My Wedding Icks

If I’m going to be honest with you, number one on my list of icks would actually be the word “ick”. I don’t know when that became a thing but I think it needs to stop. Whatever you want to call them though, there are a few things that get my goat when it comes to weddings.

Now, obviously it is ALWAYS each to their own and this isn't to say that everything I’m about to write in here is gospel - I absolutely believe you should do your own wedding your own way and you might feel totally differently about these things than I do. It would also never put me off working on a wedding if I was to see you have any of the below in your day. But hear me out on these!

Tablecloths - it's a no from me.

I’m sorry, but it’s true. This has probably come from years of working in venues and hotels where they bulk buy terrible quality cloths and chuck them on without any care. They always ended up skewiff with giant creases down the middle and they’d be covered in stains within five minutes of guests sitting down to eat. 

My view has always been that the only reason you’d have tablecloths at your wedding is because you just don’t know any different - it’s always just the expected thing. Either that or the venue has ugly furniture that you’re trying to hide. If they have lovely rustic wooden tables and chairs, I think it would be a sin to cover them up!

Now, obviously this might depend on your venue and on the general theme/feel of your day. In a lovely stately home, perhaps clothed tables and formal place settings fit better. If your colour scheme pops better on a white background or if you’re going for something more traditional I can totally see why you’d opt for clean, crisp linen. I mean, here's a perfect example of tablecloths looking lovely - so it can be done!

Dearest Love Photography / White Fern Weddings & Wild Bunch Flowers

​Sometimes it’s a matter of necessity. Round tables are almost always big, bulky things that absolutely need to be covered - if a round table is your preference (and I totally understand why it would be!) you’ll almost definitely need to think about clothing them. But if you’re going for longer tables and benches, or if you’re able to choose/hire your own furniture, give it some thought. Don’t just plump for the obvious white rounds if you don’t have to!

If you do end up needing cloths, speak to your venue or stylist. Make sure they’ll be good quality, they’ll be ironed/steamed and not just an afterthought. A good stylist takes real care over things like this, so you can trust them to do a good job!
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Yes, the same can be said of your chairs...

I’m not afraid to say it, I hate chair covers. Stretchy, clingy and often covered in holes, they don’t say elegant wedding to me.
Again, sometimes it’s the lesser of two evils and necessity dictates you want those chairs covered. Budget (and the venue) won’t always allow for you to hire in all your own stuff! But if you can avoid them please do. You’ll thank me for it. Wooden or chiavari chairs instantly make everything look much more put together.

Nick Brightman Photography / Simply Bows Worcestershire

​Boring food makes me sad.

I know that some venues do all their own catering and you may be limited to what they can provide. Thankfully lots of venues now have excellent in-house chefs or team up with brilliant local caterers who have amazing quality and choice. If they don’t, I won’t be judging you guys for having bog-standard scran but the venue for not having more exciting menus on offer! 

Even some dry hire spaces dictate which external suppliers you can use - also meaning you’re a little bit stuck when it comes to food options, and that makes me sad.

There’s nothing better than a venue which allows you to choose all of your own suppliers, because it means the options are endless. Burgers, pizza, tacos, curry, chips, donuts, ice cream… LITERALLY whatever you like! 
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Pixie Jayne Photography / Rustic Roast Kitchen

​It may be that your preference is still to go for a three course meal, and that’s absolutely fine too! I just think it’s ace when all possibilities are open to you, and even better when couples dare to go for something out of the ordinary.

Again, when it comes to food think about the feel of your day. Street food may go better in a tipi and elegant plated food might be more appropriate in a manor house. It’s all relative - but don’t be afraid to explore the options that are open to you.
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"Who can do this, but cheaper?"

I follow a lot of wedding and bridal groups on Facebook and I see endless streams of people saying “I want XYZ but I don’t want it to cost an arm and a leg”.

I know money is tight right now, and I know we may need to cut some corners and make everything work within our budget. We absolutely can give you a dreamy wedding without it breaking the bank! I just feel disappointed when couples are shocked by how much, say, a photographer or a florist is because they haven’t done their homework. It leaves you in a situation where you might be missing out on the good stuff because you haven’t allowed for the spend, or you have to settle for lower quality stuff because you're not willing (or able) to stretch.

Please be prepared for how much things will set you back. Shop around, get some quotes and speak to a wedding planner if necessary. I’ll soon be adding some downloads to my website where you can access information about typical spends as well as how to manage your budget, so keep your eyes peeled if you think it will be helpful. If you need a hand doing things on a smaller scale, please just reach out and I’ll gladly give advice!

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STOP WITH THE TACKY TRENDS!

I for one pay zero attention to wedding trends. I’m not really fussed about what is this year’s colour, or what the buzzwords are for this season’s must-haves.

Yes, you should look around on Pinterest and see what ideas are out there. Please don’t just stick with what you know - there’s a whole wonderful wedding world out there and it’s totally okay to looks for inspiration! If you see a good idea for a guestbook, for some signage or for your styling, it’s great to make a note and see what you can bring into your day. But don’t be swayed from what YOU really want.

Personally I’m not a fan of things like Prosecco walls, crisps hanging on pegs, donuts balanced in some kind of vertical ring toss situation (did C*vid teach us nothing?!), and I do feel people get carried away with booking this stuff just because it’s currently the done thing. If you're told that everyone else is arriving at the ceremony on flying unicorns or dressing the tables with tissue paper and the tears of their bridesmaids, it doesn’t mean that you have to as well!

These things come in waves - certain styles, fads and quirky props will at some point go out of fashion again and you risk looking back and doing that “what the hell was I thinking?” thing. Of course, book the things you like the look of! But save your money where it doesn’t need to be spent.

Picture from Pinterest

​Bad timings!

I’ve been pretty vocal about this before and I know it’s controversial, but I strongly believe speeches work better AFTER your food has been served. Things are MUCH less likely to go awry this way! If things overrun and you’ve got hungry guests and angry chefs, believe me it’s not easy to pull it back. If you’re adamant you do want to do your speeches first, you’ll need to plan and time everything well. Don’t think you’ll get it all done in ten minutes - it’s more likely to go on for an hour! So give your timeline some serious thought.

It’s not just about the speeches - allowing enough time for hair & makeup, travel time to & from your venue, allowing appropriate time for the ceremony, giving yourself a good drinks reception and time to get all your photos… there’s a lot to factor in. Food service is also a big one: it isn’t a quick job to feed 100 hungry people! And of course, the more people you have coming the more time you need to allow for moving them about and getting everyone fed and watered. 

When one thing falls behind at a wedding, it’s like a domino effect - drinks are poured but you’re not yet drinking, food is cooked but nobody is eating, the band are ready but nobody is dancing. You’re worried, your guests are confused, suppliers are tearing their hair out… so making a good plan is really important. Yes, it will inevitably change and you need to be prepared to just go with the flow on the day. But don’t set yourself up for a fail before you even begin!

It’s not as complicated as that makes it sound - but you need to stick to a formula that works! Again, I’ll be making more information available on my website very soon but feel free to get in touch if you’d like some advice in the meantime.

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So there you have it...

Are we still friends?!

I think it’s fair to say that I don’t really have a problem with most of these things when they are done well, it’s just when they’re done BADLY that you start having all kinds of problems. So please don’t be offended if you see something here that you’re guilty of too - I’ll let you off! I just want to make sure you get the best. 

​To put it simply - hire yourselves GOOD suppliers, be brave in your choices and stick to what you love. Oh and, as always, don't forget that good planning is the key to everything ;)


Keep your eyes peeled for those updates coming soon, as well as new planning tools which I'll be making available that will make your life SUPER easy. But as always, pop up in the meantime if there's anything you need!