Wearing flats on your wedding day

The shoes that you choose can make a huge difference on your wedding day. Would you wear flats on your wedding day, or are high heels a must?

I must admit that shoes confuse me, I’m not a ‘lover of shoes’ kinda gal. I get that they are stunning, beautiful things, but high heels and I are not really friends. We just don’t get along. I’m more of a flat little ballet shoe kind of person (or more honestly, a Birkenstock wearer).  If I do wear high shoes the heel needs to be chunky, otherwise I do those very ungraceful wobbles like a drunk person. I need to watch i don’t sprain both ankles! I used to joke and say that I wanted to wear white Doc Martins on my wedding day (well, it was the 90’s). I kind of wished that I had now.

I love looking at pretty shoes, and wedding shoes are no different. Wedding shoes can be really beautiful, and I love the trend of wearing coloured shoes for the big day. Lots of the weddings I have conducted, the brides have worn some stunningly colourful shoes.  Check out the weddings of Kate and Dan, or Suzy and Matt for examples of great shoes.

What about the idea of two pairs of wedding shoes? The high amazing shoes for the ceremony and the photos, then the cute and comfortable flat shoes for the rest of the day. This idea makes good sense, and gives brides the opportunity to have the best of both worlds if that is what she wants. Some brides have used heel savers or high heel protectors, which stop heels digging onto the grass when you are in a park. Some people have even started supplying them to their guests when they arrive at the ceremony in some outdoor weddings. Sometimes it is not just a park and grass that people have to contend with. I have conducted beach weddings where on the invitations the couple have suggested that shoes are optional.

But what about when it is impractical for high shoes to be worn? Do you still need those Jimmy Choo’s? What is a bride to do? Does convenience and safety come in to play? Or is it one time where you just have to wear the nicest shoes no matter what the conditions are?

Thank you to Love Journal Photography for the photos for the blog this week. Check out their website here or find them on facebook here.

Readings in your Ceremony

Readings in your ceremony are a great way to included people important to you. They are also a wonderful way to express some more of your individuality and tell your guests a bit about you and the love that you share. It is especially a great way to let someone close to you say something about you as a couple in your wedding.

There are so many things that you can choose to have as readings in your ceremony. Some people choose their favourite childhood storybook, some people choose a song to be read out. Some people like to have readings, or a funny antidote or analogy that relate to their interests or professions.

Readings are a great way for the bride and groom to break up what they need or want to say during the ceremony too. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t feel comfortable with all of the attention that your wedding day brings or you are really nervous about public speaking, you can put a reading between your vows and ring exchange so that you don’t feel so overwhelmed by all of the speaking at once.

Readings are a great way to keep the peace too. For example, if one part of your family is quite religious and were wanting you to be married in a church but you and your partner had your hearts set on a little chapel and are comfortable with religion in your ceremony, it would be lovely for a family member to read a bible reading or a prayer during your ceremony.

Some of the weddings that I have conducted have had some wonderful readings in them. A couple that stick out in my mind was at Trudy and Ross’s wedding. They had a fantastic reading called ‘All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarden’, a lovely and funny reading that really fit into the ceremony as Trudy is a primary school teacher. Heidi and Alex had Dr Suess’ ‘Oh, the places you will go!’ Krissy and Glen had ‘the Owl and the Pussy cat’. They all just fit really well and suited the style and personality of the couples.

Have you been to a wedding that has had a funny or unusual reading during their ceremony?

Thanks to Kirralee for the photos on this weeks blog. I am really looking forward to working with Kirralee on an upcoming wedding in November, check out her blog here and her facebook page here.

Wearing white to a Wedding

Wearing white to a wedding, unless you are a bride is a huge ‘no no’ in my book. I thought that most people thought the same way, but apparently not.  A little while back when meeting with a lovely couple, one of them asked me what I wear to a wedding. (You can read my blog about what I wear here.) I explained what I generally wear and how I go about choosing an outfit to wear on someone’s wedding day.

They then went on to tell me about a wedding they had attended were the celebrant wore a white dress. I was shocked and mortified. Who on earth would do that? The only reason would be if the couple were having a wedding where they asked everyone to come dressed in white, or had asked for the celebrant to do this. In my opinion, no one except the bride, should arrive at a wedding wearing white.
Do you think that it is ever ok to wear white to a wedding if you are not the bride?

Thank-you to the Love Journal for their lovely photos. Check out their website here and like them on facebook to stay updated with all of their work.