Little did I realise as a little girl with my hula hoop that one day I would find another, very different, use for it. But, behold, that day has come and in the form of hot wedding trend; Floral Hoops!
Now naturally when Laura and I first bought the hula hoop for this DIY, I had to try it out for old times’ sake (Laura was more sophisticated and refrained from my childish antics)…turns out I have lost all skill I spent so long curating as a child, picture a flailing fish on dry land. Apparently all my years of Salsa training since has disappointingly not maintained that essential hip motion, such a waste! I would like to blame the small size of the hoop, but that was likely only 10% of my problem. Sad times.
Moving on for the purpose of this blog, know that I am still deeply disappointed in myself behind the scenes … let’s transform this hula hoop into something much more befitting of my current age (that said, I’m betting there is a hula-hooping workout craze taking the country by storm)!
We think floral hoops are a really beautiful wedding trend that’s super versatile. Use different sized hoops, hang alone or make a combo, move them between your venues, make them with faux, dried or fresh flowers (FYI, ours are fresh flowers) or simply just foliage, decorate a section or the whole hoop…we love the idea of having them featured at the head of your aisle to frame your “I-do’s” and then hanging them at your reception for guests to have their photos, you could even put a couple of props nearby for added fun.
WARNING: If you’re going fresh, although it’s my preferred option, remember to consider how much time you / your #teambride actually have to make them the night before / morning of your wedding. ‘Stress’ is not the key emotion you want to be feeling on the morning of your wedding!
We’re ONE! Can we get a “whoop, whoop” please?! It is officially one whole year since we posted our very first YouTube video and Bride Society was born. We’ve been here every single Friday and even an occasional Tuesday for good measure, and we hope to be here for many more to come!
THANK YOU to all our viewers and subscribers who have supported us during our first year. It’s been a lot of work and at times tricky to coordinate our schedules to film, particularly because we don’t live near each other, but we do it because we love it. Every view, every like, every comment and every subscribe really does mean the world to us and we are proud to be a part of your Big Day even in some small way. Thank you for supporting us in what we love! We hope you continue to enjoy what we put out there…please help us grow by sharing and spreading the word to all your newly engaged friends. Pretty, pretty please!
You’ve got at least five different check lists on the go, from the ‘what’s left to do’ list to the ‘guests to chase up’ list. In the final month before the wedding, something new is popping into your mind every other minute … something you need to get, something you need to ask the venue, someone you need to pay … believe us, lists are a life-saver at this point! To help you prepare for your Big Day, we’re showing you what was in my Wedding Handbag– my actual one! Showing you those little things you might want on the day, but might not occur to you until you’re lying in bed the night before to save you the mental stress of thinking all those little things through! We do like to be helpful.
Now, obviously you are unlikely to be walking down the aisle with a bag in hand (tip: my Mum hung onto mine for me during the ceremony, ready to hand me a tissue at any given moment), but this way you’ll have your essentials ready to go and still look super-elegant when you’re caught on camera, which will be a lot, and you probably don’t want those lasting memories to be of you rifling through your reusable Aldi bag!
I know it’s been said to never look in a lady’s handbag, but on this occasion, whether it be in the name of organisation or curiosity, you can take a peek with us….
With the heatwave in the UK looking like it’s hanging around for a while yet, it’s the perfect excuse to invite some friends round for a garden party or BBQ. And what goes perfectly with your burgers and vegetable skewers? Some refreshing and fruity, summer drinks ideas!
We’re showing you how to make three cocktails and mocktails perfect for your summer garden parties, BBQs or even your wedding drinks reception.
If you’re feeling super fancy, you can even make some edible flower ice cubes to impress your guests.
* Watermelon and Raspberry Mocktail
These measurements make one glass’ worth so scale up to cater for a group.
Add all your ingredients (apart from the garnish) to your chosen glass and give it a stir. Cut a slice of watermelon and make a cut part way up the slice in order to secure it on the side of your glass.
Add a sprig of mint and you’re ready to drink!
* Pomegranate Mojito Mocktail
These measurements make one glass’ worth so scale up to cater for a group.
Add the pomegranate juice and lemonade to the glass over ice, chop up the mint and add with the juice of one lime. Give it all a stir. Simple!
If you have some pomegranate seeds lying around, add those as a garnish or even freeze some in your ice cubes.
* Gin, Elderflower and Prosecco Cocktail
An adults only summer drink this time!
Add crushed ice to your glass, pour over a measure of gin, a splash of elderflower cordial and top up with prosecco. (If you prefer a bit more mixer in your drink you can also add soda water or lemonade.)
Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of lime.
We get it, you want to keep your wedding on budget and have admirable goals of DIY’ing your way through the whole thing. And whilst it’s true that it can save you a good chunk of change – and you know we love a good DIY…there also comes a time when you need to know your limits, both in terms of time and skill! And whilst we are here to guide you through many beautiful DIY ideas, there are only so many hours a person should realistically spend covered in glue and paint when over a certain age!
We’ve been shopping Ginger Ray wedding day supplies (via Hobbycraft, one of their retail sellers) to give you an idea what’s out there on the high street to help create your wedding day aesthetic. If you are unfamiliar with Ginger Ray, they are a party décor supplier who has a LOT of beautiful items and a surprisingly wide range of styles to suit your taste/look. So put down the glue gun, step away from the scissors and check out what we found for your wedding day in our haul video!
All items shown in this video are linked below in order of appearance.
For their full range, visit their website direct here.
Ever thought about scenting your wedding? We don’t mean dousing your venue in perfume or giving everyone a headache with room diffusers every 10 metres! …But doing it naturally with herbs!
This week we have been making napkin rings – and whilst they are not the most important rings of the day, we think they are a beautiful finishing touch that will bring your reception tables to life. Going to be honest…the scented thing was a serendipitous occurrence of what we happened to choose to make these rings, but we’re running with it! If you’re super organised, this can be a cost-effective DIY for your wedding because you can grow the herbs yourself in advance – awin for your home cooking as well as your wedding!
What is perfect about working with herbs/edible flowers is that there is no problem with them being in contact with napkins/cutlery etc because they are safe to eat. Always a bonus, especially if kids are around or the food needs a little extra seasoning!
Today we’ve used lavender, chive flowers and rosemary but feel free to use whatever you like that works with the rest of your aesthetic, our tutorial will still help you to create your chosen look.
Any questions or requests for future videos, give us a shout!
Necessity or luxury? If you’re wondering whether you really need to send out ‘save the dates’ for your wedding, well, personally I would say if you’ve set a date more than a few months out, then yes. Notice is essential, otherwise you run the risk of people who are really important to you booking holidays etc and being unable to attend, especially if it’s in the summertime.
AND, take note when I say, word of mouth does not work!People will not remember a specific date you mention to them in passing – they may remember which year, and possibly which season if you’re lucky, but that’s about it. People’s lives are hectic, full of various appointments, playdates, meetings, birthdays etc etc etc, so remembering a date that is not going to affect them for possibly a couple of years, is not going to stick! Your Mum may remember, maybe.
All that said, the method you choose to spread the date, who you send them to, and how much you spend on them is all down to budget and preference. If you want to create a Facebook event or send an email, go ahead! If you want every individual card to be delivered by an Elvis impersonator, do it (I’m not advocating for that one, just FYI)! As long as you are communicating with your guests through some form of written communication that they can easily reference again in a few month’s time, then you’re on to a winner – so yes, that does rule out Snapchat!
If you’re keen on sending something out physically through the post to your guests but budget is tight, consider store bought Save the Dates from places like Paperchase and Clintons. What’s also worth some thought is that you don’t have to send them out to everyone you ultimately intend to invite to your wedding. You could just send them to key people that are really important to you to have there. Or send them to people you’re likely to invite to the full day, rather than evening-only guests.
In today’s video we’re taking a look at some of the more interesting and modern Save the Date ideas that are out there right now. So if you’re looking for some inspiration that goes beyond the norm, take a look at this….
Remember when you were 10 years old and you’d always leave a party with a goodie bag? I was always pretty excited to see what was in there…I’m assuming that wasn’t just me! Well why should grown-up parties be any different?!
If you’re hosting a Hen Party / Bachelorette, then we think it’s a great idea to put together a little pack for each of the guests. Hand them out at the start of the party rather than the end so everyone can use the contents during the party, because really, what’s the point in waiting? Theme your packs to tie in with your party. It’s popular for hen parties to run the whole weekend – make the most of it we say, so we’ve gone for a slumber party ‘girls night in’ theme with our gift bags and even personalised the bags, check out what we put inside….
If this is your first time planning a wedding, chances are you’re finding it an enjoyable, but steep learning curve. When you’ve never done something before, how are you magically supposed to know all the ins and outs of how to do it, and how to do it well? You get training in your new job, you read parenting books during pregnancy, so why should planning one of the biggest days of your life be any different? Of course this is where Bride Society comes in handy, bringing you all our knowledge from having planned our own weddings – navigating the pitfalls and learning some great wedding hacks, as well as from our insider knowledge from working in the industry.
For me, my two biggest mistakes were 1) not realising just how long it would take to make everything I wanted to and 2) the one I really got caught out on, the reliability of suppliers. I learnt the hard way that if a supplier is not being responsive (within reason!) and helpful before they have your money, there’s no way they are going to be after they’ve got it!
With that lesson learnt in mind, this week we wanted to highlight some of those most common wedding planning mistakes brides and grooms-to-be make in the run up to their wedding to help you avoid them. Knowledge is power my friend! Welcome to a low stress wedding!
If you’ve been following our videos week by week you may be starting to get a feel for what we’re about. At the forefront, ok yes, it’s weddings, but what I was actually going to say was ‘personalisation’. We don’t mean that you need to plaster your initials on everything in sight from your aisle runner to your favours – although doing that to a couple of things here and there is all good in our books. For us personalisation is about creating something that is a reflection of you and your fiancé(e). Who you are, what your interests are, how you met, your journey together – your friends and family want to attend YOUR wedding, and so do you! We firmly believe that you will enjoy your own day more if the event that’s honouring your relationship actually resembles your relationship. You just have to get imaginative.
This week’s table confetti video lends itself brilliantly to achieving this. We’ve gone for heart shapes cut from a period romance novel (Emma in case you are curious!) – perfect if you’re both big readers, you met in a book club or in an English class! If you’re more musical, adapt it by using sheet music…
What’s even better is that this is SO cheap to make – especially if you happen to already have a second copy of a book lying around or can find one in a charity shop like we did. The older the book the better too as it gives the pages that aged look which looks great on print.
Since the age of about 17 when I was preparing to move out of home for the first time to leave for university, I have loved walking around the ‘home’ departments in stores – perusing, imagining and fantasising about how my future home would look. At the time the purchases were Tesco Value irons and kettles, which back then seemed pretty exciting. As I’ve got older the items I look at and daydream about have altered somewhat, but that love for homeware stores has never waned. Some 14 years later, here I am walking around Ikea, Next @ Home and the like, when I stumble upon a wedding section in Sainsbury’s ‘Home’ department! Towels – yes, pans – yes, but wedding decorations? That was a surprise! And so this video was born… I can’t say Sainsbury’s would have ever occurred to me when I think ‘wedding’, but it will from now on as they have some pretty cute stuff.
We bring you our favourite items from the Sainsbury’s Wedding range in this haul video (links to products below) so you too can start to picture, not your future home, but your soon-to-be wedding!
Of course not everything is here…there is only so much I could fit in my trolley along with my weekly groceries, so check out their range in store for more!
Let us know what you think, will you be using any of these for your W. Day? Any questions? We’d love to hear from you.
Want to see more content like this? Let us know in the comments below.
This week’s video gave us a chance to shop! We both have weddings to attend this summer and so we are on the hunt for outfits to wear. Laura laid down the challenge of getting a whole outfit for £100 or less. The rules were as follows:
Total max. spend is £100
Must include a dress (or alternative, aka two piece/jumpsuit), handbag and shoes
No discount codes or sale items can be used to come in on budget – so that if you guys want to buy our look later on, then you too will be able to come in on budget.
I’m going to be honest, when I think ‘wedding outfit’, my first thoughts go to Ted Baker, then Reiss, then possibly All Saints…needless to say this would have blown my budget on dress alone. So my first headache was figuring out where I could go to get a formal look for less £££ – I can be a little opinionated about what guests should wear to a wedding. Yes, of course you should feel comfortable in yourself with what you are wearing and we’re not rolling in money, but I think it is respectful to the happy couple that you get dressed up for their event. Unless it’s a festival wedding, I’m not about to show up in a summer dress that I’d just wear any warm day to go to the park in, I’m going to make an effort! So with this added layer of self-inflicted complication I took to my laptop to shop online and picked out a range of things to try from Mango and Dorothy Perkins, sorted! Or so I thought…4 days go by, not even a dispatch notification…1 day until filming this video for you…panic! In the meantime, the lovely Laura has managed to calmly order and receive her purchases from both Oasis and ASOS – kudos to those companies!
The pressure is now on, with only a couple of hours left to shop, I head out the door in full on shopping mode! I like to shop, but I’m a browser who likes to pick things up as and when I notice them – we all know when you’re actually looking for something, you can never find quite the right thing!
I scoot around H&M, Outfit, New Look, River Island, Topshop….(you get the picture)…trying dresses on, buying as I go to make sure I have something on the theory that if I find something better I can take things back another day when I actually have time – filming in the nude is not an option after all! The clock is ticking, time feels like it is speeding up just to spite me, I make a dash to the last shop on my radar, knowing that I have to get shoes and a handbag too (barely even contemplating the possibility of accessories at this point even though I’m likely to have the budget margin), walk through the door and I set off the security alarms! Argh! The last place had left the tag on my dress – naturally the shop was at the furthest possible point within the complex from my current location…back I go! In my mind, as this point Laura is sat at home calmly painting her nails, sipping a glass of wine, contemplating her victory.
Good news! I found an outfit and even managed an accessory in the dying seconds…I am not naked in this video! Hurrah!
Hopefully if you too are shopping for a wedding outfit this season, you don’t find it this unexpectedly pressured! We hope you like what we found and if you’re interested in buying any of the items we’ve got links to them all below so you can shop the look. May my stress have relieved your stress!
Laura’s online shop totalled exactly £100 – skills! My (Rebecca’s) on foot shop ultimately came in at £72.99 (phew!). The question is, who did the best?! Which do you prefer / what would you wear? Let us know in the comments below or on the YouTube video so the winner can claim their bragging rights!
(My online purchases did make it shortly after filming and I have since tried them on…at some point we may upload my try-on sesh. of those dresses to see if you think I should change the outfit I ultimately wear to my friend’s wedding.)
On your Wedding Day you are surrounded by love. All those you love and who love you are gathered together in one place to celebrate simply that, love. You are marrying the person you intend to spend your forever with, you are solidifying the love you have for each other and the connection you have found with another human being. In a world where so much can happen, much of it bad (I won’t list any don’t worry, I’m not trying to bum anyone out!), we should celebrate this – celebrate love, whenever possible. I know we have been trained to say, “it’s about the marriage, not the wedding”, and don’t get me wrong, the marriage is important! But I also think it’s a little bit about the wedding. Granted not just for the sake of having a wedding, otherwise the wedding becomes empty and it’s all a pointless exercise, but I do think it’s important to take the time to mark the things in life that are important and meaningful to us. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, with all the trimmings or kept simple, as long as at the core of it is you, your partner and the love you have for one another. This is what makes it one of the best days of your life.
And if you like the idea of being surrounded by love or are using ‘love’ as your theme, then have a go at making these hanging paper heart decorations. They could be hung from beams/ceilings/light fixtures at varying heights, on the end of pews, the backs of chairs, door handles…so many opportunities. You can of course make them in the colour and size of your choice, you will just need to change the choice of card and alter the length of strips you cut from what is shown in our tutorial.
Before starting, be aware that the thickness of your card and the number of ‘loops’ you wish your hearts to have impact the depth that your staples have to penetrate and hold.
We hope you like this beautiful DIY decoration and we wish you a wonderful wedding.
Here’s one for all the stationery geeks out there – raise your hand! Get ready to click play to scratch that stationery-buying itch because in today’s video stationery meets wedding in our Paperchase haul! We got very excited by this year’s wedding collection at Paperchase…picture two six-year-olds meeting Justin Bieber (sorry, probably should have thought of a less cringe-worthy reference!). I have said in previous blogs that there is nothing more exciting than cake but it’s a close toss-up for us as to whether we get our geek-on more for cake or stationery….cake/stationery/cake/stationery…that’s a hard one…votes in the comments below!
Whilst Paperchase of course have the expected wedding invitations, save the dates, RSVP cards and so on, they have provided so much more, so we’re checking out their slightly less-expected items. They have come up with some unique ideas for your wedding prep as well as for on the day, so even if you’re going to a specialist wedding stationer for your main items, Paperchase is still worth a squiz. It’s pretty too! We’ll link the items we picked up below, but we didn’t raid the entire store (not slacking, just didn’t want to bore you!), so do check out their website for more here.
Wedding venues can be large, intimidating spaces to think about decorating for your big day. The key is to first decide on the general ‘look’ you are going for – don’t just randomly buy bits and bobs as you go – you’ll end up with a mishmash of stuff that probably doesn’t look right together. A sure way to end up with things you don’t need and missing things you do. You may be sheepishly calling your look ‘eclectic’, but if it’s a Pinterest-worthy wedding you’re after…shop with a plan! Start with Pinterest or marking things you like in Bridal magazines, then after a month or so, look back at the type of things you’ve been drawn to. It doesn’t need to be a ‘theme’ as such, but enough of a common thread that it produces a cohesive look. Doing this will help you accidentally work out what you want for your wedding, rather than sitting down blankly trying to figure it out, then changing your mind half a dozen times. Then shop with a purpose, it doesn’t have to be all at once, you can get items as you see them, but you just need to know how it fits in to your wedding.
This DIY gypsophila heart might be just the thing for you. If rustic, natural and delicate are what you’re going for, then the addition of Baby’s Breath is perfect. These tiny white flowers instantly brighten and transform a venue whilst still being subtle. And nothing says ‘wedding’ quite like the colour white! All with the added bonus of being one of the cheaper flowers to buy out there AND they last, so you can make your decorations slightly in advance. Remember – you only have so much time to prep immediately before your wedding, so select and manage your tasks wisely. Unless of course you are Wonder Woman reading this, in which case ignore all warnings and proceed at will.
