How to ask couples if they’ll feature on a wedding blog – and why features are brilliant for your business
I feel like I’m stepping out of a time machine and I don’t know why! This wedding blog I began back in 2009? Still valid. Still performing. Still evolving, so search algorithms will find what I post, and what all of our amazing wedding photographers and supplier members post here too. That’s the magic, right there: wedding blogs can be really effective in getting vendors’ work published, so couples have the BEST chance at finding your business. It’s why, 17 years since English Wedding began, we’re still publishing real weddings for photographers and suppliers – and why I’m here to make the case for submitting your recent weddings to our beautiful blog!
Most of the real weddings we feature on English Wedding are sent in by photographers, so I’ll write this little explainer for you. But if you’re a planner or stylist, a videographer or content creator, a cake designer or dressmaker or any other kind of independent UK wedding supplier, you can also submit a real wedding to be featured on a blog.
Why should photographers and wedding suppliers publish weddings on blogs?
Publishing weddings on your own website is good for clients who’ve already found you. Sharing weddings as a discovery tool on other platforms is a strong marketing strategy. When publishers choose your work to showcase on blogs, it signals to search engines that your brand is trusted and has a good reputation.
Some blogs go further than others to help your wedding business with visibility.
The more a wedding blog will write about you, the better. Some focus purely on the aesthetics or the couple’s story.
English Wedding sends an interview to every couple we feature, asking for wedding photographer and supplier reviews.
Each real wedding published here includes genuine recommendations for suppliers, based on real couples’ experiences. It’s super helpful for couples planning their own weddings at the same venue or in the same region. It’s brilliant for your SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation or AI search).
When you’ve had a wedding published on a blog, talk about it. Reshare the reviews along with the images. This is lovely content for social media. Instagram and TikTok posts don’t have the longevity of blog articles: that’s why it’s good to have in-depth features on wedding blogs. But social media can ‘point’ back to your published real weddings, and that helps boost your visibility. (It’s a good idea to repeatedly post links to your blog features – not just on the day or week a wedding is published, but months or even a year or two later.)
“(Fine art wedding photographer) Christopher Western was beyond amazing from the moment we first spoke to him. We both knew instantly that he understood our vision and was on the same wavelength (and geeking out about cameras with Adam was a bonus). We knew we didn’t want posed photographs and wanted candid shots capturing moments between people and Christopher achieved this and more. His creativity and use of light has captured our wedding perfectly and we couldn’t be happier. It also helps that he is a delight to work with and having him there on the day felt so natural.”
I published Adam & Nikki’s wedding for luxury wedding florist Jemma Khan Studio, one of our lovely English Wedding members. Their review for Jemma was a joy to read:
“Jemma was incredible from start to finish. We had a clear vision of what we wanted: natural florals in keeping with the venue, with a focus on greenery and white flowers. Jemma was so attuned to this idea and executed it so beautifully. We worked together closely to make sure everything was perfect and she was a dream. We honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more. The clouds installed above the table and my wild bouquet that trailed almost to the floor were particular stand outs.” ~ Adam & Nikki
How to approach couples to be on wedding blogs without it feeling intrusive
Every couple is different. Some will love the opportunity to be featured so they can relive their wedding and show their friends. It’s a little bit of online fame – and I love that. When they’ve spent months or years planning their wedding, it’s lovely to see it admired by and inspiring other couples.
For most newlyweds, sharing on social media so their friends can see their wedding is enough. Anything more can feel a bit like showing off. I understand that.
So as a photographer wanting to publish weddings to showcase your work, a gentler and more creative approach works better.
How a wedding photographer can ask couples to feature on wedding blogs
Approach 1 – Intrusive and likely to get ghosted: “Hi! A major blog would love to feature your wedding. Would you be up for that?”
Approach 2 – Vibes with modern couples: “Hey! It would mean so much to me if you’d answer some quick questions for a major wedding blog. They’d love to feature your wedding, and it would really help me and all of your wedding suppliers reach other couples. If you can spare 10 minutes to write a little about us, we’d be so grateful.”
Modern couples don’t value being briefly internet-famous. But they’re proud of supporting small, local businesses. It feels really good to share a glowing review if they know it will help their wedding photographer and videographer, their MUA, florist and wedding coordinator.
Some examples of the lovely reviews shared by couples on English Wedding
Jaye Adams (Lake District wedding photographer Jaye-Peg Photography) was absolutely brilliant. Most impressively, she made Sean feel at ease in front of the camera which is a minor miracle in itself. She had us laughing, relaxing, and enjoying the time we spent taking couple photos. Capturing our moments was one of the most important parts of the day for me, and Jaye delivered everything I hoped for and more. The photos are beautiful, creative, and something we’ll treasure forever. ~ Hannah & Sean
See more wedding supplier reviews and recommendations from Hannah & Sean here.
“We couldn’t be happier with the incredible job (Manchester wedding photographer) Priti Shikotra did photographing both our intimate registry office day and our main wedding day. From the very beginning, Priti was an absolute joy to work with, she was very accommodating when we changed our plans for the registry office shoot because the weather wasn’t looking great, and she was really helpful during the planning process for our main wedding event with timings for the day and logistics. The photos she took for both occasions were great to look back on afterwards because we saw moments we missed while we were involved in the celebrations. She made us feel completely at ease and gave clear, helpful direction when we were taking the group shots, and couples portraits, on where to stand, how to walk, and how to pose, which made the whole experience feel natural and fun rather than staged. We genuinely had such a great time during the shoot, which really shines through in the photos. Afterwards we were amazed by how quickly she turned the images around. The response to the photos from friends and family has been overwhelming, we’ve had countless compliments on how stunning the photos are. We’re so grateful to Priti for capturing both of our days so perfectly. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking for a talented, professional, and genuinely lovely Manchester wedding photographer. We will definitely be reaching out to her for other events in the future!” ~ Jasmine & Will
This lovely pair recommended their wedding celebrant, entertainment, florist and hair & make up artists too – you can see their Manchester wedding featured here.
“I messaged (Norwich wedding photographer) Andy Davison whose work I’ve always admired. And despite the 6 weeks notice, he said he’d be honoured – which was very kind of him! And I felt so lucky we’d done this before he retires! Andy is an old colleague and friend. His photography is beautiful and I knew his calm, laid back and friendly personality would go down well with our family and friends. I knew Andy would deliver exactly what we both wanted – documenting our day and preserving the happiness in an informal but beautiful style. All our guests commented how much they’d liked having him there.”
Boo & Simon blew me away with their fabulous wedding supplier reviews, including many friends from Boo’s time as a wedding photographer – they were so generous and heartfelt with their English Wedding interview. You can see their Norwich wedding here.
“We really enjoyed working with (Bristol and Somerset wedding photographer) Martin Dabek throughout our wedding process. From our initial phone call, through the planning meeting and the wedding itself, Martin was a joy to communicate with. On the day, he put everyone at ease which meant we got some amazing group shots. I think the pictures speak for themselves and I would highly recommend Martin.” ~ Ellie & Will
Ellie & Will took the time to write lovely reviews for the team at their wedding venue Rockbeare Manor, their florist, cake designer, wedding stationer, hair and make up artists, entertainment and their wedding planner too. We made sure to share every single one on their real wedding feature, which you can see here.
If you’ve worked in the wedding industry for more than a handful of years, you’ll know how much marketing has changed. Ten years ago we didn’t have to be performers, making reels, understanding algorithms and content trends. But in the background, wedding blogs have evolved and adapted to these changes. A decade ago, real wedding features were for exposure and a badge. Some blogs still work this way, while a minority – including English Wedding – now focus on supporting your visibility so wedding features work really hard for you.
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