How to Style Your Wedding Chairs

Bride Society Leave a comment

Wedding Chair Styling for Cross Back and Chiavari Chairs with the Secret Bridesmaid

***

Times have moved on since the only option to decorate your wedding chairs was a white chair cover. These days many venues have invested in chairs that don’t need hiding (hooray!), but you still might want to add a bit of something to add interest to both the chairs, and provide decor for the room.

Enter chair drapes!

Available in every colour imaginable, chair drapes are an extremely versatile option to style your wedding chairs.

We are welcoming back Steph from the Secret Bridesmaid this week to demonstrate how easy it is to style your chairs. We’re sharing four styles to give you inspiration for how you may want to dress your wedding chairs. Two are suitable for cross back chairs and two for chiavari chairs. But, these four styles can still be personalised in numerous ways, simply by changing the decor you add to them. e.g. switch the ribbon and add a floral posy and you’ve automatically got a completely different look.

If you’re a DIY wedding couple, this is something (with enough time) you could easily do. Or you may just use the video to share ideas with your wedding stylist.

Something to factor in when choosing your wedding chair dressing. Whether you’re setting up your room yourself, or employing a stylist to dress the chairs for you, choosing a style that uses multiple drapes per chair will be more time consuming and potentially more expensive.

Which style is your favourite?

For more wedding chair inspiration, check out our chair cover alternatives video.

Special thanks to Steph for demonstrating the chair styles this week.  If you’d like to see more of what she has to offer (including her multiway dresses and styling services!), you can find her website here and Instagram here.

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

How to be a Good Wedding Guest

Bride Society Leave a comment

Be the ultimate wedding guest with our tips this wedding season!

***

So the fact that you’ve chosen to read this blog to start with, already shows you’re on the right track to be a fantastic wedding guest because you care enough to be here.  Guest points won!  Now what can you practically do about it…

It takes a lot to make a wedding run smoothly!  There’s what seems like a billion moving parts – numerous suppliers, timings, weather, logistics, set up, break down…and that’s all before you even begin to contemplate the complications and implications of dealing with people, aka the guests – a mass of people all to be co-ordinated and manoeuvred, all with their own needs and wants.  Add animals and/or children into the mix and you can really begin to imagine the potential challenges they’re up against. This is A LOT for the couple to think about, especially if they don’t have a wedding planner / co-ordinator.  So, endeavouring to be a good wedding guest will be the best wedding gift you could give!

We’re reflecting on all our wedding experience to get inside the minds of the happy couple, to identify what the key things are that will help them have the best day they could possibly have.  What do couples actually want from their guests?  What can you do to make their day extra special, that even they do not know they want?  Not been to a wedding for a while (or maybe ever?), what even is the etiquette for wedding guests these days? We’re covering it all so you’ll have all your good-wedding-guest-bases covered!

Here’s to the happy couple! Cheers.

Let us know which tip you thought was most helpful in the comments!  And for even more content from Bride Society, you can find us in all of these places too – come join us:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Hot Weather Tips for Your Wedding Day

Bride Society Leave a comment

How to cope with an unexpected wedding day heatwave or a scorching summer wedding

***

The sunshine may have temporarily disappeared, (at least in the UK!), but it’s sure to return and with that, the prospect of hot, sunny wedding days. While most people dream of good weather for their Big Day, if the temperature rises too much, it also has the potential for sticky guests, tempers flaring and a bad case of sunburn.

So, as with every aspect of wedding planning, some hot weather pre-planning is sensible. Especially if you’re somewhere with almost guaranteed sunshine or even maybe if you’re in the UK and planning a summer wedding. There’s always the chance of an unexpected heatwave!

We’re sharing our top tips for dealing with the heat on your wedding day. So you and your guests can stay as cool as cucumbers while enjoying your special day.

If you have any more tips you think would be helpful, please share them in the comments below along with any questions you may have. We’ll do our best to help.

Want even more content like this?  Join the Society and find even more from us in all of these places:

–Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

Hen Party Cupcake Toppers with Cricut

Bride Society Leave a comment

How to make Personalised Cupcake Toppers using Cricut

***

What party isn’t made better with a) cake and b) personalised touches?  We recently made these little cupcake toppers for a friend’s hen party (along with hot chocolate cupcakes – yum) and all the guests were commenting on them and taking photos, so we thought we’d share how to make them so you can impress too! 

Whether it’s a hen party / bachelorette like ours or a bridal shower, engagement party, birthday party, anniversary party, retirement party (…the list goes on…), there’s always room for a Cricut project to make something more personalised and special for the guest of honour.  Yes, we’ve definitely been drinking the Cricut Kool-Aid!

If you’re still getting to grips with your Cricut machine (there is a definite learning curve, it’s not just you!), then this type of project is a great place to start.  Our tutorial provides step-by-step instructions from creating the design in Cricut Design Space (which is easily adaptable to your words of choice), how to cut the project so it doesn’t just fall apart, and how to assemble your toppers. 

All Cricut machines are capable of cutting this type of project, so whether you’ve got a Cricut Maker, Cricut Joy or Cricut Explore, you’ll have success!  And whilst we’ve made cupcake toppers, you can resize these for bigger cakes too – just switch out the cocktail sticks for something a little longer and sturdier, like a cake pop stick. 

So, materials…we used a plain purple light cardstock for our cupcake toppers – pick a colour to match your theme or the bride’s favourite colour like we did.  You can use heavier cardstock if you wish, you just need to select the appropriate base material option on screen at the cutting stage.  Basically, you don’t have to match our materials or design, the tutorial is highly adaptable and will give you the confidence with our tips and tricks to create your own exciting Cricut project.

Here’s the materials we used in case you need them:

(* = Affiliate links: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)

NB. This video is not made in association with Cricut. Some materials listed above are affiliate links, these are clearly marked by an asterisk* where applicable. This means we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.

Got any questions?  Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Looking for more Cricut project ideas?  You can find our YouTube playlist here!  Want inspiration for a hen party / bachelorette?  Find all our ideas here.

Don’t forget, for even more content from Bride Society, you can also find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Wedding Planner vs. Wedding Coordinator

Bride Society Leave a comment

Should I hire a Wedding Planner or Wedding Coordinator?

***

Congratulations you’re engaged! Now you just have to figure out this whole “planning a wedding malarkey“.

If you’re super busy, clueless with where to start, or just want help during the wedding planning process, a question that has possibly crossed your mind (once the initial excitement and celebration of your wedding proposal has passed), is, do I need a Wedding Planner? Or a Wedding Coordinator? And what’s the difference between the two anyway? Throw in Venue Coordinators and it just gets even more confusing!

That’s where we come in. We’re breaking down the roles of both a Wedding Planner and a Wedding Coordinator, clarifying the differences, and even offering some pros and cons to help you make your decision on whether hiring a planner or coordinator might be the right fit for you.

Any questions, leave them in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help.

Want even more content like this?  Join the Society and find even more from us in all of these places:

–Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

What to do with your Wedding Photos!

Bride Society Leave a comment

Ways to show off your Wedding Photos – be inspired!

***

You carefully selected your wedding photographer, you loved their style, they made you feel comfortable (not always an easy thing when you’re asking people to make out and then point a lens at them!) and you can’t wait to get your photos back so you can relive every moment of your special day. 

They arrive…most probably into your inbox these days!  The two of you eagerly sit down with a left-over bottle of bubbly from the wedding to look through them.  You study every one in detail, commenting, “do you remember that happening?”, “I’m so glad that person made it to the wedding”, “everyone looks so happy”, “I love this one of us”.  But after you choose which ones you’re posting online (naturally) and make an album on one of those do-it-yourself websites (if you didn’t already order one with the photographer), perhaps order a print or two to frame on the wall…then what?  You know you want to do SOMETHING with these gorgeous photos, but what?  There has to be something more creative right? 

If you’re asking yourself this question, just like I did, keen to not just have those precious memories sat in a very nice album on the shelf, then walk this way!  Give your gorgeous photos the limelight with these different ways to use, enjoy and show-off your wedding photos:

Featured products:

  • You can find most of the featured products in our Etsy Collection here (Affiliate link: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.):

Here’s where you can find the couple of other items:

You can check out our accompanying Pinterest board for a sneak peek of all the ideas featured in today’s video, and don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest too for lots more ideas and inspiration!

Feeling inspired?  Let us know in the comments what you chose to do with your photos – we’re feeling nosey!

Want even more content like this?  You can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

What to Expect when Giving Notice

Bride Society Leave a comment

Giving Notice of Marriage in England and Wales

***

If you’re planning a civil ceremony for your wedding or civil partnership, giving notice is an essential part of the planning process. It’s a legal statement at your local register office declaring your intent to get married or form a civil partnership. It might not even be something you realised you had to do, but without ‘giving notice’ you can’t legally get married*

*the process is different for Anglican weddings – check with your wedding venue to confirm which process you need to complete.

Because it’s such a vital component of planning a wedding and probably not something you’ve had to do before, it can seem a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. The register office staff are not there to trick you or prevent you from marrying. The process is put in place to prevent any forced or illegal marriages.

We’re here to (hopefully) allay any fears or apprehension you may have by talking through the whole process.

For time and clarity’s sake, we’ve focussed this video on giving notice in England and Wales when both partners are from the UK.

For more information about Giving Notice, including the list of documents you will need to take with you – https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/give-notice

NB. Information is correct as of March 2024 and the content of the video applies to couples in England and Wales and who are both from the UK.

Any questions? Drop them in the comments below and we will do our best to answer them.

Want even more content like us?  Join the Society and find even more from us in all of these places:

–Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

How to make a Floral Buttonhole / Boutonnière

Bride Society Leave a comment

Silk Boutonnière / Buttonhole Tutorial, ft. The Secret Bridesmaid!

***

Fancy getting hands on with your wedding florals?  Whether it’s a cost saving exercise, a budding passion for florals or wanting to be fully hands on with your wedding, experimenting with silk flowers is an excellent place to start.  There’s room for trial and error, you can play around and start again, AND you have all the prep time in the world as there’s no risk of wilting!  What’s even better is you’ll have yourself a keepsake after the wedding, or pass them along to another friend or family member who’s getting married…you can’t get more green than that!

So far in our silk florals mini-series, featuring silks specialist Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid, we’ve brought you step-by-step tutorials on how to create a wedding bouquet and a pocket boutonnière, and now we’re showing you how to make a buttonhole AND a corsage!  (Follow all the steps for the buttonhole, then continue on with one simple extra step at the end to turn it into a corsage – magic!)

We created the floral bridal bouquet first and then used the little bits and pieces left over for our buttonholes!  Genius!

Having a go?  We’d love to see what you did with yours.  Tag us in your photos over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk. 

Special thanks to Steph for the Bride Society takeover this week.  If you’d like to see more of what she has to offer (including her custom silk bouquets and buttonholes!), you can find her website here and Instagram here.

Want to have a play with more florals for your wedding?  Check out our Floral DIYs playlist over on YouTube.  For even more content from us, you can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

Surprising Wedding Laws from Around the World

Bride Society Leave a comment

While we’re used to sharing advice and information about getting married in the UK, we decided we wanted to cast our net a bit further afield this week to see what’s happening out there in the big wide world.

We knew there must be some restrictions in other countries, just like there are certain things you must do here, in order to be able to get legally married. So we went down a rabbit hole of looking for some (possibly) surprising wedding laws from around the world.

While we’ve tried our best to be as accurate as possible with the information we’re sharing here, there is a chance that some of the points mentioned may now be outdated or not so common place anymore.

But we’d love to know if you were aware of any of the laws featured in the video or if any of them did surprise you. Let us know in the comments.

And if you’re interested in finding out a bit more about getting married in Mexico, Rebecca has filmed some videos at different Mexican resorts. Check out our Destination Weddings and Honeymoon playlist.

Looking for even more content from Bride Society?  You can find us in all of these places:

And please do let us know if you’d like to see a part two to this. We’re sure we’d be able to find even more surprising wedding rules from other parts of the globe!

— Rebecca and Laura at Bride Society

Wedding Table Number Inspiration

Bride Society Leave a comment

Ideas & Inspiration for your Wedding Reception Table Names / Numbers

***

Table names / numbers are fairly essential at most wedding receptions, however the ‘how’ of how you go about them can vary wildly.  Maybe you want to keep it simple with a number printed on card, propped up against your centrepiece on the table – it’s quick, easy and gets the job done, it’s not an aspect of the wedding planning that you HAVE to spend a lot of time on, especially if you’ve got a short window until W-Day. 

BUT, if you want to do a little something more, it’s another wonderful opportunity to express yourselves, incorporate your theme, reflect your personalities, interests or style.  You can never have too much YOU in your wedding after all!  Going the extra mile with your table numbers will get noticed by your guests, there’s no way of them finding their seats without clocking the table number first!

So if you’re wanting to elevate your table names/numbers game to the next level, check out our inspiration that’s waiting for you in this week’s YouTube video, along with it’s supporting Pinterest board:

Did something catch your eye? You can find most of the featured products here*.

(*Affiliate link – we get a small percentage of the profits made through our referrals at no extra cost to you when purchased through this link.)

Let us know which idea you’ve fallen for in the comment section – we’re nosey and would love to know.  And don’t forget to tag us in your photos over on Instagram too!

Looking for even more content from Bride Society?  You can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura at Bride Society.

First Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas

Bride Society Leave a comment

Paper Themed Gift Ideas for a First Wedding Anniversary

***

Symbolising the unwritten future ahead, your first wedding anniversary gift is traditionally made from paper. But instead of handing over a ream of the finest white, 80 gsm, A4 printer paper to your other half, we thought we could come up with a few more exciting and interesting options. So with that in mind, we’ve put together the ultimate gift guide for 1st wedding anniversary gifts, and they’re all paper themed!

The first anniversary is also a great opportunity to capitalise on the wedding memories and potential memorabilia surrounding the wedding; think honeymoon photos, tickets, receipts etc. As after year one, you may be pushing it slightly creating gifts along those lines. But for your first anniversary, go for it!

Everything we talked about in the video, plus even more, can be found on our 1st Anniversary Gift Ideas Pinterest board. You can find the Pinterest board here.

Items featured in the video:

(Items marked with * are affiliate links: this means we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)

We hope you’ve found our suggestions helpful, and will mean your spouse is receiving an on theme and thoughtful gift from your on your anniversary. Let us know if you decide to choose any of our suggestions in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

– Rebecca and Laura – Bride Society

How to make a Floral Pocket Square / Boutonniere

Bride Society Leave a comment

Floral Pocket Boutonniere Tutorial, ft. The Secret Bridesmaid!

***

One of the hottest wedding trends of 2024 so far!  The bridal party have moved on from having handkerchiefs in their top pockets…it’s now all about ‘floral pocket boutonnieres’, and we’re here for it! 

Florals for jackets were once reserved purely for the buttonhole, which sort of limited you to a very small posey and could be tricky to secure on the morning of the wedding, especially if the florist isn’t on hand to help you attach them.  And you know no one will think to look up how to attach a buttonhole ahead of the day, resulting in manic YouTub’ing and many finger pricks!  Enter the pocket boutonniere!  All you have to do is slide it into the top pocket and off you go.

In today’s video, our guest host, Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid is back, lending us her expertise to show you how to make your very own flower pocket boutonnieres.  What’s even better is we’re using silk (faux) flowers in this tutorial, meaning you can prep your floral pocket squares well in advance and get a job ticked off that wedding to-do list!  No wilting, no last-minute panics and no risk of blood-stained shirts!  And of course, that added bonus that they can accommodate a bigger flower display to make those suits extra snazzy. 

Having a go?  We’d love to see what you did with yours.  Tag us in your photos over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk. 

Special thanks to Steph for the Bride Society takeover this week.  If you’d like to see more of what she has to offer (including her custom silk bouquets and buttonholes!), you can find her website here and Instagram here.

Want to have a play with more florals for your wedding?  Check out our Floral DIYs playlist over on YouTube.  For even more content from us, you can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

Inspiration for Dressing Your Wedding Chairs

Bride Society Leave a comment

Gone are the days where you automatically think of white chair covers with big organza bows to make a venue ‘wedding-y’. There are so many more ways and options to decorate and dress your wedding chairs, to add interest, style and decor to your ceremony or reception venue.

A lot of venues now helpfully have chairs which are aesthetic enough to be on show, so there’s really no need to hide them with chair covers anymore. (Unless you want to of course!)

Regardless of the theme you’re planning for your Big Day, there’s an option for you. From draping (in loads of different ways – tutorials coming soon!), to adding fresh flowers, or adding a boho touch with some macramé.

How are you dressing yours?

Check out the full Pinterest board for all the ideas we shared in our video, plus more!

Which is your favourite option? Let us know in the comments below!

Want even more content like this?  Join the Society and find even more from us. Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X!

-Bride Society

How to Make a Silk Floral Bridal Bouquet

Bride Society Leave a comment

We’ve been taken over this week! Thankfully this is no hostile takeover, and we in fact invited our special guest to share some of her wealth of expertise and show us how to create a hand tied floral bridal bouquet using silk/faux flowers.

We are, of course, talking about Steph from the Secret Bridesmaid! You may recognise Steph from our series of Multiway Dress videos (check out the playlist here)

Faux flowers have come a long way from the options of the past, and can now be a fantastic option if you’re planning on DIY-ing your blooms (they can be made well in advance) or would like to keep your bouquet as a keepsake after the wedding.

For this particular bouquet, 6 stems of assorted foliage and 11 stems of assorted flowers were used. The type and amount of silk flowers you use will affect the size and style of your bouquet.

A big thank you to Steph for taking over Bride Society this week. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming videos as Steph will be popping back and sharing even more. We can’t wait!
If you’d like to find out more about Steph’s luxury multiway dresses and everything else The Secret Bridesmaid has to offer (believe us, there’s a lot!), you can find her via her website and Instagram.

As always, if you give one of our DIY ideas a go, we love to see the results! Tag us over on Instagram so we can see how yours turned out!

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society