Finding our wedding photographer

Exciting news guys! Me and my Fiancé have found our wedding photographer and we couldn't be more excited to work with him. We met with him last week in his studio to discuss what we wanted and what he could do for us. We almost immediately fell in love with his photos and his work ethic.

Wedding photography is something you want to get right. I personally feel it is one of the aspects of your day that you should be the most picky about. Be prepared to spend a substantial amount of money though - but it will be worth it all in the end!

My advice to couples who are considering wedding photographers is to meet them in person first, like I did, have a chat with them and make sure you are 100% happy with how they work before booking them. Not only will your wedding photos remind you of every detail of your day in many years to come (so you want them to be perfect) but you'll also want a photographer who you can get on with - they'll be spending a lot of your day with you and your guests. 

Here are some questions to consider asking potential wedding photographers:

1. Have you photographed many weddings at [your chosen venue] before? If not, do you do a pre-wedding venue visit? It's great if they have previously photographed weddings at your venue, they'll already have an idea of spots to get great photographs. If they haven't, it might be good to arrange a venue visit with them to see what photo opportunities there are and set out a plan for your day. Good photographers should offer this anyway.

2. Will it be yourself shooting on our wedding day? If there are several photographers working for the company, it may be that the person you are meeting with doesn't actually shoot your wedding. It's a good idea check this and to ask to meet whoever will be. Again, it's important you get along with your wedding photographer on a personal level as well as professional.

3. Can we see some more photographs from weddings that you've photographed recently? It would be silly for photographers to put ALL of their work on their website portfolio. Naturally, they choose their best work to show off to perspective clients. Having a look at some of their other photography will show if their work is consistently to a high standard. 

4. What is your style of working? Do they prefer to blend in to the background and capture non-intrusive, natural shots as they unfold, or would they rather make their presence known, and choreograph shots? It's a personal preference which to go for, but make sure you get a full understanding of how they will impact the flow of your day.

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After meeting your potential wedding photographer, my advice to couples now would be to discuss it at length with each other - what you liked, and what you didn't like about them and/or their work. If you both feel a connection with them, understand them, and know you want to work with them, then congratulations, you've found your wedding photographer!

Planning your wedding - Part 1

Part 1/10 of my brief guide to planning your big day:  you're engaged

So your engaged! Massive congratulations. My first piece of advice for newly engaged couples is to enjoy it! You only say 'yes' to a marriage proposal from your true love once in your life (to my beliefs anyway). Enjoy telling your friends and family all about how he (or she) popped the big question. Whether it was a grand gesture in front of hundreds of people, or a simple decision between the two of you, it was bound to be a perfect, memorable moment.

Don't start stressing and planning your wedding straight away. Of course you can start thinking about how to make your dreams become reality, but don't go overboard and turn in to a 'bridezilla' straight away; you don't want to scare away your other half just yet!

You'll have to agree a few serious things from the get-go before you can start the fun planning, the most important being the budget. This will be a lengthy discussion and will certainly take you a while to reach a realistic figure, but without having a budget that you both agree on, planning a wedding will be impossible. (Unless of you have endless amounts of money, wouldn't that be nice?) 

Read part 2 here.

'tis the season...

...to be married!

Photograph by Jenny Haas

I've always been a huge fan of Christmas (who isn't?) and I love the idea of a snowy, white, winter-wonderland wedding. They can look really elegant and beautiful without the Christmas theme taking over too much.

While Winter may not be every bride's first choice of season to get married in, there are a load of benefits in choosing this time of year over the more popular Summer wedding season.

Here are 5 reasons to have your wedding during the festive period:

I love shimmery silver, white, blue and sparkles... (lots of sparkles) as a colour palette for a winter-wonderland wedding theme, it gives a festive feel with classy edge. There are plenty of ways to achieve this look - think snowflakes, glitter, snow-sprayed pine cones and crisp white flowers. So pretty!

1. Create unique wedding photos with a magical snowy backdrop;
2. Compete less to get your chosen venue on your choice of date - there's always more availability this time of year;
3. Wedding venues (and sometimes other suppliers) often offer a lower rate if it's out-of-season;
4. Fairy lights and other Christmas decorations make pretty (& budget friendly) finishing touches to your venue styling;
5. Your wedding will be different and your guests won't be suffering with wedding burnout!

Winter wedding inspiration

Another favorite for a festive themed wedding is using gold and reds - a real warming colour combination to keep out the cold and create a cosy, cheery feel.

A deep red colour for your bridesmaids with red and ivory rose bouquets work wonderfully. Add touches of sparkly gold among your wedding decor to break up the red colour, such as the wedding cake, centerpieces and hair accessories. A gold or champagne wedding dress would suit this theme perfectly, too!

And I just love the idea of personalising Christmas baubles for a unique touch!

day trip to London!

Yesterday me and my Fiancé spent the afternoon in London at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. If you haven't been, or don't know what is it, I would definitely recommend visiting.

As well as all the amazing food and mulled cider, it's a great place to find unique, hand made Christmas gifts. I even spotted these little beauties... I will definitely be back next year to buy some of these.

Important changes to UK marriage law

Please read if you are planning to get married after March 2015

From March 2015, the notice period for all marriages and civil partnerships in the UK will increase from 15 to 28 days, with the potential rise to 70 days in the future if further investigation is necessary.

Image via huffingtonpost.com

Make sure to factor this in to your wedding planning schedule!

Find out more about giving notice and the changes here.

Let me introduce myself...

Hi there!

Firstly, thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my wedding blog. Let me introduce myself...

My name is Grace, I'm 24 years young from Reading, UK. Some of my favorite things in life include my family, music, cupcakes, tea, hair dye, tattoos, cocktails and cats!

Me and my Fiancé, Paul, have been engaged since 8 November 2013 after he proposed beside the Eiffel tower on the river Seine in Paris. It was a dream come true and since then I have enjoyed every second of the wedding planning process and can't wait until our own big day on 11 June 2016!

My work has always been in the digital world, from eCommerce to social media marketing and a little bit of web design. I have always had a creative streak in me since a young age, and a keen eye for the little details. I decided to start a wedding blog as being the first of my friends to get engaged, I was absolutely clueless about weddings: how to plan one, how much they cost, who to invite etc. So my aim is to bring you an inspiring blog to help with your wedding planning and share ideas along my own exciting journey.

I hope you enjoy!