Photo: Gail Secker Photography As you begin your Wedding Planning Journey, the first and probably most important step is to set your budget. Whilst it may not be the most exciting part of wedding planning, deciding on your budget early on is essential for ensuring that your special day is both beautiful and financially manageable. Below are my top 7 reasons why you need a wedding budget. 1.Get clear about your finances Establishing a budget provides you with a clear understanding of how much you can afford to spend on your wedding. It helps you avoid overspending and ensures that you s ..read more

  Planning a wedding is undeniably one of the most exciting times in your life, but it can also be incredibly stressful. With so many details to organise, decisions to make, and expectations to meet, it's easy to get overwhelmed and neglect your own health and wellbeing in the process. However, taking care of yourself is essential to ensuring that you not only enjoy your wedding day but also approach the planning process with a clear mind and positive attitude. Below are some tips for prioritising your health and wellbeing while planning your dream wedding. 1. Establish self care ritu ..read more

The last few years have really set the traditional wedding axes on a tilt. We are seeing a big shift in how weddings are structured and what couples choose to include in their day. After the pandemic we are a lot more in tune with what we want and making it happen. It’s about taking life by the horns and running with it and weddings are no exception. From unique and non traditional venues, coloured dresses, off beat entertainment, unusual food choices and the order of the day itself, every aspect has seen some sort of shake up. But the results are amazing, unique, personal weddings that ar ..read more

At home garden weddings are my favourite kind of wedding to plan, co-ordinate and style, and this one was a beauty. From the start the couple wanted to do it their way, and the whole day was full of personal touches that made the day so special and unique to them. From the home garden setting to the fencing masks and swords incorporated in the wedding decor to tell the story of how they met. The whole day was just them doing them and it was perfect! The decor was simple yet elegant and the beautiful florals by Jess from J Austin Designs were just beautiful. A mix of seasonal foliage and fr ..read more

You spend so long planning your wedding day, but so many couples forget to actually make the most of it when the day comes. They are so caught up in making sure everything goes to plan, that the day is over before they realise. Here are my top 10 tips to make the day itself as stress free as possible so you can both relax and make the most of what you have achieved! 1. Don’t stress out about the weather! You can’t control it and you can’t predict it so what’s the point in losing sleep? Do however make contingency plans. Make sure you have umbrellas in case it rains, blankets for if it’s ..read more

An outdoor wedding in November in the UK?? You must be crazy right? Actually you're not! There are many people who choose to do this and take advantage of the colder weather and darker days to make their day warm and inviting and cosy. Think sitting around a fire surrounded by fairy lights, lanterns and candles, wrapped in cosy blankets and dancing to keep warm! There are however certain things you can do to make your Outdoor Winter Wedding as special as possible. 1. Choosing your Location Tipi or barn weddings can be so cosy in the winter, indoor fire pits and lots of twinkling lights, y ..read more

Starting to plan a wedding can be a daunting task. Where do you start? What needs to be done first? Many people think that choosing the venue is the place to start and everything else will fall into place, which to an extent can be true, but there are some decisions that need to be made before you even look at a venue. The more information you have before you start your search the easier it will be and the less time you will waste viewing venues that were never going to be right for you to begin with. Here are my top 10 things to consider BEFORE you start your venue search. 1. Budget Bef ..read more

Here at Willow and Rust we love to champion other small sustainable businesses, we believe that more sustainable weddings has to be the way forward for the wedding industry and love supporting like minded suppliers. Claire is the owner of Unique Hair Combs, an online eco-friendly bridal accessory and vintage jewellery business based in York. Claire designs beautiful hair combs from up-cycled vintage and antique brooches. She also offers bespoke services for brides wishing to incorporate treasured items of jewellery into their day, for example an item that belonged to a loved one that canno ..read more

Have you thought about hiring a stylist for your wedding but are undecided and not sure how exactly they can help or what they will do? A stylist will bring your wedding to the next level visually and take a big chunk of the work away from you so you can concentrate on other aspects of planning your day. Below are my top 9 reasons you should consider a Wedding Stylist. 1. A stylist can bring your vision to life Like most couples you probably have a myriad of ideas, Pinterest boards and Insta saves, but now you need to do something with them. Your stylist will sort through all of your id ..read more

This time next year I will be a Mrs and I will be dancing the night away with my husband under the stars and the twinkling fairy lights surrounded by our family and friends. As I sit writing this it should have been 65 days today until our wedding, but instead, due to Covid-19 it’s now 365. When all of this first started it didn’t even cross our minds that it would affect our wedding at the end of July, 6 months seemed such a long time, "...it’s bound to all be over by then!" Then lockdown happened and we thought maybe it will be a bit more of a rush to get things done when everything opens ..read more