Last Sunday, myself and Charley from London Bride were interviewed ‘On The Sofa’ at Brides The Show about how to find everything you need online when it comes to planning your wedding.
We loved every minute of our talk and were delighted to be speaking to a packed floor with brides scribbling our tips away in their notebooks, so I thought I’d recap the main points we made so that everyone can benefit from the content.
1. WEDDING BLOGS
We’re lucky enough to be living in a wedding planning world that is packed full of hundreds and thousands of inspiring wedding blogs. Each one caters to a niche with everything from geeky weddings to tattooed brides to of course Jewish weddings and everything in between. Unlike wedding magazines, blogs are free to read so the bloggers who run them don’t need to worry about appealing to the masses or shifting however many copies. It’s the bloggers’ unbiased, unedited opinions and being digital, blogs are also very fast-moving, immediate and very regularly updated.
2. USING BLOGS TO SOURCE SUPPLIERS
The heart and soul of many wedding blogs, including Smashing The Glass, are the real weddings. Each wedding is hand-picked by the blogger with the intention of inspiring you with the fabulously creative ideas of the bride and groom. The wonderful thing is that all the suppliers that contributed to that wedding are listed at the bottom of the feature, with links to their websites, so it’s a great way to directly find suppliers that catch your eye.
And if you’re after a specific type of supplier, many blogs have their recommended vendors section which is a great place to start your search if you resonate with a particular blog.
3. DIY TUTORIALS
Many wedding blogs post step-by-step DIY tutorials that are great for the craft-loving or money-saving bride. Particular favourites for DIY’s are Love My Dress and Bespoke Bride, and don’t forget YouTube for video tutorials too… did you know that Martha Stewart has her own wedding DIY YouTube channel?
Charley and I speaking ‘On The Sofa’ about how to plan your wedding online, at Brides The Show
4. FREE PRINTABLES
The internet is literally swarming with free printables for every kind of wedding stationery and decor (and even photo booth props!) that you can customise, and print at home using quality card, or take to a print shop. I particularly love this resource of 31 free wedding printables.
5. WEDDING WEBSITES
Wedding websites are particularly useful for destination weddings, are eco-friendly, and can incorporate lots of information and RSVPs. There are now some really stunning options around with my current favourite being Riley + Grey
6. ONLINE INVITATIONS
You’ll find lots of beautiful sophisticated designs on Paperless Post and sending your invitations online is now considered a perfectly acceptable (and green!) alternative to traditional printed stationery.
A close up of Charley and I speaking ‘On The Sofa’ at Brides The Show!
7. FIND UNIQUE ITEMS AND BARGAINS
Use sites like eBay or Etsy to find unique items at a great price as these are sold direct from the vendors who make or distribute the items. Notonthehighstreet is also great for personalised elements, decor, favours and groom gifts , and has a dedicated weddings section
, and don’t forget Amazon
8. DISCOVER THE PERFECT WEDDING MUSIC FOR YOUR CEREMONY AND PARTY
Spotify is great for song inspiration to discover anything from what to walk down the aisle to, to that all-important first dance song. You’ll find loads of playlists to suit every taste, and with Spotify Premium you can also create playlists for your drinks reception, dinner and dance floor.
9. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF #WEDDINGHOUR ON TWITTER
If you have any burning questions or are on the hunt for something unusual for your wedding, jump onto Twitter every Wednesday evening between 9 and 10pm (UK time) and hashtag your query with #weddinghour. Many wedding professionals and brides-to-be join in the #weddinghour conversation and it makes for a really friendly and very useful Wednesday night in!
Twitter in general is also a great place to follow your favourite suppliers and stay up to date for news on their latest collections, sample sales and giveaways.
I’m the ‘I’ in BRIDES! Me posing in front of those enormous letters at Brides The Show!
10. USE TOPTABLEPLANNER.COM TO ARRANGE YOUR WEDDING SEATING PLAN
This tip comes directly from Charley at London Bride who says that TopTablePlanner.com is a total lifesaver when she’s working with couples to organise their wedding seating plans. With the software being online, you’ll be able to make major changes with a few clicks, and minor changes in much less time than it would take to draw it all out again by hand.
11. USE WEDDING APPS
From to-do lists to keeping tracks of your RSVPs – what could be easier than managing it all from your phone? There are plenty of great wedding planning and wedding photo sharing apps around. Current favourites are Appy Couple, Wedding Party, and Brides Wedding Planner.
12. AND FINALLY GOOD OL’ PINTEREST… (AND LOVER.LY!)
For my own wedding I had moodboards on Pinterest for every aspect of my big day which really helped to give guidance to suppliers. I thoroughly recommend doing this, but careful it’s addictive! Whether you’re looking for ideas for your dress, or you want theme ideas there are endless stunning images to inspire you.
Lover.ly is a kind of ‘Pinterest for weddings’ that will also inspire you no end. It works by partnering up with wedding blogs and other editorial content creators to bring its users lots of wedding ideas.
Top image by F5 Photography, one of Smashing The Glass’s Smashing Suppliers. All other images from Brides The Show, taken by Mr STG.
