What to do with your Wedding Photos!

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Ways to show off your Wedding Photos – be inspired!

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You carefully selected your wedding photographer, you loved their style, they made you feel comfortable (not always an easy thing when you’re asking people to make out and then point a lens at them!) and you can’t wait to get your photos back so you can relive every moment of your special day. 

They arrive…most probably into your inbox these days!  The two of you eagerly sit down with a left-over bottle of bubbly from the wedding to look through them.  You study every one in detail, commenting, “do you remember that happening?”, “I’m so glad that person made it to the wedding”, “everyone looks so happy”, “I love this one of us”.  But after you choose which ones you’re posting online (naturally) and make an album on one of those do-it-yourself websites (if you didn’t already order one with the photographer), perhaps order a print or two to frame on the wall…then what?  You know you want to do SOMETHING with these gorgeous photos, but what?  There has to be something more creative right? 

If you’re asking yourself this question, just like I did, keen to not just have those precious memories sat in a very nice album on the shelf, then walk this way!  Give your gorgeous photos the limelight with these different ways to use, enjoy and show-off your wedding photos:

Featured products:

  • You can find most of the featured products in our Etsy Collection here (Affiliate link: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.):

Here’s where you can find the couple of other items:

You can check out our accompanying Pinterest board for a sneak peek of all the ideas featured in today’s video, and don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest too for lots more ideas and inspiration!

Feeling inspired?  Let us know in the comments what you chose to do with your photos – we’re feeling nosey!

Want even more content like this?  You can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

What to Expect when Giving Notice

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Giving Notice of Marriage in England and Wales

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If you’re planning a civil ceremony for your wedding or civil partnership, giving notice is an essential part of the planning process. It’s a legal statement at your local register office declaring your intent to get married or form a civil partnership. It might not even be something you realised you had to do, but without ‘giving notice’ you can’t legally get married*

*the process is different for Anglican weddings – check with your wedding venue to confirm which process you need to complete.

Because it’s such a vital component of planning a wedding and probably not something you’ve had to do before, it can seem a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. The register office staff are not there to trick you or prevent you from marrying. The process is put in place to prevent any forced or illegal marriages.

We’re here to (hopefully) allay any fears or apprehension you may have by talking through the whole process.

For time and clarity’s sake, we’ve focussed this video on giving notice in England and Wales when both partners are from the UK.

For more information about Giving Notice, including the list of documents you will need to take with you – https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/give-notice

NB. Information is correct as of March 2024 and the content of the video applies to couples in England and Wales and who are both from the UK.

Any questions? Drop them in the comments below and we will do our best to answer them.

Want even more content like us?  Join the Society and find even more from us in all of these places:

–Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

How to make a Floral Buttonhole / Boutonnière

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Silk Boutonnière / Buttonhole Tutorial, ft. The Secret Bridesmaid!

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Fancy getting hands on with your wedding florals?  Whether it’s a cost saving exercise, a budding passion for florals or wanting to be fully hands on with your wedding, experimenting with silk flowers is an excellent place to start.  There’s room for trial and error, you can play around and start again, AND you have all the prep time in the world as there’s no risk of wilting!  What’s even better is you’ll have yourself a keepsake after the wedding, or pass them along to another friend or family member who’s getting married…you can’t get more green than that!

So far in our silk florals mini-series, featuring silks specialist Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid, we’ve brought you step-by-step tutorials on how to create a wedding bouquet and a pocket boutonnière, and now we’re showing you how to make a buttonhole AND a corsage!  (Follow all the steps for the buttonhole, then continue on with one simple extra step at the end to turn it into a corsage – magic!)

We created the floral bridal bouquet first and then used the little bits and pieces left over for our buttonholes!  Genius!

Having a go?  We’d love to see what you did with yours.  Tag us in your photos over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk. 

Special thanks to Steph for the Bride Society takeover this week.  If you’d like to see more of what she has to offer (including her custom silk bouquets and buttonholes!), you can find her website here and Instagram here.

Want to have a play with more florals for your wedding?  Check out our Floral DIYs playlist over on YouTube.  For even more content from us, you can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

Surprising Wedding Laws from Around the World

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While we’re used to sharing advice and information about getting married in the UK, we decided we wanted to cast our net a bit further afield this week to see what’s happening out there in the big wide world.

We knew there must be some restrictions in other countries, just like there are certain things you must do here, in order to be able to get legally married. So we went down a rabbit hole of looking for some (possibly) surprising wedding laws from around the world.

While we’ve tried our best to be as accurate as possible with the information we’re sharing here, there is a chance that some of the points mentioned may now be outdated or not so common place anymore.

But we’d love to know if you were aware of any of the laws featured in the video or if any of them did surprise you. Let us know in the comments.

And if you’re interested in finding out a bit more about getting married in Mexico, Rebecca has filmed some videos at different Mexican resorts. Check out our Destination Weddings and Honeymoon playlist.

Looking for even more content from Bride Society?  You can find us in all of these places:

And please do let us know if you’d like to see a part two to this. We’re sure we’d be able to find even more surprising wedding rules from other parts of the globe!

— Rebecca and Laura at Bride Society

Wedding Table Number Inspiration

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Ideas & Inspiration for your Wedding Reception Table Names / Numbers

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Table names / numbers are fairly essential at most wedding receptions, however the ‘how’ of how you go about them can vary wildly.  Maybe you want to keep it simple with a number printed on card, propped up against your centrepiece on the table – it’s quick, easy and gets the job done, it’s not an aspect of the wedding planning that you HAVE to spend a lot of time on, especially if you’ve got a short window until W-Day. 

BUT, if you want to do a little something more, it’s another wonderful opportunity to express yourselves, incorporate your theme, reflect your personalities, interests or style.  You can never have too much YOU in your wedding after all!  Going the extra mile with your table numbers will get noticed by your guests, there’s no way of them finding their seats without clocking the table number first!

So if you’re wanting to elevate your table names/numbers game to the next level, check out our inspiration that’s waiting for you in this week’s YouTube video, along with it’s supporting Pinterest board:

Did something catch your eye? You can find most of the featured products here*.

(*Affiliate link – we get a small percentage of the profits made through our referrals at no extra cost to you when purchased through this link.)

Let us know which idea you’ve fallen for in the comment section – we’re nosey and would love to know.  And don’t forget to tag us in your photos over on Instagram too!

Looking for even more content from Bride Society?  You can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura at Bride Society.

First Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas

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Paper Themed Gift Ideas for a First Wedding Anniversary

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Symbolising the unwritten future ahead, your first wedding anniversary gift is traditionally made from paper. But instead of handing over a ream of the finest white, 80 gsm, A4 printer paper to your other half, we thought we could come up with a few more exciting and interesting options. So with that in mind, we’ve put together the ultimate gift guide for 1st wedding anniversary gifts, and they’re all paper themed!

The first anniversary is also a great opportunity to capitalise on the wedding memories and potential memorabilia surrounding the wedding; think honeymoon photos, tickets, receipts etc. As after year one, you may be pushing it slightly creating gifts along those lines. But for your first anniversary, go for it!

Everything we talked about in the video, plus even more, can be found on our 1st Anniversary Gift Ideas Pinterest board. You can find the Pinterest board here.

Items featured in the video:

(Items marked with * are affiliate links: this means we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)

We hope you’ve found our suggestions helpful, and will mean your spouse is receiving an on theme and thoughtful gift from your on your anniversary. Let us know if you decide to choose any of our suggestions in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

– Rebecca and Laura – Bride Society

How to make a Floral Pocket Square / Boutonniere

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Floral Pocket Boutonniere Tutorial, ft. The Secret Bridesmaid!

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One of the hottest wedding trends of 2024 so far!  The bridal party have moved on from having handkerchiefs in their top pockets…it’s now all about ‘floral pocket boutonnieres’, and we’re here for it! 

Florals for jackets were once reserved purely for the buttonhole, which sort of limited you to a very small posey and could be tricky to secure on the morning of the wedding, especially if the florist isn’t on hand to help you attach them.  And you know no one will think to look up how to attach a buttonhole ahead of the day, resulting in manic YouTub’ing and many finger pricks!  Enter the pocket boutonniere!  All you have to do is slide it into the top pocket and off you go.

In today’s video, our guest host, Steph from The Secret Bridesmaid is back, lending us her expertise to show you how to make your very own flower pocket boutonnieres.  What’s even better is we’re using silk (faux) flowers in this tutorial, meaning you can prep your floral pocket squares well in advance and get a job ticked off that wedding to-do list!  No wilting, no last-minute panics and no risk of blood-stained shirts!  And of course, that added bonus that they can accommodate a bigger flower display to make those suits extra snazzy. 

Having a go?  We’d love to see what you did with yours.  Tag us in your photos over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk. 

Special thanks to Steph for the Bride Society takeover this week.  If you’d like to see more of what she has to offer (including her custom silk bouquets and buttonholes!), you can find her website here and Instagram here.

Want to have a play with more florals for your wedding?  Check out our Floral DIYs playlist over on YouTube.  For even more content from us, you can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society.

Inspiration for Dressing Your Wedding Chairs

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Gone are the days where you automatically think of white chair covers with big organza bows to make a venue ‘wedding-y’. There are so many more ways and options to decorate and dress your wedding chairs, to add interest, style and decor to your ceremony or reception venue.

A lot of venues now helpfully have chairs which are aesthetic enough to be on show, so there’s really no need to hide them with chair covers anymore. (Unless you want to of course!)

Regardless of the theme you’re planning for your Big Day, there’s an option for you. From draping (in loads of different ways – tutorials coming soon!), to adding fresh flowers, or adding a boho touch with some macramé.

How are you dressing yours?

Check out the full Pinterest board for all the ideas we shared in our video, plus more!

Which is your favourite option? Let us know in the comments below!

Want even more content like this?  Join the Society and find even more from us. Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X!

-Bride Society

How to Make a Silk Floral Bridal Bouquet

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We’ve been taken over this week! Thankfully this is no hostile takeover, and we in fact invited our special guest to share some of her wealth of expertise and show us how to create a hand tied floral bridal bouquet using silk/faux flowers.

We are, of course, talking about Steph from the Secret Bridesmaid! You may recognise Steph from our series of Multiway Dress videos (check out the playlist here)

Faux flowers have come a long way from the options of the past, and can now be a fantastic option if you’re planning on DIY-ing your blooms (they can be made well in advance) or would like to keep your bouquet as a keepsake after the wedding.

For this particular bouquet, 6 stems of assorted foliage and 11 stems of assorted flowers were used. The type and amount of silk flowers you use will affect the size and style of your bouquet.

A big thank you to Steph for taking over Bride Society this week. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming videos as Steph will be popping back and sharing even more. We can’t wait!
If you’d like to find out more about Steph’s luxury multiway dresses and everything else The Secret Bridesmaid has to offer (believe us, there’s a lot!), you can find her via her website and Instagram.

As always, if you give one of our DIY ideas a go, we love to see the results! Tag us over on Instagram so we can see how yours turned out!

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Customise Notebooks with Cricut

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Use Cricut to personalise your notebook or wedding planner with our step-by-step tutorial for faux leather and card notebooks.

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Our love for Cricut creations continues!  Whether you’re a crafty bride to be wanting a special place to keep those most important notes, or a creative friend making an engagement gift for a friend – the latter being what actually inspired this latest tutorial, we are talking you through step-by-step, how to use your Cricut to add that personal touch to your notebook / planner. 

We’re showing you how to create your design in Cricut Design Space – simply switch in your desired text, how to cut your design and then apply it to either faux leather or cardstock/paper notebook covers. 

There’s a learning curve with Cricut and transferring vinyl to card / paper was one of the lessons I learnt the hard way, so I’m here with this tutorial to steer you around the pitfalls! 

Tip!  Whatever you do, don’t use transfer tape to move your vinyl onto card/paper, it will stick to the surface and tear it off!  I’ve been there, done that, with extremely bad results.  But we’ve got the solution for you in our latest video:

Materials we used (with product links if you need them!): (* = Affiliate links: we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)

If you’re in Canada, you can find the HTV here: https://amzn.to/3P0m3Uw* USA: https://amzn.to/3RtuMA9*

NB. This video is not made in association with Cricut. Some materials listed above are affiliate links, these are clearly marked by an asterisk* where applicable. This means we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.

Having a go?  If you stumble into any problems & have questions, let us know in the comments, we’re happy to try to help you out!  Don’t forget to tag us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see how yours turned out!

Want more like this? Check out the Cricut tutorial playlist on YouTube! You can also find even more content from us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Pet Outfits and Accessories for Your Wedding

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Whilst neither Rebecca or I have our own pets, we do like to live vicariously through others, especially when it comes to dressing them up in an amazing outfit and including them in your Big Day!

Your cherished pet may be the one guest who you don’t mind being upstaged for. And let’s be real, if your four legged friend walks down the aisle with the rings, whilst wearing a tuxedo, (for a short while at least) all eyes will justifiably be on them!

From ring pouches to floral leads, ‘pet of honour‘ neckerchiefs or full on tuxedo outfits, we’ve got inspiration for every kind of outfit or accessory your beloved pets may need if they’re attending your wedding!

We have a whole dedicated Pin Board that supports our video! Find it here:

Find the featured pet accessories from our video here! (NB. this is an Affiliate Link. Affiliate links mean we get a small amount of commission from the retailer for the referral at no additional cost to you.)

This is definitely one topic where we’d love to see your pictures. If you’re including your four legged best friend in your wedding, please tag us in your photos!
And for even more content from Bride Society, don’t forget you can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Valentine’s Day Heart Napkin Folding

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Step-by-Step Heart Napkin Folding Tutorial

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At Bride Society, we’re all about the love.  Romance is our game.  If you’ve got the feels this Valentine’s Day and want to go that extra mile for your fiancé(e), have a go at our heart shaped folded napkins! 

You’ve planned the perfect Valentine’s evening…you’ve dug out that outfit they always compliment you on (if they happen to be your sweats, who I am to judge?!), you’re having a bash at cooking that meal they loved on your first holiday together, you’ve chilled the bubbly, their favourite flowers are on the table, you’ve asked Siri to, “play romantic music”, and you bought the dessert they can never say no to when they see it on the menu.  You’ve thought of everything, and some major fiancé(e) points are coming your way for sure.  All you need are two final little chocolates* (*oops, you can tell what’s on my mind!) touches; 1. Don’t forget the candles and 2. These heart napkins, to really elevate your table setting.

Easy step-by-step folding instructions to turn your square napkins into hearts this Valentine’s Day:

Looking for more ideas like this?  Check out our wedding origami playlist on YouTube.

Folding success? Tag us in a photo of your Valentine’s tables over on Instagram @bridesociety_uk, we’d love to see your napkin hearts in situ!  Comment below what your dinner guest had to say about them – we’re nosy and would love to hear!

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Garden Wedding Inspiration

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Ideas and Inspiration for Every Aspect of your Garden Themed Wedding

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After what seems like the longest January ever, we’re finally in February and spring is just about on the horizon. With that, we’re dreaming of an abundance of beautiful blooms, long sunny days and wedding season!


It got us thinking about our wedding theme series and the perfect theme to follow on from our daydreaming about the coming months, is a garden theme! Whether that’s an outdoor ceremony in your own or loved one’s garden. Or you’re bringing the outside in to your wedding venue, marquee or tipi, we’ve got ideas and inspiration for how to really lean in to that garden party feel. And hint, flowers may be featured quite a lot!

We’ve got all aspects of your garden wedding covered in this week’s video:

We have a whole dedicated Pin Board that supports our Garden Wedding Ideas video! Find it here:

For even more content from Bride Society, don’t forget you can find us in all of these places:

— Rebecca and Laura, Bride Society

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas | 2024

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Personal Gift Ideas for this Valentine’s Day, all under £20!

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Valentine’s Day 2024 is just around the corner (if you’re currently thinking, “yikes, when’s that?”…February 14th) and we figured those of you currently in wedding planning mode, may be feeling the romance even more than most this time around…unless you’re mid disagreement over whether Save the Dates are in fact a necessity, then you may not be at your most warm & fuzzy!

Whilst you might be keen to at least acknowledge this Valentine’s Day, with lots to organise for the wedding we get that your mind may be laser focussed on W-Day at this stage and that any extra pennies may already be allocated to the dog’s tuxedo for the big day.  Call us Cupid!  We’re helping you bring your romance-game by sharing all the gift inspiration you need, right to your fingertips…and for under £20!

Some ideas are a twist on the classics, others unique, whilst others could have a secondary purpose and be used at your wedding too!

Find your Valentine’s gift inspiration here! (Product links below)

>>> You can easily shop any of the products featured in today’s gift guide here*. <<<

(*Affiliate link – we get a small percentage of the profits made through our referrals at no extra cost to you when purchased through this link.)

Want to browse the Pinterest board that supports this video?  Find it here:

Let us know what you picked and if your partner loved it!  Tag us in your photos over on Instagram, we’d love to see!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

— Rebecca and Laura at Bride Society