How to tie the knot – blogs for brides to be

Clevedon Hall Wedding Venue

A few years ago I was invited to start writing blog posts for Clevedon Hall, a local wedding venue.

I had misgivings.  I’m not the most obvious choice when it comes to writing about all things wedding.  My wife and I lived together for thirty years before finally tying the knot – so what does that say about my RQ (Romance Quotient)?  Also, 99% of wedding blogs tend to be very girly, written by girly girls.  A recent list of the top 25 wedding bloggers in the UK included Georgia Tolley, Louise Baltruschat, Annabel Beeforth, Charlotte O’Shea, Emily Pettiford, Jessica Turley – not a Jim in sight.  They are all, without exception, young (under 35, which is young compared to me).  The tone of the posts tends (as you would expect) to be feminine, whimsical, innocent, romantic, breathless – quite different from the sort of stuff I’m usually writing about, such as professional indemnity insurance, marketing case studies or B2B web pages.

However, with every new client I have to put a completely fresh head on and plunge myself into a world I know nothing about.  If I can write about the Welsh biotech cluster, French skincare products, the Dewalt DCD776S2T-GB 18V 1.5AH Li–ion XR cordless combi-drill, period architectural joinery, luxury Swiss watches, art treasures of Venice and the latest foodie trends then a few posts about weddings shouldn’t be beyond my capabilities.

I’ve just completed the 40th post and I’m enjoying it.  Whilst this has involved getting in touch with my feminine side I’ve not gone overboard in that direction.  Instead of pretending I’m an expert is all things fashion, style and beauty, or slipping into dizzy romantic mode, I’ve concentrated on giving practical answers to the common questions that brides to be are probably asking themselves.

Here are some examples:

Choosing a wedding venue – what questions should you ask?

Weddings and social media – a marriage made in heaven?

Three great destinations for a minimoon

Choosing the ring – a quick guide for brides

The maid of honour – what you need to know

Who pays for what when you wed?