Three Things I Love About Weddings (And Three Things I Don't...)

I make no secret of the fact that I LOVE my job.
I’ve spent the last six years building up a wedding business that I can be really proud of; I get to spend my time helping ambitious, creative & just plain lovely couples who are looking to plan unique weddings in worcestershire (and often beyond!), as well as meeting super passionate and very talented wedding suppliers who bring ideas and inspiration for said couples to explore. our goal is simply to ensure you have the most incredible wedding possible, and Every day in my job is the best day of someone’s life - now tell me that’s not the dream!

a little reintroduction...

I have been MIA on my blog pages for quite a long time (so long that this picture is really out of date...). so for those who don't really know me (or those who want a reminder!) I’m Lindsay. I’m a wedding planner and co-ordinator who loves working in tipi, marquee and dry hire wedding venues in worcestershire and across the uk. I work with couples who may be wanting something more flexible, alternative, or are having an untraditional wedding in some way. AKA, those who  need a little extra guidance to bring their wedding vision to life, as well as an experienced wedding professional to deliver it on the day

I’VE BEEN CALLED THE QUEEN OF DIY WEDDINGS AND MY AIM IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE HAS THE SUPPORT THEY NEED WHENEVER THEY NEED IT,  WITHOUT EVER TAKING OVER. IT'S NOT ABOUT TELLING YOU WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO OR DICTACTING HOW WEDDINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. IT'S ABOUT LISTENING TO YOUR IDEAS AND GIVING YOU THE TOOLS, THE CONTACTS (AND ALSO THE CONFIDENCE!) TO MAKE EVERYTHING HAPPEN JUST THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO, HOWEVER AMBITIOUS IT MIGHT BE!

WITH MY GROWING WWP TEAM, WE HAVE YOU COVERED IN EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR DAY. OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY WEDDING IS MEMORABLE, MEANINGFUL & ACHIEVABLE, AND THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FROM US EVERY TIME!

Steph Butt Photography

​working with beautiful couples, visiting stunning wedding venues, surrounding ourselves with creativity & positivity every single day... no two days the same. you might think we have the best job in the world.

and i'd probably be inclined to agree!

so what are my favourite things about working in the wedding industry? And does it have any down sides...?

love, love, love!

1. people
starting with the obvious...
what a joy to get to be a alongside you on the most special and important days of your lives.

The couples I meet are exceptional: kind, down-t0-earth, hilarious,  people who are looking to celebrate getting married in the most joyous and authentic ways. You have met your person and you want to celebrate in style.  I have seen everything from enormous receptions and epic festival weddings to refined dinner parties, luxurious marquee weddings, down to DIY village hall weddings that made my heart so full it could burst. everyone wants something different, and i love getting to know each couple for who they are.

it's honestly so special to meet you. to chat with parents, grandparents, old school friends. to see how many people have flown in from around the world to be with you. to see you smiling, dancing, laughing with your very favourite people. that's what's at the heart of every wedding i help to make. i will never underestimate how special that is, and i will never get bored of being part of it!

nellie photography

2. choices
we have really broadened our minds when it comes to weddings, and I am here for it!

not only are we celebrating in more unconventional wedding venues, but we're making our weddings more personal and trying new things all the time! one day i'll be in a tipi full of bold colours, disco balls and the most vivacious street food. The next I'm in someone's back garden looking after an intimate garden party wedding at home surrounded by fairy lights, confetti and bundling everyone up in blankets. whatever style you want, whatever colours you love. better food, different activities, incredible entertainment... we're really thinking outside the box and making it as fun and as wholesome as it can be. the variety is quite staggering, and i wouldn't have it any other way!

Yes it can bring a little overwhelm, but at least we’re not all booking the same function room, wearing the dresses and hiring the same bland centrepieces any more!

dearest love photography

3. the pros
what makes all of this possible?
THe suppliers who make up this industry.

THis is why I became so passionate about weddings to begin with. We couldn't have the weddings that we do now without the suppliers who make it all happen.

no floral installations. no elegant three course meals. no beautiful wedding stationery. no dress alterations. no pizza vans. no photos of your big day.

the wedding industry is made up mostly of self-employed individuals and family-run businesses. people who have a talent and a passion, whether that be floristry, photography, baking beautiful wedding cakes... and it's thanks to their skills, hard work (and usually some sacrifice!) that we have the weddings we have today.  it's never a 'minimal effort' kind of job. we are fully invested, we care about your wedding. and we really care about you! We're here for you, in the months before the wedding and the weeks after. we hype you up, we lend a hand, we're often a shoulder to cry on... i can't think of anywhere else where you can find that, can you?!

charlotte burn photography, muck florals, sticky fig catering, to have & to holed

MEHH, not so much...

1. OVERWHELM
i really do understand the frustrations couples face when it comes to planning a wedding. there's too much choice. there's too much pressure. there are too many opinions. i won't say that i believe in the whole 'wedding tax' thing (I honestly don't believe people are ripping you off just because you said the word "wedding"), but i really do understand how insanely expensive a wedding is - it's one of the main reasons i'm not married myself! I can see it from the 'bride-to-be' perspective and it's super daunting, isn't it?!

i think there is a huge disconnect between what's realistic and what is expected. what we see online, and what is real. frustration is growing in couples who just want a wonderful (but very doable!) wedding. frustration is growing in suppliers who are getting left behind by modern trends or who can't keep up with the tiktok wedding hype (which many of us think is pure bollocks). 

weddings can be magical. they should be magical. they should not be this hard! so it's my mission to find the couples who want honest, wholesome, sentimental celebrations, and affordable weddings that are every bit as wonderful but even more meaningful. 

pix by vix

2. CONTENT
There are a few reasons that I am sceptical of the wedding content we are all injecting into our eyeballs (myself included!):

 - there are only one or two dominant voices in the industry (the "wedding influencers" and "wedding planners for the people" whose every word we hang onto). I think a lot of what they say is wrong. and i think they're having a very negative impact on the wedding industry by "influencing" us all to be a particular way (when we all know that's what many of us are trying to avoid!). 

 - most wedding content is designed to make the creator famous. it's not quite as helpful or genuine as you may think. it's designed to get views, boost followers, and give themselves a bigger platform. they don't show every wedding. they don't deem us all good enough. it's less about the people, the weddings, the feelings than it is about making themselves look good. they post what they need to post in order for their account to thrive, and i think we need to take it all with a big pinch of salt!

 - people now use weddings as marketing. every supplier rocks up to a wedding with an entire camera crew behind them. we need a content creator for the content creator of the supplier for the bride... it's honestly a circus out there! not everything needs to be on film. some of us still want to be present, in the moment, when it matters.

when we've reached the point that people are feeling bad about themselves - brides who can't afford the luxury weddings we are being sold, suppliers can't keep up with one another - it kinda kills the fun. the wedding world has changed beyond measure just in the five years i've been in it, and i think most of us long for it to go back to something much simpler and much more real. 

ellie grace weddings

3. meaning
i fear we have lost sight of what weddings are really meant to be. It's not just "one day". It's not meant to be a show. It's not for the purpose of instagram, and it isn't meant to make people rich.

There is a huge difference between a wedding and a marriage, and that's more evident than ever. this is supposed to be about you and your partner starting a new chapter. building a life together. This is just the celebration - and you deserve to have a bloody awesome celebration! it can be all the things you want it to be, but it should always be about you. your people. making memories. living in the moment. reuniting. having fun. good food, good tunes and doing what makes you happy. not getting into debt. not worrying about anyone's opinion. no worrying if you're doing it "right". Just, i don't know, living our actual lives?!

so if you are the kind of couple who want to plan a meaningful, heartfelt wedding... you know where to find me. you are my people!

it is a hard world out there right now. both for those in the wedding industry and those who are planning weddings. but it hasn't put me off...

i'm determined to stay true to what i believe weddings should really be about, and i'll continue to help my lovely couples with their diy weddings and their weddings at home because they are so personal and so special, and as long as those couples are out there there is still a little hope that i'll continue to get to live my dream. i get to meet lovely people, my couples get to have their dream day... it's a win/win and we all leave with big smiles and happy hearts.

and that's why i love the job i do so much!