I think sometimes planning a wedding must feel a little like organising Glastonbury. Only, most couples have no experience in event planning, and you’re a team of two, not hundreds. You might not be inviting tens of thousands of guests – but you’re trying to give the most important people in the world an amazing experience and a day to remember. The pressure to have the ‘perfect’ wedding can be too much – and planning anxiety is something the wedding media should talk about seriously.

Loads of couples are nervous about their wedding photography experience. If I could share one tip with every person reading this blog it would be to do everything you can to keep on top of your stress levels in the run up to your wedding day. One thing I hear all the time is nerves and worries around wedding photography – you might feel like you’re not photogenic, or you’re awkward in front of the camera, or that you’ll feel silly posing for pictures on your wedding day. None of those things need to be true, and you can crush pre wedding photography nerves by having an engagement photo session.

Let’s start this advice with a big old pinch of salt. If you’re getting married, you can wear whatever the hell you like. Before we get into details about lapels or cufflinks, let’s make one thing really clear: it’s your day (equally with the person you’re marrying) – so wear what you’ll feel amazing in. I stumbled across a few articles covering etiquette for grooms, or a rather cringeworthy “how should I dress my groom for the wedding?” – and that’s not what we’re about here.

This Friday, I thought a short but thoughtful blog post would be lovely. I was contacted by a media agency about ‘quiet proposals’ – a rising trend where couples are shopping together for engagement rings, rather than keeping the ring a secret and planning a super romantic, surprise proposal. This got me thinking: taking this first step together as a couple could lead to more and more of us planning our weddings together – and that would be a wonderful thing, don’t you think?

I’m already excited for you. You must be here because you’re going to ask someone to spend the rest of their life with you – and that’s a huge deal. This blog is here to help you plan the perfect moment for your surprise proposal, with tips on including a photographer, and on keeping the moment natural, magical and authentic!

Taran & Rupi, by Lake District wedding and proposal photographer Mark Battista