How old are your bridesmaids?

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Are you having grown up bridesmaids for your wedding – but no little ones? It seems more and more of us are having grown up maids instead of asking our younger sisters, nieces and little cousins. Could this be a bit of an emerging trend for UK weddings, and if so, why?

Has somebody written an article somewhere that says “Steer clear of small maids”?!

Jo from Driftwood and Daisies Flower Company emailed me a little while ago and mentioned that only two of her brides had chosen small bridesmaids and/or flower girls, the others are all having three or four adult maids instead.

“It is a real shame if this is happening up and down the country as I do feel the pretty flower girls and maids do add a sense of innocence to the day and if captured well provide some fabulous images for the wedding album that adult bridesmaids could never achieve.” See more...

A beautiful but bittersweet wedding at Sedgebrook Hall in Northamptonshire

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Ellie and Rich’s wedding photographs take my breath away. Their wedding story brings tears to my eyes. This amazing couple created a magical wedding day but sadly not in time for Ellie’s mum, who passed away just three weeks before. Ellie told me how everyone involved with the wedding – family, friends and suppliers – did everything in their power to make this a special day for everyone. In what must have been an incredibly sad time, the wedding at Sedgebrook Hall brought families together and lifted everyone’s spirits as they celebrated with Ellie and Rich.

There are some very touching images here – emotions captured in happiness and some moments of reflection. Jamie from Vickerstaff Photography is a wedding photographer I really admire. So I’ll leave you to scroll through the images and enjoy Ellie and Rich’s wedding day. Watch out for some really lovely photos from the dancefloor, oh and the tiger! See more...

Thank you Squibblybups for being so lovely!

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Hello everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. I have a long overdue thank you to say to Angela from Squibblybups. A few weeks ago an unexpected parcel arrived from Angela, with this inside…

There really is nothing lovelier to receive than something pretty with your name on. Angela makes these personalised embroidery hoops for couples – I found one in her shop which she made for lovely Kelly and Nik from Boho Weddings!

My favourites are the ‘True Love’ embroidery hoop with hearts which you’ll find in Angela’s Etsy shop, and the hoops with delicate floral patterns. Sewing is something I’ve never mastered; embroidery is something I wish I could do!

My embroidery hoop is proudly displayed in my calligraphy studio – I really love it and I’m touched to have it! Angela, thank you ever so much.

Embroidery hoops from Squibblybups would make lovely favours for an intimate wedding, gifts for your bridesmaids or bridal party. I also think they’re a wonderful way to say thank you. See more...

Cheesecake cupcakes for your wedding from the English Cheesecake Company

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Out of the goodness of my heart (and the generosity of my tummy) I have been busy reviewing cheesecakes on your behalf. Isn’t that lovely! Hehe – the English Cheesecake Company sent me some of their yummy cheesecake cupcakes to taste and tell you about. I’m only too happy to oblige!

Loads of couples are experimenting with alternatives to the traditional tiered wedding cake. Smaller cakes and cheesecakes can be part of a creative display which looks fab. They’re also convenient because you can serve guests a piece of cheesecake or a cupcake for their dessert. This makes so much more sense than the tradition of tiered cakes which then have to be taken away and sliced, then either served after the main meal or given to guests to take home.

The English Cheesecake Company have rather ingeniously combined cheesecakes and cupcakes – which they describe as a “heavenly piece of luxury you won’t be able to resist”.

It’s true. With a little help from my boyfriend, I had eight (not all at once). See more...

A Bridal shoot inspired by the elegance and grace of Ballet

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Morning everyone! I’d like to share this inspirational bridal shoot with you – inspired by ballet and described as “a photo shoot that is like no other“, it’s a stunningly beautiful fusion of ballet and weddings. It’s so good you might fall over.

I fell in love with this ballet bridal shoot instantly, and I’ve a feeling you’re going to love it just as much as I do. The shoot covers a wide range of eras including dresses and accessories from the 1920’s – 1950’s and was carried out at Rhinefield House Hotel in the New Forest. Two professional ballet dancers were the Brides for the day, and they were from wedding photographer Martin Bell‘s old ballet company – Northern Ballet. Martin is based in Hampshire and covers weddings across the UK and internationally. He is also a professional dance photographer. www.martinbell-photography.co.uk

The Bridal Ballet: A bridal shoot inspired by the elegance and grace of ballet

A talented bunch of wedding suppliers for you to discover!

Photographer – Martin Bell Photography – http://www.martinbell-photography.co.uk/

Matthew and Emma’s Doctor Who wedding in Hertfordshire

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Whatever else influences your wedding day, the key focus should be on personality. Make sure your wedding is ‘you’ and don’t let suppliers, families or wedding magazines tell you what to do. Guys and girls, I’m here to tell you that if you’d like to have a Doctor Who theme then you should absolutely go for it, and make it awesome!

Matthew and Emma’s wedding in Hertfordshire had a subtle Doctor Who theme running throughout the day. They used blue as a key colour and had little touches like neon lighting in the flower centrepieces to hint at their theme… which was realised well and truly with a Doctor Who cake topper: bride + groom + tardis!

Their day begins with a classic church wedding and ends with both mums rocking out on the dancefloor to Teenage Dirtbag. Shall we dive in? Congratulations and huge thanks to gorgeous couple Matthew and Emma, and thanks as ever to lovely Leicestershire wedding photographer Alix Marina-Chouhan of Lumiere Photography. Everyone, enjoy! Claire x

See more...

Introducing the beautiful bohemian inspired English bridal label Minna

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I don’t think I could ever choose a wedding dress from a big brand designer. Of course it’s just me (awkward, ‘creative’ and annoyingly alternative… hehe). But if this rings true with you too, and you actually do have to find a wedding dress, then the answer might have landed in my inbox just recently. Have you heard of Minna?

Minna designs ethereal and beautiful bohemian wedding dresses which are all handmade at her London studio. Ranging from floor sweeping gowns made from sumptuous silks, lace and hand embellished details to midi-length silk georgette and antique lace dresses, her collection retails from a very affordable £360 to around £800.

It’s almost as if Minna wedding dresses were created with me in mind – the new collection, titled as “Love Letter” was inspired by an old petticoat and a love letter found from the local antique market. Perfect for a calligrapher, no?!

(I love the outdoors and my mountains here in the Lake District as well… although I’m not sure I could scale those heights in these gorgeous gowns and shoes!) See more...

How to save £75 on your wedding seating plan and make something a whole lot better instead

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Promises, promises hey… but you really can save on your wedding seating plan with very little effort indeed. The answer is astonishingly simple too!

Don’t have one.

The traditional wedding seating plan… a thing of the past?

What’s the point in a seating plan anyway? It’s something functional which really only serves to prevent crowds of wedding guests bumping into each other searching for tables, and the last unlucky few bursting into tears as they find their place on the table in the corner, watched by everyone else.

OK, if you’re a creative genius and can turn your seating plan into a work of art then go for it, design your masterpiece on an A1 canvas and display it with pride! If you’re scoffing at the notion of saving a measly £75 then please feel free to buy every single item in my calligraphy shop. But if you’re quite sensible, a fan of creative touches and quite fond of the pennies you have left at this stage of wedding planning, then read on. See more...

That Dancing Swan… 50 top wedding tips from real couples

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If anyone actually has booked a dancing swan, I’d love to know… this was actually mentioned in a real wedding blog post featured a few months ago! It’s not something I’ve seen, and while I’m not about to tell you it’s something you NEED for your wedding I’d quite like to have one for my boyfriend’s birthday. I think he’d like the surprise…

Dancing swans aside, what can you learn from all of the brides and grooms who’ve had their weddings featured on the English Wedding Blog in the last year?

Tierney Photography theatre wedding blog

Image credit Tierney Photography

Quite a lot.

I hope you find this blog post useful – and do feel free to add your own advice in the comments box at the end!

Make it personal

Do your own thing and don’t be swayed by anyone… Lois and Gary

Try to speak to every guest, especially older/close relatives who love to have you all to themselves for a while. And don’t sweat the small stuff; the things that go a bit off-plan add to your wedding day story! Ryan and Andrea See more...

The only thing in the world lovelier than a rainbow?

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Rainbows – the closest thing to magic we get to see in our English skies. I’ve never lost that girlish excitement I feel when I see one. I’ll stop in my tracks and grin up at the sky every time – and I definitely believe rainbows are lucky omens! So what better inspiration for styling a wedding? Rainbows have it all: luck and happiness, colour and fun!

rainbow wedding inspiration by Jay Photographic (2)

Image credit www.jayphotographicimages.com

Today’s English Wedding Blog feature is all about love and rainbows. Lovely Laura from Perfect Choice Planning got in touch to share this amazing inspiration shoot with me and I was hooked instantly. The images are divine, it features one of my favourite wedding industry friends Beth from Cakes by Beth, and the brides in the shoot are a real life couple – their images have an exquisite tingly quality you’ll love!

Rainbow wedding inspiration Emma B Photography (13)

Photo credit www.emmabphotography.com See more...

How to get the best photographs during your church wedding

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The shortest of introductions today because Andrew from Lightworks Photography writes beautifully – better than I do. Unmissable reading… an eye-opener indeed! Enjoy. Claire x

On arriving at church to photograph a wedding recently:

Vicar: “You must be the photographer, I can tell because you look like you don’t know what you’re doing”

Me: (having picked jaw up from floor and mentally counted to ten) “Hello, nice to meet you. I can assure you I know exactly what I’m doing, I’ve been photographing weddings professionally for over ten years. What are you worried about?”

Vicar: “That you won’t do as you’re told!”

Me: (struggling now, but outwardly the paradigm of professionalism) “Ok….What exactly would you prefer me to do?”

A tudor barn wedding in Buckinghamshire with Sarah and Mark

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It’s lovely to stumble across gorgeous and quirky wedding venues. Definitely a perk of my job! I was reading the blog of Berkshire wedding photographer Martin Price this week and found Sarah and Mark’s beautiful wedding. I had to share it with you!

wedding photography Tudor Barn Berkshire

Tudor Barn wedding photography – photo credit Martin Price

Sarah and Mark were married at The Tudor Barn in Buckinghamshire – over five hundred years old with the most amazing beams and full of character.

See more photos of their wedding day on Martin Price’s blog, and if you’re looking for a wedding photographer in Berkshire or Bucks then check out his full website at http://martinpricephotography.co.uk/

New from Rosalind Miller Cakes

Kat and Matt’s gorgeous and fun wedding at East Quay, Whitstable – with York Place Studios

Group shots needn’t be a borefest – promise!

A beautiful fine art, vintage wedding feature with Jo Bradbury Photography

How many hours of wedding photography coverage do you really need?

Couture wedding style inspiration from the Elvetham Hotel in Hampshire

9 brilliantly different Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire weddings

How old are your bridesmaids?

Has somebody written an article somewhere that says “Steer clear of small maids”?!

A beautiful but bittersweet wedding at Sedgebrook Hall in Northamptonshire

Thank you Squibblybups for being so lovely!

Cheesecake cupcakes for your wedding from the English Cheesecake Company

A Bridal shoot inspired by the elegance and grace of Ballet

The Bridal Ballet: A bridal shoot inspired by the elegance and grace of ballet

A talented bunch of wedding suppliers for you to discover!

Matthew and Emma’s Doctor Who wedding in Hertfordshire

Introducing the beautiful bohemian inspired English bridal label Minna

How to save £75 on your wedding seating plan and make something a whole lot better instead

That Dancing Swan… 50 top wedding tips from real couples

Make it personal

The only thing in the world lovelier than a rainbow?

How to get the best photographs during your church wedding

A tudor barn wedding in Buckinghamshire with Sarah and Mark

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

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updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?

Has somebody written an article somewhere that says “Steer clear of small maids”?!

The Bridal Ballet: A bridal shoot inspired by the elegance and grace of ballet

A talented bunch of wedding suppliers for you to discover!

Make it personal

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting
updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?