When it comes time to plan what is (likely to be) the biggest and most public celebration of your relationship, you want to make sure it will be a party to remember.
And it’s this ideal, wanting to make your wedding special because you don’t want to have any regrets, that can contribute to your decision making becoming clouded. Spending can easily get out of control, the expectations of family and friends can feel oppressive and then the overwhelm starts to set in.
Bingo bango; a happier engaged couple enjoying more of their wedding planning experience!
On your wedding day, honouring those who’ve passed away is a moving and practical way to pay tribute to their influence on your life and symbolises your deepest personal values.
We’ve got 23 unique and personalised ways that you can remember and honour them with dignity and respect.
An 'unplugged wedding' happens when a couple getting married have made a decision that they would prefer that their wedding guests don't take photos and/or upload them to social media.
There are many variations on this, from having an unplugged ceremony only, when guests are encouraged to put their phones and cameras away until after the marriage certificate has been signed, to a strict 'no photo policy' for the entire wedding celebration, to a complete 'social media blackout' until the following day or when the bride or groom have a chance to announce their marriage themselves.
There are only a handful of phrases in the English language that can so immediately provoke a spine-tingling shudder of fear like when someone says "I'd really like you to do a speech".
Professional speechwriter, Lynda from Silvertongue Speeches hears it all the time.
"So many hate the idea of giving a speech or find the whole idea so stressful it ruins the day, and I have had to sit through so many painful speeches I knew - I want to help make this better."
I asked Lynda if she can help out Unbridely Brides and Grooms (and their bestman, maid of honour or parents as well) with her ultimate tips and tricks to delivering a really great speech.
Thanks so much for your time and expertise, Lynda!
If you're not in Adelaide, you may have missed out on Unbridely's first-ever, interactive wedding planning event; Unbridely Live.
Hosted at the awesome Published Arthouse in the heart of the city, myself and 11 award-winning, experienced and generous local wedding suppliers presented to an eager audience of engaged couples and local wedding industry identities.
Focusing on the core message of creating authentic, imaginative and heart-felt wedding celebrations, the Unbridely Live team pulled together a fresh and entertaining night of equal parts ideas and advice.
From the post-event survey, it seemed that the most valuable part of the evening was the app-driven Q&A Session; 8 wedding pros tackling the attendees toughest wedding planning problems.
While we covered a lot on the night, there were still some questions that we couldn't get to, so I went to the Unbridely Live team and got them to write this article.
And, if there's anything that we can help with that we didn't cover, something you're really dying to ask, drop me a line anytime at hello@unbridely.com If I don't know the answer, I have at least 11 good mates that will!
This week Unbridely welcomes guest blogger from across the ditch, Megan of She Said Yes - a digital wedding magazine and practical guide to planning your own wedding.
Megan is only recently married herself and has some handy and relevant tips for those couples planning their wedding.
She is also the creator of The Little White Book - Wedding Diary and Organiser and has generously offered a special discount for Unbridely blog readers (the coupon code is at the end of this article).
Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom, Megan!
Lee Bouras, from award-winning Wyld Orchids, runs an unique and thriving floral online consultation and design service based in Adelaide, South Australia.
Wyld Orchids creates bespoke and artistic wedding flower arrangements to enhance and embellish the look and feel of an entire wedding; from churches to civil ceremonies, receptions and all types of bridal flowers.
In Lee's 2nd post for Unbridely, she talks about how hiring an experienced, talented and personable florist can make all the difference to your big day - saving you undue stress, time AND money.
Thanks again, Lee!
We can certainly empathise with how, when you are considering ordering rehearsal dinner centrepieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, ceremony aisle decorations, flower petals for the aisle, arrangements for the bathrooms or entrance of the reception, bridal table and guest table decorations and hanging installations, your wedding budget for flowers can take a big hit.
But we've got 3 clever styling tips that will have your bridal blooms doing double duty, which can stretch your budget further, all while making your wedding celebration look and feel more beautiful.
Some brides and grooms shriek with dismay when I let them know that, for their 100 guests to actually hear them, they will need to speak into a mic during their ceremony; "oh, I HATE the sound of my voice!"
Apart from having a mildly sadistic streak (haha!), there are 3 other excellent reasons why making the effort to use a mic will make your ceremony so much more enjoyable for everyone involved.
Kiera Blanden is a little obsessed with colour and texture.
"I could quite happily spend an entire day in Bunnings or trawling through Spotlight and (apart from missing my adorable family) walk away feeling completely energised and inspired by a heap of new ideas."
As the founder and team leader of Rapture Events, Kiera has worked on almost 900 beautiful celebrations. Recently rebranded as Kiera Blanden Events + Styling, she has an excellent eye for design and an almost intuitive understanding of which style elements work best together to create an exceptional wedding experience.
One of the growing trends in weddings is for Brides to take on the task of styling their big day themselves - which is why Kiera also offers her couples the option of hiring out her elegant and extensive range of furniture, accessories, linens and games.
Unbridely asked Kiera to give us some insider tips for styling your own wedding. We feel honoured to be given a glimpse 'behind the curtain' and to tap into her 7+ years of experience.
Lee Bouras runs her thriving, nearly 10-year-old business, Wyld Orchids, from the flower studio at her home. And although her studio is bigger than most average-sized shops (not counting the shedding for her extensive range of vases and accessories) and she employs a flower courier plus the added help of other florists in peak season, she still prefers to keep her work in house and bespoke.
"I like to do all of Wyld Orchids' creative floristry myself because I am a perfectionist!"
Striving to ensure that her unique creations exceed her client's expectations, Lee believes that the honest relationship she fosters with brides and grooms during the course of their planning makes all the difference to (and in fact, enhances) the final product.
Lee joins the ranks of Bridechilla Club's expert supplier contributors with her first post for budget conscious couples. Here she outlines her 4 key tips to working with your florist in the hope that it will help you gain maximum effect from your gorgeous blooms on your wedding day and be a fun process too.
