Tell me about your favourite wedding magazines

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Yes, you read that right! I’m writing a feature for English Wedding about wedding magazines and I need your help! Which is your favourite wedding magazine and why?

I’ve been busy researching wedding magazines and have been pleasantly surprised by the content, quality articles and real wedding coverage of a few of the top titles.

It’s also good to see that the wedding magazines are actually quite different in their approaches to editorial and features.

I’d love to hear your thoughts – brides, grooms and wedding suppliers. Which magazine do YOU enjoy most and why?

On the Other Side

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Days married: 19

Check out the new header!

Yes, I am back! I am slightly nervous to be back. I don’t know why. Perhaps it has to do with not wanting to accept it’s all over – or perhaps because being ‘on the other side’ has changed my perspective about a lot of things, and caused me to realise I became quite a wedding monster during the run up to my wedding! I don’t want to say ‘Bridezilla’ – because I’m a nice girl and I wasn’t mean to anyone. I say wedding monster because I became greedy for validation. I wanted my wedding to be everywhere and I wanted everyone to know about it. I wanted my wedding to be featured on EVERY BLOG IN THE WORLD.

I totally missed the point. All that doesn’t actually matter. When you spend hours looking at other weddings you want to envisage your wedding being celebrated and appreciated by the whole world in the same way. But I don’t need that now. No one really needs that. I have my own memories. I have my own validation. I have the words from my friends and family that mean more to me than any stranger’s words could ever mean. And more importantly – I have my husband. See more...

Hen Party plans and Stag Party worries..

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The next big thing I’m really, really, REALLY looking forward to is my hen do! I know this isn’t really a wedding-y post as such, but it’s the one major happening before the big day itself.. plus I am completely excited to have one big girly weekend away!

David, his mates and their testosterone are heading off to Berlin at the beginning of July (not long enough for his hair to grow back before the wedding, I know) and have been planning their do since we got engaged (originally it was, of course, Vegas). I’m pretty worried. I genuinely like every single of one David’s friends, but it’s part and parcel of a stag do to torture the groom, isn’t it? To say that David is ‘one of the lads’ is a bit of an understatement. When we met he (drunkenly) introduced himself as ‘Crazy Dave’, and the second time I met him he was a skinhead as he had shaved a bald patch into his hair for his sister’s 21st party. As a bit of torture for David from me here’s the (only acceptable to show on English-Wedding) picture: See more...

Who are we? New faces on English Wedding

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There are new faces on English Wedding – and my funny old one too. I’ve added the little widget in the sidebar on the right of the page which you’ll see when you click on a single blog post – to make it clear who’s writing what on the blog.

I thought it’d be nice to reintroduce everyone: some familiar friendly faces and some new guest bloggers who are bringing their stories to the blog. So by way of an introduction, this is us!

Me – Claire – the original English Wedding blogger. I’m the girl behind the wedding blog, and I’ve been here since November 2009 writing everything from wedding planning advice and real wedding features to wedding business tips for the blog. I also have a calligraphy business which keeps me busy in the daytime, while the blog is my evening and weekend job.

Star Brides on English Wedding

English Wedding Star Brides Sally and Salma. Salma’s off on her honeymoon at the moment – she was married on the 6th of May after sharing her wedding planning story on the blog. See more...

Seaside engagement shoot

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I thought this was a nice weekendy blog post for you, and I have a couple of weddings lined up to blog (gorgeous ones, you’ll LOVE them!) so I wanted to start off with a cute seaside pre-wedding shoot.

Lynette and John braved the English seaside at Southend-on-Sea and created a pretty engagement shoot with deckchairs and balloons in the sunshine. Lynette’s dress is fab, and John brought his straw hat along for fun!

Allison Dench from Magic Photography in Reading sent these photos in to English Wedding for you to enjoy. I hope you love them and – as summer approaches and the beaches look more inviting, maybe this will inspire you to have your own seaside pre-wedding shoot!

Good luck Lynette and John – not long to go now! And thanks to photographer Allison Dench for sharing the images with us today.

I hope you’re having a fab weekend. Remember to stick around, I have a weddingy week planned on the blog for you!

The Wedding Car (or not?!)

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One thing that has never been a necessity to me was a formal wedding car. Flat-out, we didn’t care, not even a smidge. This is just my opinion, and I totally understand that “it looks nice for photos” and that “you should arrive in style”, but to me it just seems a bit posey (which I hate) and I’d much rather someone I knew drove me to the church than a chauffeur whom I’d never met.

I thought it was all done and dusted. David has said his uncle has a nice ‘Beamer’ or a ‘Merc’ or something along those lines and I just assumed that he’d do the favour and drop my Dad and I off, and David and I back at the reception. Then the thought came to me, (and where the controversy began)… my beloved little burnt-out, flower covered, battered, (technically) convertible VW Polo.

My Polo!! See more...

Days to Go: 321

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It’s not been a busy week wedding-wise this week. I have (finally) got in touch with my florist. I’ve asked him to send me a final quote so that I can update my spreadsheet, but other than that, it’s all been quiet on the wedding front.

I have made plans to begin the hunt for bridesmaid dresses over my holiday in a week. I like Alfred Angelo 7016, as do my bridesmaids, however I can’t find it at an affordable price. I have 4 adult bridesmaids plus my oldest niece so the hunt continues.

While I’ve not done much for my our wedding, I have been blogging this week!

I wasn’t feeling very bride-like on Monday so I made a post all about how to feel like a bride. Well, it’s difficult to feel like a bride when your wedding planning stretches over two and a half years, and the wedding is still months away! See more...

Marriage: What’s The Point?

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I’ve been listening to a debate on The Wright Stuff this morning – what’s the point in getting married? Why do we do it? Is it an outdated concept?

I have so many answers flying around in my head I thought I’d down pens and write a quick blog post on the subject. I have a unique perspective: as editor of the English Wedding blog I live and love weddings; but I’m not married myself. So I can see both sides of the debate and I find it really interesting.

So why do we get married? For love and society

There are two reasons we get married: love and society.

The simple answer is that we marry for love. We find our soulmate, the one we want to spend our life with, and we make a commitment to them. Weddings are a public statement of love. There’s nothing more romantic and wonderful than a wedding celebration! See more...

Seven great tips for decorating wedding tables

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Making your wedding tables look special is easy when you know how! Here are seven top tips from one of the experts.

Ann-Marie from Natural Design has written this guest post to show you how to decorate wedding tables with a flair to impress your guests!

Decide on a theme – this could be a colour, a flower, a season or a style such as vintage. Different colours look good for different seasons – for winter weddings gold, silver and deep reds work well and for summer bright and pastel colours.
Think about what colour the table linen will be – white or cream is very classic, soft green gives a natural country feel and brighter coloured linens offset an exotic look.
Order samples of your favourite decorations and favours and try them out before committing to a larger order. You could even do a ‘mock up’ table.

Retro the Rockabetty Way…

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Back in April I splashed out on a vintage pin-up shoot with the retro-tastic Rockabetty Studios. I’d never done anything like it before and thought that the pics would make a nice little wedding gift for Garry… Well when else can you can you throw caution to the wind and ping off you bra in the name of art?!?

The Rockabetty Team are just lovely. The whole day was giggle from start to finish and they put me at ease instantly… Perhaps the free Prosecco had something to do with that and the early bra loss!

I’m really pleased with the photos and I’m now a little undecided as to which one to send Garry on the morning of the wedding…

Our two year engagement has flown by so quickly, therefore I’m ceasing every fun pre-wedding opportunity that I can! Hmmmmm what else can I do before now and the big day (bearing in mind its just over five weeks away?!?)… See more...

New competition: WIN a Pretty POSH Party Bag

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Vintage brides walk this way! Get your gorgeously lace-begloved bridal hands on one of these little bags of loveliness. Our latest competition is dead easy, and the prize is out of this world!

Win your very own POSH party bag - for bridesmaids and wedding day gifts

Gorgeous Pretty POSH Party Bag with contents! Photo Credit: www.katylunsford.com

This is a Pretty POSH party bag. POSH party bags make ideal gifts for bridesmaids or any special ladies on your wedding day or hen do.

The label on the front can carry a personal message, or the recipient’s name, and inside they will be spoiled with pretty, pearly, vintagy loveliness!

Lianne from POSH Party Bags explains, ‘Traditional bridesmaid gifts are often items that can be used on the day of the wedding itself, such as a necklace, so we have selected a beautiful long pearl and crystal necklace, a flower corsage, a sample of Prada perfume, champagne bubbles, a hanging heart and some bonbons in a vintage box.”

Order Pretty POSH Party Bags for your wedding day and each bag will cost just £20. (RRP on the necklace is £20 alone!) See more...

Marketing Your Wedding Business – The Guide

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If you’re a wedding business owner, this is for you.

Wedding Industry blog posts on English Wedding have always met with a great response from the small businesses out there. Advice and quick tips for marketing a wedding business are an integral part of this blog.

As of this week, they’re all available in print: my very own guide to Marketing Your Wedding Business will help you to boost your wedding business’s performance: improve your web presence, perfect your marketing and watch your business grow!

Marketing Your Wedding Business - The Guide

A big part of the English Wedding Blog is my perspective on weddings from inside the industry. My own wedding business, this blog and my Marketing background give me a pretty unique insight into marketing and promoting a wedding business.

Marketing Your Wedding Business: The Guide

This 52 page guide to marketing your wedding business talks you through promotion and business strategies specifically focused on the wedding industry. See more...

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

Elegant Downton inspired wedding style editorial from Mount Ephraim

We love… London wedding photographer Howling Basset

We love… Lisa Lander Photography!

Tell me about your favourite wedding magazines

On the Other Side

Days married: 19

Hen Party plans and Stag Party worries..

Who are we? New faces on English Wedding

Star Brides on English Wedding

Seaside engagement shoot

The Wedding Car (or not?!)

Days to Go: 321

Marriage: What’s The Point?

So why do we get married? For love and society

Seven great tips for decorating wedding tables

Retro the Rockabetty Way…

New competition: WIN a Pretty POSH Party Bag

Marketing Your Wedding Business – The Guide

Marketing Your Wedding Business: The Guide

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

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

Days married: 19

So why do we get married? For love and society

Marketing Your Wedding Business: The Guide

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?