Sharing The Love For UK Wedding Blogs…

Love My Dress UK Wedding Blog I was inspired this week to show some love to all the many people I’ve befriended since beginning Love My Dress. I have made some really genuine and wonderful connections – people from all walks of life who I'm now in touch with on an almost daily basis, and some of whom I have been lucky enough to share the company of. 

I now mix in the virtual (and sometimes very real) social circles of Wedding Photographers, Wedding Planners, Wedding Stationers, Bridal Wear, Jewellery and Accessory Designers, Milliners, Shoe Designers, Artists, Illustrators and Brides planning their weddings, not to mention the odd Groom!  And of all the new friends and creative people I’m connecting with lately, some of the most passionate about their subject, are the Bloggers.  The Wedding Bloggers to be precise.  

Being a Wedding Blogger after all is about communicating;  connecting with other people, making new friends, being inspired and being happy to ‘share’ what we as Bloggers find on our travels around the interweb.  As this article about PR Companies and Bloggers very well explains, “Its all about learning from each other, banding together and showing that we as bloggers are a viable resource in the bridal industry”

This time last year, ‘UK Wedding Blogs’ were a pretty rare phenomenon – and yet back then, and more so now, there were a number of very high profile and highly successful US based wedding blogs – take Style Me Pretty, Ruffled, and Snippet & Ink for instance – all of them absolutely fabulous resources, beautifully designed and very addictive reads.  Heck, the US even have their own Wedding Bloggers Annual Conference – an aspiration indeed for us UK counterparts.  However, there is more than a little noise being made in the UK Wedding Blog camp at the moment, and I for one am not trying to stay quiet!

Never one to be quiet, my Daughter on our wedding day ~ Photograph Copyright (c) 2010, Karen McGowran


Our Daughter on our March 2009 Wedding Day, Photography by Karen McGowran...
Our Daughter on our March 2009 Wedding Day, Photography by Karen McGowran...

With the exponential growth of online social media and the decline in sales of the traditional wedding magazine, more and more Brides and Grooms to be are turning to the internet to seek inspiration when it comes to planning their own wedding – and there is a strong (and some would consider, controversial) argument currently taking place in the wedding industry on why Wedding Blogs are now more popular than wedding magazines.

But, in an era where we are all feeling the financial pinch, isn’t the reason for this more than obvious?

Photography Copyright (c) 2010, Polly Alexandre – full 'real wedding feature' to follow…

A beautiful British Bride in a stunning Jenny Packham Wedding Dress, Photography by Polly Alexandre...
A beautiful British Bride in a stunning Jenny Packham Wedding Dress, Photography by Polly Alexandre...

WEDDING BLOGS ARE FREE.  They can be dipped into at any time, saving you a trip to your local shops and a purse that comes back approximately £4.99 lighter – per magazine!  I swear I purchased my own body weight in wedding magazines over 2008/09 when I was planning my own wedding.  Had the UK Wedding Blog community been as active then as it is now, I am darn sure I could have saved a small fortune!  (did you know that that most Brides to be these days plan the bulk of their wedding from their work PCs, during their lunch hour?).   

So where am I leading to with this? 

Well, whilst there are web-based tools popping up all the time allowing anybody to blog their musings from anywhere for free – being able to write in a way that truly engages your readers and brings them coming back for more is not an easy task, and throws many challenges your way.  I'm learning new things every day and certainly don't claim to be the biggest and the best, but what I do know is, Blogging isn't always easy.  There are oft-spent late nights writing and editing, there is pressure to turn out posts on a daily schedule, there are bouts of writers block, dodgy web connections letting you down when you least need it, and on occasion, even hostility from other Bloggers who might feel threatened by your growing brand/success. And on top of this, many of us are balancing our passion for Blogging with part or full time jobs, Motherhood (and in my case, pregnancy too) and of course, being a devoted Wife 🙂

Photography Copyright (c) 2010, Anna Hardy
– full 'real wedding feature' to follow…

British Wedding Photography by Anna Hardy... British Wedding Photography by Anna Hardy...

I have experienced all of these challenges and more (and I thank my wonderful Husband for having put up with me throughout!).  Having been writing for 6 months now, I feel I know what hard work and effort goes into maintaining a marketable Blog.   Furthermore, in my humble opinion, it is usually fairly obvious when a Blogger is only in it for the personal exposure, or just for the opportunity to monetise their blog and ‘make a quick buck’ from their musings. I'm not trying to sound holier than though – I hope you understand my point. 

Aside from all the support from my family and friends, one thing that has spurred me on hugely is the honest and informative feedback I have received from fellow Brit-bloggers.  They tell me when I’m doing it right and also gently nudge me when I’m veering off path a little.  They've picked me up when I’ve been criticised by others and the extra nice ones 're-tweet’ my Blog features – helping spread the word about Love My Dress to an even wider readership. 

Photography Copyright (c) 2010, Eliza Claire Photography
– full 'real wedding feature' to follow…


British Bride, photographed by Eliza C...

I LOVE blogging.  I’ve truly found my passion, and I love how it connects me to so many wonderfully creative people.  And to celebrate this, I felt it was time I waved the flag a little for our home-grown talent!  And so, in true ‘community spirit’, I have decided I’d like to show some BIG LOVE to the UK Wedding Bloggers currently rocking the UK Wedding scene and beyond, and who make me feel proud to be a part of this burgeoning online community 🙂

Each of these Bloggers offer their own unique perspective on the world of weddings; they are funny, honest, genuine and passionate in their musings and they provide content that inspires me every time.   The are also, each and every one of them, fabulous people;  pleasant, kind, honest and happy to share their ideas and support their fellow Bloggers and others working hard to raise their profiles within the wedding industry.   They are networkers, sharers and effective communicators and they all have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the UK wedding industry.  Best of all, they gain the most pleasure simply by knowing that they have inspired you; provided you with a moment of escapism, left you with that little snippet of information you didn't know you were looking for – that golden nugget of a find you can go and excitedly add to your Wedding Day wish list.

Add them to your browser favourites or subscribe to their Blogs in Google Reader now.  Leave some comments, tell them what you like most about what they do, or drop them an email to share your appreciation, and in turn, they will continue to provide you with free and fantastic inspirational content through their brilliant UK Wedding Blogs. 

The following are in no particular order:-


Rock 'n Roll Bride – Your Big Day the Rock 'n Roll Way
http://www.rocknrollbride.com

Rock 'n Roll Bride UK Wedding Blog...

If this one is new to you, where have you been?  Frequently described as the ‘Queen of Wedding Blogs’, Kat Williams, author of Rock ‘n roll Bride, is currently stomping the Blog charts with her shocking pink hair and world-class wedding photography related blog posts.

Kat started a personal blog back in 2007 whilst planning her April 2008 wedding (soon to feature on Love My Dress!) but soon discovered a passion for writing and of course, Photography.  Once wed, Kat’s personal blog took on a new identity and became a haven where Brides to be on a global scale could seek inspiration on the less-commercial and more off-beat style wedding. 

Today, Kat’s Blog attracts a huge number of visitors and her blog is highly regarded by the UK Wedding Photography Industry as being a platform to promote up and coming talent, as well as showcasing the work of some of the worlds more established Photographers.  Kat and her Blog have become so influential within the field of Wedding Photography infact, that she is asked to speak at national events, and also writes a regular column for Photo-Pro Magazine

Kat updates her blog several times daily and run’s a rather addictive ‘Thursday Treats’ post with links to all the goodies that she finds in her weekly interweb travels.  Definitely one of my favourite blogs and favourite bloggers.

Tiffany Grant Riley ~
UK Vintage Wedding Planner

http://grantrileyweddings.blogspot.com/

Grant Riley Weddings

Run by Tiffany Grant-Riley, Grant-Riley Weddings is a London and Kent based wedding planning
company offering the highest standard of bespoke wedding services.
Tiffany designs, styles and coordinates
weddings which reflect the individuality of her clients. Her unique
vintage service gives brides with a taste for the past a chance to
indulge themselves in vintage wedding design and Tiffany has one of the
best reputations in the UK as a 'Vintage Wedding Planner'.  Seriously,
Tiffany is like an oracle when it comes to all things vintage – she
likes nothing more than scouring around little antique shops and
researching the past, and she has styled some truly OUT OF THIS WORLD
weddings so far – check out
her portfolio here.  Tiffany is so exuberant too, she has such a
passion for what she does, and this comes through in any communication
you have with her.  Definitely one of my favourite peeps in the UK
Wedding industry 🙂


London Bride ~ Bringing Style to the British Aisles
http://www.london-bride.com/

London Bride UK Wedding Blog...

Written by Charley Beard, who is smart and sassy with her ideas and always comes up with the original and inspirational features, London Bride Blog covers wedding day décor, bridal wear, stationery – the works.  Charley is a natural writer (I love Charley’s tongue-in-cheek humour) and her features are always visually appealing.  I get many snippets of inspiration from this fabulous little Blog.   I note too that Charley has no sponsors and that’s certainly not because she wouldn’t be able to secure any if she set out to;  she writes what she writes because she wants to, and is extremely passionate about her subject.  Charley also now 'Guest Blogs' for Love My Dress Sponsor, and one of our favourite UK Photographers, Emily Quinton.


Little Miss Wedding
http://www.littlemisswedding.co.uk

Lmw

One of the first bloggers that showed me genuine support and
one of the first bloggers to pass press queries my way too – Little
Miss Wedding clearly understands the benefit of sharing and making new
friends/connections 🙂

This lovely little UK Wedding Blog is for people who are looking for
something ’boutique’, unusual, fantastic or ridiculous, and it strives
to give you ideas and inspiration, and reviews of top UK wedding
suppliers.

Little Miss Wedding author explains further…"What we’re trying
to do is help inspire couples to add character and something unique to
their special day. Not only that but to share those fantastic suppliers
that we have used and make sure that couples have a stress free and fun
run up to the wedding because they are using reliable, good value and
honest wedding suppliers – it really can make all the difference."


Anna And The Ring ~
From "Oh Yes" to "I Do" And Beyond…

http://annaandtheringlondon.blogspot.com/

Anna And The Ring UK Wedding Blog...

Anna’s blog documents her experiences
as she plans for her December 2010 wedding day.  I love this blog – it
is so beautifully written, and has been known to make me both laugh out
loud, and on occasion, move me to tears for its raw and open honesty.

This
isn’t just a blog about sharing fabulous finds, something which Anna
clearly has a knack for (see her 'Wedding Wednesday' posts) – it is more
like a personal diary, a journal of what a Bride to be truly goes
through, all the highs and lows in the run up to one of the biggest days
in her life.  It makes for compelling and often very humorous reading.


Bridal Soup ~ Daily
Inspiration for the Modern Bride

http://www.bridalsoup.com

Bridal Soup UK Wedding Blog...

Bridal Soup was initially established by UK Wedding
Photographers Steve Gerrard and Emily
Quinton
, and is now maintained by Steve and fellow British Photographer Emma
Case
.  Steve explains, "People are now after something completely
different when it comes to wedding imagery and our couples trust us to
do what we do, make them look amazing and capture the fun, the
expressions, the relationships, the details, those once-in-a-lifetime
moments… In short, the story of their day. Along the way we discover
other wedding suppliers who are doing something fantastic and creative
and we can’t wait to tell our brides about them. In fact, we want to
tell ALL brides about them! And so, Bridal Soup was born…"

Stylish, chic, cool, definitely one I like regularly dipping into and
nice to have the perspective from the Photographers themselves too…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So there you have it folks – my favourite UK Wedding Blogs.  I've no doubt there will be new blogs popping up over the coming weeks and months that will also inspire me and become favourites too ..  but for now, these are the ones that are rocking my blog world 🙂

Happy Friday everyone 🙂

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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