I had an email in my inbox earlier this week that really hit a nerve. For one, it was all about how brides could save money on wedding stationery. No mention of grooms, completely ignoring the fact that not all weddings have a bride. It takes a second to make emails inclusive – and always makes me feel a little sad when I get emails which aren’t inclusive.

The email went on to unveil some industry secrets – or as I’d put it, propagate some wedding myths. Namely, the one about suppliers charging more for anything with ‘wedding’ in the name.

Header image credit: Becky Harley Photography

2020 is going to change weddings. Couples have been shaken in a rollercoaster of announcements, postponements and limitations since the first lockdown last March. For some of us, the change has affected our whole lives: we’ve lost loved ones to a pandemic which could have been prevented, had our government and others worldwide acted quickly. Others have lost jobs, finances, homes, relationships and more – the effects on daily life of 2020 have been unbelievable.

Header image credit: Damion Mower Photography

English Wedding hit 10 years of wedding inspiration back in November. I don’t know where the time has gone – it feels like only yesterday this whole crazy snowball of a wedding blog began, and I love our little part of the internet as fiercely as ever! In 10 years though, I’ve changed. I’ve teetered around the edge of becoming wholly vegan for a few years (I’m still failing on chocolate) and I’m more and more conscious of the climate crisis with every passing week. So I’ve been thinking this morning about how I can really bring my little wedding blog more in line with my personal values.

Images by Catherine Spiller Photography – full wedding feature here

Wedding traditions can be so much fun – the clouds of confetti, the giggles as your girls help with your garter in the morning, the cutting of the cake and your first dance… But they can also be a little awkward. Throwing the bouquet to your single friends isn’t a comfortable moment for everyone. And sadly not all of us are lucky enough to have our dads there to walk us down the aisle.

Etiquette is a word which turns me cold. It just implies a ton of rules and regulations, and the risk of doing things ‘wrong’ – and planning a wedding is hard enough without having to worry about wordings and receiving lines and whose name goes first, right? Etiquette and traditions go pretty much hand in hand, and I’m all for burning the rule book and doing things your own way – who’s with me?

Image by Jenny Heyworth for Aspire on the English Wedding Blog (28)

So I had a little chat with a few friends on our Facebook page the other day. Here’s a list of 4 brilliant wedding traditions we love… and 9 we really do seem to hate!