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Bridebook Business: Maximising LinkedIn

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is one of the largest social networks in the world with other 380 million users. In terms of monthly unique visitors, it is only just behind Twitter and Facebook.

However, it is not the size of the audience that makes LinkedIn attractive to wedding industry professionals. It is the scope of it. On LinkedIn, you can research your industry, showcase your thought leadership, connect with other suppliers, recruit new employees…

Why use it?

Although the other social networks are primarily useful for building business with brides, LinkedIn is best for nurturing relationships with fellow suppliers. These relationships are extremely useful. While couples will only get married once, suppliers are in the industry for the long haul. If you build relationships with fellow suppliers, they may recommend you for weddings they cannot cover or ask you to work with them on a regular basis. They may also prove to be a source of valuable ideas, support and even mentoring.

What to use it for?

The focus of your efforts on LinkedIn should be very different from the content posted on your other social media accounts. Provide thought leadership pieces related to the wedding industry rather than photos and real weddings. Use your LinkedIn business profile as the chance to showcase your business philosophy and ideas. Do not completely disregard brides, they may come and look at the site to verify your credentials, but they are not the primary focus of your LinkedIn page. With this in mind, these tips should help you to enhance your networking on LinkedIn:

1) Personalise your LinkedIn URL

Change your LinkedIn URL (on both your personal profile and your business site). This will make your profile easier to find, make your business look more professional and help your Google ranking all in one go. To do so select Edit Profile from the Profile header and then click Customise Your Public Profile URL, change the characters at the end of the URL to your business name and then click Set Custom URL.

2) Use your profile to showcase your business

Enhance your business profile page. Be sure to add photos to showcase your work and include a detailed description filled with relevant information and up-to-date contact details. Remember your target audience on LinkedIn is suppliers so focus the content of your profile accordingly.

3) Post updates on your profile page

Post recent, relevant updates about your business on your profile page so there is something up-to-date and fresh to catch the attention of anyone who visits your page. Adding industry research posts can also help to attract the attention of wedding suppliers.

4) Socialise on LinkedIn

Be interactive, ‘like’ posts from other suppliers and share them too. When you take an interest in their posts, they are more likely to remember you and view you as a valued part of their network. Sharing posts has the added benefit of filling your profile updates section with minimum effort.

5) Use business photos to your advantage

Ask your staff to use a photo of your business as the background photo on their profiles. This will make your team look very professional and united.

6) Put a LinkedIn badge on your website

Add a LinkedIn badge to your company website so that viewers can readily access your LinkedIn profile.

7) Build up your connections

Build up your connections. Every time you go to a wedding fair, be sure to add the suppliers you meet on LinkedIn. Include a nice personalised message when you send the LinkedIn invites, rather than allowing LinkedIn to send out its default message.

8) Download a list of your LinkedIn connections

All the details from your LinkedIn connections can be downloaded. Simply click on the Connections tab, then click on Settings in the top right corner. From there select Export LinkedIn Connections, select CSV and then click Export. This will provide you with an Excel list which is much more manageable than LinkedIn’s directory.

9) Keep in touch with contacts

Stay in touch with your contacts. Using your export from LinkedIn, send all your suppliers Christmas cards or be quirky and send out business Valentine’s Day cards (it is the wedding industry after all).

10) Join relevant industry groups

There are several groups open for UK wedding professionals, such as UK Wedding Suppliers (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3731919/profile) By joining these groups you will be able to participate in pertinent industry discussion which can provide you with a lot of useful tips. If you actively participate in group discussions, you will get noticed by other industry suppliers who may go on to recommend you to their clients.

11) Use groups to your advantage

Groups have other advantages. Normally you need to have a first degree connection with someone in order to message them, but you can send up to 15 messages to other group members for free.

12) Start your own groups

As the group manager you are allowed to message everyone within the group once a week for free. This is a great way of drawing attention to your work as a supplier and building up more useful contacts. Group managers also have more of a driving force in the group and can decide what content to share.

13) Circulate your research on LinkedIn Pulse

If you do produce interesting blogposts or research, try publishing them on LinkedIn pulse. This will help get your advice circulated to a wider audience.

Happy Linking!

Have a look at how to maximise Instagram here!

Bridebook Business: Maximising Instagram

What is Instagram?

Instagram is an online photo and video sharing social network. It enables you to share photos with your friends and followers. In turn, you can comment on and share their images. The site is differentiated from other social media networks in that it was designed for mobile phones.

Instagram’s sheer scale makes it a very powerful tool. There are over 300 million monthly active users on the site and they post 40 million images per day. Nowadays over 20% of the world’s internet users have an Instagram account! And of those who have it, over 50% use it on a daily basis.

Why use it?

Despite its phenomenal growth, Instagram is not as inundated with paid adverts and promotions as Facebook and Twitter. This means that businesses looking to use it can find it easier to build up a trusted rapport with their clients. It is often described as feeling more ‘intimate’ than other social networks.

The lack of targeted advertising presents another advantage for businesses looking to take advantage of Instagram. Posts are more likely to be seen by followers; whereas your post might reach just 1% of your followers on Facebook, it might be seen by every one of your followers on Instagram.

The fact that Instagram is mobile-based makes it great for those attending weddings and wanting to catch the emotions of each minute of the day. It is little wonder that wedding photos are so widely circulated and are some of the most-liked posts on Instagram. Kimye’s wedding kiss was the most liked Instagram photo of all time!

Instagram also appeals to the visual nature of the wedding industry. A wedding day is filled with emotions, the bride being walked up the aisle by her father, the first dance, the magical moment when the bouquet is thrown to the bride’s friends. It is a common cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words, but actually photos are very well placed to capture the excitement of these moments. This is why we ask suppliers to put as many of their best photos on their Bridebook profile pages as possible.

Instagram’s users also fit into the wedding industry’s core demographic. 64% of UK Instagramers are female and the millennial generation is extremely well-represented with over 90% of users aged under 35.

What to use it for?

Given Instagram’s demographics, the best way to use the site is to choose and upload photos that could prove inspirational for brides. If a photo catches a bride’s eye, there is a good chance that she might save it. These tips below will help you to create an eye-catching profile and in the long run bring you leads.

1) Build your profile

Before you start actively looking for followers, build your profile up. Make sure you have at least 20 photos loaded- no one will want to follow a blank page.

2) Fill in your contact details

Make sure your details are filled in. Given that you cannot link your website to the photos that you post, the best way of making sure brides come and view your webpage is to have your details written clearly in your profile.

3) Use the 150-character bio field wisely

Use the bio field in your profile page wisely – you only have 150 characters so do not waste a single word. Clearly state what you are e.g. a luxury caterer, a boutique hotel and what you can offer wedding couples.

4) Post little, but often

When you want to start getting a following, be sure to send photos out little but often. Do not bombard prospective brides with photos, simply whet their interest with one or two photos every couple of days.

5) Timing matters

Time your posts carefully. They are most likely to be seen if you put them up at around 5pm when people are just leaving work (or procrastinating at work)!

6) Wednesday’s are the best day

On the same note, it is little wonder that #WeddingWednesday has been such a success. People are most likely to like photos on Wednesday and least likely to engage with Instagram on Monday.

7) Join the festive spirit

Use special occasions as a chance to send out themed images. These should attract plenty of attention e.g. consider uploading a romantic photo for Valentine’s day or a photo of a couple kissing under mistletoe as Christmas approaches.

8) Use your best photos

Upload your best quality photos to Instagram. Remember that Instagram photos are square shaped giving you a good chance to play with symmetry effects. Photos can be cropped or you can use the square setting on your camera to have photos which are instantly ready for sharing.

9) Differentiate your photos with free apps

If you want to differentiate your photos from the other wedding suppliers, try adding quotes in free apps like PicMonkey (http://www.picmonkey.com)or Canva (http://www.canva.com).

10) Geo-tag your photos

Add geo-tags when you post your photos (this option is available whenever you post photos). This will enable potential brides to see where you are based and what locations you have worked at recently.

11) Try posting videos

Instagram also allows you to post videos which are up to 15 seconds long. Try posting one as it may be a more efficient way to showcase your brand. You can learn more about video marketing in this article.

12) Use hashtags

Write hashtags under your photos to ensure that they get the attention they deserve. #weddingwednesday, #shesaidyes and #weddinginspiration are not a bad place to start and should help you to build a good, well-targeted following. Have a look at Bridebook’s Instagram page to build up further ideas on what hashtags to try out.

13) Enable notifications

Enable notifications so you can monitor which photos get the most attention and at what times. Modify your Instagram strategy accordingly.

14) Share photos across your social networks

By changing the account settings, images can be shared across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and even Weibo accounts in one go. To do this, click on the rosette in the corner of your profile page, go to settings, then linked accounts and link through to any accounts you choose.

15) Try running a competition

If you are in a hurry and want to boost your following quickly, it might be worth trying a competition- offer a free photo shoot, tour or makeover for the bride. Try following Bridebook to see what exciting competitions we are currently running!

16) Offer special discounts for followers

On a similar note, try offering special discounts to those who follow you on Instagram. It is an amazingly quick way of building up an audience.

17) Socialise!

Social media is meant to be social- follow businesses with similar interests, brides and suppliers with whom you commonly work. Like their photos. Comment on new ideas they are trying out.

18) Follow Instagram’s blog

Instagram regularly tries out new features. To keep up to date with their latest ideas and really differentiate your photos by following their blog.

19) Add Instagram to your Bridebook profile

Showcase all your hard work by adding your Instagram account to your Bridebook profile page.

20) Follow Bridebook on Instagram!

We’d to have you in our wedding community on Instagram! Come follow us!

Happy Posting!

Have a look at how to maximise YouTube here!

Bridebook Business: Maximising YouTube

What is YouTube?

You must have watched a video on YouTube. Nearly everyone in the developed world has. Around one sixth of the world’s population uses the service. It is more popular than Netflix…More popular than Cable…and some say it is more popular than Live TV.

But what you might not have appreciated is that YouTube is also the world’s second largest search engine with over 3 billion searches a month. It is bigger than Bing, Yahoo, Ask and AOL- combined!

YouTube marketing is not just a question of having exceptional content, users also need a basic understanding of Search Engine Optimisation (which words and content to use to ensure that your videos are some of the first that appear in searches). This should not worry you – there are plenty of places where you can learn more about SEO.

Why use it?

Video, as a medium, is helpful to anyone wanting to market their goods. It is a common cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words. If this is the case, just imagine what a video must be worth! Uploading videos really does provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your services and we have certainly noticed this at Bridebook. Profiles with videos attached get substantially more enquiries than those without.

Those working in weddings should be particularly aware of the power of videos. Videos are the perfect way for couples to get a feel for your business, without you having to take the time to explain the business to them personally. They can save you considerable time and effort, and allow you to focus on the most promising clients.

What to use it for?

Videos allow businesses to create a buzz around their brand. Aim for topics that would attract a bride-to-be’s attention. Educational videos such as how to cut a wedding cake with panache, how to fling your wedding bouquet so it lands on target and how to find your perfect wedding dress might make a good start, depending on the services you provide.

The tips below should help:

1) Produce videos for free!

Producing video content does not have to be an expensive and complex process. Simply film yourself using your Ipad and Iphone. Then use free software like iMovie to edit it. You might be surprised to know that even FTSE100 firms do this!

2) Watch popular videos in your space

Watch clips from popular vloggers (video bloggers) or members of your industry to get a clear idea of the type of content that brides are watching. This will help you get some ideas on what types of videos you can create that are likely to be watched and shared.

3) Be consistent with your video format

When you have found a format for videos that works for you, continue to use it. Being consistent will encourage viewers to come back and see if you have any more similar videos. This will help you to create more of a buzz around your business. Consider a range of ‘how to’ videos, or a series of ‘a year in the… industry’.

4) Personalise your channel

When you begin to upload videos on YouTube, you will need to create a channel. This is a very simple process- all you need to do is add your name and your business name. Your videos will be uploaded within this channel. The channel might initially look a bit bland, so upload photos and add contact information to personalise it.

5) Use keywords to boost your search ranking

Make sure you write a business description on your channel that is filled with keywords. This will boost your rankings in Youtube searches.

6) Link your YouTube channel to your website

This will boost your website’s Google ranking and allow prospective clients to get a good feel for your business.

7) Ask brides for videos of their wedding

If a bride had a videographer at their wedding, ask if you can add their videos to your channel (make sure you get the videographers permission too). This will enable you to fill your channel with minimum effort!

8) Choose video titles carefully

Make sure your video titles are likely to appeal to your target audience. Remember that YouTube is not just a social network, it is also a search engine, so all SEO rules apply here too.

9) Tag your videos

The more tags you use the better, but make sure they are all relevant. As a start, remember to tag your brand or your business and then choose wedding related key words.

11) Write a transcription

Adding a transcription to videos can help with SEO and boost viewer numbers.

12) Monitor feedback

Monitor all the feedback that you receive on all your videos. Replying to compliments might just be a way of getting a new lead! If there is negative feedback, work out what to do to address it in your next video and keep developing your content accordingly.

13) Use playlists

To get more views try including your videos on playlists – a groups of videos which play sequentially. Since the playlist continues without a user’s prompting, videos in playlists tend to get more views. Including videos in playlists also doubles their probability of appearing in searches.

14) Post links to your videos

Along with a relevant comment, post links to your videos in the comments section below other popular wedding related YouTube videos. This should boost visits to your channel.

15) Share your videos

Showcase all your hard work by using Twitter and Facebook to share your videos. Be interactive and ‘like’ and comment on other suppliers’ videos in the hope that they will do the same for you.

16) Add videos to your Bridebook profile

Add your videos to the Bridebook site. We have found that pages with videos get 50% more views!

Happy Video-making!

Have a look at how to self promote your business here!

Bridebook for Business: Shameless Self-Promotion

What is self-promotion?

Self-promotion is a completely necessary way of making sure that your business gets the attention that it deserves. There are plenty of ways to promote your business, awards, reviews, blogs, Bridebook profiles, to name but a few.

Why use it?

Couples like to know that the suppliers they’re considering are reliable and good. In the absence of a personal recommendation by friends, family or a venue, couples seek validation that OTHERS thought the work was good.

Who are these OTHERS? They can be blogs, magazines, awards, colleagues, venues, and past clients…essentially anyone else that can say “I’ve seen so-and-so’s work – it’s good and I’d recommend them!”

This external validation can come in many form for wedding suppliers, and couples like it all! Here are some strategies for building your collection of others who can vouch for you.

Tell the world about your accolades by adding them to your Bridebook profile, posting them on Facebook, and adding them to your website.

1) Get featured in blogs

To get selected, be featured on a blog or in a magazine. Brides love “As seen in…” anything!

How? Submit your past weddings to the “Real Weddings” section editors of wedding blogs. Make sure you have permission from the photographer and can list all of the suppliers involved in the wedding. Take your time to follow various wedding blogs and get a sense of the types of weddings they publish so you can tailor your submission accordingly. Also remember to follow their submission guidelines and honour their exclusivity requests.

2) Nominate yourself for awards

There are many wedding industry awards within the UK and beyond. Typically, suppliers will put themselves forward then request votes from their past clients. Their momentum grows that way and then the judges make the final decision.

Once you’ve been shortlisted (or better yet won!) any awards, be sure to let people know!

3) Show off your credentials

List any credentials and accreditations, as you might include them on a CV. Some professionals forget to include their credentials, but they can really boost your profile and help reinforce your level of quality and experience. Include your school, university, and past employers to add credibility to your profession.

For example: Certified Wedding Planner or Former Photographer for Vogue Magazine

4) Ask for recommendations from other suppliers

Mention if you are on a venue’s preferred supplier list, or if you regularly work with another supplier. In the absence of a recommendation from friends or family, a personal recommendation from a trusted supplier is the next best thing. It helps reassure the bride that things will go smoothly because you’ve worked together before.

For example: Sharing that you’re one of the preferred Florists for the Ritz hotel will certainly give an indication of your level of professionalism and quality. You can include these recommendations on your Bridebook profile.

5) Build a list of testimonials from past clients

Build your set of testimonials on your website and comments on social media.

Copy and paste the best testimonials and put them up on your website. Don’t have any testimonials? Just ask your past clients for them!

Once you find something to share, be sure to self-promote on your website, social media and of course… your Bridebook profile!

6) Promote your business activity on Facebook (and other Social Media)

Share posts on Facebook that show how busy and great your business is. If you’re happy about it, tell someone about it!

For example:
“We’re so excited to be nominated for XYZ Awards! Vote here!”

“Last weekend we worked with the beautiful couple, the Smiths, in Dorset. The sunset made for some lovely photos, see them here!”

“We’ve just updated our listing on Bridebook.co.uk! Have a look at the link!”

“Thanks to Jenny for writing a review for us on Bridebook.co.uk. Read it here!”

Happy Marketing!

Have a look at how to maximise word of mouth advertising here!

Ria & Simon at Glangrwyney Court in Wales

You can practically smell the lavender coming through the computer screen in this beautifully coordinated country-style Welsh wedding! The couple even found a perfectly-painted deep purple Volkswagen van to coordinate with their chosen wedding colour – how’s that for matching?

Venue: Glangrwyney Court, a country house in Powys, Wales

Photographer: Art by Design Wedding Photography

Season: Summer | Style: Vintage, DIY | Colour: Purple

From the couple:

“From the moment we met Steve we knew we had made the right choice in wedding photographer. Steve makes you feel relaxed and takes amazing natural photos. The comments we have received about our photos have been amazing and we absolutely love them. One of our photos even won wedding photo of the week on yourperfectweddingphotographer.co.uk!”

Congratulations Ria & Simon and thank you Art by Design Wedding Photography for letting us share these beautiful photographs.

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More beautiful wedding inspiration:

Lamisee & Adam in Sussex (Gazebo + Garden)

Lowri & Oli in Buckinghamshire (Autumn + Roses)

Natasha & Charles (Marquee + Garden)

Moo & Mengyuan in Gloucestershire (Origami + Tea)

Kate & Chris in Buckinghamshire (Plum + Letter Decor)

Emer & Adam in Devon ( Headpieces + Balloons)

View More

Gemma & Andy at Holdsworth House Hotel in Yorkshire

Love was the in the air and on the dance floor at this beautiful wedding! We loved the vibrant blue and orange running throughout from the groom’s suits to the table decorations. Such a creative couple!

Venue: Holdsworth House Hotel, a manor house in Halifax, West Yorkshire

Photographer: James & Lianne Photography

Season: Spring | Styles: Classic, DIY | Colours: Blue, Orange

Words from the couple:

“Our wedding day was on the 18th April at Holdsworth House, a beautiful Jacobean Manor House in Halifax. We chose the venue because it had a great reputation for food and the setting and the grounds were really pretty. We had everything crossed in the run up to the big day for sunshine, luckily it turned out to be one of the warmest days of the year so we were able to have our drinks reception outside and our guests played croquet on the lawn whilst we had out photos taken.

We knew that photography and our choice of photographer would be one of the most important decisions we had to make, Andy and I both work in the the creative industry and had a very strong idea of the photography style we wanted, James and Lianne’s relaxed style matched what we were looking for perfectly and the photos were more amazing than we could have asked for.

After trying on what felt like 1000 dresses-but was actually more like 30-I finally found ‘the one’-Francesca by Maggie Sottero. The lovely ladies at Angel Brides persuaded me to try it on. Initially I wasn’t sure about it because it wasn’t what I pictured in my head, how wrong I was! Before the dress was fastened properly I knew that I couldn’t get married in any other dress it was so beautiful! I accessorised with a Richard Designs headdress and wrist cuff, Kurt Geiger heels for the day and in the evening I changed into my customised Converse trainers. My hair and makeup on the day was done by Kathyrn Hurl. I knew that I wanted a relaxed loose bun so that I could have my hair up off my back to show off my dress but without feeling too ‘done’-Kathryn knew exactly what I wanted and also managed to hide the fact that I had about 3 hours sleep the night before!

Andy tends to wear jeans and trainers to work so he really wanted a tailored suit with some unique design touches, but something he could still wear again. We went to Michelsberg Tailoring in the Leeds Victoria Quarter and James truly delivered on Andy’s brief, the suit was beautifully made and fitted with all the individual touches that Andy wanted. He wore it with Oliver Sweeney shoes and a Paul Smith pocket square.

Our adult bridesmaids wore coral gowns from the Dessy collection and the men wore suits from Next in a matching colour material to Andy’s suit. Our flowergirl wore a dress from BHS and out page boy had a suite from Matalan and a Ted Baker tie- they absolutely stole the show!

A lot of our decorations were home-made. Andy is a graphic designer so he designed all of our stationery and organised the printing. We made our table plan and photoboards from old picture frames, a friend made the bunting and I spent weeks decorating jam jars and luggage tags for our tables, it was a lot of hard work but it was totally worth it to have a day that really felt like our own. Lynne from Stem Designs filled my jam jars with beautiful white blooms and created relaxed hand-tied bouquets for me and the bridesmaids. We say Typical Type’s Big Love at a wedding fayre very early in the planning stages and I fell in love with it and decided there and then that whatever our wedding looked like, that would be a big part of it. In the end we built our wedding around it and it looked great both during the ceremony and at the evening reception!

The whole day was everything that we’d wanted it to be and more-planning it together meant that we had a day that reflected both of our personalities- I still look at the photos at least once a week and wish we could go back and do it all again!”

Congratulations Gemma & Andy and thank you James & Lianne Photography for letting us share these beautiful photographs to help remember their wedding l day!

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Other venues you will love:

More beautiful wedding inspiration:

Lamisee & Adam in Sussex (Gazebo + Garden)

Lowri & Oli in Buckinghamshire (Autumn + Roses)

Natasha & Charles (Marquee + Garden)

Moo & Mengyuan in Gloucestershire (Origami + Tea)

Ria & Simon in Wales (Campervan + Purple)

Emer & Adam in Devon ( Headpieces + Balloons)

View More

About Us

Hamish Shephard and newly wedded wife walking along the scenic grounds of a beautiful wedding venue

Welcome to Bridebook!

Congratulations on embarking on one of the most exciting journeys of your life! We are here to ensure your wedding planning is as fun and enjoyable as it should be. Gone are the days of stressful hair-pulling and endless spreadsheets as we introduce you to the wonderful world of wedding planning on Bridebook. Being engaged is one of the funnest chapters in your life, so you deserve to make the most of it. After all, when else do you get to dedicate a whole day just to eating cake?

Thanks to Bridebook, personal wedding planners are no longer reserved for the rich and famous. Instead, our team of industry experts and brainiacs have built all the tools you need, including a personalised budget, checklist, venue and supplier search, and guestlist, all in one place for you to plan your dream wedding for free!

Whether you are planning an intimate rustic occasion, a grand city extravaganza or just need a little extra help allocating your budget, Bridebook is here to guide you every step of the way from when you say ‘Yes!’ to when you say ‘I do’.

Now let the fun begin and happy planning!

Hamish & the Bridebook Team

Hamish Shephard tied the knot on the 28th of May 2016 and didn’t use a spreadsheet once!

How Bridebook Began

Bridebook was founded by Hamish Shephard in 2015. When Hamish left a career in banking, he had no idea he was setting himself up to revolutionise wedding planning. His experience in the wedding industry began when he transformed his grandmother’s old home into one of the UK’s leading wedding venues.

During this process, he quickly discovered that most brides spent the majority of their engagement feeling overwhelmed and confused by the whole wedding planning process. Hamish soon became enamoured by the mission to make wedding planning as enjoyable and fun as the wedding day itself. Thus began a journey of inspiration, discovery and creativity… while also secretly doing all of the necessary boring bits in the background.

And the rest is Bridebook!

Hamish now also has his own Evening Standard column, Groom With a View, where he shares his insight as one of the UK’s most prominent wedding experts.

Married couple standing in lavender field next to beautiful tree at sunset

Hamish Shephard – Author Bio

Hamish Shephard is the founder and CEO of Bridebook, the UK’s no.1 wedding planning app. He is now considered an expert in the wedding industry, having appeared on BBC news multiple times to provide his expertise and having his own Evening Standard column, Groom With a View, where he shares his insights as one of the UK’s most prominent wedding experts.

Hamish founded Bridebook in 2015, having previously co-founded Hello Fresh. His vast experience in the wedding industry began long ago when he transformed his grandmother’s old home, Hedsor House, into one of the UK’s leading wedding venues with his two brothers.

Hamish discovered that most brides spent the majority of their engagement feeling overwhelmed, stressed and confused by the whole wedding planning process. He thought there must be a way to help couples plan their wedding in a stress-free way and soon became enamoured by the mission to make wedding planning as fun and enjoyable as the big day itself.

Thus began a journey of inspiration, discovery and creativity… to create the UK’s leading wedding planning app, now used by almost 2 million couples.

Below are some of Hamish’s top wedding articles:

Hamish has also appeared as an expert speaker on the Financial Times’ Money Clinic with Claer Barrett, as part of the recent July 2023 episode ‘The high cost of being a wedding guest’:

Link to podcast episode here
Link to podcast transcript here

Privacy Policy – OLD (pre May2018)

Introduction

This is the privacy and cookies policy for www.bridebook.co.uk (Website). The Website is operated by Bridebook Limited (we, us and our). For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, we are the data controller and are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office on the Register of Data Controllers.

We are committed to protecting your privacy on-line. We appreciate that you do not want the personal information you provide to us distributed indiscriminately and here we explain how we collect information, what we do with it and what controls you have.

By using the Website, you consent to the collection and use of information in accordance with this privacy policy. Use of our Website and Services is governed by our Website Terms of Service.

We reserve the right to change this privacy policy from time to time by changing it on the Website. This privacy policy was last updated on 30 September 2015.

Information we may collect from you

We may collect and process the following personal information about you:

information if you are an individual user (such as your first name, last name, email address, location, device type, operating system, language preferences, gender and age) that you provide by completing forms on the Website, including if you register as a user on the Website, subscribe to our newsletter, upload or submit any material via the Website, or request any information from us about the Website or the service we offer via the Website;

information if you are a venue or other supplier (“Suppliers”) using the Service (such as relationship information between you as a Supplier and individual users; photographs, telephone numbers, email addresses, website addresses and other publicly available information such as venue capacity and venue location) that you provide by using the Service in a capacity as a Supplier, communicating with individual users via the Website or by uploading or submitting material via the Website;

in connection with an account sign-in facility, your log-in and password details, if you choose to register with us (either as a user or Supplier) on the Website;

details of any Supplier bookings or other transactions made or received by you through the Website (such as information you input into the budget planner or any venues or other suppliers you have tagged or otherwise listed within your dashboard);

communications you send to us, for example to report a problem or to submit queries, concerns or comments regarding the Website or its content;

information from surveys, promotions and competitions that we may, from time to time, run on the Website, if you choose to respond to, or participate in, them;

guest list and wedding day budget information (such as overall budget and amounts booked) which you choose to input into our budget planner facility on your dashboard within your account on the Website;

details, including photographs, relating to your wedding day and associated Suppliers if you choose to participate in our Real Weddings feature; and

information that you post in the form of comments or contributions to venue and/or supplier reviews or discussions.

You are under no obligation to provide any such information. However, if you should choose to withhold requested information, we may not be able to provide you with certain services.

Uses made of your information

We will use the personal information you provide to:

identify you when you sign-in to your account;

enable us to provide you with the services and information offered through the Website and which you request;

administer your account with us;

analyse the use of the Website and the trends of the people visiting and using the Website in order to improve our content and services, including research into our users’ demographics and trends within the wedding industry;

send you information we think you may find useful or which you have requested from us, including receipt of marketing communications such as our periodic newsletter provided you have indicated that you are happy to be contacted for these purposes;

allow, with your consent, carefully selected third parties to send you information directly which you may find useful regarding their products and services.

You can tell us not to contact you with information regarding our products and services, or to share your details with Suppliers so that they can send you information regarding their products and services, either at the point such information is collected on the Website (by checking or un-checking (as directed) the relevant box) or, where you do not wish us to continue to use your information in this way, by following the unsubscribe instructions on any communications sent to you. You can also exercise this right at any time by contacting us using the contacting us details at the end of this privacy policy.

Additional information

When you visit the Website, we may automatically collect additional information about you, such as the type of internet browser or mobile device you use, any website from which you have come to the Website and your IP address (the unique address which identifies your device on the internet) and your operating system, which are automatically recognised by our web server.

Cookies and similar technology

The Website also uses cookies or similar technology to collect information about your access to the Website.

Cookies are pieces of information that include a unique reference code that a website transfers to your device to store and sometimes track information about you. A number of cookies we use last only for the duration of your web session and expire when you close your browser. Other cookies are used to remember you when you return to the Website and will last for longer.

We use the following categories of cookies on our Website for the purposes set out below:

Essential session management cookies.

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the Website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the Website. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, cannot be provided to you.

Creating a specific log-in session for a user of our Website in order that the Website remembers that a user is logged in and that their page requests are delivered in an effective, secure and consistent manner to allow you to navigate around the Website quickly.

Recognising when a visitor to the website has visited before; this means we can identify the number of unique visitors we receive to the website and allows us to make sure we have enough capacity for the number of users that we get.

Recognising when a visitor to the website is a registered user member.

We may also log information from your computer including the existence of cookies, your IP address and information about your browser program in order to allow us to diagnose problems, administer and track your usage of the Services.

Functionality cookies

These cookies allow our Website to remember choices or selections you make around functionality features (such as your user name, language selections or region within which you are located) and provide enhanced, more personal features. We also use these cookies to remember changes you make to other parts of our Website which you may be able to customise from time to time. The information we collect via these cookies may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Customising elements of the promotional layout and/or content of the pages of the website for example by storing a country code and providing users with content relevant to their country.

Performance and measurement cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use a Website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a Website works.

Collecting statistical information about how our visitors use the website(s) so that we can improve the website(s) and learn which parts are most popular to visitors.

We employ Google analytics. You can opt out of Google analytics by going to https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and following the instructions.

We use an analytics provider called Mixpanel. More information about the service Mixpanel offers can be found at http://mixpanel.com/privacy. Mixpanel offer a cookie based opt-out facility at https://mixpanel.com/optout/. Please note that if you clear your cookies cache on your browser, this opt-out may cease to have effect and you may need to follow the above mentioned opt-out process again to remove Mixpanel cookies from your device.

Some of the cookies used on our Website are set by us and some are set by third parties who are delivering services on our behalf.

Most computer and some mobile web browsers automatically accept cookies but, if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that or to notify you each time a cookie is set. You can also learn more about cookies by visiting www.allaboutcookies.org which includes additional useful information on cookies and how to block cookies using different types of browser. Please note however, that by blocking or deleting cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website.

Information sharing

We may disclose aggregate statistics about visitors to the Website in order to describe our services to prospective partners, advertisers, sponsors and other reputable third parties and for other lawful purposes, but these statistics will include no personally identifiable information.

We may disclose your personal information to any of our affiliates, or to our agents or contractors who assist us in providing the services we offer through the Website, processing transactions, fulfilling requests for information, receiving and sending communications, updating marketing lists, analysing data, providing support services or in other tasks from time to time. Our agents and contractors will only use your information to the extent necessary to perform their functions.

In the event that we undergo re-organisation or are sold to a third party, you agree that any personal information we hold about you may be transferred to that re-organised entity or third party.

We may disclose your personal information if legally entitled or required to do so (for example if required by law or by a Court order or if we believe that such action is necessary to prevent fraud or cyber crime or to protect the Website or the rights, property or personal safety of any person).

Public forums

The Website may, from time to time, make review and comment boards and/or other public forums available to its users. Any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when using these and never disclose your personal information.

External links

The Website may, from time to time, contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of such sites.

Security

We place great importance on the security of all personally identifiable information associated with our users. We have security measures in place to attempt to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of personal information under our control. For example, our security and privacy policies are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary and only authorised personnel have access to personal information. Whilst we cannot ensure or guarantee that loss, misuse or alteration of information will never occur, we use all reasonable efforts to prevent it.

You should bear in mind that submission of information over the internet is never entirely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of information you submit via the Website whilst it is in transit over the internet and any such submission is at your own risk.

It is advisable to close your browser when you have finished your user session to help ensure others do not access your personal information if you use a shared computer or a computer in a public place.

Data storage and international transfers

Information that you submit via the Website may be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). By way of example, this may happen if one or more of our servers are from time to time located in a country outside the EEA or one of our service providers is located in a country outside the EEA. If you make contact with any Suppliers featured on the Website your details may be transferred outside the EEA. If we transfer your information outside the EEA in this way, we will take steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected. By submitting information via the Website, you agree to this storing, processing and/or transfer.

In addition, if you use our services while you are outside the EEA, your information may be transferred outside the EEA in order to provide you with those services.

Your rights

You have a legal right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to a copy of all the personal information about you held by us. On request, we will provide you with a copy of this information subject to a fee not exceeding the prescribed fee permitted by law. You also have a right to correct any errors in that information. As mentioned above, you have a right to prevent the use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.

Contacting us

Please submit any questions, concerns or comments you have about this privacy policy or any requests concerning your personal data by email to [email protected].

Terms & Conditions

Last updated on 02/01/2024

1. Introduction

These are the terms of use (“Terms”) which set out how you may use the Bridebook website and mobile application (together the “Bridebook Platform”).

The Bridebook Platform is owned, operated and managed by Bridebook Limited (“Bridebook”, “we”, “us” and “our”). We are a limited company, registered in England and Wales with company number 09190872, and whose registered office is at 43 Manchester Street, London, W1U 7LP. Our VAT registration number is GB 204 9275 15.

These terms of use (“Terms”) constitute an agreement between you and us regarding your use of the Bridebook Platform and any text, images, descriptions, pricing, reviews, messages, files, videos, 360° images and videos, logos and photographs that are incorporated into, uploaded to and/or otherwise forming part of the Bridebook Platform (“Platform Content”).

By interacting with the Bridebook Platform, whether you are generally accessing and browsing the Bridebook Platform or whether you have registered with us and are using the Services we provide via the Bridebook Platform (being a “Couple”), you signify that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of the Terms, you are not permitted to use the Bridebook Platform in any way. You may only access and use the Bridebook Platform if you agree to all of the Terms.

2. We may make changes to these Terms

The date of the current version of the Terms is set out above. At any time, for any reason and in our sole discretion, we may revise the Terms without notice to you. We may notify you of material changes to the Terms by email if you have registered as a Couple.

Please check the Terms regularly to read any revisions we have made. Any revisions that we make to the Terms are effective immediately and so are binding on your use of the Bridebook Platform when we publish the revised Terms on the Bridebook Platform.

Your continued use of the Bridebook Platform after we have revised the Terms indicates your consent to the revised Terms.

If you do not agree with any revision to the Terms, you are not permitted to continue to use the Bridebook Platform in any way.

3. Registering to use the Bridebook Platform

You may access and browse a limited version of the Bridebook Platform subject to these Terms. However, to make full use of the Bridebook Platform and to use the Services you must register for an account as a Couple and provide certain information about you as set out in the registration process, including details of:

your name and that of your partner;
contact details for yourself and your partner (including e-mail address);
your budget for your wedding (if decided);
the proposed date of your wedding (if decided);
the type of venue(s) you would like to use for your wedding; and
the number of guests you intend to invite to your wedding.

The information that you provide when registering and all other information and content that you upload to, generate or create when using the Bridebook Platform (including guest lists, reviews, messages, files etc.) will be together referred to in these Terms as “Your Content”. Please see clause 11 for the rights that you grant us when uploading Your Content to the Bridebook Platform.

Please make sure that all of Your Content is accurate and complete and is kept current and up-to-date whilst you continue to use the Bridebook Platform and the Services. You must contact us promptly to inform us of any changes to this information.

Upon registration for an account with us, you will be asked to create a username and password. You must keep your username and password confidential and secure at all times and use it only to access and use your account and not for any other purpose. You are the only authorised user of your account, unless expressly specified otherwise, and accordingly you must not disclose your username and/or password to anyone else. You should contact us immediately upon discovering any unauthorised use of your account or error in the operation of your username and/or password.

Usernames and passwords are our property and we reserve the right to alter or replace them at any time in our sole discretion.

Please notify us immediately via the Bridebook Platform if anyone else has become aware of your login details, in circumstances in which there is a risk of misuse or if you have any reason to believe that there is any other risk of any unauthorised use of your account.

We reserve the right to disable your username and password and suspend your access to the Bridebook Platform at any time, if in our reasonable opinion you have failed to comply with any of the provisions of these Terms.

4. Your privacy

We respect your privacy. We have a privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) which you can access here: Privacy Policy. We strongly recommend that you read and ensure you understand our Privacy Policy prior to using the Bridebook Platform.

Any personal data we collect through your use of the Bridebook Platform will only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Please be aware that internet transmissions are never completely private or secure and that any message or information you send using the Bridebook Platform may be read or intercepted by others, even if there is a special notice that a particular transmission is encrypted.

By using the Bridebook Platform, you agree to us collecting and using technical information about the devices you use the Bridebook Platform on and related software, hardware and peripherals to improve our products or services.

5. The Bridebook Platform and our Services

We provide a comprehensive online wedding planning resource service which helps you to find inspiration for, plan and co-ordinate your wedding (“Services”). It is currently free for you to register with us, set up your dashboard and use the Bridebook Platform and Services to help you with the planning of your wedding day.

The Bridebook Platform is also available to various suppliers of wedding services, such as venues, photographers, florists, caterers etc. (together “Wedding Suppliers”). Wedding Suppliers may also register to use the Bridebook Platform in order to list the various services and arrangements that they provide (“Wedding Services”) as part of our directory and promote those Wedding Services to you and other Couples.

We currently provide Couples with the ability to register for a free account on the Bridebook Platform. However, we also offer account types and privileges which you can pay to access and, in the future, we may charge fees for other features of the Bridebook Platform. Wherever fees apply you will have the opportunity to review and accept such fees prior to incurring any costs.

We do not control the material submitted to the Bridebook Platform by you, any other Couple or any Wedding Supplier. In particular, we do not control descriptions of Wedding Services provided by Wedding Suppliers or the ratings and reviews that our Couples provide regarding Wedding Suppliers. We have no connection with any Wedding Supplier that features on the Bridebook Platform.

We do not vet any Wedding Supplier and you acknowledge and agree that you, and not we, are solely responsible for any conclusions you may draw from any Supplier profile, rating or review of any Wedding Supplier appearing on the Bridebook Platform.

6. If you make a booking of wedding services

We allow Wedding Suppliers to register to use the Bridebook Platform in order to promote their Wedding Services to you.

For all Wedding Services promoted by Wedding Suppliers via the Bridebook Platform, it is either the case that:

we do not offer the Wedding Services for sale ourselves and we have no role in the booking of the Wedding Services; or
to the extent that you can make a reservation for Wedding Services via the Bridebook Platform, we act as an agent on behalf of the Wedding Supplier in question when processing that reservation.

In either scenario, if you make a booking of Wedding Services, you will enter into a direct contract with the applicable Wedding Supplier of the Wedding Services you have chosen. This will be a direct contract between you and the Wedding Supplier. We will not be a party to this contract. Your booking with the Wedding Supplier will be subject to the specific terms and conditions of the relevant Wedding Supplier you contract with and we advise you to read the same carefully prior to booking. The Wedding Supplier’s terms and conditions may limit and/or exclude the Wedding Supplier’s liability to you.

7. Accessing the Bridebook Platform

It is your responsibility to ensure your equipment (computer, laptop, netbook, tablet or other mobile device) meets the necessary technical specifications and is able to connect to the internet, to enable you to access and use the Bridebook Platform.

We may, from time to time, restrict access to certain features, parts or content of the Bridebook Platform, or the entire Bridebook Platform, to Couples who have registered with us.

We do not guarantee that the Bridebook Platform, or any content on it, will always be available or be uninterrupted. If you visit the Bridebook Platform and find that it is down or otherwise not functioning correctly, please contact us at [email protected] and we will endeavour to assist. We recommend that you back up any of Your Content used in connection with the Bridebook Platform, to protect yourself in case of problems with the Bridebook Platform.

There may be times when certain features, parts or content of the Bridebook Platform, or the entire Bridebook Platform, become unavailable (whether on a scheduled or unscheduled basis) or are modified, suspended or withdrawn by us, in our sole discretion, without notice to you.

8. What you are allowed to do when using the Bridebook Platform

In return for you agreeing to comply with these Terms you may:

use the Bridebook Platform for the purposes of planning your own wedding;
print off one copy, and download extracts, of any page(s) from the Bridebook Platform for your personal use. However, you must not modify the paper or digital copies of any materials you have printed off or downloaded in any way, and you must not use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences or any graphics separately from any accompanying text;
retrieve and display content from the Bridebook Platform on a computer screen; and
where you are using our mobile application (“App”):
- download our App onto a device and view, use and display our App on the device; and
- receive updates to the software code of our App via the relevant app store that you downloaded our App from – these updates may incorporate corrections to bugs in our App.

Your right to use the Bridebook Platform is personal to you. If you sell or give away any device on which our App is installed, you must first remove our App from the device. Additional terms may also apply to certain features, parts or content of the Bridebook Platform and, where they apply, will be displayed on-screen or accessible via a link. If you make a booking of Wedding Services provided by a Wedding Supplier, your booking will be subject to the specific terms and conditions of the relevant Wedding Supplier you contract with.

9. What you are not allowed to do when using the Bridebook Platform

You are only permitted to use the Bridebook Platform for the purposes of planning your own wedding, as set out in these Terms. Unless you have requested and received our prior written consent or unless expressly permitted in these Terms, you must not, without limitation:

sub-licence, assign, share, sell, lease, grant a security interest in or otherwise transfer your right to use the Bridebook Platform;
store pages of or datasets from the Bridebook Platform or any Platform Content on a server or other storage device connected to a network or create an electronic database by systematically or otherwise downloading and storing any or all of the pages of the Bridebook Platform;

by any means scrape, extract, download, data mine, display, transmit, publish, upload or sell or offer for sale any part of the Bridebook Platform or Platform Content;

remove or change any Platform Content or interfere with the proper working of the Bridebook Platform or the servers on which it is hosted;

circumvent, disable or otherwise interfere with the security-related features of the Bridebook Platform or features that: (a) prevent or restrict use or copying of any part of the Bridebook Platform; or (b) enforce limitations on use of the Bridebook Platform.

create a copy of the Bridebook Platform, Platform Content or a standalone website or platform which impersonates the Bridebook Platform, the Platform Content or the Services;

attempt to access the database, user information, passwords or other records relating to the Bridebook Platform except in the normal course of using the Bridebook Platform;

attempt to modify, translate, adapt, edit, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reconstruct or discover any source code or software programs used by Bridebook in connection with the Bridebook Platform or the Platform Content; or

use any network monitoring or discovery software to determine the Bridebook Platform architecture or extract information about usage, individual Couple or Wedding Supplier identities.

10. The Bridebook Platform is for use by Couples and Wedding Suppliers only

We make the Bridebook Platform available for use by Couples and Wedding Suppliers only.

Companies, partnerships, and other entities or businesses providing or intending to provide a Similar Offeringto Bridebook, as well as their employees, agents, directors, or contractors, whether based in the UK or anywhere in the world, do not have permission to use or access the Bridebook Platform or Services for the purposes of establishing, offering, providing, improving or comparing the Similar Offering.

Any breach of this condition, without our prior written permission, will be a breach of these Terms and we reserve all rights in relation to such a breach, including to remove or refuse access and/or to suspend or disable profiles or accounts or to pursue legal action to protect our rights in the Bridebook Platform.

A “Similar Offering” means the provision of online wedding planning tools, wedding supplier directories, or confusingly similar services to Bridebook, internationally or in the UK.

11. Your Content

All of Your Content will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary.

By uploading or creating Your Content on the Bridebook Platform, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable licence for us to use Your Content and all material embodied therein for any purposes including but not limited to:

reproducing, distributing, modifying, publishing, translating, creating derivative works from, displaying and performing Your Content (in whole or part) and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology in connection with the Services provided through the Bridebook Platform or to enable us to promote or develop our business;
providing Your Content to third parties including other users of the Bridebook Platform, Wedding Suppliers, our partners, advertisers and/or our sponsors to use Your Content for their purposes;
auditing/accounting purposes or as may be required by law;
measuring and improving the Bridebook Platform and our related products and services; and
in a form in which Your Content is combined with data from other Couples, whether for own purposes or to provide services and data to third parties, including Wedding Suppliers.

In relation to Your Content you:

warrant that you have the requisite rights, licences and consents to upload or create Your Content;
waive any moral rights that you may have in Your Content;
warrant that Your Content does not infringe the rights (including intellectual property rights) of any third party; and
warrant that Your Content is not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, offensive, pornographic, abusive, liable to incite racial hatred, discriminatory, menacing, scandalous, inflammatory, blasphemous, in breach of confidence, in breach of privacy or offensive and will not result in any civil or criminal claim being brought against us by a third party in any jurisdiction.

We reserve the right to:

disclose your identity to any third party who is claiming that Your Content constitutes a violation of their rights (including intellectual property rights); and
remove Your Content, at our sole discretion, without the need to give reasons.

We do not guarantee the availability of Your Content and you may not use the Bridebook Platform solely for storage purposes and in the event that your user account is deactivated (either by us or you), deleted or blocked in accordance with these Terms, Your Content will no longer be available to you and we will not take steps to retrieve Your Content for you.

12. Sharing Your Content among other users of the Bridebook Platform

The Bridebook Platform may, from time to time, allow you to upload and communicate Your Content either to selected recipients or in public areas, such as comments pages and/or message boards (collectively “User Content Areas”).

We do not control the material submitted to User Content Areas (collectively “User Submissions”), nor are User Content Areas actively moderated. You are solely responsible any User Submissions that you submit and acknowledge that all User Submissions express the views of their respective authors, and not our views.

If you participate in any User Content Areas, you must:

keep all User Submissions that you submit relevant to the purpose of the User Content Area and the nature of any topic;
not submit any User Submission containing any form of advertising; and
not impersonate, or misrepresent an affiliation with, any person or entity.

Complaints about the content of any User Submission must be sent to [email protected] and must contain details of the specific User Submission giving rise to the complaint.

13. Platform Content

The Platform Content may include trademarks or copyright material owned by us or third parties.

We may change the Platform Content from time to time. You agree that the Platform Content is on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis and at your sole risk.

Whilst we try to make sure that all of the Platform Content (other than any User Submissions or Wedding Supplier content) is correct, it is not intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should check with us or the relevant information source before acting on any such information.

Except to the extent expressly set out within these Terms, we make or give no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, correctness, reliability, integrity, quality, fitness for purpose or originality of any Platform Content and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, all implied warranties, conditions or other terms of any kind are hereby excluded and we accept no liability for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of you or anyone else using or relying on the Platform Content.

14. Intellectual property rights

All intellectual property rights in and to the Bridebook Platform and Platform Content (including text, graphics, software, photographs and other images, videos, sound, trade marks and logos) are owned by and reserved to us or our licensors (for example photographers who have granted us a license to show their photographs). Except as expressly set out here, nothing in these Terms gives you any rights in respect of any intellectual property owned by us or our licensors and you acknowledge that you do not acquire any ownership rights by downloading Platform Content.

In the event you print off, copy or store pages from the Bridebook Platform (only as permitted by these Terms), you must ensure that any copyright, trade mark or other intellectual property right notices contained in the original content are reproduced.

We take the misappropriation of our intellectual property rights by any user or other third party seriously and will take steps to enforce our legal rights in the event we reasonably deem any such misappropriation has occurred through your use of the Services or otherwise on the Bridebook Platform.

15. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you

We’re not responsible for Wedding Services provided by Wedding Suppliers. We provide a digital platform via which you can connect with Wedding Suppliers and browse the profiles of, and Wedding Services provided by, Wedding Suppliers. To the extent that you can reserve Wedding Services via the Bridebook Platform, we act as a booking agent on behalf the Wedding Supplier in question when processing such reservations. In all circumstances, if you decide to make a booking of Wedding Services with any Wedding Suppliers who appear on the Bridebook Platform, you will book and enter into a contract with the relevant Wedding Supplier directly. We will not be a party to that contract and will have no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the Wedding Supplier or for the Wedding Services provided by them.

Our responsibility if we breach these Terms. If we fail to comply with these Terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these Terms or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time you accepted these Terms, both we and you knew it might happen because it is something we have discussed prior to your use of the Bridebook Platform.

Our responsibility if we provide defective digital content. If defective digital content that we have supplied damages a device or digital content belonging to you, we will either repair the damage or pay you compensation. However, we will not be liable for damage that you could have avoided by following our advice to apply an update offered to you free of charge or for damage that was caused by you failing to correctly follow installation instructions or to have in place the minimum system requirements advised by us.

We are not responsible for business losses. The Bridebook Platform is for domestic and private use. If you use the Bridebook Platform for any commercial, business or resale purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.

We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or otherwise to the extent that such liability cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

16. Viruses and hacking

You must not misuse the Bridebook Platform by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Bridebook Platform, the server(s) on which the Bridebook Platform is stored or any server, computer or database connected to the Bridebook Platform. You must not attack the Bridebook Platform via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of service attack.

By breaching this clause, you may be committing a criminal offence. We will report any such breach to the relevant law enforcement authorities and we will co-operate with those authorities by disclosing your identity to them. In the event of such a breach, your right to use our website will cease immediately.

We use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the Bridebook Platform does not contain or disseminate any viruses or other malicious code. However, we do not guarantee that the Bridebook Platform will be free from bugs, viruses or malicious code and we will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by viruses or other technologically harmful material that may infect your computer equipment, devices computer programs, data or other proprietary material due to your use of the Bridebook Platform. We therefore recommend that you use your own virus protection software and scan regularly for the presence of viruses and other malicious code.

17. Linking to or from the Bridebook Platform

Links on the Bridebook Platform to third party websites are provided solely for your convenience and should not be interpreted as approval by us of those linked websites or information that you may obtain from them. We have not reviewed any such third party websites and we do not control or take any responsibility for their content or availability. We do not endorse or make any representations about any such third party websites or any material found thereon or any results that may be obtained from your use of the same. If you decide to access any such third party website, you do so entirely at your own risk.

There are rules around linking to the Bridebook Platform. You may link to the homepage of the Bridebook Platform only, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it and, on condition that you do not replicate the home page of the Bridebook Platform. In linking to the Bridebook Platform you must not:

create a frame or any other browser or border environment around the Bridebook Platform;
imply any endorsement, association or approval by us other than with written consent, or misrepresent your relationship with us;
use any logos or trade marks displayed on the Bridebook Platform without our express written permission; or
link from a website that is not owned by you.

You need our permission to link to certain parts or pages of the Bridebook Platform. You may link to other pages of the Bridebook Platform only with our prior written consent and subject always to the same conditions as set out in this clause.

We can withdraw permission to link to the Bridebook Platform. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

If you wish to make any use of the Platform Content on the Bridebook Platform other than that set out in these Terms, please address your request to [email protected].

18. Complaints

If you have any complaint, issue or are not happy with the Bridebook Platform, please let us know so we can try to resolve it. Please note that any complaints relating to the Wedding Services or Wedding Suppliers must be directed to the relevant Wedding Supplier.

Please contact us using one of the following options:

Via the Bridebook Platform.
By email: [email protected].
By post to: Bridebook Limited, Work.Life, Kings House, 174 Hammersmith Road, London, W6 7JP.

19. Termination

We may terminate these Terms and your use of the Bridebook Platform, or suspend your use of the Bridebook Platform, immediately by written notice to you if:

we consider that you have used the Bridebook Platform in violation of these Terms;
we consider that any of Your Content is or may be false;
we consider there is any other risk to the security or integrity of the Bridebook Platform, Platform Content or the Services;
we believe there has been unauthorised access to the Bridebook Platform;
we, at our sole discretion, decide to withdraw the Bridebook Platform (whether in whole or in part); or
we have a legal or regulatory obligation imposed on us, which impacts our ability to provide the Bridebook Platform.

We may terminate these Terms and your use of the Bridebook Platform, or suspend your use of the Bridebook Platform for any reason at our sole discretion, provided that we have given you seven (7) days’ written notice by email or via an electronic communication within the Bridebook Platform.

We may discontinue licensing any of the Platform Content at any time in our sole discretion.

You can terminate these Terms by ceasing to use the Bridebook Platform, deleting your account and (if you have downloaded it) deleting or uninstalling our App from your device.

Upon termination for any reason:

all rights granted to you under these Terms cease (however, any liabilities incurred by you under these Terms prior shall survive any such termination);
you must cease all activities authorised by these Terms; and
(if you have downloaded it) you must delete or remove our App from your device.

20. General

We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation. We will always tell you in writing if this happens. You will not transfer your rights or your obligations under these Terms to another person or entity unless we give our prior written consent.

These Terms do not give rise to any rights under the UK Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of these Terms, except as expressly set out in these Website Terms & Conditions

If we do not insist immediately that you do something you are required to do under these Terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of you breaching these Terms, that will not mean that you will not have to do those things, and it will not prevent us from taking steps against you at a later date.

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20 Things to Do After You Get Engaged: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

You’re engaged, congratulations! You’re about to embark on one of the most amazing journeys of your life – and you’ve got your soulmate by your side. You’re on this rollercoaster together, and we promise it’s going to be full of love, surprises and celebration. So enjoy the ride!

As the realisation of what’s to come sets in, you might be wondering what happens next. Where do you start? Who do you tell first? How do you tell them? When should you start planning your wedding? How do you start?

Because there are so many things to do, things can get overwhelming quite quickly. But don’t worry, we’re here to guide you in the right direction and help make the next couple of weeks a lot easier, with a checklist for making sure you have everything covered.

So, in this post, we’re going to outline a step-by-step guide for everything you should do after you get engaged, from the order you should tell your family and friends to when the right time is to start making those bookings.

The wedding planning video course: kickstart your wedding planning

Now that you’re engaged, it’s time to start planning your dream wedding, but where to start? In this video, Bridebook founder (and qualified wedding planner!) Hamish Shephard breaks down your wedding organisation into 5 easy steps so you can plan stress-free and kickstart your wedding to-do list.

Our 20-step guide for what you should do after getting engaged

Photo © Adam Harvey Photography | See their Bridebook profile

When you get engaged, everything is so exciting and feels like it goes so fast that it can be easy to get carried away. Did you do this? Did you do that? Before you know it, you’re not sure what you’ve done and what’s left to do. That’s where we come in. Below are 20 steps you can follow to make sure you remember everything after getting engaged.

1. Plan your engagement announcement

Photo © Blooming Photography | See their Bridebook profile

It can be tempting to run to see your parents or pick up the phone and start yelling about your brand-new engagement. But before you do that, think about if you want to do something a little more creative, or figure out a way to get both of your families together in one room and blow them all away with the news.

For a little inspo, read our post on ideas for how to announce your engagement.

2. Tell your closest friends and family

Photo © Andy Sidders Photography | See their Bridebook profile

Once you’ve figured out how you’re going to do it, you can get to the exciting part. You’re engaged to the love of your life – and it’s time to let your family and besties know! Just be prepared for lots of squeals, some hugs and maybe even a few tears – happy ones, of course.

3. Insure the engagement ring

Photo © Bolla Bello Photography | See their Bridebook profile

Have you ever worn anything so precious… or expensive? So thoughtful, so sentimental, so valuable… Get your ring insured. ASAP. The average cost of an engagement ring is £1,978, which is an amount that very few can afford to lose. It’s unlikely that anything will happen to it, but you never know. Then you can stop worrying and start showing it off. And trust us, you’re going to want to show off that amazing new ring a lot.

4. Tell wider friends and family, starting with the A team

Photo © Tom Jeavons | See their Bridebook profile

After telling your immediate family, it’s time to start sharing the news with your mates and colleagues. We bet some of the first people you tell will end up being key players in your wedding party. They might be your maid of honour or your best man, if you have one. Make an event of it and ask them to be by your side at your wedding over a drink or a meal out. Then start thinking about who else you want involved. Our number one piece of advice is to choose the people you love – not the people you feel obligated to have. Don’t worry about upsetting anyone – it’s your special day. You should be surrounded by your favourite people in the world.

5. Have a manicure

Photo © Mike Plunkett Photography | See their Bridebook profile

With such a beautiful new ring to show off, you may want to do this sooner, but it’s especially important to make sure your nails are on point before you have your engagement photos done or you share the news on social media. There are going to be lots of close-ups of your ring finger, so having clean, shaped and polished nails will help those photos pop. Trust us.

6. Make the papers

Photo © The Snapper | See their Bridebook profile

It’s not for everyone, and it’s a little old-fashioned by today’s standards, but you might want to follow tradition by announcing your engagement in the local (or even national) newspaper. It’ll make your parents’ and grandparents’ days, as historically, engagement announcements included lots of details about the couple’s backgrounds, families and so on. Nowadays, though, it’s up to you what you include. If nothing else, it’ll make for a brilliant keepsake.

7. Shout about it on social media

Photo © LUX Wedding Photography | See their Bridebook profile

Now comes the time to scream your news from the 21st-century equivalent of the rooftops. If there was ever a time to share something on social media, it’s now. Whether you post a cute engagement selfie with your partner to your Instagram, update your Facebook relationship status or even make a cheeky TikTok, savour this moment and watch the likes roll in.

8. Enjoy the moment and don’t rush into it

Photo © Blue Lily Weddings | See their Bridebook profile

From the moment you got engaged, you no doubt mentally went into planning mode, thinking about venues, catering, wedding rings, the song you’ll have your first dance to… but, as hard as it might be, don’t feel the need to rush straight into it. Take a step back, breathe and enjoy the moment. Why not take a little trip away, just the two of you, and enjoy some time as an engaged couple? You’re about to embark on a busy year or more of hectic wedding planning, and taking time to enjoy your engagement is definitely worth it.

9. Plan your engagement party

Photo © Pocket Square Photography | See their Bridebook profile

It’s party time! Get a date in the diary to celebrate with everyone that matters. Just remember that anyone who’s invited to your engagement party is likely to expect an invitation to the wedding too… But that’s only according to tradition, which of course can be ignored. So, if you want a blow-out bash, go for it. Plus, if you anticipate having to fill your guest list with second cousins at your parents’ request, now’s the time to leave them off the list and party on down with your nearest and dearest.

10. Take some engagement photos

Photo © Photography Ninja | See their Bridebook profile

We’re sure you’ll want to remember this period in your lives forever so make sure to document it with an engagement photoshoot. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your photographer and get used to being in front of the camera. Think of it as a test run before your wedding – so get your smiles ready and be prepared for the jaw ache.

11. Get your engagement ring properly sized

Photo © Chloe Palmer Photography | See their Bridebook profile

Unless your partner got your ring size spot on, you may need to get your engagement ring resized so it fits nice and snug. You may choose to get it done much sooner if it’s particularly loose, but it’s a balancing act between wanting to wear it to show it off, having it for the engagement photos and announcements, and making sure it doesn’t slip off and get lost forever.

Depending on the jewellers you go to, it might take up to four weeks to get your ring resized. But, if you’re willing to pay a little more, you could get it done in as little as a couple of days.

12. Get started on your wedding planning

Photo © Ellen Forster Photography | See their Bridebook profile

By now you’ve probably had plenty of thoughts about what you want from your wedding. So, start researching and making notes about what the perfect wedding is for you.

Here at Bridebook, we have a wide selection of tools and resources to help you plan your big day. From our budget planning tool to our easy-to-use app, we have everything you might need throughout your entire planning journey. Plus, we have loads of exclusive discounts from thousands of popular vendors that you won’t find anywhere else.

13. Visit wedding shows and fairs

Photo © Michael Calders Photography | See their Bridebook profile

One of the best ways to get excited is by visiting wedding shows and fairs around the country. It offers you the opportunity to meet vendors, get some ideas and see what’s out there so you can get inspired and start making some decisions. One of our favourite shows is The National Wedding Show, but there are dozens throughout the year up and down the UK. Make sure you also check out local shows, which are a great way to meet vendors close to you.

14. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Photo © Stanhope Photo | See their Bridebook profile

You’ll likely have a ton of ideas bouncing around inside your head, which will all come together to form your ideal wedding. Don’t forget, your partner will also be doing the same. Remember to communicate all the time, so share your ideas, worries, thoughts, concerns, excitements and everything else. If you’re always open and honest with each other you’ll nail every step of your busy planning process.

15. Start thinking about the guest list

Photo © Benjamin Toms Photography | See their Bridebook profile

This step and the step afterwards may be interchangeable, so it’s whatever works for you. Think about whether you want a big wedding where you might invite more than 100 guests, or would be happier with an intimate ceremony that’s not quite as grandiose. You may want to put together a rough guest list (which you can do right here on Bridebook) and then think about your budget, or it might be easier to do it the other way around. Whatever works for you. But, now’s the time to think about whether you really want your second cousin once removed to be there, or if you’d rather keep things a little smaller and more affordable.

16. Work out your budget

Photo © Jake Timms Photography | See their Bridebook profile

In the UK, the average cost of a wedding is £19,184, which is enough for you to put on one heck of a party. But, that doesn’t mean your wedding will cost that much – depending on your guest list, venue, catering, attire and more, it could be much lower. Or even much higher.

The best way to work out how much your perfect wedding might cost is by using a budget calculator, which allows you to input all of your wedding-related costs to show you how much they’re likely to set you back. If it’s below what you were hoping for, great! If it’s higher, you can start thinking of some alternate choices or where you can make a few savings.

17. Work out who will pay for what

Photo © Lois Brown Photography | See their Bridebook profile

Once you’ve worked out your budget you’re in a position to see how it aligns with your finances. But what if it doesn’t, does that mean the wedding’s off? Absolutely not! One option is to make changes to your plans – for example, a registry office wedding is the cheapest you can have. Another option is to save money across the entire wedding – read our ultimate guide to saving money on your wedding for more information.

Another option is to ask your family for a little extra support. Only one-third of couples pay for their wedding themselves, which means two-thirds get help from family. There are unofficial rules about who traditionally pays for what, but you’ll no doubt be grateful for help in whatever way your family can.

Read our guide to asking your parents for wedding money for helpful tips on how to approach this tricky subject.

18. Think about your ideal wedding date

Photo © Duncan Edward Wedding Photography | See their Bridebook profile

Before you make any proper decisions about your wedding date, start by figuring out what’s going to work for your nearest and dearest. Are there any other weddings happening that year? Does anyone have a big holiday booked? You don’t want to commit to a date, only to find out your best friend can’t make it. If you already know where you want to get married, think about when it’ll look its best. Will it really shine in summer or is it the perfect location for a winter wedding?

Choosing the right date for your wedding can also be a huge money-saver. If you want to get married on a Saturday, like half of all couples did last year, it’ll cost you way more than if you were to get married midweek.

Once you know when you’d like to get married, browse our huge range of wedding venues to find your perfect venue.

19. Ask friends and family for recommendations

Photo © Jon Warr Photography | See their Bridebook profile

There are more than likely a fair few people in your life who have planned a wedding, so ask them for advice on how they went about it. Ask them for recommended vendors, what they loved, what they wished they’d done differently… use them, their experience and their knowledge and make some notes. Also, getting referred to a specific vendor, like a DJ or wedding car hire company, is a great way to secure a cheeky discount.

Here at Bridebook, we also have plenty of expert guides, tips, tricks and real-life stories to help answer your questions, calm your concerns and help you throughout your planning journey.

20. Consider whether to hire a wedding planner

Photo © Emis Weddings | See their Bridebook profile

Before you make any bookings or get a quote from a single vendor, think about whether or not it would be beneficial for you to hire a wedding planner. Generally, a wedding planner will cost about 10% of your overall budget, but they can save you a lot of time, money and stress by doing a lot of the negotiating and legwork for you. But, to get the best value for money, you should hire a planner at the very start of your planning process. Decide if this is something you’d like to do early on, as tempting as it might be to dive right in and start securing bookings.

So… what comes next?

So, these are the first 20 steps you should take after getting engaged. After that, you might want to take another step back and enjoy a few weeks as an engaged couple. Or, more likely, the excitement of your future wedding will be too much to resist, and you’ll want to get stuck right in with the planning.

Enjoy what comes next – it’s going to be long, exciting and rewarding, and most likely a little expensive as well. But, you’ll have a wonderful wedding day at the end of it.

Start planning your wedding with Bridebook

Here at Bridebook, we have everything you could need to plan your perfect wedding. Sign up and start planning your big day today!

Happy Planning!

Tips: Group Shots Cheat Sheet

Bridebook.co.uk- groom hugging and kissing bride — By Jamie Bott Wedding Photography

Photographs are an essential part of your wedding day. Let’s make sure they are epic but finished in the shortest amount of time, so you can get back to the bubbly.

Here’s our well rehearsed list of traditional group shots – arranged so the elderly aren’t waiting too long, you have your alone time and everyone gets their time to party. You don’t have to take all of these or any of these, but a few of the traditional shots are always much appreciated by the families. Tip: send the order to all people involved so they know when they are expected – and don’t forget to share with your photographer!

Newlyweds with…

Each set of grandparents
All grandparents
Each set of immediate family
Both sets of immediate family
Each set of parents in turn
Both sets of parents
Siblings
Flower girl and ring bearer

Bride with parents

Groom with parents

[Families Leave to Enjoy Cocktail Hour]

Bridebook.co.uk- bride having her hand kissed by grandfather — By John Lennie

Newlyweds with…

Maid of honour and best man
Ushers
The Ushers and Bridesmaids

Bride with Ushers

Groom with Ushers

Groom with the Best Man

[Ushers Leave to Enjoy Cocktail Hour]

Bridebook.co.uk- ushers showing off matching polka dot socks — By Anna Clarke Photography

Groom with the Bridemaids

Bride with the Bridemaids

Bride with the maid of honour

Newlyweds with the Bridemaids

[Bridemaids leave to Enjoy Cocktail Hour]

Last on the list – capture some amazing, romantic shots of you both just married, before heading in to get the party started!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom holding hands and walking — By Guy Hearn

Happy Planning!

Introduction: Writing Thank You Notes

Bridebook.co.uk- vintage thank you cards — By Weddings Vintage

You’ve spent the past year, months, days being showered in bubbly, presents and celebrations! The wedding is over, you’re back from your honeymoon and your tan is starting to fade. Before settling straight into married life, there’s one thing left to do – thank you letters. While they may seem a bit overwhelming, it’s actually a really special process – you get to go through all the people (and wedding presents!) that made your day so amazing. You might have to write a fair few of these so here are our tips to make the final wedmin task a bit easier.

Bridebook.co.uk- bridesmaids thank you note and gift — By Etsy

Let’s go back to the beginning. You probably gathered everyone’s emails and addresses to invite them to your wedding – use this list! Simply catalogue each gift next to the name of the giver and your task will be easy peasy.

Want to be a super-couple? Start writing the Thank You’s as the gifts arrive, this way, you won’t be overwhelmed with the 200 notes you have to write post W-Day.

The traditional rule is to have your Thank You’s sent a maximum of two months after your wedding day. Try and stick to this and make your guests feel loved!

You’re going to need an area of inspiration. Think special writing area, with comfy chair and music. No writers block here!

Prepare your stationery. You may have ordered your Thank You notes with the rest of your wedding stationery, which is great thinking! Otherwise, get some thick paper notecards and just start writing. Use a nice pen, one that will not blotch the paper and one that is pleasant to write with – it’s going to be with you for the long haul.

Don’t force yourself to write them all at once, unless you only have twenty or so to do in total. It is a big task and you will get frustrated if you have to do it in one sitting. Really take your time on each letter and enjoy remembering all the wedding day details!

Bridebook.co.uk- monogrammed thank you notes — By InLoveandInDreams at Etsy

As you start cataloguing the gifts, write a little description next to each one. Otherwise, you might not remember the exact throw or vase that you received when it comes to writing the notes, trust us!

If you received money, do NOT mention any sums! Instead, say what you are planning to do with the money. Much more polite.

If the gift was a donation to a charity in your name, then mention how important the charity is to you and the great work that they do.

If you received a group gift, you should still send individual Thank You notes, but acknowledge that the giver was part of the group, by saying “you guys ROCK!”

If you don’t like/want to exchange the gifts (awkward!), don’t mention the situation. Just make a positive comment about the gift and thank them for their thought and for attending your wedding. Then sneak to the shop to swap it. Shhhhh!

Make sure you send a special Thank You to anyone who was a part of your wedding party. This could be the bridesmaids, the ushers and of course, your parents. They probably did a lot to help so take your time writing these ones and really get across how much you love them!

Bridebook.co.uk- heart sign saying thank you — By Weddings Vintage

Happy Thanking!

How To Keep Calm On Your W-Day

At Bridebook, we get that your W-Day can be a bit full on – with all the excitement, the adrenaline, the nerves and all the people around you. But it’s the biggest party of your life so enjoy it! Things might take longer than you planned, delays might occur but take deep breaths and don’t stress out. Here are our top tips to make sure you don’t lose your cool on your big day:

1) Hire professionals

This is especially true for wedding hair and make-up. You don’t want to do your own make-up with shaking fingers. We suggest you choose a spacious room, with plenty of natural light and not too many people in it, to sit back, relax and feel pampered. Grooms, this means you too! Avoid trying to shave with nervous hands and giving yourself a cut, splurge on a wet shave instead. It shouldn’t just be the girls pampering themselves.

2) Prepare in advance

Pack everything you will need on the morning of your wedding, in advance. Follow our list, that way you are guaranteed not to forget anything. We also suggest you take all the packaging off any recent purchases, because shopping bags can clutter the space and create a sense of chaos, especially as things you need tend to disappear inside them. Get everything ready, make it look pretty and enjoy the calm!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride putting on shoes in bridal suite — By Guy Hearn

3) Don’t forget to eat

Yes, you probably won’t feel hungry, but trust us, eating something is a must. You don’t want to faint down the aisle or be drunk for your reception! Secret tip: we recommend you have some eggs. They won’t make you bloat and you will feel full for hours.

4) Get dressed

Leave time to get into your wedding dress. It will take your mum and bridesmaids longer to lace and button than it took the professional at the final fitting. Aim to get dressed half an hour before you are due to leave. Then you can enjoy spending time with your family and get used to twirling around in the dress.

Bridebook.co.uk- wedding breakfast laid out — By Richard Skins Photography

5) Prepare your wedding car

Just in case the driver doesn’t know where to go, give him the exact wedding location. If you happen to break down – don’t panic – make sure someone with you has a taxi number to hand. Drama diverted!

6) Picture perfect

Make sure you get all the photos you want on your wedding day! Prepare an order sheet of the shots you need and make sure that everyone knows where they are supposed to be for the pictures. Then you can follow your list without having to think about anything and just have fun!

Bridebook.co.uk- mother and bride hugging — By John Lennie

7) Don’t do any last minute DIY

If any has to be done on the day itself, enlist helpers. Your brain will be in party mode!

8) Relax and enjoy!

Try to relax. Everything is sorted and ready to go, so just enjoy it! Everyone is there to help you. You’re going to look amazing and you’re marrying the love of your life – dreamy!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom taking selfie at the back of wedding car — By Lawson Photography

9) Leave your phone

People probably won’t be calling you on your wedding day, but if they do, pass your phone to the MOH or the BM and they can answer any questions.

10) Drinks

If you decide to have a little drink before the ceremony, don’t over-do it. Grooms, try a half-pint, instead of a full one – you don’t want to be saying your vows and secretly dying for the bathroom!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom hugging with the sun shining — By Miki Photography

Happy Planning!

Tips: Bridal SOS Kit

Bridebook.co.uk- bridal purse perfume hair grip and garter laid out — By Ten Twenty One

Your wedding day has arrived! POP open the champagne because today is going to be the best day of your life! To make sure you have everything you need, here are some bits and bobs you might want to whip together – get your Maid of Honour, AKA the superhero, to hang onto them so you don’t have to.

Basic:

Band-Aids
Cash
Comb
Clear nail varnish (goodbye laddered tights or buttons that are about to fall off)
Extra earring backs
Hair Pins (try bringing brown and black, so you can work with a variety of hair colours)
Hairspray
Makeup – cover up, lipstick and anything else you might want to touch up
Lighter (if a hem is showing a bit of loose thread or if any candles need re-lighting)
Mints (fresh breath is always a good idea, especially if you had your favourite garlic bread for lunch)
Mobile phone
Nail file
Paracetamol
Perfume
Q Tips
Safety Pins
A small sewing kit
Small phone charger
Stain remover
Straws (especially if you are sporting your signature lipstick and don’t want it to smudge!)
Tissues, because (happy) tears are likely!
Water bottle

Bridebook.co.uk- flower crown wedding accessory — By Richard Skins Photography

Pack travel-sized versions of everything and it won’t seem like that much. Summer or winter wedding? Here are some more ideas depending on when you choose to celebrate.

Spring/Summer:

Baby powder. A bit of baby powder will stop your arms chafing against your dress. You’ll be chafe free when rocking the dance floor later too.

Important for an outdoor wedding, and an indoor one, if photos are outside – opt for scent-free. Then it’s already packed for the honeymoon.

Bug spray. Depending on the location – but around dusk, bugs can become incredibly active and protection becomes necessary (again opt for scent-free).

Bridebook.co.uk- bridal emergency kit lying on the bed — By Ten Twenty One

Autumn/Winter:

Lip Balm is a major necessity, especially in the winter months, when lips start chapping.

Hand Cream. Cold air dries the skin on your hands. So if you’re not wearing gloves, get those babies moisturised.

Anti-static spray. If you are changing in and out of warmer clothes, the spray will stop the static.

bridebook.co.uk brides and groom showered in confetti — By Raw Silk Photography

Happy Planning!

7 Tips To Weather-Proof Your Wedding

As your W-Day draws closer and closer, you might start checking the weather forecast. But WHO CARES… your wedding day is the best day of your life whatever the weather. So let’s just make sure you’re excited and prepared for any wind, rain, snow – because all of them can make your wedding day even better than you could possibly imagine. So enjoy!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride wearing a pair of white weddingtons — By Ross Harvey

1) Consider your venue

The simplest rule is to always make sure you have a marquee or venue big enough to fit everyone inside. So long as guests are warm and dry, they will have an awesome time so simply plan for that. For marquees, make sure it has sides that can be pulled down if it is a little windy, so you can really get that party started. Sorted!

Bridebook.co.uk- umbrella favours for guests — By Cinzia Bruschini

2) Brollies and Wellies

“Every cloud has a silver lining.” If rain is expected, embrace it! Why not get guests to bring a pair of wellies? Or if you have a little budget to spare, give them multi-coloured wellies as favours (you can find cheap ones online) – you could even ask their shoe size on the invite. Or have your names and the wedding date drawn on brightly coloured brollies for people to take away with them, et voila! Imagine your whole guest list in wellies and brollies – the pictures will look amazing! Oh and ladies, keep yourselves (and your stunning shoes) from sinking into the wet ground with heelstoppers!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom kissing under multicoloured umbrella — By Chris Giles Photography

3) Dark skies are superb for photographers

Photographers LOVE a stormy sky. It makes for amazing lighting, so enjoy creative and unique wedding photos! A little wind will make the billowing veil look incredible, snow will make everything much more intimate and cosy, while raindrops look amazing in photos. Go outside, dance around, laugh and stay happy, you’ve just married your best friend!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom in outdoor ceremony under umbrellas — By Allister Freeman

4) Cross fingers for snow

If you are lucky enough to have a winter wedding AND it happens to snow then definitely embrace it! Think of all the possibilities: you could wear a stunning fur coat, you can cosy up to your beloved in the middle of a snowy field… And think about the photos; your wedding will look like a fairy tale!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom kissing in front of skiis — By David Pullum Photography

5) Hot or Cold?

Your wedding day is set to be scorcher – picture the sun shining and drinks flowing. Just make sure there’s lots of water kicking about and maybe turn your wedding programme into a fan – just so you’re looking out for those guys in morning suits and elderly relatives. Everyone will be happy so you can get back to your party in the beautiful sunshine.

If the temperature is looking a little cold for your big day, you can easily rent an extra heater even a week to go before the wedding so there’s nothing to worry about. Everyone is going to be so hot from dancing they won’t notice anyway. It just means people will party harder!

Bridebook.co.uk- bridesmaids in faux fur covers — By Richard Skins Photography

6) Ask the ushers for help

That’s what they are there for! Get the ushers to shelter you with an umbrella as you go into and leave the ceremony. And if you arrange for them to have towels, they can even give the aisle a quick wipe down ready for your entrance = flawless dress. Bonus.

Bridebook.co.uk- groom and ushers standing on a hill against the sky — By Ross Harvey

7) Now go and have fun!

Final tip: don’t worry about the beautiful white dress and the smart suit – they can always be cleaned. This is the biggest party of your life so go and have fun; your guests are definitely going to – rain, snow, wind or shine!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom standing under white umbrella — By Anna Clarke Photography

Happy Planning!

Tips: Group Shots Cheat Sheet

Wedding photos are an essential part of your big day. Let’s make sure they are epic but finished in the shortest amount of time, so you can get back to the bubbly.

www.bridebook.co.uk groom kissing bride — By Jamie Bott Wedding Photography

1) Newlyweds with…

Each set of grandparents
All grandparents
Each set of immediate family
Both sets of immediate family
Each set of parents in turn
Both sets of parents
Siblings
Flower girl and ring bearer

2) Bride with parents

3) Groom with parents

[Families Leave to Enjoy Cocktail Hour]

4) Newlyweds with…

Maid of honour and best man
Ushers
The Ushers and Bridesmaids

5) Bride with Ushers

6) Groom with Ushers

7) Groom with the Best Man

[Ushers Leave to Enjoy Cocktail Hour]

8) Groom with the Bridemaids

9) Bride with the Bridemaids

10) Bride with the maid of honour

11) Newlyweds with the Bridemaids

[Bridemaids leave to Enjoy Cocktail Hour]

12) Last on the list – capture some amazing, romantic shots of you both just married, before heading in to get the party started!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride groom walking in gardens and holding hands — By Guy Hearn

Happy Planning!

Browse other similar articles:

How To: Choose The Perfect Wedding Photographer

Introduction: Should You Have A Receiving Line?

Bridebook.co.uk- guests being greeted by wedding party and champagne — By Guy Hearn

Whether it’s you as a couple or one of your parents hosting your wedding, you have a lot of people to say hello to and thank! How on earth are you going to get that done and get married AND party your socks off? Well traditionally there’s a receiving line – where you line up (with your loved one and parents and anyone else you want) and say hello and thank you to every single guest – yup that’s right! But there are plenty of alternatives as well, so let’s run through them so you can decide:

Bridebook.co.uk- guest being greeted by bride groom and parents — By Guy Hearn

To receive or not to receive?

Do you need to have a receiving line? If you have less than fifty guests attending, it is not considered a necessity. However, if it is more, then etiquette dictates you have to have some way of greeting all of your guests in turn – how else are you going to make sure you party with everyone!?

The Order

There is no longer a set order of people who should be in the receiving line. You can have the hosting parents leading the line, followed by you as the married couple, and then the other set of parents as well as the bridal party. Alternatively, you can just stand and greet your guests together, while the parents and the bridal party entertain those who are waiting. Either way, your options are endless! However, the shorter your line, the faster the guests will move.

Bridebook.co.uk- bride standing under american and british flags held by wedding team — By Ross Harvey

Where?

We highly recommend checking if there is enough space to hold a receiving line at your ceremony/reception venue! You don’t want guests to get on top of each other, or start getting stroppy because they are too hot or too cold. Similarly, we suggest that you host your receiving line in an area where drinks and nibbles are available, so people aren’t left hungry and thirsty while they wait.

What do you say?

A receiving line is not the moment to catch up with your guests; otherwise you will be there for hours – so hold the chitter chatter! You should simply introduce the guests to the VIP’s in your line that they don’t know, accept their congratulations and offer your thanks. Done!

Bridebook.co.uk- bride hugging guests — By Allister Freeman

Alternatives

An alternative to a receiving line is to visit each table in turn during the meal. One lovely idea we heard about was each table having two empty seats for the married couple, so that they could sit down at each table, chat to the guests and keep eating!

We also really like the Chinese tradition, by which the married couple have a toast with each table. This is guaranteed to be quicker than sitting down to eat and, you will get to hear some lovely wishes!

Bridebook.co.uk- entire wedding in front of venue — By Guy Hearn

Whichever option you choose, your guests will still race over to you after the ceremony with hugs and congrats, so just make sure you enjoy the moment and thank everyone!

Happy Planning!

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Introduction: Writing Personalised Wedding Vows

It’s time to tackle something your wedding day can’t do without: your wedding vows. Now, you might be thinking of saying traditional vows – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! But if you’ve found this article, we expect you’re at least considering putting pen to paper and having a go at writing your own personalised wedding vows instead. So here’s our guide to getting started.

Bridebook.co.uk- bride and groom first kiss as husband and wife — By Kristian Leven Photography

What Should You Do Before You Write Personalised Wedding Vows?

1. Get Permission

Before you do anything else on this list, check with your officiant that you can actually say personalised wedding vows. There may be limitations for some ceremonies and it’s always worth asking before you spend hours crafting those few perfect sentences…

2. Get Inspired

A good place to start is with traditional wedding vows. After all, they’ve stood the test of time for a reason! You may well be familiar with the standard Church of England vows:

I, (name), take you (name), to be my husband/wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God, I make this vow.

Now, you may well decide that these vows – or those from another faith or source – will do you just fine! Or you might use them as the starting point for your own vows, thinking about which words you connect with. Similarly, take a look at examples of other couples’ wedding vows and see what you gravitate towards. You could also look through readings, poems, quotes and lyrics that resonate with you and remind you of your partner for inspiration.

3. Talk To Your Partner

Once you’ve got a feel for the sort of vows you like, sit down with your partner and talk about what you both expect from your vows. You might want to use the following questions as a starting point for your discussion:

What tone do you want? Are you expecting humorous or serious vows?
Do you want to make the same promises to one another or are you happy to say different things?
Would you rather write them together or keep them a secret until the big day?

Don’t underestimate the importance of this conversation. It’s super important that you and your partner are on the same page when it comes to your vows. You don’t want to start cracking jokes, only to find that your partner planned the opposite. And even if you think you’ll be going down the more traditional route, we’d still recommend a quick chat to iron out any potential hiccups. For example, it’s become increasingly common for couples to omit words like “obey” from traditional vows.

Bridebook.co.uk- wedding vows on a piece of paper — By Cinzia Bruschini

How Do You Write Personalised Wedding Vows?

1. Reflect On Your Relationship

Make yourself a cup of tea, grab a notebook and find somewhere quiet to take some time to think about your relationship and the life you and your partner share. What made you fall in love with one another? What hard times have you helped one another through? What do you admire about them and how have they made your life better? What do you share and how do they balance you? Don’t worry about it being perfect at this stage – it’s all about the raw emotions!

2. What Promises Are You Making?

When you say your vows, you’re making promises to your partner. What will you promise to have a happy marriage? A good place to start is the traditional promises: loving, caring for and supporting your partner through thick and thin. Then think about what promises might be specific to you two as a couple.

3. Start Writing

Now you have some ideas, it’s time to put pen to paper! If you’re stuck, try following this simple wedding vow structure:

Affirm your love for your partner
Praise their good qualities
Offer them your promises
Close with a final vow

You could also turn your vows into a narrative, building them around the story of your relationship or another anecdote that defines who you are as a couple. But remember, your vows should only be a minute or two long. Keeping things short will make them easy to memorise – plus, you’ll want to save something for your speech too!

4. Write From The Heart

Be authentic to yourself and your relationship. If you’ve chosen to write your own personalised vows, it’s likely because you want them to truly reflect you and your partner. Don’t worry too much about what other people have done!

5. Remember The Audience

At the same time, don’t forget about the audience. This day is about you – but your friends and family are still there! Make sure they don’t feel shut out when they listen to you say your vows, so think twice before including overly intimate moments or in-jokes that no one else will understand.

Bridebook.co.uk- groom jumping in the air as bride and groom leave ceremony — By John Lennie

How Should You Prepare To Give Your Personalised Wedding Vows?

1. Practice Makes Perfect

You want your vows to seem natural – but make sure you practise them at least once before your big day! Try saying them in front of a mirror or to a close friend, and make adjustments so that they sound like you, with no overly complicated or difficult sentences. You’ll also be able to get an idea of how long they take. Remember, they should only be a minute or two long – and while this sounds like not very long at all, it will feel like a lot longer on the day, especially with emotions running high!

2. Take Care Of The Little Things

When you write your vows out – and yes, you do need to, even if you think you’ve got them memorised! – make sure to do so on a clean sheet of paper or cue card. You don’t want a neon post-it note or the back of an envelope in your wedding photographs!

Just remember, as long as you write from the heart, your vows will be perfect – and guaranteed to bring a tear to every eye!

How To Write Your Wedding Speech (Brides’ Edition)

Your wedding speech as the bride is a special opportunity to express your love and gratitude to your spouse, your family, and your friends on your special day. In this guide, we will go over the steps involved in writing a memorable and impactful bride wedding speech.

Step 1: Determine the Purpose of Your Speech

The first step in writing your bride wedding speech is to determine the purpose of your speech. What do you want to achieve with your speech? Do you want to express your love and gratitude to your spouse, your family, and your friends? Do you want to thank everyone for being a part of your special day? Do you want to share your story and your journey together?

By determining the purpose of your speech, you can ensure that your speech stays focused and on track, and that you achieve your goals.

Step 2: Gather Your Thoughts

The second step in writing your bride wedding speech is to gather your thoughts. Take some time to think about your relationship with your spouse, your family, and your friends. Think about the moments and experiences that have shaped your relationship and brought you to this day.

Write down your thoughts and memories, and use them as inspiration for your speech. This will help you to personalize your speech and make it unique and meaningful.

Step 3: Write Your Speech Outline

The third step in writing your bride wedding speech is to write a speech outline. A speech outline is a basic structure that will help you to organize your speech and ensure that it flows smoothly.

Your speech outline should include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In the introduction, you can welcome your guests and introduce yourself. In the body, you can express your love and gratitude to your spouse, your family, and your friends. You can also share your story and your journey together. In the conclusion, you can thank everyone for being a part of your special day and wish everyone a happy future together.

Step 4: Write Your Speech

The fourth step in writing your bride wedding speech is to write your speech. Use your speech outline as a guide, and flesh out your ideas and memories. Keep your speech personal and heartfelt, and make sure to use a language that is accessible and easy to understand.

It is also a good idea to practice your speech several times before the wedding day. This will help you to get comfortable with the delivery and flow of your speech, and will give you a chance to make any necessary revisions.

Step 5: Rehearse Your Speech

The fifth step in writing your bride wedding speech is to rehearse your speech. Rehearse your speech in front of a mirror, or in front of a trusted friend or family member. This will help you to get comfortable with the delivery and flow of your speech, and will give you a chance to make any necessary revisions.

It is also a good idea to time your speech to make sure that it is within the allotted time frame for the wedding.

Step 6: Personalize Your Speech

The sixth step in writing your bride wedding speech is to personalize your speech. This means adding personal anecdotes, jokes, or stories that reflect your relationship with your spouse, your family, and your friends. Personalizing your speech will make it unique and memorable, and will help to engage your audience.

Step 7: Consider Your Audience

The seventh step in writing your bride wedding speech is to consider your audience. Who will be listening to your speech? What are their interests and expectations? What do they want to hear from you on your special day?

By considering your audience, you can tailor your speech to meet their needs and interests, and ensure that your speech resonates with them.

Step 8: Keep it Short and Sweet

The eighth step in writing your bride wedding speech is to keep it short and sweet. Your audience will appreciate a concise and well-delivered speech, rather than a lengthy and rambling speech.

Aim to keep your speech between 5 and 7 minutes long, and make sure to keep your speech focused and on track.

Step 9: End on a High Note

The ninth step in writing your bride wedding speech is to end on a high note. Your conclusion should be memorable, impactful, and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Consider ending your speech with a heartfelt expression of love and gratitude to your spouse, your family, and your friends, or with a wish for a happy future together.

Step 10: Have Fun!

The final step in writing your bride wedding speech is to have fun! This is your special day, and your speech should reflect the joy and happiness that you feel.

Delivering the Bride’s Speech

Once you have written your bride wedding speech, it’s time to deliver it! Here are some tips for delivering a memorable and impactful bride wedding speech:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice makes perfect! Rehearse your speech several times before the wedding day to get comfortable with the delivery and flow of your speech. This will also help you to build confidence and overcome any nervousness you may feel.

2. Make Eye Contact

Make eye contact with your audience while delivering your speech. This will help to engage your audience and create a connection with them.

3. Speak Clearly and Confidently

Speak clearly and confidently, and use a natural and conversational tone. This will help to ensure that your speech is easy to understand and engaging.

4. Use Appropriate Body Language

Use appropriate body language to enhance your speech and convey your emotions. Stand up straight, smile, and use gestures to emphasize your points.

5. Take a Deep Breath

Take a deep breath before you start your speech, and take a moment to calm your nerves. This will help you to deliver your speech with ease and confidence.

6. Enjoy the Moment

Finally, enjoy the moment! This is your special day, and your speech is an opportunity to express your love and gratitude to your spouse, your family, and your friends. Trust that your audience will appreciate your effort and sincerity, and have fun!

In conclusion, delivering a bride wedding speech can be a rewarding and memorable experience. By following these tips, you can deliver a speech that is impactful, engaging, and heartfelt. Good luck!