Ideas for Every Aspect of your Beach / Destination Wedding
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I spend a lot of time day dreaming about being on the beach. I’ve been lucky enough to spend holidays on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and can definitely relate to the desire to get married on one of them. Guaranteed sunshine (almost anyway…assuming you’ve not picked a beach in the UK!), exquisite sunsets, the sand between your toes and the tranquil sounds of the lapping waves…and quite possibly a built-in honeymoon if it’s a destination wedding. What’s not to love?!
The setting of your beach wedding will already be doing most of the work for you, but if you’re looking for a little inspiration to elevate your beach wedding even further, we’re here with ideas and inspiration for every little aspect, whether you’re trying to decide what footwear to go for, the cake design or what guest book to choose, we’ve got something for you in this week’s video:
What’s your favourite idea? Let us know in the comments!
We have a whole dedicated Pin Board that supports our Beach Wedding Ideas video! Find it here:
For even more content from Bride Society, don’t forget you can find us in all of these places:
You’ve been given the honour/responsibility of organising the hen party for your loved one, and while it may sometimes be a challenge to even just wrangle a group of people to the same place at the same time, you still want to add those extra touches to make the hen party or bachelorette extra special for your Bride to Be.
Small touches can make the Bride to Be feel thought of, excited and make the event feel more personal. And can be done easily for very little or no budget! Of course you can splurge if you have more to spend, but we’re hopefully giving ideas for everyone in our new video.
The essential details, plus the extras, to include on your wedding website!
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We hope you’ve been having a lovely time planning your wedding so far, hopefully there’s not been too many bumps in the road…no unsolicited opinions on your venue choice / no demands over which relatives HAVE to be invited / no hair pulling over balancing the budget spreadsheet (we can dream!). Now you’re coming up to the exciting stage of figuring out your wedding invitations (things are about to get REAL!) and perhaps you’re also starting to contemplate a wedding website.
Firstly, do you really need one? Well, no! Surprised to hear us say that? Well, this definitely falls under the ‘extra touches’ / ‘going the extra mile’ category of wedding activities. Your wedding can and will still happen if you choose not to have one, believe me, weddings happened without them for years – my Mum will back me up on this. So, if you’re already feeling overwhelmed with the volume of tasks in front of you and the idea of creating your own website for your wedding doesn’t sound appealing…just don’t do it! You’ll be fine, it’s all good I promise!
If you’re feeling curious and in the ‘could be swayed either way’ camp, then here’s why you might want to shimmy on over to the, ‘let’s make one’ camp:
They can help ward off a myriad of questions from guests in the run up to the big day, when let’s be honest, you’ve got other things you need to be doing. Like, literally anything else.
If guests misplace their invite and can’t remember where they’re supposed to be and when, they’ll likely still have the website tab open on their phones. That, or you / your Mum can really quickly re-send the website link via text.
If you have invitees who live abroad, a website RSVP is much more efficient and reliable.
Easy, automatic tracking of RSVPs.
A quick way to communicate up-to-date information with your guests should plans alter or evolve.
No more trying to squeeze every little detail onto your wedding invitations. We want them to be stylish!
An opportunity to give guests additional information that you know would be helpful, but wouldn’t normally be included when only sending the traditional, written invitation.
Or you simply want to save on the RSVP stamps and Postie mileage!
Sold? Great! There’s so much choice out there that I’m confident you’ll find something to meet your needs.
…If you’re now keen to make sure you’ve remembered all the essential information on your website and wondering what extra details you could include to make sure you’ve covered off everything your guests could ever want or need, then join us in our latest YouTube video for your wedding website checklist:
We hope you found that helpful and gained a few extra nuggets for your website. Got anything else you’ve decided to include that others might like? Share by dropping it in the comments box!
Looking for more content like this? Check out our Wedding Chat playlist on YouTube for all things wedding all the time!
And don’t forget, you can join the Society in all of these places:
What to expect when you’re asked to be a Bridesmaid/Maid of Honour
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The proposal box has been unboxed, the hugs have been given, Champagne finished off, the bride-to-be is beaming with joy, and you can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of happiness for her. But that means one thing, you’ve agreed to be a bridesmaid/Maid of Honour (delete as appropriate) and have a special role to play in this wedding planning journey.
But what have you actually signed up for and what are the realities of taking on this position of not only honour, but also responsibility?
That’s where we come in to shed some light on the roles. We’re talking through all the ‘duties’ that may be involved as you support your friend/family through planning their wedding.
Of course we’re talking generally about the roles and part you might play, but have an open and honest conversation with the Bride right at the start so you’re both on the same page when it comes to expectations of how much or little you’ll be asked to do!
Thanks for watching!
We hope you’re feeling more confident about accepting this special role in your bride-to-be’s wedding. Any comments / questions / video requests, drop them in the comments box and we’ll do our best to help!
For even more content and to be a part of the Society, join us in all these places:
The cost of living just keeps on going up, most of us are feeling the pinch and those piggy banks are pretty much tapped out! BUT, you’re still dreaming of your perfect wedding day(as you should!) and whilst there’s always compromises to be made, you’re feeling determined to make it happen…you’d just rather do it without having to eat gruel for the next 5 to 10 years! Fair.
We 100% get it, so we’ve put together our top 5 cash saving tips that go beyond the failsafes “have an off-peak / off-season wedding” or “DIY everything!” (NB., not always actually a cost saver, be warned), to help create a little more breathing room in that wedding budget.
Here’s how to save money & still have the wedding day you want! Let us know which money saving hack is your favourite: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? Comment below!
Thank for watching! For more content and to be a part of the Society, join us in all these places:
In what appears to be a part two in a how to elevate your plain candles series, we’re getting all twisted! (Check out our part one: painted candles here)
This hack to add interest and detail to plain candles is even simpler and even more budget friendly than the painted candles. Everything you’ll need alongside the candles, you’ll definitely already have in your kitchen.
Adding twists and bends to your candles can create a more modern look than the handpainted designs but if you’re a “more is more” type of couple, mix and match the styles of candles to create a beautiful table scape on your wedding reception tables.
We’re showing you how to do a simple twist in our twisted candle tutorial, but have fun with creating different shapes in the candles and numbers of twists. The technique is exactly the same.
Tips and Tricks to Create your own Monogram or Logo using Canva.
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If you’ve been toying with the idea of trying to make a few things for your wedding, maybe to save a few pennies, or maybe because you want your day to have a really personal touch, we feel you! We’ve been there! But if you’re still holding back from whipping out the glue gun and paint brush because: a) time or b) worrying it’ll just end up looking like a hot mess – believe me, I’m not naturally creative either, then today’s tutorial is a fantastic place to start!
We’re using Canva, a graphic design website, to create a wedding monogram / logo that you can easily use for your wedding stationery, wedding website, stickers, drink stirrers, a cookie stamp for your favours or even your new Wedding Insta profile pic…the list goes on!
And whilst we love Canva Pro(aka the paid subscription version), everything in today’s tutorial is available on their free platform. Yes, FREE! We’re demonstrating a whole heap of tips & tricks using Canva’s tools to help you get your desired look for your monogram / logo. This tutorial will have you creating your very own couple’s monogram that looks professional in no time at all, no DIY disasters over here!
The tutorial is super adaptable to whatever your look / theme / needs may be (maybe you’re trying to make a logo for your small business or stickers for your Christmas card envelopes…this will work!). Take any of the skills we’re showing you and simply apply it to your text / colours / ideas to bring them to life and make them look great. If you’re trying to figure out how to use a particular aspect of Canva’s platform, we’ve got time stamps in the video description box over on YouTube so you can jump ahead and find the tips you need! Getting stuck? Leave us a question or video request in the comments, we’ll try to help you out!
You can set up a free Canva account at https://www.canva.com/(this is NOT an affiliate link, we have no relationship with Canva, we simply love the platform and wanted to help you enjoy using it too!)
Happy Designing! For more content and to be a part of our society, join us in any of these places:
The hot glue gun’s out again and we’re getting crafty! If the personalised hen party sunglasses weren’t your thing, or you felt you needed more, more, more, then DIY your very own Bride to Be Badge! A perfection addition to any hen party outfit, have fun creating your personalised badge and customise the colours and decoration to match the hen party theme.
We’re using embossing powder and a heat gun to create a lux metallic effect on our badge. Check out the list below the video for details everything you’ll need to create your very own.
Materials we used: (* = Affiliate links: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)
The common issues that cause weddings to run seriously behind…and what to do about it!
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By no means is it the end of the world if your wedding day runs a little behind, nor does it have to be planned out to the second, BUT….a lack of planning and foresight can quickly cause a cascade of small delays to turn into bigger and bigger problems. I mean, imagine you start the day with a bridesmaid who can’t find the hair salon or your mother having a melt down because she hates her make-up, then your ceremony venue is telling you things need to hurry along because the registrar has to leave to get to their next wedding. Then it’s time for everyone to sit down for dinner but, oh no, 10 guests are still circling the reception venue looking for parking…before you know it you’re cutting your cake and slapping a slice directly into your guests’ hands on their way out the door and the night’s over! Disaster! Ok, so we’re being a little dramatic, but you’ll end up having to borrow time by removing things that aren’t essential, but may be still important to you, i.e. dropping some group photos, losing the father-daughter dance or bouquet toss…or at the very least, you’ll be hurrying through certain things instead of being fully present and enjoying them.
Of course, the world still will not end even if everything we’re talking about in this week’s video happened, nor are we trying to make you panic about all the variants that could rear up and de-rail your day! Our goal is to help you have a stress-free, smooth-running day by being aware of the potential issues and having a plan / buffer-time for them, so that you can get on with being loved-up and enjoying yourselves. And so you can be legally married by the end of it…definitely not ideal if your registrar had to leave BEFORE you’ve even walked down the aisle! Find all the common things that delay the running of wedding days, and our tips to make sure they never even come up in this week’s YouTube chat:
Thanks for watching!
We hope you are feeling more confident about your wedding day. Any comments / questions / video requests, drop them in the comments box and we’ll do our best to help!
For even more content and to be a part of the Society, join us in all these places:
The second instalment of our new series of wedding theme inspiration videos, we’re giving you a complete guide to creating the classic wedding of your dreams in 2023 (and beyond!). From the flowers to the outfits, to the decor and more. If you missed part one, you can see the complete guide to Boho weddings here.
The modern, classic wedding is a timeless affair. Elegant, sophisticated and never goes out of style so it’s no surprise it’s a popular choice for couples. Classic doesn’t have to mean traditional (no little cake topper figurines here), and it certainly doesn’t mean you have to opt for chair covers!
To see all the images featured in the video and more, check out our Classic Wedding Ideas Pinterest board.
Are you choosing a ‘Classic’ wedding? We’d love to hear about your plans. Let us know in the comments below or join us over on Instagram.
Beginners Cricut Tutorial: Step-by-step instructions to personalise an acrylic cake topper
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Cake toppers really have that ability to elevate any cake to the next level, either by adding that ‘bit of something’ to a relatively simple cake design or by creating that personal touch to a focal piece of any event. Let there be cake! Whether it’s your engagement party, bridal shower, hen party / bachelorette, wedding, baby shower, birthday, retirement party…the need to cake is endless! And we’re here for it – hand me a slice any day of the week! Please and thank you.
We’ve got a few different styles of cake toppers on our YouTube channel but this week’s tops them all. We’re taking a blank acrylic cake topper (ours is a hexagon (link below*), a circle will work too) and decorating it using our Cricut to cut vinyl and we’re getting the paint brush out – choose a colour to match your theme.
What is extra special about the look we’re creating is that we’re retaining what makes the acrylic great…it’s transparency. We’re showing you how to use Cricut vinyl as a stencil, which when removed reveals the transparent element to our design, giving it that added interest that will get the compliments flowing from your guests. And what’s more, we’re using Cricut vinyl to make it personal. We’ve made our cake topper for a hen party/bachelorette, and of course couldn’t resist a Friends reference, but the whole tutorial is easily adapted at every stage to any theme, name, wording, colour needed whilst still using the same steps and techniques we’re showing you.
There’s step-by-step instructions for every element, so if you’re a beginner or simply just curious how we did it, we’ll get you from start to finish, no stress. Only looking for tips / instruction on a particular step? Jump ahead with our time stamps in the video description box over on YouTube.
What we used:
(*Affiliate Links: links marked by an asterisk below are affiliate links, meaning we get a small percentage of the sale for making the referral, at no extra cost to you.)
Cricut Maker (all Cricut machines are capable of cutting this project)*
Just like the wider wedding world, there are trends in hen parties too. 2022 was the year of the bejewelled, bride to be, hen party hat. 2023 is all about the personalised shades! Perfect for summer hen weekends and what’s even better is they’re so easy to DIY, and affordable too!
And if you’re planning a crafternoon as part of your celebrations, creating your very own customised sunglasses could be the very first activity for you and your hens. Add names, roles or just lots of embellishments to zhuzh up your shades!
What we used:
(* = Affiliate links: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)
Cricut Tutorial: How to design, cut & apply iron-on vinyl (HTV) to create personalised robes for your wedding!
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Weddings aren’t just about the wedding itself, oh no! It’s the whole experience! There’s a series of events from engagement parties to bridal showers to bachelorettes to rehearsal dinners and more. There’s also those slightly less well defined ‘events’, such as the ‘Wedding Morning’, where you and your bridesmaids, with the help of your hair/makeup suppliers, are getting ready for the big moment. It’s a fun, bonding, exciting, potential slightly nervy, time. It’s all part of the build-up and all adds to the magic of the day. Your photographer typically arrives during this time too, capturing some of those special getting ready moments. If you’re trying to think through the planning of your wedding morning, check out this video, “Wedding Morning Planning Tips”.
Personalising items such as coordinating robes and slippers for the bride / bridesmaids is a lovely treat for everyone, makes the group feel connected and cohesive – especially if not everyone knows each other well, and looks great in those first photos.
Our latest Cricut tutorial shows you how to customise those robes yourself and sits perfectly alongside all these tutorials we’ve already made for you (pictured above)! We take you step-by-step, so if you’re a complete beginner to Cricut, you’ll definitely be able to handle this project and craft your way into wedded bliss!
Looking for tips on a specific step? Jump ahead to the section you’re looking for with our handy time stamps in the video description box over on YouTube.
Materials we used (with product links if you need them!):
(* = Affiliate links: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)
If you’re in Canada, you can find the HTV here* and USA here*.
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? If you get stuck, drop us a comment either here or in the YouTube comments – we check regularly and try to help where we can!
Now how about personalising slippers to go with your robes? Learn how in our Cricut tutorial here. If you’d like more Cricut content, check out our dedicated YouTube playlist of tutorials here.
For even more wedding content, join Bride Society on our socials:
I attended a wedding recently where the couple had personalised biscuits as their wedding favours, greeting us as we found our seats at the wedding reception. And, as we’re always banging on about, edible favours really are an excellent choice. Not only did the biscuits look good with the wedding date and newly married couple’s new surname on there, they were a very welcome, tasty treat on the way home at the end of the night! And I don’t think I saw one left over on the reception tables.
So, we thought we’d share how to make your own for your own event, whether it’s your wedding favours, hen party favours, for a baby shower or birthday party, these really can be adapted for any occasion!
Once you’ve made your biscuits, pop them in some cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, et voila! Beautifully packaged treats your guests will love.
For the sugar cookies:
250g butter
180g caster sugar
1.5tsp vanilla (or flavouring of your choice)
400g self raising flour
0.25tsp salt
Once you have rolled the dough out to approx. 0.5cm thickness, use a cutter to cut out your biscuits. The one we used was around 6.5cm in diameter. This will produce approx. 25 biscuits.
Roll out icing/fondant icing – use the same cutter that you used to cut the biscuit dough to cut out your icing shapes.
Beginners Cricut Tutorial: Step-by-Step Instructions to make Cake Toppers!
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Looking to add some extra special touches to your Engagement Party / Bridal Shower / Hen Party / Bachelorette? Well whip out your Cricut and tune in to our YouTube channel because we have a whole Cricut Playlist dedicated to your pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding (aka honeymoon) events.
We’re kicking things off with some adorable little cake/donut toppers that will add that bit of sparkle to your pre-wedding events. A (cardboard) diamond added to the edge of a doughnut to make it look like an engagement ring – cute, right?! But we also love them just as a cake topper to dress up cupcakes etc too.
If you’re a beginner in the Cricut world, never fear, every single one of our Cricut tutorials give step-by-step instructions, no prior knowledge is assumed, so if you like the look of anything you spot on our Cricut Playlist, you can be confident you’ll be able to get stuck in without, well, getting stuck! …And you can always drop a question into the comments box if you need, I’m there for you!
What we used:
(*Affiliate Links: links marked by an asterisk below are affiliate links, meaning we get a small percentage of the sale for making the referral, at no extra cost to you.)
Pritt Stick (glue)
Cocktail sticks
Doughnuts, or cake of choice!
Cricut Sparkle Paper, Classic Sampler (currently unavailable, the next closest product is the Cricut Shimmer Paper*)
