I'm so excited to write today's post. I've been thinking about which content to put in this blog post for hours, because it's about something I absolutely love; particularly the planning side of it: weddings.

It's almost been two years since I married my gorgeous husband, and it was quite literally the best day of my life. I know the summer months are popular for weddings, so I thought I'd revisit mine and share some tips and tricks that might help you with yours.

• SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP
  This is one I can't stress enough. Don't settle on the first thing you come across; in any areas. Even down to the tiny things like favours. I almost spent £50 on 100 Bride & Groom favour boxes - I ended up getting the same design for £10 on eBay! My dress was retailing over £1000 online, and my budget was significantly lower than that. I searched local stockists and managed to get it for £660! 

• THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING
  Food was definitely not on the list of top priorities on my wedding day. Obviously, I wanted the guests fed and watered, but I really didn't want to break the bank on main meals, buffets or cake (wedding cakes can be so expensive!). If like me, food isn't something you want to be worrying about, find a venue that includes food in the package. We had finger bowls for guests (who could have up to 3) and a buffet in the evening - our entire wedding, with venue hire, food, dj etc for 60 people. was only £2000! As for the cake? We paid £60 for ours from Marks and Spencer. Got some fancy ribbon, edible glitter and a cake topper - and we had a beautiful wedding cake, for a very reasonable price.

• LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
  One piece of advice I always give to brides and grooms is: get a videographer. I know they're incredibly expensive (usually - I have a tip for that!), but it was the best decision I ever made in terms of our wedding budget. I managed to get our videographer for just £250. He was relatively new to wedding videography, and I thought for that price, it was a risk worth taking. I spent hours finding someone who seemed trustworthy, and good with a camera. This was our wedding highlights video: Zoe & Hayden. I couldn't have been happier with it.

• TREASURE THE MEMORIES
  When the wedding's over, and you finally start to wind down - the photos will start pouring in on social media. You'll be trying to save them left, right and centre. Trying to remember who posted what on where. Setting up a hashtag on Instagram is a great idea - but not everyone has it...it becomes mayhem. Using a service like Wedding Photo Swap is the best thing you can do. Guests can upload your wedding photos in one place, and it's so much easier to access them all. The best thing is? It's free! You can upgrade for a small fee if you need extra storage space for photos, or you want your photos avaialble for longer.

• HERE COMES THE BLOG
  One of the things I look back on the most, in particular during bad days and arguments (guys, they happen!), is our wedding blog. We made a website for our wedding where all the information about the ceremony, reception, gift list etc was listed, and one of the features was a blog. Me and my hubby did a separate blog every week, and reading it back, feeling the excitement as so many amazing things were happening - it's just magical. It was completely free and this is our website (and blog!) for anyone interested: Our Wedding Blog.

I could definitely go on about my wedding for hours - I thought I was a certified wedding planner by the end of it! Another tip I feel like everyone should know, but sometimes it gets lost on the way: this wedding is yours. The only people this wedding is for are you and your partner. People will moan. People will ask for what they want. But remember: this day is your day. You can be selfish. You don't want to invite John down the street, but your sister does? Don't invite them. You don't want buttonholes but your mother-in-law does? Don't get them. Don't lose what you want to please other people - and you'll have a great day.




                                                                   THIS IS A SPONSORED POST IN COLLABORATION WITH WEDDING PHOTO SWAP.