best foot possible (and help it run smoothly!), we’ve put together our top tips and things to think about ahead of time.
Got any other wedding morning tips or ideas to share with other brides/grooms-to-be? Let us know in the comments below or over on our YouTube channel. Be a part of the Society!
Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and …. wedding favours?!
Yes that’s right, as autumn and winter are upon us it is time to consider season appropriate wedding favours for your guests.
In this week’s video you will find a tasty DIY video on making toffee apple favours, perfect for this time of year. Whether dipped in toffee or chocolate, these sweet treats are a great way to say thank you for coming or maybe even to mark a place setting ready for the meal, just add a handy name tag to complete the look!
All you will need for this DIY is:
Apples
Lolly Sticks
Toffee or chocolate
Sprinkles
Home made name tags
Something to present them on (we used mini cake boards)
Honeymoon Inspiration – Hamilton Island, Australia
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Just a few miles from the east coast of Australia is the paradise resort of Hamilton Island. Part of the Whitsunday group of islands, Hamilton Island is surrounded by warm coral seas and beautiful landscapes. Hamilton Island is the only island in the group with its own airport, which means you can fly in from all over Australia directly. The island is a mix of hotel, villa and private accommodation meaning you have a wide choice of places to stay. It’s also home to the 5 star Qualia resort, a prestigious, secluded and private holiday destination overlooking some of the best views on the island, not that you could complain about any of the views anywhere on the island!
There are lots of facilitates on the island, ranging from restaurants and cafes (definitely recommend Bob’s Bakery for coffee and pastries!) to sport and leisure activities as well as shopping of course! Hamilton Island is also a big draw for sailing enthusiasts, with the annual Race Week taking place in August.
For our trip we used AirBnB to book into the fantastic Heliconia Grove apartments, these have amazing views over the ocean and harbour entrance meaning you get to see all the comings and goings as the days go on. If you are really lucky you might also get to see a whale from the balcony, but this is season and luck dependent!
As we had a kitchen in the apartment and could self cater, we made use of the IGA supermarket on the island, but also picked up takeaways from Popeye’s Fish and Chips and the Pizzeria. If you are looking for a special meal out, there are plenty of options for that too. And don’t forget the all important holiday ice creams from either the Gelateria or Ice Cream Parlour!
All in all, Hamilton Island is a brilliant get away, exclusive, and beautiful. As you will see from the video it is truly a place you will want to return to again and again (I know we certainly would like to go back asap!). So take a look at our Hamilton Island vlog and don’t forget to like and subscribe; happy travels!
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For more information about the Island and all the facilities and activities on offer, visit http://bit.ly/2Jn7lr7
Who doesn’t love a munchkin pumpkin!? The cuteness factor is way up there, somewhere between kittens and babies…but you know, slightly more autumn wedding décor appropriate!
Here at BSoc we’re all in on using pumpkins, of all shapes and sizes (no discrimination here!), as decoration – put them at the pew ends, an assortment at the top table, and now on top of your cake!!! In this week’s DIY we’re showing you how to turn the humble, unassuming munchkin into the star of the show as cake toppers – not wishing to upstage you and your other half, but…sometimes a sacrifice is worth making. We’re demoing how to make both a Bride and Groom topper, but obviously you can make whatever combo you need.
NB. In case you need to skip ahead to one or the other, the bride topper starts at 00:21 and the groom topper at 04:23.
Having a go? Share your photos and tag us over on Instagram (@bridesociety_uk), we’d be so excited to see!
Tips for Creating a Personal Intercultural Wedding
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The first question you might have is ‘What is an intercultural wedding or marriage?’ Well you’re not alone, the term intercultural has only just come on our radar and is a way to express (in a snappier way) the marriage and wedding “between people of different faiths, races, ethnicities and geographical regions”. (Washington Post)
Bride Society’s very own Rebecca is part of an intercultural marriage as her husband is Canadian, which is where the idea for this video came from. How do you incorporate elements from both countries, be it cultural traditions or wedding traditions or simply decorative elements from either place, to make your wedding personal to you as a couple?
Because weddings should be personal, meaningful and reflect you as a couple, we’ve put together our tips, both big and small, for creating an intercultural wedding.
Rebecca shares some of the things she did as part of her wedding day but we’d love to hear if you have any more ideas or any examples from your own wedding planning. Please leave them in the comments below.
The National Wedding Show at NEC Birmingham. What it’s like to go to a big wedding fair.
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Last weekend Laura and I trundled down south to the NEC in Birmingham (UK) to film atThe National Wedding Show to give you an insight into what you can expect from going to a wedding fair. However, this was not our first time, so we knew you were in for a viewing treat! We both more than kinda love this particular wedding fair from our own wedding planning days, so we wanted to give you a glimpse of what to expect as it’s not just any old fair! This is next level…the scale is immense, there are goody bags (and an extra fancy one if you have a VIP ticket!), fashion shows (sneak peek coming your way!), competitions, and of course there’s the suppliers. There is a supplier for everything you can dream of and then some more that you never knew you needed, but you soon will! This is the mecca of wedding inspiration. It’s like Pinterest come to life. Last weekend they attracted more than 13k visitors over 3 days – this is clearly the place to be!
Now let’s talk VIP…we accessed it all to help you decide if it’s worth the extra pennies (well, ok, pounds)…and I suspect it’s particularly worth considering if you’re planning to visit on the Saturday or Sunday – their busiest days, to get fast track entry, priority seating by the catwalk and access to the VIP lounge when you need to take 5! Check out the video for a look at the lounge and a peek inside the upgraded goody bags.
We stopped by Foto-Fusion who make bespoke photo-based stationery for your wedding (we’ve got you a 15% discount code – see below!!) for a chat. We LOVED their cards…genuinely upset I didn’t know about them when I got married…hmmmm, too soon to consider a vow renewal?! We put Suzanne from Foto-Fusion on the spot and she was brave enough to give us a mini-interview on camera (watch the video!).
…As did the lovely Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid! Our curiosity and her friendly demeanour lured us in to her stall. What is The Secret Bridesmaid you might ask? Well, it might be easier to ask what it isn’t! We’re pretty confident that once you’ve found Steph you’ve pretty much got your wedding in the bag…meet Steph in our video to find out more. When you naturally decide resistance is futile and you want to purchase something, use our special 10% discount code (see below).
So, want to catch the next National Wedding Show? Here are the upcoming dates, we’ll do our best to keep these updated, but you can always refer to their website hereand to purchase tickets…
Olympia London: 15-16th February 2020
NEC Birmingham: 28th Feb – 1st March 2020
EventCity Manchester: 14-15th March 2020
ExCeL London: 4-5th April 2020
DISCOUNTS for BSoc viewers:
The Secret Bridesmaid… are giving you 10% off purchases when quoting “BrideSociety10”. Order directly through Steph and keep an eye on her website as word has it there is more exciting stock arriving soon!
Foto-Fusion… are offering Bride Society viewers 15% off your cards!! Quote, “BrideSociety” when you request your FREE design/sample on their website. Discount valid until 14th February 2020.
Disclaimer: Whilst we were granted access by The National
Wedding Show to film the event, we were not paid to advertise the show or any
of the suppliers in this video.
Furthermore we were not restricted in any way nor told to edit any of
our content. All opinions expressed in
this video are solely those held by Bride Society.
It’s been a while since we hit the High Street to check out budget bridal wear options so when ASOS was mentioned to us we thought we’d see whether the go-to website (probably) when you’re after a new outfit can deliver when it comes to bridal wear.
ASOS Edition Lace Long Sleeve Crop Top Maxi Dress
ASOS Edition Pleated Plunge Wrap Wedding Dress
ASOS Edition Bandeau Wedding Jumpsuit
ASOS Edition Plunge Lace Wedding Dress with Pleated Skirt
We chatted through our thoughts on each of the ASOS Bridal outfits we tried on in our previous video, but we realised we possibly didn’t show you enough of the actual dresses! So we thought we’d put together a closer look of the outfits so you can see them in more detail.
N.B. This video was not made in partnership with ASOS and the content is in no way endorsed by ASOS. All opinions expressed in this video are the honest views of Bride Society.
How to give a great wedding speech…no matter who you are.
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The wedding speech. A duty that strikes fear into the hearts of many. Where do you even begin?
At this point in our lives, Laura and I have been to a healthy number of weddings between the two of us. Heard more wedding speeches than we could likely count, and I even delivered one. We’ve laughed, we’re cringed, we’ve felt a tad awkward, and I’ll admit it, occasionally glazed over. We’ve heard it all! Which got us to thinking, what is it that actually makes a good speech?
And whilst we can’t do it for you (well, we’d come at a fee!), we have put together our top tips; from content and preparation, to delivery on the Big Day, we’ve got you covered. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the Groom, Best Man, Father of the Bride…or indeed anyone else (radical!), these tips can help you all. And sorry, Dutch courage isn’t our solution!
If you’re having trouble specifically with handling your nerves / anxiety about the day, check out our other video on relaxation techniques which you can find here.
Good luck! Got any tips of your own?Share them with us in the comments here or over on YouTube so other speech-givers-to-be can benefit from the wisdom!
