Unbridely - Modern Wedding Planning

What if your wedding felt like the best party your family and friends have been to all year? In this episode, a recent Adelaide ceremony at a legendary live music pub shows what happens when a couple starts with the party they love first and then puts their wedding inside it. Donna and Heath’s day proves a ceremony can be heartfelt, personal and quick without losing any of the fun and energy of th...

What is the one thing that sends so many DIY wedding flower plans off the rails, yet has almost nothing to do with the blooms themselves? I found out the hard way, two days before my own big day, armed with nothing but some floppy succulents and a roll of floral wire. This is an encore of Episode 71, because the wisdom is timeless and my disaster is even funnier in hindsight. Lisa Roeser from Fift...

Have you ever saved a wedding dress to Pinterest, absolutely loved it, then found yourself looking at something completely different a week later? And how much of what you think you want to wear on your wedding day is genuinely your personal style, versus what you've been told a bride is supposed to look like? Yesterday, I went along to the Sposa Bride show, where I learned about the historic...

You don’t know what you don’t know and weddings can be like that. There are dozens of little unglamorous things that never make it onto a wedding mood board, but that couples end up wishing they had planned for. This episode is a companion to episode 66, where I counted down 9 regrets I've either lived, read about or heard from my own couples. Well, there are more. 9 more, to be exact. I’m go...

What if the couple getting married this weekend already said their vows privately three days ago, over takeaway dinner, in their pajamas, with absolutely no one else in the room. Wedding ceremonies as we once knew them are being rewritten right now, not because the words matter more than they used to, but because couples are deciding who gets to be part of that moment, and when. Today I am getting...

What do you do if you feel lonely even while surrounded by people who love you? This episode takes a different turn from the usual conversations on this show, discussing a topic that touches wedding vendors and engaged couples alike. An experienced wedding photographer opens up about a period in his life when he felt profoundly lonely, even while building a career and a family he loves.  You'...

How do you create a wedding day that's happy and hopeful, that still feels light and fun, when there's someone who's passed away that you feel a deep need to honour the memory of? This episode isn't about telling you whether to include a tribute or leave it out. Both are completely reasonable choices, and love doesn't disappear just because someone has, along with the inst...

Are the flowers you're dreaming of for your wedding going to be out of season when you want them, or just completely out of your budget? Let me say first, I have so much love and respect for live flower traditional florists. They are some of the hardest working people in the wedding industry, and their artistry deserves to be recognised and valued. This episode is not about choosing a side be...

If you are feeling stuck right now, caught between styling ideas, colour palettes and hire decisions, and not sure what to commit to first, I’ve got something I want you to hear. It sounds unrelated, but I assure you, what I learned this week at a high school book week awards night just might be able to help you find perspective and a solid direction with your wedding planning too. It’s shifted th...

WITH NEVER MISS MOMENTS MID-ROLL AD READ What would you do if your fiancé wanted you to change your last name to theirs after you get married, but you're not completely sold on it?  We had someone ask us this on socials recently, so I've brought back Gen from Easy Name Change to answer this question and three other name change questions that our followers most wanted to know the answers...

How many times do you expect to email one of your wedding vendors before you get a reply? If you've got a coordinator, someone else is keeping count for you. But if you don't, you're the one deciding whether the non-response is normal or a red flag.  I asked four full-service wedding planners, who also oversee each wedding day onsite themselves, 3 questions:  When is too long to wai...

Are you having the same argument with your partner, over and over? This week I chat with Beaonca Ward, a certified relationship coach and marriage and family therapy expert (or MFT) who spends her days in the thick of it with couples who are wedding planning.  You are going to learn what a generational pattern is, and why it has this sneaky habit of showing up the second you start planning a weddi...

Last year a New York bride paid an online witch two dollars for a spell to guarantee sunshine on her wedding day, and the story has gone viral. Since then, brides around the world have been booking Etsy and Tiktok witches ahead of their own weddings, some paying two dollars, some paying up to two hundred.  Is it worth it and do you believe that magic will help your chances of good weather on your...

You know how it goes in wedding planning. Someone tells you emphatically, you have to do this, or whatever you do, do not do that. And some part of you thinks, noted but we’ll do what’s right for us. This is one of those episodes. Parts 1 and 2 of this series gave you the honest picture of love hires from the people who see them play out from first light to last song. And this episode, Part 3, is...

Last week in Part 1 of this 3 part series, Tereza and Tony from Wilson and Lewis Photography broke down what love hires are, why couples are turning to them more than ever, and the ripple effect that runs through a wedding day when an important role is filled by someone learning on the job. This week, they go further. Today in Part 2, you will hear stories from real wedding days, and what it looks...

In the wedding industry, there is an unspoken code: solve the problems quietly, smile and protect the couple's experience. But it has an unintended consequence, because it means engaged couples are making planning decisions without understanding what they are actually costing them. Tereza and Tony from Wilson and Lewis Photography have witnessed hundreds of wedding days from first light to sp...

You’ve decided the big white wedding is not for you and an elopement or micro wedding is what fits you. So you start looking at potential venues, and you hit a wall fast; half of them have a 50 guest minimum, and the other half never actually tell you what is included, or that you have to share the space, until you are already deep into the contract. Today we share the 9 things you need to check b...

You set a budget before you even got engaged or you had a number in your head. And then someone in your family offers to help, maybe with the venue, maybe with the photographer, and suddenly that number isn't entirely yours anymore. And the problem with an offer like that is you're stuck: You don't actually know what they're picturing. They don't actually know what it cost...

You set an RSVP deadline. You put it right there on your wedding invitation. You probably even sent a reminder. And yet, here you are, past that date, staring at a guest list where a chunk of people have just said... nothing. And the problem with no response is that you’re stuck:  Your caterer needs final numbers.  Your venue needs final numbers.  Your seating chart needs names.   Today we’re goin...

While you might not label yourself as a feminist, most of my listeners believe in the value of equality. And that means that some traditional wedding customs definitely don't sit well with you. But your wedding doesn't have to be all or nothing, and this episode is going to show you exactly how to make it yours. My guest, Synclaire Warren, is a Gender Equity Leader, Key Note Speaker, and...

There’s a good chance (91% in fact) you’ve never planned a wedding before and that you’ll only have one shot at it - with no do-overs. Wedding regret is a real thing that can steal joy from the planning, have you feeling anxious on the day and can haunt you afterwards too.  But there are solutions to most dilemmas, circumstances and situations if you’re willing to listen and learn.  In this specia...

You might have arranged an unplugged ceremony, but what about the other 8 to 18 hours of your wedding day when it’s entirely up to your guests as to whether they take photos or video. While many couples don’t mind what’s captured, they often do care about what’s posted to social media, who gets tagged, and when.  Today I’m tackling the stuff the unplugged ceremony conversation never touches: spoil...

How do you make sure your vendors know what an incredible contribution they made to your wedding and what it meant to you? In the United States, the answer is tips and gratuity. It's expected, it's budgeted for, and on an average wedding they add thousands of dollars to a bill engaged couples are already pushed to afford. I recently polled the Unbridely Suppliers Facebook group about thi...

The big group photo. Your wedding photographer might be quietly dreading it. Your guests have mentally clocked where the bar is. And the chances of everyone having their eyes open at the same time are roughly fifty-fifty at best. So is it actually worth it? By the end of this episode you will know: The recent history of the big group photo and how it changes how you think about it Why so many phot...

How can you be sure you’re planning a wedding that your family and friends will actually enjoy? In my job as a celebrant here in Australia this wedding season, I’ve been reminded of some of the basics of wedding planning and how, frequently, it doesn’t matter how big or modest your budget is.  These concepts are about making a welcoming and comfortable space for your guests so they want to stay, a...