2020– A year no one could have predicted.

For me it was a year that held so much promise. Bringing my bridal hair styling business back to the UK after time in Canada. This hopeful feeling wasn’t solely felt by me. So many brides and grooms were excited for their 2020/21 weddings.

A lot of my brides, like so many others, have had to postpone or change their wedding day. This has meant at times they’ve had to make big changes to their day- the style of day, the venue, the guest list etc. Making these changes can be stressful but many brides have found that the micro wedding has been just as special and more intimate. One of my 2020 brides changed her wedding to the 30 guests dictated by the guidelines. I will be telling you more about this further into this post.

One thing that is certain right now, intimacy and connection is more important than anything, not just for couples but for everyone in your life. Remember that you aren’t alone in this!

You aren’t alone!

Being a supplier in the wedding industry has definitely had its challenges this year. Throughout it all, I have wanted to support my current bookings and future bookings as much as possible. This at times has meant being flexible and also believing that ‘everything happens for a reason’. I strongly follow this statement and believe that once this is all over the reasons will unfold.

One positive that has come out of the temporary uncertainty is it has brought the bridal and hair styling community so much closer together. We are sharing advice, styling tips and business skills generously.

If you are looking for some hair styling inspiration there are stylists sharing their knowledge through Instagram lives, reels and posts. Here are some of the stylists I love to watch: http://www.instagram.com/lalasupdos http://www.instagram.com/lynnettechasmerhairstylist, http://www.instagram.com/lornaevanseducation, http://www.instagram.com/lisaalgerhair, http://www.instagram.com/kimannesley.hair

Community

I want to also take this opportunity to give a shout out to some amazing local suppliers I have had the opportunity to connect with. When checking off your “wedding to do list” keep these suppliers in mind. Have a look at their Instagrams/websites. You won’t be disappointed.

Photographers

Emily Robinson– http://www.emilyrobinsonphotography.co.uk

Becky Kerr– http://www.beckerrphotography.com

Make-up artist

Sonara Parker and team– http://www.sonaraparker.com

Lauren McCabe- http://www.bylaurenmccabe.com

Florist

The Flower Trailer – http://www.petalandtwig.co.uk

Making decisions

Making decisions can be very overwhelming. Try and not compare yourselves to other couples and how they are approaching decisions. Every couple and every situation are different. It’s important to keep communicating in times like this. If you do this it means the decision you both come to is one that you are both happy with and won’t regret. The wedding day is a celebration of the two of you. You may decide to postpone the whole day and keep your celebration as you imagined it. You may decide to change your day to fit the COVID-19 restrictions or you may even have the ceremony on your original date and then have the reception a year later so that all those people that you wanted there can be part of the celebration at a later occasion.

One bride who wasn’t afraid of making those decisions is Sarah. I had the fortunate opportunity to style her and the bridal party. Not only was she my first post covid wedding but she is also one of my best friends.

This is her reflection on her special day.

“I was lucky enough to get married in September. My original wedding ceremony and wedding reception was to be at Eaves Hall with 100 guests and then an additional 50 guests in the evening. With the uncertainty of whether a wedding reception would be allowed to go ahead and the strain of that uncertainty, we decided early on to cancel the Eaves Hall reception and just have the ceremony with up to 24 guests. Fortunately we had the option to have the reception at a family house on their land using a marquee instead. Even though this wasn’t what we pictured it ended up being the perfect celebration. We had 30 guests and perfect weather. Sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky. The ceremony at Eaves Hall had our nearest and dearest. The reception was in the Ribble Valley looking out onto the countryside. The setting and the marquee provided an intimate reception among our closest family and friends.”