Spring comes to wedding bloggers in a flurry of engagement shoot submissions and I LOVE it! At this time of year summer wedding planning hits new heights – couples are ordering wedding invitations and booking those last key suppliers, and it kind of feels like summer weddings will be here before we know it! Many of you will be checking in with your photographers and quite possibly having an engagement shoot in the next few weeks. Yay for you if you are – I promise, you’ll love it! Today I’m sharing some advice with those of you who might not be sure if you need an engagement shoot… because I just happen to have seven pretty solid reasons why engagement shoots are brilliant! 
A guest article by Emily Black Photography
Engagement shoots are not only a great chance to get to know your wedding photographer and how they work, they also really help couples feel at ease in front of the camera. Most of my couples really don’t like the thought of having their photo taken and feel a bit uneasy about the prospect of couple shots during their wedding.
A rather fabulous guest article by Amanda Karen Photography
Hello – I’m so happy to be with you today! Thank you, Claire for inviting me along to talk about a really important element of wedding planning – choosing suppliers. However, what follows probably isn’t what you might expect. This isn’t going to be a checklist full of reminders to ask for references and to check social media feeds. Oh no, I’m about to explain why choosing suppliers is really a whole lot more personal than that.
Elopements and escapes are a big part of modern wedding planning! I hear you – all that planning is too crazy, so why not pack your favourite people onto a little plane and head away somewhere sunny to get wed in a beautiful intimate celebration overseas? If travelling is your thing, then a destination wedding could be right up your street. Just keep it simple, don’t forget your trousers (like our friend did – and he realised on the day of his wedding!) and remember to celebrate with a massive party when you get home!
A guest article by Wild Tipi
Most of us will have experienced the joys of an English summer festival; whether it’s on a huge scale like Glastonbury or a low-key local affair, we can all relate to lying back on the warm grass with a cool pint of something by our sides as the tunes drift over the crowds, stirring memories or awakening moods within us. Or perhaps it’s more a case of trying to stay upright in the torrential rain and mud as our friends fall about laughing at our efforts… either way, the festival vibe is something dear to many of us and evokes powerful feelings of friendship, togetherness, of finding your tribe and one heck of a party.