Pro wedding vendors’ advice and recommendations to help you plan your modern wedding quicker, easier & with less stress
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planning advice
Sometimes we stumble across some cool finds for weddings (or wedding related celebrations like bridal showers or engagement parties) that we want to share with you. While we don't want to contribute to the 'oooh, I wanna buy that because it's sooo cute' throw-away-culture, we do want to feature fresh, new and unique options for you to check out.
In my job I hear both the glowing and the snide comments whispered by wedding guests. And although you don’t want your wedding day to be an anxious rollercoaster-ride-of-people-pleasing-pain, if you didn’t care about your family and friends, you would have had your ceremony at the registry office, yes?
You know the saying 'happy wife, happy life'? Well, in wedding circles, it can easily be translated to 'happy guests, happy wedding' - although it doesn't sound as great because it doesn't rhyme..
But, if you can plan ahead and follow the 3 golden rules of winery weddings, it is much more likely that your guests will remember your special day for all the right reasons.
We appreciate the depth of their experience and love the raw emotion they capture in their photos; the art and their legacy. So it's made us sad to see quite a few wedding photographer horror stories hitting social media lately.
We feel that they cast a shadow over the amazing service, product and experience that the majority of professional wedding photographers provide to their couples.
But there is no escaping the sense of loss a newlywed couple feels when the wedding professional, they trusted their photographic memories and hard earned money with, fucks it up.
And not just in a 'people make mistakes' way. It's the 'I'm above society's norms/I don't subscribe to basic courtesy/what are you going to do about it anyway' kind of attitude that really gets us fired up.
So what can be done about it and how can you avoid hiring a dodgy photographer?
Last week in Part 1 we touched on how modern elopements, when you personalise the 'when and where' and embrace the wonderful and unique couple that you are, can be a freeing and fun alternative to a traditional wedding.
But it does bring up the stickier topic; how on earth do we go about it? The logistics of the ceremony itself are a piece of cake, next to the potential for hurt feelings, regret and guilt that can accompany the aftermath of an elopement.
For example, what are you going to tell your friends and family before you elope - are you going to lie to them? How are they going to feel about that? How do you plan to announce the news after you're married, so as not to alienate the people that you care about?
Over the past few years, I've noticed a growing trend in the number of couples not interested in the big white wedding and everything that goes with it (including the cost, planning pressures and family expectations). There are also many brides and grooms who are simply less than thrilled about the idea of being the centre of attention on their special day. But what are the alternatives?
One of the trends that I have noticed and think is super cool, is the concept of giving back in the planning stages, the execution (there's got to be a better way to phrase that) and/or clean-up of a wedding. And the best part is that you don't need to be a paid-up member of Greenpeace, chain yourself to a heritage listed building or march in the streets to make a difference.
Here are some of the great new ways you can share the love of your special day with those less fortunate.
Okay, so here’s the thing; civil wedding ceremonies (in Australia, at least) can be as wacky or subdued, formal or relaxed, modern or traditional as you and your fiancé want. All you need is an experienced and willing celebrant to guide and support you and the intent to make your marriage ceremony one that your guests won’t sleep through.
