I got married nearly nine years ago and I absolutely loved planning my wedding day. We carefully wove our love story into the details and special touches.  We had recently moved from London to Bath and wanted all our city slicker friends to kick back and relax at our country house wedding. We were married in the church my family have always attended and headed to a country house to host our reception.

It’s all over so fast…

It was idyllic but as we drove away to our Italian honeymoon I had one regret. It wasn’t the menu, my dress or the flowers. It was that it didn’t last long enough.

As with all weddings we had friends from school and university, people who we don’t see very often. I really wanted to catch up properly with them but the day went so quickly and before I knew it I was at the airport on my way to Tuscany!

… but it doesn’t have to be!

I launched Pudding Bridge four years ago and have since seen the rise of wedding weekends (a wedding celebration held over an entire weekend).

Why have one day when you can have three?!

I have worked with hundreds of brides over the years and they all say the same as me, the day goes by so quickly.

Will it be worth all the extra planning?

You might be thinking that organising one day is tough so why add extra work? But there are so many benefits to having a longer time to celebrate and here are just a few.

Firstly, you’ll see so much more of your guests. Rather than trying to get to talk to everyone in just a few hours at the wedding reception, you’ll have days.

It’ll feel like a mini holiday with all your favourite people.

Many couples planning an extended celebration will pick a venue that can host most of their guests in the same place. This means that they instantly relax, they’ll arrive and be in the same location for the entire weekend.

It’s the perfect mini break!

More time to spend doing the things you love!

Extended celebrations also mean that you can add in additional details that don’t work in your main day. For example, if you love zorbing but don’t fancy it in wedding attire! Add this into your plans for the Friday evening and it’ll be a sure-fire hit!

If you have family or religious traditions that you want to include but can’t see a way to squeeze them in, extending your celebration is the perfect solution. Perhaps you want a special blessing or a sake-sharing ceremony? By adding the Friday evening and Sunday morning, you’ll have plenty of time to fit it all in.

A mini break with all the people you love

And finally, if you are planning a longer wedding you can have it wherever you like! Lots of couples stick to the tradition of getting married locally to where they or their family live for a one day event.

This can often make it easier for guests who live near to them, but if you extend your celebration then you can pick any location!

It becomes so much more of an occasion, no one is worrying about their emails or picking up the kids. They are on holiday so are instantly relaxed! Think about picking somewhere you’ve holidayed or just somewhere that you have totally fallen in love with. Anything goes!

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Find out more about planning a wedding weekend and get in touch with Helen:

http://puddingbridge.co.uk/
Instagram @puddingbridge
Twitter @PuddingBridge
Facebook  @puddingbridge

All photos are by Helen Smiddy Photography, from Amy & Stefan’s Lake District wedding previously featured here on the English Wedding Blog