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!
Honeymoon Inspiration – Whistler Vlog Ft Nita Lake Lodge
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The mountains, the valleys, the lakes; they are undoubtedly some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my life. If awe, wonder and a little adventure are high on your priority list for your honeymoon destination, then you should pay close attention!
Whistler, British Columbia showcases some of the finest sights Canada, arguably the world, has to offer. In the high season it is a ski & winter sports destination, but the area has turned itself into a year-round attraction offering hiking, mountain/dirt biking, cycling, canoeing, camping and more, all in proximity to a well-developed ‘village’ filled with restaurants and shops. In fact, Tourism Whistler estimates that it now receives 55% of it’s visitors in the summer season! So arguably there is no ‘off season’ anymore.
People here are early risers to get in the kilometres before dinner, so the night life is perhaps a little scarce, but the shops have great opening hours and even Rocky Mtn Chocolate is open pretty late for those well-earned ice creams after a hot summer’s day hike (you HAVE to go there!).
I ventured here in the summer months, so skiing was not on my to-do list (probably best for both my personal safety and that of everyone around me), that said I caught some pretty impressive snowboarding that was still going on. So my days were spent hiking trails and mountains, and exploring all that Whistler has to offer the summertime honeymooners.
I vlogged some of the best day hikes we could find and give
you a glimpse of the village, reviewed our accommodation at Nita Lake Lodge and
show you a taste of other activities on offer to help you decide if this is the
honeymoon destination for you and maybe even to aid your itinerary planning.
I dare you to watch this and not book your flights immediately!
Happy Honeymooning!
If you’ve got any questions about the location or what we
got up to, leave a message in the comments below and I’ll do my best to help
you out.
These are the websites we promised you in the video that we found helpful (we are not affiliated with these websites and are not responsible for any content):
This website was our favourite https://www.10adventures.com/ it has good detailed maps with lots of recommendations. It is not flawless, but it will certainly get you to some great places.
Although this site needs an update, the amount of useful information is immense on hiking and probably anything else you’d need: https://whistlerhiatus.com/index.php
Anywhere else you’d like us to explore for you? Let us know in the comments below.
—Bride Society
NB. Bride Society is in no way affiliated with Nita Lake
Lodge or Canadian tourism boards and is not responsible for the content of any
of the websites listed above. All
opinions expressed in this video are at the sole discretion of Bride Society
and are in no way influenced or endorsed by any external organisation.
I don’t know about you, but when I see a crane I don’t instantly think ‘wedding’! Now don’t get me wrong, I’m perfectly happy when I see one…it’s just not a natural jump in my mind…maybe a swan, I could get there faster with a swan. But make one out of paper and suddenly I’m on board. This Japanese tradition is one that I’m loving and very happy to jump on the bandwagon with as it sweeps across other cultures far and wide.
In Japanese culture it is said that whomever folds 1000 cranes will be blessed with a long, harmonious marriage. Sounds pretty good to me. We’ve taken a twist on the tradition and instead of stringing them all together we’ve turned ours into name cards for your wedding reception place settings. Don’t have 1000 guests? Probably just as well for the bank balance ay! Well if you’re keen to stick to the 1000, rather than simply making a nod to the tradition, then you could display the rest in clusters around your venue, on the cake table, use them as cake toppers, strung together as a photo backdrop….
The paper used in this tutorial is 15 x 15 cm (purchased from The Works), but the same folding instructions would be used for any sized square paper.
Having a go? Tag us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!
Happy folding! Wishing you a long and harmonious marriage.
I don’t think I’ve ever attended a wedding that didn’t have
a guest book…have you? So let’s start
with the assumption that you’re planning to have one at your wedding! But maybe you’re here because you’re looking
for something a little more exciting than page after page of, “Congratulations!
Love, X and X”?
Whilst you may well be hiring an official photographer to work your wedding, the chances of them actually managing to capture all of the guests you have invited throughout the day and evening, is ambitious. There’s only so much one person can do! Cue the photo guest book! Combining lasting memories with those congratulatory messages.
This idea takes very little out of the sacred wedding budget…all you need to pull this off is some sort of instant camera which you might be able to borrow from a friend if you don’t already have one, and a guest book where the pages are large enough to accommodate a small photo and a message – but whatever you were already thinking you’d use is likely perfect anyway. And of course a glue stick and a pen, otherwise you’re not really going to get anywhere with this!
For our guest book station we’ve used an Instax camera and added a few of our own touches. Check out the video to see what we included and how we set up our station…
Having a go? Tag us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!
So who’s a fan of a fan? Credit / disparaging looks should be directed towards a friend of mine who gave me that opener when I was struggling for inspiration for this blog post! What about ‘who’s our biggest fan?’? That one was all me I’m ashamed to say, as was the title. Sorry. Move swiftly on I hear you say? Fair enough…
I’m feeling pretty happy right now that I chose to do this DIY this week, as looking at the forecast for the UK this week, I’ll be pleased to have it around. This is basically the jazzed up, beautified version of the paper fan many of you may have made back in your school days. The great thing is they are cheap and easy to make whilst being highly valued by your guests during your summer-time wedding day.
If you’ve booked a summer wedding, or sunny destination
wedding, how about asking your Ushers to hand these out to guests as they
arrive at the ceremony with the Order of Service? Or hang them on each chair
ready for your guests as they take their seat, especially if you’re having an
outdoors ceremony…or even just pop a basket of them near the entrance, or on
your guests place settings. Change the
card colour and ribbon to compliment your colour scheme and they will look like
the perfect finishing touch. The couple
who thought of everything!
Embrace the summer sun!
Having a go? Tag us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!
Well, not today as I write this, but hopefully where you’re
going on honeymoon it will!
So we’ve got the honeymoon inspiration sorted (check out our playlist if you’ve not seen it, here), plus more to come on that front soon as Laura and I have both been having our summer adventures recently and filming for you guys. All this travel got us thinking…sun hats! Slightly obscure thought perhaps, but honeymoons quite often take you to sunnier climes and out comes the sun hat. And what better to keep those newly-wed vibes going than your own personalised sun hat?
So we got to crafting for this week’s DIY video…our hat says, “wife”, but you can spell out anything… ‘Bride’, ‘Mrs X’, ‘Just Married’ etc etc. Possibilities are only limited by the size of the rim! And let’s be real, it makes us feel kinda special when complete strangers say, “congratulations” as they pass by!
Having a go? Tag us in your photos, we’d love to see!
Recently the community or ‘Society’ over on our Instagram page has been growing and it’s been wonderful to connect with so many brides (and grooms)-to-be in the midst of their wedding planning.
As we’ve been producing videos about weddings, and everything around planning them, for two years now we thought it was the perfect time to get real brides and grooms involved in the videos themselves.
We asked some questions and our lovely Instagram Society responded! Today we’re sharing the advice and tips from brides for brides.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our Instagram Stories to help make this video possible.
If you have any more suggestions you’d like to share, please leave them in the comments below.
The UK experienced a mini heatwave last week with temperatures rising to 38oC in some areas. This got us thinking. If you’re planning a summer wedding, or in fact a winter wedding, how can you prepare for a super hot or cold wedding day?
We’ve put together some of our top tips and ideas for making sure your wedding day goes smoothly and is comfortable for you and your guests.
If you have any other tips or stories from weddings you’ve been to, please let us know in the comments below to share with the Society.
Signs to watch out for that you’re turning more Bridezilla/Groomzilla than Bridechilla/Groomchilla. And tips to turn it all around!
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Obviously we love weddings…a) we both had one – so there’s your first clue and b) work in the industry… we’re clearly fans. We have videos focusing on every aspect of the day known to man and spend a slightly excessive amount of time on social media (- don’t tell my husband I admitted that!) staring at wedding related stuff and chatting with engaged couples. It’s a big part of our worlds! That said, planning a wedding is not all free cake samples and staring at shiny diamonds like a magpie. There are usually budgets, time constraints, a lot of organisation, stress and sometimes frustrations, tensions and family frictions in the mix. It’s a big life event that we want to make special in whatever way that means for us. We’ve spent our whole lives hearing, “it’s the best day of your life” so understandably that can equate to an internal sense of pressure and potentially a lot of external opinions.
One minute you’re checking something off the to-do list with your best smug face on, and the next you’re having a silent (or not so silent bride/groom-zilla sized) meltdown about how much there is left to do. Believe me you are not alone. Also the dreams, they are not uncommon either. But it’s ok! We have been talking about the warning signs to watch out for and our tips for how to get the show back on track so you can actually enjoy the process!
Remember, stress isn’t all bad, now this is my counselling degree talking…I think we hear ‘stress’ and have negative connotations of the word. But if you think about it, a level of stress can be helpful! It can help us be productive, get things checked off that to-do list, feel motivated and get things moving. Good stress! It’s when we start to tip over the line into feeling anxious, overwhelmed or even paralysed by it that it becomes unhelpful. But that’s where this video comes in…our tips are here to help you stay on the ‘good stress’ side of the line!
If you’ve got any other suggestions for our other brides and grooms to be, leave them in the comments below so we can all be zen together!
