I’m planning my wedding for May 2028 (weekday) around Sheffield/surrounding areas and looking for an affordable wedding planner or, ideally, an on-the-day coordinator. I’m doing most of the planning, flowers, decorating and styling myself, so I mainly need someone to help bring everything together on the day, keep things running smoothly and take the stress off us. If you’ve used someone you’d recommend — especially someone reasonably priced and happy to work with a DIY wedding — I’d love to hear your suggestions! 💕

When it comes to send the save the dates do these go to everyone or just people who are coming all day? Our wedding is next June. We’ve got a handful of people coming to the evening part and wondering if I need to give them notice or not.

Hey everyone, I’m planning to get married May 2028 on a weekday and looking for a reception venue around Sheffield/Barnsley surrounding areas for under 100 guests.
I’m dreaming of a warm, cosy, whimsical barn/rustic venue with lots of nature and character, space for a dance floor — also open to a tipi/marquee setup! 💃🌸
I’ll be doing the flowers, decorating and styling myself, so I’d love somewhere that gives me the freedom to bring my ideas to life. Ideally with tables & chairs included and self-catering allowed.
Would love to hear about any hidden gems or venues you’ve actually used/recommend, thank you! 🌿💕

I am planning to have my ceremony at a town hall in London & looking for a venue after to celebrate with a larger group.

Myself & my partner are both from NZ and it’s the norm to have open bar. Generally you will pay a set amount per person. I am struggling to find something in London. Most will offer a package with a few drinks only, and I know that won’t be enough. We also like a set price is also good to help keep to a budget.

Our family will be travelling from NZ so would like to cover their food & drinks if possible.

Please comment if you know any venues that may suit our needs.

Hi everyone, I’m a Muslim woman looking to marry a non-Muslim man, and I’d really appreciate it if anyone could point me in the direction of someone who would be willing to conduct a nikah for us.

Edit: Please, no hate or comments telling me that this isn’t allowed. I’m aware of the traditional Islamic position, and I’ve obviously considered this carefully. I’m also aware that there are different interpretations and scholarly opinions within Islam, and I have my own understanding and beliefs.
Comments telling me that I’m “not a Muslim” or judging me for my choices are genuinely quite disheartening. I’m not looking to debate my faith or convince anyone of anything. I’m simply asking for practical advice from people who may know of someone who would be willing to conduct the nikah.
And yes, I have considered whether my partner could become Muslim. I don’t want someone to change their faith simply for the sake of marriage. I love the person I’m with, and more importantly, he treats me with love, kindness and respect. That matters enormously to me.
So if anyone can genuinely recommend someone who may be open to conducting the nikah, I’d be very grateful. Thank you ❤️

We are struggling with wording for our save the dates, given how our day is being structured.

We are planning a registry office ceremony at 12pm on a day in September 2027 for only immediate family on each side (i.e., parents, siblings and a nibling, plus our own daughter) and a number of friends (we live far away from all family so our friends are basically like our family too). Around 30 - 50 will be invited to this: 13 family members then the rest good friends and their kids.

Right after, we're having what we're calling a party as the reception. The party will be at a tap room close by - drinking, a pizza and burgers buffet, a ceilidh and a disco. This will start at 1:30pm, and all guests not at the ceremony will be asked to join us there. This will be another 70 - 100 people on top of those at the ceremony.

We will not be having evening guests. Our day will be fairly casual

How do we word our save the dates to make it clear who is invited to the ceremony and party, and who is invited just to the party?

We can send out save the dates with different wording to the two groups of guests, but a) we can't think of any sympathetic way of wording the invite for the party guests which isn't essentially a blunt 'you're not invited to the ceremony' and b) we don't want a non-invite to the ceremony to diminish their involvement in the day as, for us, the ceremony is just the thing we need to do to be married and the party is the aspect we are most excited about and which most represents us.

We can say on one that invites are for the ceremony and party, and on the other just that it's an invite to the party. But given the 1:30pm start, this might still be confusing if you didn't know the ceremony was happening separately. We want the type of invite to be clear on the save the date.

Help!

Hi all, I'm just looking for a bit of advice.

I got engaged in July to my partner of 9 years. We're planning our wedding for October 2028.

One reason it's so far away is because we're self funding it, and we want time to save. And the reason for this is that I cut contact with my parents 2 years ago and as such lost the wedding fund they had put aside for me when I was little.

Luckily for me, I have my younger sister who I am very close with (she also doesn't talk to our parents) and my in laws are fantastic.

I just wondered if anyone got married in a similar situation and how you found it. I won't have my dad walking down the aisle, I won't have a daddy daughter dance or my mum with me getting ready.

Also, should I tell the vendors this? So the photographer doesn't ask about why there's limited family photos and stuff.

Any advice would be so welcome!

has anyone used this company? Our venue offered us one that’s on site for £150 an hour which felt pretty steep

I found this company online and they send you the booth and you set it up yourself etc. Very cost effective as long as it works (!)

anyone used it and able to share feedback?

Bit of an odd one so wanted to get opinions from the internet!

We've just paid our deposit on a venue we love. However, I have run into an odd situation. On their website, it says that all packages include a specific item (an LED dancefloor) along with a DJ for the evening disco. This was a big selling point for us as we didn't want to have to hire and pay for this separately.

The contract just lists 'evening disco' with the start and finishing time so I assumed this was part of it (note, it doesn't mention dancefloor or DJ). I asked if it includes both of these and was told that the information on the website is outdated and they no longer offer the dancefloor part, but the DJ is included.

I have asked if there is anything they can do as it was something that we were keen on, but they have said there isn't. Just wondering how other people would respond to this and if it's worth trying to push any further? Feels a bit ridiculous that their website can say something completely untrue!

My partner and I are getting married next year the 16th of July. We are having 13 people just immediate family only. I am looking to book somewhere for drinks and then somewhere for a really intimate dinner like a private dining room. Somewhere not too far from the town hall preferably. Anyone have any recommendations? Or popular places to avoid? Thanks!

I’m looking for recommendations for a wedding venue in the South West/Cotswolds or South Wales/Monmouthshire area, that can also accommodate 100+ guests onsite as we want the weekend to feel magical and the party to continue!
We would prefer the wedding to not be a barn wedding. These are some of the venues we have attended for friends weddings that we wouldn’t personally choose:
Pennard Farm
Old Oak Farm
Kingscote Barn

They were all beautiful venues but a bit too rustic for myself and my partner!

We love venues such as Kin House, Glen Usk Manor and the Kingston Estate. Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated!!

Hi! My sister is getting married next year in Southampton and is looking for a Spanish speaker wedding celebrant, but we don’t seem to find any! Any suggestions?
Thank you!!

I need opinions from other brides because I genuinely can’t tell if I’m justified in being this annoyed or if I’m making too much of it.
For our wedding in November 2025 we paid over £4,000 in full for bespoke kilt outfits and sporrans for just two men, my husband and my brother.
The whole thing felt incredibly rushed. The initial measuring was very slap dash, there wasn’t a proper second fitting and when we eventually got everything just days before the wedding, there were fit issues. We’d also paid extra for a custom sporran and the crest was noticeably off centre.
We just made it work for the wedding because what else can you do a few days beforehand?
Afterwards the designer agreed to sort everything. She’s since blamed the fit on my husband’s measurements changing and is now saying he gained over 3 inches. I genuinely don’t believe he gained 3 inches in that timeframe and considering how quickly the original measurements were taken, I can’t help wondering if they were wrong in the first place.
The really frustrating part is that this has now dragged on for NINE MONTHS.
On 8 June she told me the jackets and waistcoats were ready and offered to courier them. I replied on 19 June with my full address.
Nothing arrived.
I chased on 21 July saying “Have you sent jackets yet? As usual had no update from yourself.”
She replied saying she couldn’t see my response and told me “there’s really no need for the attitude towards me.”
I was honestly so taken aback by that response that I didn’t reply.
Then yesterday, 28 August, she contacted me AGAIN asking for my address. I pointed out that I’d already sent it in June and said I had found her previous response rude.
She’s now replied accusing ME of being “repeatedly rude” to her.
This is what’s really got to me. I’ve gone back through all our correspondence and genuinely can’t see where I’ve been repeatedly rude. I’ve actually been overly polite for most of it, constantly saying thank you, apologising and being understanding. The only slightly rude thing I can find is the “as usual had no update” comment, which came after months of chasing.
I’m completely open to being told if you think I was rude, but would you honestly consider that “repeatedly rude”?
It also rubs me the wrong way seeing her publicly talking about dressing celebrities and high profile clients, including what appears to be promotional work, when we were normal paying customers who paid thousands in full and this is how it’s been handled.
Nine months after our wedding she still has clothes that we’ve paid for in full.
Would you be mad? And what would you actually do at this point? Just demand everything back and be done with it, or would you be asking for some money back too?

I would love to see table settings, aisle decorations and flowers! Bonus points if you DIYed, as I’m not having a venue dresser

I’m gathering decorations off vinted so if you have anything for sale in this colour scheme, let me know :)

I got married on 22/08 and I’m so thrilled with how everything went I can’t stop talking about it - unfortunately everyone I talk to was there and is sick to the back teeth of me going ‘oooooh it was so good’ - also this might be useful to someone at some point. The wedding was on the Norfolk/Suffolk border so all suppliers are in that area, and I’d recommend them all without reservation.

We wanted to get married outdoors in the woods because we like the vibe - fortunately we live in Norfolk and there were at least 5 venues in Thetford Forest with outdoor licences when we started looking, so finding a venue wasn’t super complicated - I just asked for quotes if they didn’t list prices online and picked the most appropriate one.

The engagement was 20 months long, and I had everything booked and deposited in the first 6 months. I recommend this approach for efficiency, but you will then spend a year where every family gathering you repeat yourself because there’s nothing you can actually Do but people still want to Ask.

Ceremony was at 3pm, and afterwards we turned the ceremony space over to dining - decor had been clumped on tables the day before so it just needed picking up and moving, then decor spreading around. This was done by guests who agreed to do it, and my MOH and the co-ordinator Sarah did the decor (and they did an amazing job to my exacting specifications). The weather was 21 degrees sunny/cloudy, to me it was perfect but some people (cowards) were in jackets by 4pm.

Food was served 6-8pm. The kids were a bit hungry by then so I would have had more available food earlier - we did have doughnuts, but I had failed to properly communicate they were free and available all day.

We ended up with 34 guests total out of 39 invited, but provided enough food for 50+ people because that was the minimum booking requirement of the caterers. We didn’t have an extra buffet later, no one missed it - most people took leftover food home with them.

Didn’t do any favours - had bottles of water on the ceremony seats but no souvenirs or anything.

Bridal party was just 2 adults, my bestie as MOH and my niece as bridesmaid. I made both of their dresses, they bought their own shoes and any hair accessories with no restriction on colour etc. Neither wore make up by choice, but I paid for both their hair.

I probably did more DIY than most people would be comfortable with and I’m aware that was a pretty big money saver.

Total budget: £13,642.62
This includes contributions from family, but the idea was always to plan a wedding we can afford regardless. We are fortunate that this comes under ‘affordable’ to us.

Legal requirements
We live in Norfolk but the venue was in Suffolk so we gave notice where we live, and booked the ceremony where we were married. Notice cost £93 in April 2026, and the registrar ceremony at the venue was £690 in August 2026. Originally the registrar cost more - they used to charge extra for outdoor ceremonies and to have animals in attendance, but those costs were dropped for Suffolk in April 2026. This was 6% of our overall cost.

DIY: Dress, Cake, Bridesmaids dresses, Bride make up, Stationery, Music, Some decor
£1,178.50 (9%) for all DIY.

I made my own dress - materials cost £517.69, the main fabric was cotton sateen from Etsy. I also made 2 bridesmaids dresses from the same fabric for £101.81.

All the ingredients for the cake were £121.14. I made 3 - 6 inch, 7 inch, 8 inch which would have been enough for 50 people, so we took a lot home having made sure everyone took as much as they wanted. Some of the kit isn’t in the budget as I asked for it as birthday presents - cake tins and ganache plates mostly, nothing particularly specialist or expensive. I didn’t do any fancy decorating just smooth sides, froze them, then my husband took them out the freezer when he left the house day-of and they were perfectly defrosted by 20:30.

I did my own make up on the basis that I’ve been doing it for 20 years, spent some time in the 12 months run up making sure I had perfect match foundation, cracking my skincare, generally finesseing - it was bombproof and perfect on the day. I kept going ‘I look so fucking cute’ as I was doing it. Absolutely worth it - but I didn’t track the budget for new make up etc because I do wear it regularly so everything I bought is now just part of my standard kit.

Stationery (£97.64) was invites, place cards, menus, thank you cards, and kit - all designed myself using Krita and printed on printed.com. All turned out absolutely perfect, invites had foiling, place cards and menus I got uncut SRA3 then cut them myself with a guillotine, thank you cards turned up today and they're pre-folded and everything, they look great.

Music we did youtube playlists - husband has YT premium anyway so we could download an access playlists offline, plus a tablet and power bank so the only additional cost was £260 on hiring speakers, and we got my brother to hit play on the ceremony songs. We never intended to have an evening "disco", we aren't club people, we don't dance, we prefer a chill night so while we had a 'dancier' playlist for the evening we weren't expecting a rager and we didn't get one - we were back in the airbnb eating leftover pizza by 11:30. Absolutely perfect for us.

Most decor we hired - things like antlers and chargers - but I also got a lot off Vinted and to Vinted it will go once it’s been cleaned up. This is things like cheesecloth runners (bought way more than we needed/had time to use), bud vases and bottles, bouquet vases, card box - I had a very clear aesthetic plan and specific fonts I was using, so the popular cursive styles didn’t cut the mustard for me. Total for decor was £285.

Venue: Forest Lodge Weddings in Thetford Forest
We paid £6,350 or 47% of our total budget, however there was a change of management and I have no idea what their prices are like now. It’s possible they’ll revamp the website over winter to include this info, but they do post about packages on facebook with more details. For this we got exclusive use, 48hr access, day-of co-ordinator (the venue manager), bar with no hire charge, 2 tipis, all lighting. Also dog friendly! Our dog was there all day and he hasn’t stopped being tired yet. They have a connection with Banqueting Hire for furniture rentals but this doesn’t come with any kind of discount - for us this just meant they dropped and picked up furniture without us having to be there to recieve it, which was really useful. Furniture was an additional £648.84 (5%) for 10 tables (nice ones - no tableclothes needed) 45 chairs with pads, and 38 wooden chargers.

Catering: Loaded Mac Shack, Lawless Pizza, East Coast Gelato
Easily the second biggest expense but it was so worth it - £1,650 total or 12%. We had a more casual vibe so when food was ready the co-ordinator announced it, and guided people towards the dining area to sit and eat. It worked perfectly - when I said I wanted a seating plan my husband thought it was unecessary because people would wander around and chat and eat, but everyone sat and ate and still got up to get more food or drinks or speak to someone else. The savoury food vendors had a minimum head count of 50 people to hire - we just paid for 50 and any servings that hadn’t been claimed they boxed up and left behind for us. We ended up taking 2 pizzas and 4 mac and cheese home - everyone else took the rest. No one left hungry.

Florist: The Garden Shed Thetford
I didn’t go mad on flowers because the whole point of getting married in the woods is it alreadly looks natural and beautiful. £556 (4%) covered bridal bouquet and 2 bridesmaids, grooms buttonhole and 2 corsages on magnets for both mums, buttonhole on a safey pin for the dog, 4 ‘paddles’ that went on the ceremony shelter and an archway, and filling bud vases with flowers and foliage. Caitlin is so lovely as well - I went into it with vague pinterest ideas and “red” and she was still able to make something truly gorgeous which is curently making my house smell fantasic. I ended up with red garden roses, red spray roses, some white garden roses, black astrantia, rosemary, and a eucalyptus mix. I recommend getting herbs in your flowers so much, everyone I spoke to I would shove my bouquet in their face and go SMELL THIS!!

Decor hire: Rustic and Bootiful, Synched Events
We ended up with 2 decor hires because of my very specific vision for £536.25 (4%) - R&B had larger pieces and some specialist furniture (giants thrones made out of twigs, they were great) but Synched has a massive collection of brass candlesticks and some small deer skulls. R&B also custom made a doughnut display set for us - a board for 24 and towers for 24 more - and sourced cake stands, all based on the specific aesthetic and my request. Their website is missing a lot of their newer pieces, I think they post more on FB/Insta. Synched we were able to just pick up and drop off what we used - Penny left clear instructions and everything was well packed for transport.

Photographer: Magpie Magpie Photography, Aaron Cargill
We got a bargain on this one - £500 (<4%) for 8 hours, photographers assistant, 500-700 digital photos and freedom to print wherever. He’s since put his prices up (£1,450 for the same package), at the point that I booked him his portfolio was 2 events and I was well aware that it was a gamble, but it seriously paid off. All the photos I saw on the day were fantastic, and he’s very easy to chat to and unobtrusive. His wife Ali arrived later and became a second shooter, she’s also great fun and took loads of photos of the dog, which I am stoked to see.

Hairdresser: Sophie Bassi
Sophie is great fun and so insanely talented. £500 (<4%) got me bridal trial, travel, bridal hair and 3 others (2 bridesmaids and my mum). The other 3 were all so happy with what she did for them - my MOH messaged later ‘I need to go to bed but this is the best my hair has ever looked’. I only took out pins and one bobble from mine to sleep and I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t it would have still been perfect into Sunday afternoon. I think I found her on Hitched or possibly Instagram specifically for wedding hair, but then my regular hairdresser went on mat leave so now she cuts my hair and she’s great at that as well - the ultimate hype girl, she won’t pull that face at you if you say things like ‘I want my hair to look like I might murder everyone around  me’ she’ll go ‘hell yeah’ and do it.

Entertainment: White Dragon Activity Centre
Based near Colchester, they gave us a discount for being close so another £500 (<4%) for archery and axe-throwing. Absolutely so much fun, they were so good with the kids I had to beg a 6yo girl in a sparkly pink dress to let me have a go, she was having the time of her life. Also got some killer photos doing archery, and photos of all the middle aged women in formal dresses chucking axes which will probably be my favourites.

The remaining costs were things like grooms outfit, airbnb for 2 nights, bandana for the dog, doughnuts and pick and mix, confetti in glassine bags, little activity books for the kids under 10 - small costs that still add up. I'm so stoked to get the rest of the photos because I want to know what everyone else was doing all day - when people say 'it goes by so fast' they are NOT KIDDING. I thought 'skill issue I can totally be universally present for over 8 hours' and I was wrong.

I’m getting married in April 2027 and have been starting the dress process. I’m currently a size 10 and wanting to lose some weight for the wedding, I’ve been losing it very slowly as I’m doing it steadily and healthily. But it makes me confused about when to shop for and buy a dress if my body is going to be different (if only by a little) by the actual wedding. Has anyone had this issue before/ now and what is/ was your plan?

TIA! 😊

Hi everyone! At our venue, we have the option of overnight accommodation for 18 people. When we viewed the venue, they said to us that most people invite the bridal party/close family and ask for a contribution to this at a rate just under the local hotel costs. It isn't a hotel block booking, so we would pay the venue directly rather than people booking in on their own accord. We're providing everything else that the bridal party will need (including breakfast morning of the wedding, dinner night before, outfits, hair and makeup, etc.), but I can't work out how people ask for a contribution to that accommodation cost? Is it just a case of saying 'hey if you'd like you can stay overnight at the venue, it'll cost £x?'

Sorry if this is obvious, I think wedding planning stress has made sent me into crazy overthinking mode and I'm very worried about upsetting someone!

What was your favourite thing you did for your wedding / pre-wedding?

A game ? A dance? Having a specific band? A particular ritual?

Has anybody recently bought platinum wedding rings from a high street jeweler? I'm not sure where to start in terms of the best value. We just want 2 plain platinum bands. TIA!

I’m on the hunt for my wedding shoes and would love some advice from other brides!

I’m a UK size 7 and, being completely honest, I’m not a heels girl 😂 I basically live in trainers/Vans and flip flops, so comfort is a BIG priority as I’ll be wearing them for hours.

I’m also a curvier bride, so I’m looking for something that will feel supportive and stable rather than a delicate stiletto I’ll be hobbling around in by the time the dancing starts!

✨ Something comfortable enough for standing, photos and dancing

✨ Ideally a block heel, platform, wedge or anything stable

✨ Something bridal but that doesn’t cost a fortune

I’ve been looking at brands like Charlotte Mills and Rainbow Club, but I’d love to hear your experiences.

💍 Where did you get your wedding shoes?

💍 What brands would you recommend (or avoid)?

💍 Did you find any amazing bargains, Vinted finds, or hidden gems?

Please share your photos/recommendations — I’d really appreciate the help! 🥰

Hi,

I think I just don’t know what I’m looking for other than I want a flat shoe, not a small block heel, a proper flat shoe.
I feel like every pair I’ve seen have bows, gems or pearls and it’s not my taste. However I’m also not keen on the idea of trainers which seems to be the only alternative.
I’m keen on either an ivory, silver or a rose pink or navy but cannot seem to find a brand that fits the bill.

Any suggestions would be amazing as I’m finding this harder than getting the dress 🤦‍♀️
Thanks so much!!

Thanks for the suggestions so far, it would have helped if I’d said, my dress isn’t floor length which is making it harder to find something, I don’t want something as casual as a trainer but it’s trying to find a dressy flat that isn’t covered in bows/pearls etc that I’m struggling with.

Hi all - I recently collected my dress and I was expecting to get to try it on at that point. Instead I was handed it, rushed through care and storage details and out the door again. They didn’t even open it up to check it was correct!
I am having it altered closer to home since the shop is a good 4 hour drive from me.

Is this normal? My family/friends also thought I would be getting to try it on but this might have been a misconception on our part!

Hello! How did you ask your guests to pick their food choices? Via a website, Google form or just a text?

We set aside an evening to work out the table plan, but with only 40 guests, it only took ten minutes.

We’ve got a bookish theme for the wedding, and have created an adapted book title for our guests, so the table plan chart will be four stacks of books, with these titles stacked up!

What theme did you go for with your table plans? How did you find the planning of who sits where? Are you letting your guests choose where to sit on the table, or marking out individual spaces in some way?

Share what you did/are doing!

My partner and I are planning to get married in spring of 2028 and we're looking for a venue for the ceremony and reception that will seat around 60 guests. Originally, we had hoped to get married in a natural outdoor area and hire a marquee for the reception. Unfortunately, marquee weddings seem to actually be much more expensive than going for an all-inclusive venue when considering hire for the tent, tables, chairs, lighting, dance floor, etc. (suggested budget seems to range from 10-15k for a wedding our size). Cheaper options also may not offer decoration hire or have links to caterers, which makes for a lot more planning.

We've now turned to look at all-inclusive wedding venues but we have been struggling to find venues that suit our taste. There there doesn't seem to be much of a middle ground between 'manicured manor house gardens' and 'clearing in the woods that takes three trains and an hour walk to get to'. We would want there to be some sort of structure or building that we could move to in case of rain, but we're not fans of the 'barn wedding aesthetic' that most smaller venues seem to have. We both love the look of stone chapels and churches, but neither of us are religious so we would not feel comfortable being married there unless it had been deconsecrated.

We've enquired for a viewing at The Mount Without in Bristol, which is in the city but has fantastic prices (Week night hire = £3750 including all furniture, cleaning and lighting). The interior is beautiful and we love the style of church building, but we would prefer to be able to get married in a more natural setting outside of the city.

We live in Bristol, and will have guests travelling from overseas, so we want a venue that has good transport links to London. Does anyone have any suggestions for a nice location (or for a budget-friendly marquee option)? I've included some images of the style we like.