Images from Gemma & Sam’s wedding day by Sally Rawlins Photography

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If you can nail that timeless wedding style look, your photos will never date. It’s kind of the holy grail of wedding planning… but I get it, it can sound like an impossible dream, right? And instinctively, we want to head for Pinterest or Google and search for ‘timeless wedding style’ so we can work out how to create it. But take a breath, because timeless is more than a look. It’s achievable on any budget, and ultimately – here’s the good news – it all comes down to your personalities.

Creating a wedding day look which is timeless means you can look back in twenty years’ time at the images in your wedding album – and you will still love everything about it. Your outfits will be elegant, flattering and simple. If you’re holding a bouquet it will be perfect. You’ll look back on your day with fondness uninterrupted by any cringeworthy fashion fails or dated styling touches – and when future generations find your wedding album they’ll love looking through it for all the right reasons.

Classic style never goes out of fashion

Audrey Hepburn has timeless appeal. So does Marilyn Monroe, Billie Holiday… in fact a handful of people knew many, many years ago that style was so much more than fashion. George Clooney has that effortless elegance, as does David Beckham. Adele’s beauty and style will never date. They’re all names whose style is elegant, simple and classy. When it comes to wedding attire, take a hint from these style icons and choose a look which is pure, simple style.

Trends date – DIY looks have evolved (from vintage to bold and bright)

The thing with Pinterest is that every wedding idea shared on the internet three years ago is still there. A search for wedding DIY ideas is as likely to bring up old results as new. Hessian and lace was a huge trend when wedding blogs were a new thing – but trends like these date fast!

Reading wedding blogs – and following their Pinterest activities and instagram feeds – is the best clue to finding wedding style ideas you can take on board. Styled shoots and supplier features on blogs will always keep it current: it’s our job to bring you a beautiful curation of wedding ideas – and blogs are great because they’re all about real couples and real weddings, and not just ‘things’ the wedding media would like you to buy, or have, or get, for your wedding.

The wedding media is there to provide inspiration and will generally show you what’s going to be on trend for the next couple of years of weddings… the fun part for you will be to read them and find the ideas you both love, without being swayed by the trending styles which might date. Look for simple, minimalist wedding style and you can’t go too far wrong.

Can you still DIY without your wedding looking ‘shabby’?

Oh of course! The good news is that wedding DIY evolves with every generation. Neither are blogs all about mason jars or glitter any more! Take inspiration from blogs to give your wedding urban chic style or fill your space with leafy growing plants and twinkling fairy lights.

DIY moves on; while bright and bold colours are on trend now, they’ll date in years to come. Instead consider minimal styles for your stationery, and add interest to your tables with foliage. Modern timeless weddings are all about sustainability and the understated, elegant look that goes with it.

5 tips for wedding DIY that won’t date

1. Take time to learn. Take a course (we’re thinking flower arranging, jewellery making, calligraphy…), then practice over and over. Adding your own creative personal touches can be fun, but don’t challenge yourself to do something which is out of your comfort zone. The beauty of a timeless wedding look is that you can keep it simple. If making 1,000 paper cranes will break you, don’t even go there!

2. Be minimal. Less is more when it comes to timeless wedding style. A statement bouquet can mix a couple of key blooms with leaves from your garden; even a huge bunch of foliage alone tied with silk ribbon has tons of wow factor. Making stationery doesn’t mean you need ribbons, pearls, lace, overlays, belly bands, stamps and wax seals: use simple, luxury card instead, and do as a graphic designer would do: use beautiful fonts, and LOTS of white space.

3. Don’t overwhelm your venue with DIY projects. Craft something awesome, then give it a display area. Perhaps you’d love to create your own backdrop with macrame or hanging ribbons, or handmade signs dotted around your wedding space. The key thing to remember is that you don’t need to make everything and put it everywhere. If your DIY dates, it won’t date everything around it or ruin your wedding album ten years on.

4. Your personalities are your style – if your wedding look reflects the two of you more than it reflects what’s fashionable, you win! Sticking with what you know and love as a couple will make your wedding day more authentic. Avoid what’s fashionable, and stick with what’s YOU. If that means craft, design and crochet – do it!

5. Choose your wedding photographer carefully. Always, always go for the best photography you can afford. Your memories of your day will fade, and your photos will be there to remind you of how it felt. These are the memories you’ll share with your children if you have them, so choose a photographer with timeless style. We’re huge fans of documentary wedding photography here at English Wedding, as these guys will capture the atmosphere of your day, and all the little interactions between your friends and family – in time, they’ll be the things you want to remember. Some documentary wedding photographers take exceptional artistic images as well, capturing the little details of your day. There are so many to choose from!

A final word… ignore what the wedding media says you ‘should’ do (even this)!

Look… your wedding is about the two of you, and that’s all that matters. Make it fun, from planning all the way through to your big day. If you want to make and design things, do! If timeless style is your thing (and if you’ve made it to the end of this blog I’m guessing it is!) then do follow this advice. It will make your wedding planning and styling easier than trawling through Pinterest and wedding blogs searching for the look you want! But if you’re all about fashion and you want to make a statement with your wedding NOW, just be you and go for it, and it will be amazing we promise!