As the world gets accustomed to people greeting each other with nods instead of handshakes and hugs, photographers will need to adapt too.  Hand sanitisers will fight for space in the camera bag along with the usual lenses and filters and getting couples and groups into poses/position will now have to be verbal and non-contact.  We will have to become more aware of what we touch on a shoot and take extra breaks to wash our hands.

With venues only allowing a handful of people to attend, at the moment, photographers may end up being witnesses in order to be allowed in and there is also the worry that couples may decide to just have photos that their friends take on their phones, after all, everyone is a photographer these days!

We will have to be more flexible with our time too as most couples are going to struggle to get venues on a Saturday for some time to come and so Sunday and Monday are probably going to be the new Saturday but really any weekday will now become popular.

We are starting to come out the other side, albeit slowly, and we all need to be patient and kind to each other as we are all learning how to adapt in this strange time.  As long as we all keep talking anything is possible!

 

You’ve probably spent years dreaming about and planning your wedding and now it’s just around the corner but Covid-19 has reared its ugly head and everything has had to go on hold.  The stress levels are now even higher and panic has probably set in but now is the time to take a few deep breaths and accept that there is no point in stressing about something you have no control over.

Your guests will understand and appreciate that you are postponing because you have to and you don’t want to put their lives at risk (that wouldn’t be a great party atmosphere!) and will still probably have an empty diary for the following year anyway and if you work with your venue and suppliers you shouldn’t lose any money as you will still be using them and they should be understanding and flexible during this crazy time.  They will want to accommodate you as they will want to keep your business once life resumes (and it will).  Bear in mind that if you cancel rather than postpone you will invariably lose your money.

When contacting your suppliers to re-schedule, it’s probably best to email them as then you have a paper-trail to follow rather than trying to remember what was agreed over the phone and most suppliers will keep any payment made as a voucher or credit to be used in the future, however, try to get this in writing for peace of mind.

This is one time when wedding insurance will probably come into its own as if a supplier is forced to close and cannot host your wedding or provide food, flowers etc, then you will be entitled to compensation.

If you were planning your wedding for 2021 I’d recommend caution and not commit anything financially yet.  Wait and see how things pan out and remember, there will be a backlog of weddings and date changes that will have to be accommodated first but this doesn’t stop you researching and planning etc.

Trying to finish on an up-beat note, for all you couples that have had to postpone, focus on planning your new wedding and remember it doesn’t have to be what you originally planned!  Maybe you saw things that you wished you’d incorporated into your plan but felt it was too late to do so, well now you have the time to add them and you never know you may end up with a wedding plan that is better than your original one!

Just remember, your wedding will happen and everyone will be in the mood to party bigger and better so enjoy!

 

Bearing in mind that while you are saying your vows, most of your guests are going to be looking at your back, why not go to town with a statement back detail?

This could be a short cape with delicate beading, a complete lace back, a cut-out, beading all the way down or even a train with lace panelling.

If you don’t want to shock your celebrant (or family) by showing too much flesh up front, then this is a great way to add a wow factor to what appears to be a more demure dress, plus, it’s a nice surprise for your groom to see as he won’t know what you’re hiding as you walk towards him!

Now we are in the 2020’s what better time to have a roaring 20’s wedding?

Dresses could be flapper style with fringing and beading or even feathers but if a feathered dress makes you think of  ‘Big Bird’ then why not try a feathered bolero or a feathered headband?

Art Deco jewellery can add some old time and often stunning touches as well as a peep-toe Mary-Jane shoe.

The Art Deco theme could also continue through with your invitations (think geometric designs in gold and black) and also your cake.

To top it off, this could be a great chance for your guests to really participate too.  The ladies in flapper dresses and the gents in smart suits and spats!  Get your Great Gatsby head on and go for it!

Sometimes a groom can feel a bit left out when it comes to what he’s going to wear on the big day.  Nine times out of ten, his outfit has to complement the bride and it can sometimes be hard for their personality to shine through.

One easy and relatively low cost way is by a personalised buttonhole.  There are so many options out there now that only your imagination can hold you back.

• There are fabric ones that come in many patterns and colours.
• Knitted ones that, again, come in many colours.
• Feathers – peacock ones for a lovely bright splash of colour or pheasant if you want something a little more rustic, maybe with a meadow flower if its an outdoor wedding, or a sprig of heather if there are Celtic connections.
• Paper flowers, perhaps made from the pages of a favourite book.
• Shells are great for beach weddings and who said pockets are just for handkerchiefs?  Why not fill your lapel pocket with a small bouquet?

Whatever your personality there is a buttonhole out there for you!

When planning a wedding most people have a set budget and they divide that up into component parts – venue, flowers, food etc.  However, when it comes to the dress sometimes budgets can go out of the window.

If you know you only have ‘x’ amount to spend on your dress, whatever you do don’t look at or, worse still, try on dresses over budget as the only thing this will achieve is heartache.

A dress that costs £1,000 will never match a dress that costs £12,000 and no matter how many dresses you try on afterwards none of them will live up to the ‘dream’ dress.  Dresses within your budget will now seem cheap, they won’t have a big enough skirt, the material won’t be right, there won’t be enough bling etc.  Know your budget and stick to it.

If, however, you really feel you can’t live without ‘that’ dress can you live with cutting back on other elements of the wedding?  Are you prepared to maybe invite less people, go for the cheaper food option, have less decorations?  Think really hard before getting caught up in the excitement of the moment as it could have serious consequences on the rest of the day.

It’s lovely to invite family and friends to help choose your dress but what if they have different ideas to you as to what you should look like on your wedding day?  Granny may want a demure covered look, Mum may want the princess gown and your friends want to see you in something tight and sexy so what do you do?  Stick to your guns, that’s what!

The number of brides who fall in love with a dress and can visualise walking down the aisle in it and then change their minds because one or more of their entourage don’t like it is amazing.

Also, if someone else is paying for the dress they probably feel they have the final say in what you wear but remember, it’s your day and it’s your choice.  Don’t feel pressured into buying something you don’t want.  It’s better to walk away without a dress than buy one you’re not in love with as it will probably only result in you buying another dress later on anyway.  If the dress makes you light up and maybe shed a few happy tears then everyone else will love it too.

For most people the health kick starts on January 1st but for some reason, for brides-to-be, it happens when the ring is put on their finger.  They seem to think the minute the man of their dreams wants to marry them he suddenly doesn’t like the way they look!

Maybe you haven’t felt happy with how you look for some time but because your partner loves you just the way you are, you haven’t had a reason to do anything about it, but now you have the incentive you need and exercise is a great stress reliever, which when planning a wedding could be a bonus!  There are a few downsides though……..what if your fiance doesn’t like the ‘new’ you?  What if he misses eating takeaways with you on a Saturday night?  What if he doesn’t want to embrace your new fitness regime?  With weight loss a new confidence can come and people notice you more – will your fiance be happy about that and proud to be with you or will it cause jealousies?   Will you look at your partner and think they don’t look as ‘fit’ as you thought they were and feel you could do better?

It’s worth thinking about the reasons you want to lose weight.  If you are doing it to look good in your photographs how are they going to make you feel if you put the weight back on?  Losing weight is great but do it for the right reasons and make sure your fiance is with you 100%, after all, he might not want you to lose those assets that he loves!

 

1. Should the Bride take her husband’s surname?
2. Should the speeches be the preserve of one gender?
3. Should the cake still be iced fruit cake?

 

1. Now this is a tough one. Back in the day it was expected for the Bride to take her husband’s name but nowadays that’s not always the case.  If the bride has a career where she is known by her maiden name and changing it could cause confusion then for professional reasons she may choose to keep her maiden name but use her married name for personal things.  Also, with some families only having girls and no boy to carry on the family name some Brides like to keep their name but put their husband’s surname last to make it double-barrelled.
2. Most speeches are the preserve of the Father-of-the-Bride, the Groom and the Best Man but nowadays it is becoming more popular for Brides themselves to want to say something and why not? Also, if a female member of her family has given her away then she too should have her say and if the Chief Bridesmaid wants to say something then bring it on I say!!
3. I think this has now fallen by the wayside.  Wedding cakes are now becoming lighter and with so many choices you can have each tier a different flavour. Some don’t even get iced but stay ‘naked’ just covered in buttercream.  Nowadays, if you mention iced fruit cake, people are more likely to associate it with Christmas rather than a wedding.

1. Should there still be a Best Man and Bridesmaids?
2. Should the Bride’s Father still walk her down the aisle?

 

1. Nowadays it’s not unusual for there to be a Best Woman (I should know, I was one and even wore tails!) and why should there be only one Best Man? If a Groom has more than one brother or more than one close friend how can he choose only one of them?  Those not chosen usually act as Ushers but think of the fun of having more than one speech from people that have known you from different stages of your life!  The only issue may be who hands over the rings but if you pick your oldest brother or the friend you have known the longest then I don’t think anyone will have a problem.  As for Bridesmaids, well this can go the other way.  With people having so many ‘friends’ these days Brides can find it hard to choose and end up with six or more maids.  Not only is this costly if the Bride is buying the dresses but can also cause problems in the hair and make-up department.  I know one bride who wanted an ‘up-do’ but by the time the hairdresser got to her she ran out of time and just about managed to blow-dry her hair!
2. I think most Brides would want this, however, with families being the way they are these days that isn’t always the obvious choice. The Bride’s Father may no longer be alive, he may be divorced from her Mother and has a great relationship with her Step-Father and doesn’t want to hurt him or she may not be close to her family at all.  I’ve been to weddings where the Mother-of-the-Bride has walked her down the aisle, her brother, her best friend or even no one at all, just herself like Meghan Markle.  There is no right or wrong here, it really is personal choice.