Image from Berta & blush. a stylish wedding at Styal Lodge – Louise & Glen
You may recall earlier this year that we grouped together the top twenty best top tips from our real brides featured on the blog between January and June, to pass on their words of wisdom to those of you currently planning your own big day celebrations.
And having clocked up another six months of fabulous real weddings (where does the time go?!), we’re back once again to pass on the nuggets of advice from our knowledgeable brides, who shared their weddings on the blog during the second part of 2016.
There really are some amazing little gems in here that will help you to realise that everyone has their ups and downs on the wedding planning journey, but that ultimately all that matters is that you are marrying your true love and best friend. We’ll raise a festive glass of Bailey’s to that!
So, prepare to take note as our clued-up brides complete the following sentence – “My top tip to other Brides Up North would be…
In full bloom. Stewart Parvin for a spring themed wedding at Statham Lodge – Laura & Mike
laura says:
“Enjoy the planning of your wedding with your partner as much as the day itself. Mike and I loved making decisions about things together and it drew us closer and closer as the wedding day crept up on us. All of our causal discussions, ideas, phone calls, emails and meetings in the year before the wedding personalised and tailored our day so it was just as we wanted it. With that in mind, wedding planning can also be very stressful. We were lucky because we had top quality suppliers who had done it all before. So our other top tip would be to use suppliers with good reputations who are ideally used to working with each other”
Gorgeous grandeur. Pops of copper for a relaxed wedding at Left Bank Leeds – Courtney & Vicky
courtney says:
“Don’t feel you need to stick to the traditional plan for your day. We got ready together which I really liked, we had our photos before the ceremony so that we didn’t miss out on time with our friends and family (and it meant our hair and makeup were fresh for the photos). We decided not to use cars, have flowers, there was no cake, we didn’t do favours and we didn’t do a first dance. Just make your day all about the two of you. Also, when styling a large venue it’s worth having a few focal points of interest to add impact rather than lots of little things dispersed. Oh, and it’s totally normal to hate the politics and stress that creep into planning a wedding!”
Daisies and dicky bows for a springtime wedding at Wentworth Castle Gardens – Shawn & Jenny
jenny says:
“Make lists, involve others and accept help, as however long you think you will need to plan a wedding you will no doubt end up feeling that you need longer. We spent many a day roping family into ‘crafternoons’ to help set up seating plans, make ribbon wands and confetti cones etc.”
Orange and navy for a fun-filled wedding at Quarry Bank Mill – Zoe & Chris
zoe says:
“Do as much as you can yourself for the wedding. We personalised everything that we could. There was a lot to do, but we were so proud when it all came together. We also really enjoyed doing it all together in the run up to our big day.”
Vintage romance. Sophia Tolli for an elegant wedding at Middleton Lodge – Beccy & Craig
beccy says:
“Firstly, whilst you obviously want to create a memorable day that everyone enjoys, I think it’s incredibly important to remember just what your wedding day is about – it’s about you two – the bride and groom! And the most important thing is that you two have the day of your dreams which you’ll never forget, so don’t spend too much time worrying about everyone else – you can’t always please everyone! Secondly, plan well and choose your suppliers and your venue carefully. If you get that right, your day will run clockwork leaving you to enjoy your special day without having to worry about a thing.”
Come rain or shine. A fun and fabulous wedding in Liverpool – Jody & Liam
jody says:
“Don’t worry about the weather. I was worried thinking the rain might spoil our day. In the end, it made it. It rained nearly all day, however, Liam and I think it made our day more interesting. We had fun running around the city under an umbrella with our photographer trying to get some fun photos in the downpours. Nothing will faze you on the day so just go with it.”
Hydrangeas & sparkles for a personal summer wedding in Sheffield – Faith & Pete
faith says:
“Get an amazing photographer, the photos will bring the day back to you and really help you remember it forever!”
Bunting & blooms. Johanna Hehir for a pretty springtime wedding at The Ashes – Tracey & Neil
tracey says:
“Do what you want – it’s your wedding. Spend money on the things that are important to you. For us, it was the photographers, providing good food and drink for our guests and the entertainment (ice cream van and the band). Think about what you want your guests to leave your wedding saying/thinking. I have been a guest at many weddings where guests had been totally forgotten and where style over substance was more important. We always kept in mind that our guests were travelling at least an hour to our venue and we wanted to make that journey worthwhile. We wanted them to leave with really happy memories of the day, so it was really important we provided enough entertainment, they were looked after well and that they weren’t hanging about for too long.”
True blue: Satin and beads for an elegant wedding at Ellingham Hall – Emma & Gareth
emma says:
“Delegate! People love getting involved and its worth making the most of the skills your family and friends have – it makes your job so much easier and makes the day so much more personal – I wish I’d realised it earlier!”
Natural glamour. Ronald Joyce for a romantic wedding at Ashton Memorial – Melissa & Craig
melissa says:
“Ask your previously married friends if they have any leftover wedding props they don’t need any longer. It’s amazing what you can get and a great way to save on budget, whilst re-using something another couple loved. I’d also say really consider what you want from your wedding – if you want photos in the countryside make sure there’s plenty of places nearby you can go, if you dream of candlelight at your venue – make sure they allow it, as we found out last minute they didn’t!”
Roses & romance. A pretty blush pink wedding at The Belle Époque – Kate & Dan
kate says:
“Plan, plan, plan. Just try and be as organised as possible. We did a lot of the planning early on so when it got nearer to the wedding, we found we weren’t stressed as there wasn’t much more to do. This meant that we were able to relax right up to the big day!”
Justin Alexander for an urban wedding at the Merseyside Maritime Museum – Beth & Will
beth says:
“Don’t worry or fuss over the small details. We are so glad we didn’t. Keep your focus on what you are really there to do: to marry the person you have the privilege to love and be loved by in return. The confetti blows away and the cake is gobbled up, but seeing your best friend the next day and knowing you are continuing on a whole new adventure together is an extraordinary feeling. And what’s better, it’s more than a feeling because it’s a commitment. Take time to remember and enjoy.”
Summertime flair. A stylish wedding at Hillbark Hotel, Cheshire – Alexandra & Adrian
alexandra says:
“A year is the perfect amount of time to organise a wedding; it was long enough to plan without the stress but not too long to drag it out. Other couples might not agree! We loved planning it and whenever we completed a wedding ‘job’ off the list, we had a drink to celebrate! Also, we had no interference in planning our wedding and it worked perfectly – it’s your day, no-one else’s, so just do it yourselves!”
Peaches & cream. Amanda Wyatt for a classic wedding in the North West – Chris & Stacey
stacey says:
“We set up an account on Wedpics for all our friends and family to share their photos from the day. We would definitely recommend getting something like Wedpics to other brides and grooms because it was so good to see everyone’s photos of the day and to see moments that we might have missed.”
Modern glamour. Maggie Sottero for a black tie wedding in Newcastle – Jaimie & Gemma
gemma says:
“My top tip to other Brides Up North would be to do everything the way you (both) want to do it. Don’t conform to what other people think or what tradition says you should do, and definitely don’t stress about any of it.”
Picture perfect. Maggie Sottero for a relaxed wedding at Abbeydale Picture House – Kath & Tim
kath says:
“You don’t have to overcomplicate things. We had the perfect day but we didn’t go over the top with everything. We tried to use people that we knew or local suppliers. Also, it’s ok to be yourselves – Tim and I knew that we didn’t want to conform to what a wedding ‘should’ look like. As we had an afternoon tea, we actually ended the reception at 7pm because we wanted to have a special meal together in the evening together as just us!”
Dream team: Pretty paper and lace for a romantic wedding at Newton Hall – Ashlea & David
ashlea says:
“Involve the groom. I don’t think our day would have been as special and successful if it wasn’t for Dave. He had to do a lot of the meetings on his own and organise things that I wasn’t able to. We worked as a team and a lot of people were surprised to find out when he was enjoying it. I think it was a great bonding experience and he felt just as proud as I did when everything came together in the end.”
Peonies & pastels. Kenneth Winston for a pretty spring time wedding at The KP – Sarah & Alan
sarah says:
“Don’t rule out a videographer to capture your special day. It is something we originally discounted but then booked Silver Sixpence a little later on and we are so pleased we did. The day passes so quickly and it was lovely to get back from honeymoon and relive the day all over again, plus see things we had missed. Our video is something we can cherish and watch year after year.”
Roses & romance. Mori Lee for a vintage style wedding at Newton Hall – Holly & Ben
holly says:
“Believe that whatever happens your day will be the best of your lives. I think it’s easy to get swamped with all the little details and do nothing but worry about how it’s all going to go. If I could go back to myself now I would tell myself to get a grip! Not everything went perfectly, the weather for one, but in our eyes it was still the perfect day. We married each other in front of our most loved friends and family and we had the best party to celebrate. It really is all that matters.”
Bubbles & blooms. House of Mooshki for a relaxed wedding at Vallum Farm – Emma & Stuart
