Rosa Clara for a wedding at The West Mill – Rachel & Andy
Following my own recent wedded words of wisdom, we’re opening up the Brides Up North floor to our recently featured newlyweds to share their advice now that they’ve officially tied the knot themselves.
From practical pearls of wisdom, such as how to research suppliers and stick within budget, to tips on how to avoid becoming stressed, the enjoyment of making things personal and the importance of taking a moment to pause, admire and absorb the incredible day you’ve organised as a couple and all the amazing people that are there to share in the celebrations with you – these ladies have 100 per cent got it covered!
Yet again we are absolutely thrilled to hear how Brides Up North played an imperative and inspiring part in the planning of these brides’ stunning celebrations; from taking ideas from our beautiful featured real weddings, to using our handy online directory to locate top local suppliers and also visiting our Luxury Wedding Shows that we host at top venues across the North West, North East and throughout Yorkshire. And with our autumn season of events well underway and continuing through to November, there is still time to get in on the action.
Now, on with those gleaming gems of advice as our featured brides complete the following sentence – “My top tip to other Brides Up North would be…”
Click on the links to see each wedding in full.
Pronovias for a quaint summer wedding in the Yorkshire Dales – Imogen & John
Imogen says: Don’t stress! Make a list of everything that needs to be done, and slowly but surely make sure you’re ticking them off. It’s going to be the best day of your life and you don’t want to ruin it by getting worked up with the planning.
People also told me that the wedding day would go fast and so to make sure I took it all in. As such, I made sure that every so often I just stopped and looked to see how everyone was enjoying themselves – those are the bits now that I remember the most!
Maggie Sottero for a beautiful personal wedding at Matfen Hall – Laura & Dave
Laura says: Remember that you don’t need a huge extravagant wedding just to impress others. Have a wedding that is personal to you as a couple! We chose our theme based on what reflected our relationship, and that was music. That’s our hobby and what we both love.
Justin Alexander for an autumn wedding at Iscoyd Park – Kate & Kyle
Kate says: Don’t tell people too much in the lead-up. If things don’t go to plan, nobody other than you will know about it!
Bex Brides for an autumnal rustic wedding at Owen House Wedding Barn – Vanessa & Joe
Vanessa says: If you are after a boho/indie style wedding, then I’d steer clear of the major wedding fairs and find out about the smaller independent ones. I loved Brides Up North when planning our wedding. I found out about many wedding fairs and local suppliers through them and their events. I came away with so many contacts and wedding ideas from the Brides Up North wedding fairs. I also loved the real weddings section on the Brides Up North blog too for inspiration.
Also, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting ‘everything’ so set out a budget and try and stick to it and figure out what’s really important and what isn’t. I ended up being a little over budget, and I’m a project planner for a living!
Maggie Sottero for a countryside wedding at Yorkshire Wedding Barn – Joanna & Steven
Joanna says: Don’t let the wedding planning process, or especially the day itself, get stressful. We had a clear idea of what we wanted, and I was very organised and planned everything well, but our main priority was always to make sure that everyone was relaxed and had a good time.
The small things really don’t matter on the day but if you plan everything well, then the focus can always be on having a good time. If anything goes wrong just let it go because it really is the best day of your life and you need to enjoy every minute!
When planning our day, I loved looking at the real wedding features on Brides Up North for inspiration. I enjoyed the whole process and probably did get a bit obsessed with looking at pictures, but it really does help to use ideas from other real weddings.
Victoria Jane for a cosy autumn wedding at Shotton Grange – Simon & Victoria
Victoria says: Try not to feel pressured into following trends and spending extra money if there are things that you feel you would like to do yourselves. Ask for help, especially if expensive elements, such as the photographer and videographer, are important to you. The money saved by a bit of DIY can help justify spending more on the more costly things.
It’s easy to keep things close to your chest because you want to give people surprises – but on the flip side, people who might want to get involved and help you can feel shut out. Both sets of parents did not want to tread on our toes but when we eventually asked they were overjoyed and had been waiting for us to give them something to help with getting things ready. Both family and friends helped us with things like printing out signs for the venue, making place cards, invitations – it is such a great opportunity to spend time together before the wedding and celebrate, having people get involved helps to build the excitement and make fond memories.
Essense of Australia for an elegant wedding at West Tower – Nicola & Stephen
Nicola says: Try different styles of dresses as you may be surprised what suits you the best. Make some time to be with each other on the day and don’t let the little things stress you at the planning stages.
Theia Couture for a stylish wedding at White Hart Inn – Lorna & Ben
Lorna says: Create a Pinterest board of things you like for your special day. I printed the images out and created a mood boards filled with how I wanted the day to look. You might find that your ideas change along the way but that’s ok, just go with it and it will all come together perfectly on the day.
I also loved reading the blogs and looking through the photos on Brides Up North to get ideas for my day.
A rustic wedding at Shotton Grange – Rebecca & Ryan
Rebecca says: Be true to what you want as a couple. The more people you involve the more opinions you get and find yourself trying to please them rather than yourself. It’s your day so do what you find fun. Always remember you know everything about your day. No one else will notice if one of the flowers is out of position, so don’t stress about if something goes wrong, laugh it off and keep on partying! Always smile and keep your best buddy by your side.
Essense of Australia for a chic wedding at Holdsworth House – Amy & Ryan
Amy says: Ask for recommendations off other people, plan ahead and take time during the day to step back and just enjoy the moment; it goes by in a flash.
During the planning, we went to one of Brides Up North’s wedding fairs, which was great as it inspired lots of different parts of our day. It also showed us different things we would’ve possibly forgotten about! A jeweler we met there offered us some money off our wedding bands on the day, so it’s definitely worth attending.
A travel themed wedding at The Coniston Hotel – Lauren & Dominic
Lauren says: Be selfish and do what you want to do. Everyone else will be honoured to be there as your guests and happy to work with whatever makes you happy. Also, speeches before food meant that it was a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere.
Anita Massarella for an autumnal Yorkshire wedding at The Hepworth Gallery – Gwyn & Steve
Gwyn says: When you’re looking for your engagement and wedding rings, rather than visit the high street try to source a local designer/maker. For similar or lower price, you will have a unique piece of jewellery made to your design. We both enjoyed this aspect of the planning and are very pleased with the results.
Stella York for an intimate & sophisticated wedding at Stanley House – Emma & Tom
Emma says: Be organised and make the day as personal to you as possible. We knew we had planned it to a tee so didn’t worry at all on the day – we also knew everyone would enjoy themselves.
When planning our day, we found Brides Up North’s online directory was great for researching suppliers.
A vintage dress for a flower-filled wedding at Danby Castle – Jade & Jack
Jade says: Don’t sweat the small stuff. We were that laidback we were almost horizontal when planning the wedding, and it made it such a wonderful experience. You’re not likely to ever get the opportunity to plan your wedding again, so enjoy every moment of it. Don’t put too much effort into making everybody else happy, it’s all about the celebration of your love, and you are the ones who matter.
Remember to let loose, be creative, and enjoy your day! Also, make sure you take time on your day to sit back and take it all in. You won’t get those memories again.
Watters for a barn wedding at Deighton Lodge – Hannah & Tom
Hannah says: Lists, lists, lists! I wouldn’t have been able to plan a wedding without my to-do lists! Buy yourself a nice notebook and pen and keep it in your handbag – you never know when you have a few spare minutes to tick off a job!
I found inspiration from real weddings on Brides Up North was very useful too; it’s always great to pinch fab ideas for your own special day!
A rustic wedding in the Scottish Highlands – Nat & Oli
Nat says: Enjoy the planning, do it together and make it personal and fun. There is no ‘one’ way of ‘having’ to do it. Make the most of your talented family and friends. Don’t worry too much on the day, go with the flow and enjoy celebrating with all of your favourite people.
