Work out your wedding day priorities and where you should spend your cash!

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The Cinema Museum wedding venue in London with Camilla Lucinda Photography (24)
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by Helen Hopkins, Pudding Bridge

Setting your wedding day priorities early on is imperative

It means you can divide up your budget according to what is important to you both for your day, making sure you don’t waste your budget on things you don’t need or want! As a wedding planner, I work with couples to help them plan their dream day.

The Cinema Museum wedding venue in London with Camilla Lucinda Photography (11)

Image credits: Nick & Kristina, by Camilla Lucinda Photography. See their full wedding feature here

 

One of the very first things we do is look at priorities. It so interesting to see who picks which area as the most important. So here is what to do…

Write a list of every element of your wedding day.

For example: venue, food, drink, ceremony, guests, entertainment, attire, cake, stationery, location etc.

Make sure you both have the same list and rate the items into order so that 1 is the most important.

The Cinema Museum wedding venue in London with Camilla Lucinda Photography (20)

Then compare.

Now it’s likely that you and your partner’s lists will be different.  See more...

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Wedding Day Regrets (you absolutely won’t have if you read this article!) by Jenna Hewitt

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Greenery and gorgeous urban chic styling at Manchester Victoria Warehouse with Kate McCarthy Photography (11)
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It’s December, time for festive cheer! So, it probably feels a little strange that today I’m bringing you a piece titled ‘wedding day regrets’ but bear with me, I promise it will be worth it!

Nothing saddens me more than listening to the words “if I could do it all again I wish I would have…” and, if you are a 2018 bride to be heading into the year of your wedding, you have the wonderful luxury of time and the fabulous opportunity that comes with it to avoid those wedding day regrets I hear about too often.

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New sponsor welcome! Bristol wedding planner Pudding Bridge

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Hey everyone! I hope you’re all staying safe and warm through this ridiculously cold spell! We have no snow here on the Cumbrian coast – in fact it’s been lovely and sunny since Friday – but omg is it cold on the beach! So I’m staying in, snuggling into my slippers and hot chocolate and happy to be sharing some extra special blog features with you all in the run up to Christmas. Today’s is no exception… did you see our list of 15 favourite UK wedding planners published yesterday? If you did, you’ll have spotted our lovely friend Helen from Pudding Bridge. Helen’s not only a multi-award winning planner, she’s also written some advice features for the blog over the last few months and we’re thrilled to have her joining our little team of sponsors today.

Award winning Bristol and Bath wedding planners Pudding Bridge (3)

Pudding Bridge is owned by Helen Hopkins and is a multi-award winning Wedding Planning company based in Bristol. Specialising in elegant country house weddings, I am passionate about organising epic extended celebrations.

Award winning Bristol and Bath wedding planners Pudding Bridge (4)
Award winning Bristol and Bath wedding planners Pudding Bridge (5)  See more...

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Wondering About Wedding Flowers? An article by Jenna Hewitt

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It’s November and we are officially within the 8-month mark before Hannah and Ben’s wedding weekend next summer! With all the big planning pieces ticked off there’s time to focus on the fun stuff and, in my book, the wedding flowers and styling come top of that list! Today I’ve teamed up with Emma Soulsby of Ladybird Flowers to bring you all our floral and styling expertise in a piece about where to start with your wedding flowers.

Rusted Rose Photography flower pics for Jenna Hewitt and Ladybird Flowers on English-Wedding.com (10)

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First, let me introduce Emma. Emma is an experienced wedding florist (as well as being an all round lovely lady). Since starting her business 5 years ago she’s had her work featured across numerous wedding blogs and publications (Wedding Sparrow, Bridal Musings, Way out Wedding and our very own English Wedding Blog, to name but a few). For me, a fantastic florist is one half of any wedding styling partnership and I’ve had the pleasure to work with Emma on a number of occasions. Emma is also Hannah’s chosen florist for her wedding day! Last week we took a trip to London’s Covent Garden Flower Market to catch up on everything floral to bring you this post.  See more...

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How to put together your wedding style

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There was a time (and it feels like long ago), when we didn’t have the joys of the internet, social media or Pinterest.  When it comes to wedding style part of me thinks “how on earth did we manage” but the other half of me feels it was possibly a much simpler place.

Styling your 2018 wedding, expert advice by Jenna Hewitt. Photo credit Kitty Wheeler Shaw (1)

Without a doubt the access to the resources we have has placed huge focus/pressure on wedding styling.  There now exist wedding trend reports and predictions and, as a wedding stylist and planner, I eagerly await Pantone’s release of colour of the year – so often linked to the emerging colour trends and choices for the next season.  Most recently we’ve seen rose quartz and grey elegance, metallic and acrylics and, currently, a trend for minimal, white and greenery.  Next year I’m predicting a resurgence of tropical brights (we shall see…).   Anyhow, my point is that today, more than ever, putting your style stamp on your big day is a big deal. But it isn’t always easy to zone in on a style, put it all together, or know where to begin.  See more...

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How to Handle Children at Weddings! 9 genius tips from planner & stylist Jenna Hewitt

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Hello! I hope you all had an amazing summer of fun in the (surprisingly good) English weather. If you missed me last month, I’m Jenna Hewitt and I plan and style weddings.  Each month I’ll be writing a kind of ‘wedding planning diary’ of help and tips that follows the planning journey of real life couple, Hannah and Ben (very lovely clients of mine).  This month I’m writing some thoughts, musings and general advice on children (and what to do with them) at weddings!

Hannah and Ben have a fair number of children on the guest list – 27 at last count (and 5 of those are their own) so having a plan that included the children was a must.  They were also really clear that both the children and adults should have an amazing time – a tricky balance to achieve (as anyone with children can vouch for).  See more...

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A year in the life of wedding planning: finding your ‘perfect’ venue, by Jenna Hewitt

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If you missed Claire’s lovely introduction last month, I’m Jenna Hewitt from Weddings by Jenna Hewitt. I’m a creative wedding planner who loves to work with couples looking for style and a sense of laid back luxury where the focus is all about the atmosphere, the food, the drink and having an amazing party!

Images from Cowley Manor wedding venue and words by wedding stylist planner Jenna Hewitt. Credit Helen Warner Photography (9)

Over the next 12 months I’m really excited to be covering a year in the life of planning a wedding and each month I’ll be sharing the inside, honest track of what it takes to plan your perfect day as well as what to expect and watch out for along the way. In fact I’ll be writing about the planning journey of real life couple and lovely clients of mine, Hannah and Ben. Today I’m starting with the venue search!

No such thing as the perfect venue?

My first tip for the venue hunt is to steer well clear of the word ‘perfect’. It is almost impossible to find the perfect venue in every sense and you could end up quickly frustrated. The trick to making the venue search an enjoyable one is to narrow down your must haves as well as what you are willing to be flexible on.  See more...

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Somerley House wedding editorial by Baxter and Ted

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Hello lovelies! Did you catch today’s beautiful bridal inspiration feature from Somerley House with our fabulous new sponsor Weddings by Jenna Hewitt? If you weren’t around when I hit publish please do pop over for a look – it’s one of the most breathtaking shoots we’ve featured this year. If you did catch the feature, you’ll know we promised something rather special this afternoon…

The editorial film by English Wedding Directory member Baxter and Ted brings a whole new dimension to this styled shoot, and totally convinces me that having your wedding filmed is such a fabulous treat if your budget will allow. The fine art, almost film look of the editorial is simply beautiful. I am also totally in love with the last, slightly edgier bridal look from the shoot (which we didn’t include this morning).

“Shot in the stables, this was the most dramatic look with hair accessorised with a handmade piece by Victoria Millesime.  For this look I chose a gown from Luella’s Bridal that was clean in cut with simple fine straps and a beautiful dropped back, paired with bridal mules from Emmy London.” ~ Jenna Hewitt  See more...

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Understated luxury in grey, teal and soft apricots for a stunning Somerley House (Hampshire) inspiration shoot

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Somerley Estate sits right on the Dorset and Hampshire borders and is the stunning backdrop for this inspiration shoot.  A privately owned home and wedding venue, the house was designed in 1750 and has been in the Normanton family for five generations.  Somerley is gorgeous, (very) grand and has a lot of history.  With this shoot I wanted to bring a little piece of understated contemporary style to blend with the traditional luxury surroundings.

Understated luxury wedding styling in Hampshire by Jenna Hewitt, with Kitty Wheeler Shaw Photography (9)

Contact & Bookings: Weddings by Jenna Hewitt

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Understated luxury wedding styling in Hampshire by Jenna Hewitt, with Kitty Wheeler Shaw Photography (1)

The colour palette combined grey with teal and soft apricot and I chose to blend silks by Kate Cullen with contemporary acrylic and copper materials.

The stationery was beautifully designed by Georgina Read Creative, on cotton combination paper with torn edges and featured a lovely copper seal detail. In fact this was one of my favourite details!  The stamp used was THE Somerley stamp and is hundreds of years old.

Understated luxury wedding styling in Hampshire by Jenna Hewitt, with Kitty Wheeler Shaw Photography (25)  See more...

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New sponsor welcome! Lovely wedding planner and stylist, Jenna Hewitt

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As a girl who pretty much lives her working life on the internet, it makes such a wonderful difference to my day when I get a phone call from this fabulously inspiring, warm and brilliant lady. I’m thrilled – more than I can say – to be welcoming lovely Surrey wedding planner and stylist Jenna Hewitt to the English Wedding Blog today. She’s brimming with advice and has shared some incredible styling images with us today – there’s a LOT more to come so please, lovelies – read on!

Jenna Hewitt, recommended wedding stylist and planner in Surrey - photo credit Kitty Wheeler Shaw (5)

“Hello!  I’m Jenna of Weddings by Jenna Hewitt.  I create style-led weddings for couples looking for understated, laid back luxury where it’s all about the atmosphere, the food, the drink and having an unforgettable party!

A firm believer in doing things your way, rather than the ‘done’ way, I love nothing more than to avoid the predictable and I work hard to design celebrations with originality and your personality.

Jenna Hewitt, recommended wedding stylist and planner in Surrey - photo credit Kitty Wheeler Shaw (6)  See more...

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A blissful afternoon of wedding styling, making macarons and giggles – with wedding planner Jenna Hewitt

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I totally love this idea – an afternoon with your best girls learning how to make macarons in a beautifully styled shoot. I agree with wedding planner Jenna Hewitt, who put together this gorgeous shoot / experience day – it’s all too easy to let planning take over your life, and it’s so important to take a break and have some fun!

Words: Jenna Hewitt | Images: Annamarie Stepney

Styled shoot macaron workshop with Jenna Hewitt wedding planner and Annamarie Stepney Photography (1)

The inspiration for the shoot came from the insight that, all too often, brides-to-be can get so caught up in the “to do list” that they don’t allow time to enjoy the whole planning experience.

Planning a wedding is no small task, most of us are juggling it on top of an already very busy day job, social calendar and family commitments and then there is the pressure for it to be ‘perfect.’  With so much fun to be had in the anticipation and build up, it is a shame to let the pressure of the “to do list” ruin the enjoyment.  See more...

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