Top Tuesday: Top 5 Props for Wedding Photos

Breaking news! We’re introducing a brand new blog feature called ‘Top Tuesday’ featuring our favourite pick of wedding trends, ideas and inspiration for our brides and grooms. As the name suggests, this will appear on our blog on Tuesdays (about once/twice a month), alongside our well established and popular ‘Miscellaneous Monday’ and ‘Fashion Friday’.

For our first ‘TopTuesday’ we took inspiration from Pinterest, which is bursting with delightful and funky props for wedding day snapshots. After long consideration, here’s our 5 favourite prop ideas to make your couple pictures look natural and relaxed, while your guests have fun taking group shots.  

1.  Bunting banner – so cute and an easy way to create a personalised ‘Thank you’ message for your guests 

   

   Image by Andrea's Impressions Photography, taken from Pinterest

2.  You’ve been framed - large frames make great pics! Simples! Just add your names and the wedding date and let the fun begin! 

   

   Image from Pinterest

3. Sunshine in the swing - enjoy a quiet moment together to take in the day in a beautifully embellished swing. 

   

   Image by Arina B Photography, taken from Pinterest

4. When Harry met Sally – oversize letters of the bride’s and broom’s initials are a nice personal touch and look great in photos! 

   

   Image by Ed Peers, from Pinterest

5. A pretty parasol can create amazing photo opportunities – let your photographer play with light and shadows as you and your groom share a few ‘secret’ kisses. 

   

   Image from Pinterest

If you simply can’t decide on any of these, there's one more option: hire a photo booth. Over the recent years, photo booths have become more and more popular at weddings – after all, who can resist the colourful and quirky hats, glasses and masks? Some of our talented local suppliers  provide them for a small charge: Pudding Bridge, Fishee Designs, Snap in a box and Bristol Photo Booths . 

We’d love to have your feedback on this new feature. Will you consider any of the props for your big day? Just pop over on our Facebook and Twitter pages and share your thoughts. To see our full board with even more ideas, visit our Pinterest page. 

Miscellaneous Monday: Pretty umbrellas and parasols

We can’t get enough of umbrellas on Miscellaneous Monday this week!  There are so many ways you can incorporate them into your wedding day – after all, you can’t leave anything up to chance!  For inspiration, take a look at our new Pinterest board featuring some of our favourite parasol ideas - repin or make your own board and let us know on Twitter! And if you haven't already, read our West Weddings summer issue, where you'll find more planning inspiration!

Natasha and Ryan - a picture of love under the umbrella  

Accessorize your dress with a matching parasol

Follow West Weddings's board Pretty umbrellas and parasols on Pinterest.

       Ceremony! Outdoor ceremonies are more and more popular and perfect for summer weddings!  If your dream day is saying your vows alfresco, then a perfectly pretty arch made with fresh flowers and beautiful brollies is your best choice for decor.  Say your vows in the sunshine and don’t forget to provide a station of parasols for your guests, too – they’ll appreciate the shade!

 Reception! Create a unique reception style with scattered upside-down umbrellas in your colour theme. This idea works well outside for a summer wedding as well as inside when the weather is cooler– as long as you’re not superstitious! You can also use parasols as centre pieces, by tucking them into flower vases or as place names for your guests. Another idea is to decorate your drinks with mini crochet umbrellas to add a burst of colour.

Evening party! Cluster white or pastel parasols together and some fairy lights for a stunning canopy, which can decorate the dance floor.  After sunset, enjoy your first dance as husband and wife in a magical setting.

Accessories! Umbrellas make great accessories and gifts for your bridesmaids - they’ll keep them dry and shaded on the day and be lovely keepsakes afterwards. Used as props, they also provide plenty of fun photo opportunities!