All things wedding regrets. "We don't need a DJ Dave pressing a button"

In this episode of The Aisle Diaries Podcast, Sophie and Joella dive into the wedding regrets couples shared after their big day, from things they wish they'd spent more money on, to the trends, extras, and expenses they wish they'd skipped altogether.

We chat about:
✨ The biggest wedding regrets couples have after saying "I do"
🎥 Why photography, videography, and content creation are almost always worth the investment
🎶 Live music vs "DJ Dave" (yes, we're going there 😂)
🍕 Late-night food, wedding favours, photo booths, and entertainment
💸 Wedding budget mistakes and where couples wish they'd spent more (or less)
🏝️ Honeymoon regrets and why rushing off the next day might not be the best idea
🐶 Including your dog in your wedding day
📹 Drone footage, content creators, sparkler exits, signature cocktails, and more
💙 Wedding blues and the emotional comedown nobody talks about

As always, we're sharing honest opinions, real wedding experiences, and practical advice to help you plan a wedding that feels right for you.

✨ Whether you're newly engaged, deep in wedding planning, or simply love hearing the reality behind the confetti, this episode is packed with tips, laughs, and plenty of food for thought.

📩 Got a Bridal Spiral, wedding dilemma, or question you'd like us to answer?

Email us: theaislediaries@gmail.com

Produced by TAEPodcast - www.taepodcast.co.uk

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Welcome to the IOL Diaries Podcast, the place where you find out what really happens behind the chaos and confetti. Because someone's got to tell you the truth, and it's never boring. With tips for your big day, I'm Sophie and I'm Joella.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Hello, hello, hello, hello. Hello. Hello. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

I was really trying to swallow that gun.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

I've just had a really big stretch at the same time as that.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

How are you? I'm okay. Oh, I just am all good.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

I'm all good. I'm all good. How are you, my love? I'm good, yeah. Happy to be drinking coffee and to have my comfy clothes on and to have the blankets on.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

I know. Do you know what? I could actually fall asleep paint now.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

I know, yeah. It's quite peaceful. So we just broke up the silent like, hmm, shall we? Episode 22. Holy couple. 22. Guys, you've been listening for 22 eps, thank you. I'm glad you're not bored. I hope you're still enjoying it. But 22 eps.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

What the fuck?

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Are you proud of us?

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Excuse my language, but what? I know. We've got some exciting things planned coming up as well, which we're obviously not going to reveal too much, but um we've got some exciting guests. We've got yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

A lot coming. Yeah. And what's today's episode about Sophie? Wedding regrets. So yeah, I feel like Do you have any?

SPEAKER_02 1:38

I know that was a really straightforward question, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Yeah, I probably do. I do. Ask me at the end of the episode and I might tell you. Only because my brain's frazzled. Yeah, I do. I need this coffee to kick in ASAP. Oh yeah, regret not having my stepdad do a speech. Oh, we have spoken about this. Only because my dad's was yeah, a second long. Um and I wish I'd just gone with what I wanted to do, not listened to my parents. So that was a regret. Um but I did get my letter off him. I just feel like this sounds really like selfish. But there wasn't really a section that where I had a moment, you know, where people spoke about me and my I think nice traits and what I do for others, other than Ethan obviously sharing nice words. So like the best man just didn't say it, but he was like, Oh my god, like well, everyone was like, What the fuck? He didn't even say like you look nice or anything. So that was a bit gutting, but he didn't mean it, he was just so nervous.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

And then obviously my dad's just was like, Thanks for coming. So yeah, I was a bit disappointed with that because could have gone the opposite way though.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Some dads read it like a C V. I know, I know, and I'm not like it's all about me. I'm not like No, but you actually because you've spent so much time planning it, you want Yeah, you want some reassurance essentially, and the sense of like, okay, I've done everything right, I've done this perfectly.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Yeah, when like the best man's boys, like we're so involved with. So there was so much more to say about that. It wasn't even like about me and my appearance and like me on the day, it was just like what I do for him. Like, I don't know. Anyway, uh let's move on to wedding regrets. So just quickly, like the biggest money regrets, you know, expensive favours, oversized guest lists, late night food, nobody, designer signage, extra decor, wedding cars, spending too much on trends. Like, what's one thing couples think guests notice but they don't? What do you think? I feel like decor, unfortunately, like guests notice. No, what's one thing couples think guests notice but they don't on the day? I would say like the decor.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

No, but I wouldn't, you know. Wouldn't you? No, because when you walk into a room, it's the impact that that has, and people are like, whoo.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

I don't think it has the same impact as it does on you when you have your room revealed because obviously you spent so much time planning it.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

No, I disagree with that. Seeing it in real life is different. That's what I mean.

SPEAKER_02 4:24

That's what I mean. That's what I'm trying to say. Yeah. I feel like when you s when you have that room revealed on your own, like it's different, it's different to when your guests come into that room massively.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Because that's all the late nights, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Yeah, I don't think they notice favours. No, they don't notice favours, they don't appreciate it either. Do you know what I think? And nine times of ten they get left on the table sometimes, unless there's something that like is a letter that they can take away home personally.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

I think when I know I speak about this a lot, so again it's quite contradicting. Like I always say food and entertainment are the top two people remember, but I feel like when there's too much going on at a wedding, I've been at a wedding where I didn't even know there was um a whatchallow, real life artist. Yeah. Completely missed it, and then they had a magician. It was there was so much going on.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

There's too much. There's too much. Yeah, so I would say that. Yeah, there is there is you can overdo it. I'm gonna talk about something in a couple of episodes, um maybe a couple of months down the line about this. Um, and you'll understand why after that. I think I know what you're gonna talk about anyway. Um there is a chance at your wedding to do too much, but there's also a chance to do too little. It's a fine line to get that middle balance, that middle ground, and just having one entertainer at each different section of your day is fine. Sometimes even having none is fine.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

I mean, like just said there, like wedding cars are beautiful, but nobody other than you guys.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Unless you are going from a church, yeah, you essentially don't need one. No.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

No, I know.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

Or a different type of accommodation to your to your venue. Say for example, you're getting ready at home and then you're going to your venue, fine, transport is needed. If you're going from a church to a venue, or from home to church, then to venue kind of thing, yes, you need one.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

I don't think late-night food, because I feel like everybody does eat it. Oh, big. Like they look forward to it. Nine times out of ten when I've been to bed, I'm like, I'm starving. I can't wait for the food to come out later.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

And if it's a piece of it's even better.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Yeah, so I disagree with that one.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

I do too. Um oversized guest list, I would say, isn't something that guests would notice, but the one the one thing I know that guests will notice is if they don't speak to you.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_02 6:58

I've had a friend one of my friends' friends has been to a wedding recently, and it was a three-day wedding, and she didn't even speak to the couple, and she was like, I know for a while that that couple's not gonna remember me being there and celebrating with them because there was that many guests. Uh okay. There was too many guests. So from a guest point of view, you do kinda notice it, but y what you don't notice is the fact that you get to just even say hello to that one couple.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Even just what you've got that many people though for it to be oversight.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

I know.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Yeah. Yeah, I can't really comment on that. I don't I don't yeah, because I've never experienced it, but then you now you've just said that, I get it.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

And I don't think guests will notice if you spend time on trends or any of that kind of thing either, because you've just got to do you can again, it's a fine balance between the three. I've been overdoing it, underdoing it, and that middle ground, and you need to find that middle balance. But also when it comes to trends, I've got a very a very big opinion on the fact that you shouldn't just do it for it's a trend.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

No.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

I mean if you like the trend, do it, and like that's you. It's not even that. Don't do it just because you like it, do it because it resonates with you.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Yeah, like if it's you, like have it.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

And if you don't just do a champagne tower just for the sake of the photos, do it because you you it resonates something with you and it's who you are, and it it's that guests will be like, ah, that's why they've got it.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

So I don't think I think the things that guests will notice or couple sorry think guests will notice is the wedding favours, in my opinion, and they don't. Yeah. Yeah. Because at that point they're too much bothered about going and sitting down and Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Yeah. I agree with that, but I do like I said, I am also I think like if you've got too much going on, that's just too much for a guest. Yeah. So I'm I'm on that one. Okay. So things couples wish they spent more on. It's got a couple of answers. Um so sorry, I've just never spent more coffee. Oh gosh. So the first few are photography and videography. They wish they spent more on my.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

Oh, big time. This one comes up all the time, especially for videography. We have said it time and time and time and time and time and time again, and I will sing this until I am turning blue. Like, sorry, not sing this. I will say this until I am turning blue. You will never regret your photography, your videography, and your content creator at all. Those three things are the tangible things that you will be able to see post-weddings.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

And if you are on the fence and you're like, oh, but like, no. I know. Like honest to God, I can't tell you how much you will absolutely love it. If fine, if you don't want one fine, it's okay. Yeah. It's perfectly okay. Yeah. But if you are even on that fence, go for it. You will not regret it. You will never regret having them there.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

No.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

You will only sorry, you will never regret having them there. You will only regret not having them there.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

A hundred percent. Another one is they wish they'd spent more money on live music.

SPEAKER_02 10:26

I agree. I'm sorry, but we don't need a DJ Dave pressing a button.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

No, I know.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

I can't stand that. Literally, it goes through me.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

Oh, I had such a big list of what not to play.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

But I'm not being funny, but oh, I've got a couple that are planning for it at the minute, and they actually they even use the word DJ Dave, and I was like, yes. And they were like, when you're sourcing quirks, can we not have a DJ Dave? I was like, Of course we can, and I will not give you a DJ Dave. I've told you. Sorry if there's any DJs out there that are really good that are called Dave, but no.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

No. I will say it till I'm turning blue. Two things everyone's gonna remember. Three. Well, yeah, three photographer, videographer, yeah, entertainment, w music, whatever it is, band, and food. Like that is it.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

And then from a guest point of view, it's your food, drink, and your entertainment. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No DJs. I don't think DJs should be a thing if they just literally rock up and press a button on Spotify. I'm really sorry.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

Yeah, I mean we could all we could all do that, couldn't we? Because DJ is a good thing.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Worst case scenario, if something doesn't turn up, I'll do that for you. But like I honestly, somebody who has got a a set of I can I can literally sing out my ears about DJ Holly. If nobody follows DJ Holly, please go and follow her because she is incredible and she's one of my favourite, favourite people to do a wedding with in the evening. And she literally will bring a full, she is a proper DJ, will bring the full decks. Everything has absolutely everything.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

It's really hard mixing when it's done properly. You know, I would know this because I am one. I'm joking. Even brought decks, right? And I was like, Stop! He sold them, he used them twice, it was like they're too hard. I was like, You're giving me the ick. He was like, This in the lounge. And he can't even dance. So he's like, I was just like, oh and he was like, I can't do it, I can't do it. He thought he'd be really good at it. I was like, it's really difficult. Downloaded all the software, everything. And then he sold them. I was like, thank you, and good night.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

Was this before you were married?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

No, this was like last year.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Oh, so there's no you can't even like I'm not married to anyone.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

He was like, I'm just gonna I'm gonna buy some decks. I was like, Podding.

unknown 12:40

What?

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Yeah, yeah. It was awful, awful. Oh my god. Anyway, going off, going off there. Another one. This is sad. Oh. They wish they'd spent more money on the honeymoon. I can see why.

SPEAKER_02 12:57

Oh that's crap. Because some people the usual traditional expectation of getting married is you then go on your honeymoon the next day.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Oh, that's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

It's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

The next day. I always I I personally would never have choose to go on my honeymoon the next day after my wedding.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

And also, I'm not being funny, but if you've got a child in the risk of that as well, or children, you've then got to figure out what you're doing with your child, packing for your child and children for your wedding, and also while you're on your honeymoon, and then you've got to sort about set up and everything for your wedding.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

You don't even know what day it is the day after your wedding. You asked you to get it. And then you've got to go on your honeymoon. Fizz in. Like, and then to to pack up and get give yourself a bit of time. Yeah, I biggest, biggest advice with that. Like just give yourself a few days. 100%. Read your cards, talk about your wedding. Don't think about how you're gonna be able to get it. How are you looking to the airport or how you're getting I don't know, how are you travelling to the city?

SPEAKER_02 13:53

But if you're wanting to be in that, say for example, that bubble of like being just you two on your own, say, for example, if you do have children, so I know full well that probably what I would really love to do is I would really love for me and Johnny to have a bit of us time still post-wedding. Like I I love my child, love her to pieces, but I would want to live in mine and his bubble for as long as we possibly could because I know it's gonna pop so soon and those wedded blues would probably hit. I would probably say, let's go and spend a night or spend an extra night at your hotel if you can do if you have booked a hotel, go elsewhere. So, for example, I've got a couple that are getting married this weekend and they've just booked to go when everyone else leaves. They're not staying at the hotel at the uh wedding venue, they're going to a different hotel so you can wake up together and have like spa date, all that kind of stuff. So do those kind of things and just relive it and just to be slow in the moment. Yeah. And then even if it's like I know couples that have gone six, eight months down the line or a year down the line on the honeymoon, just you don't need that pressure.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

No, we went to a different island. I was like, I've had enough of you now, bye.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Whereas I've got a friend that is getting married and going on her honeymoon, but then she's just doing a small registr register office, so it's a different scenario anyway.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Do you think like that that kind of um answer is like they wish they'd had more of a budget for the honeymoon or could have.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Yeah. You've got to also remember so you have saved every single month a set amount of money, whether that's £100, £200 plus, whatever it may be, each month has gone into your savings for your wedding. That has added up over time. So why wouldn't you, once you've spent your your savings or you've saved enough for your wedding, why wouldn't you after post wedding carry on saving that amount of money and go in six months' time and have the best honeymoon ever? Don't rush it just for the sake of you being married, you're still doing your honeymoon and the tradition of your honeymoon. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Yeah. If not, you'll end up like monocroft friends and being like, oh, it's over.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

Wedding blues are no one talks about them enough. It is rough. Yeah. Really rough. Anyway, next one relating to you is they wish they'd spent more money on a coordinator.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

Oh, I see this all the time. All of the time. Like genuinely all of the time. Can't you say it, don't you? Like just no matter what, you will genuinely that week, even if you contacted me a week out, I'd be like, yeah, sure, sort it, fine. It just takes the pressure off on the build-up to your wedding, but also the morning of your wedding. If you're stressing, one of your bridesmaids or whoever or grooms might even turn around to you and stress you out a little bit more. I'm gonna turn around and be like, don't worry about it, just enjoy sitting in that chair. I've got it. You don't even need to figure it out.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

Yeah, you are the the middleman, which is needed.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

It's oh it's massively need whether that's me or somebody else, I don't care. Just hire a coordinator externally from your venue.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Yeah. Um wish they'd spent more on extra time with guests.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

Yeah, I do see this actually. I know I I do. I I I see it from both both perspectives, so that they don't get so if your timeline is completely back to back, minute for minute sorted, and you've done that, you're not gonna get any time. A with your guests, but also be with yourselves. So you need to have a fine again, a fine balance between the two.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Yeah. I mean extra time with each other, but guess, no, disagree. I'm just like sure wedding.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

But yeah, but I've seen it from a different perspective where a photographer spent too long taking photos, and then they've not enjoyed that process because they they're like, we just want to spend time with our guests, and we want to spend time with our friends and family.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

Yeah, you want to be in the mix of it, yeah. Yeah, yeah, we get that. But this is a get But clear communication, like I was like at 20 minutes, me and him done.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

Me and Johnny had a conversation on Saturday. So we were having a conversation on Zaturday and obviously spoke about Paisley's baptism and her birthday and everything, and I was kind of like, Well, this is why I want a three-day wedding, just purely for the fact that like I've said, I know what we're like as friends, I know what we're our family's like and all that kind of stuff, and I also don't want it to feel like it's rushed and it's over so quickly. Like, how quick did yesterday go? For example, like it just went in the blink of an eye, and it was the same for her baptism, and I was like afterwards, I even text all my friends and was like, I'm so sorry, I hardly even got to speak to any of you because when I was having a conversation, I was pulled from like Paisley was running off, or yeah, something was happening, or X, Y, and Dad needed doing. It does go so quick, and it goes so quick. But we were saying, like, okay, what we would do is on the Friday, like a welcome, everybody gets to know each other, we speak to everybody and there's no pressure. Saturday, we can enjoy and have a really mellow day, and then Sunday just do like a barbecue or whatever it may be, yeah, and just have everybody back again.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Catch up, yeah, yeah, talk about everything. We've got feeling overwhelmed, trying to please family, we've spoken about that a lot. Not being present, big one, yeah, big one massively um over planning, arguing, drawing, planning, and then wedding blues. And nobody talks about wedding blues either.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

No, I think we need to do a whole separate kind of like a bit of an introductionary episode on wedding blues and we should have to deal with it. Yeah, because it is intense. It's massively intense as well. I think obviously like so again, this is this is also where like having that extra person to remind you. To remind you to eat, to remind you to take five minutes of yourself, to do X, Y, and Zeb Yeah It's super important. So many people don't eat, do they, on their wedding. But this is I hate to always come back to this, but it's where your coordinator comes in.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Oh god, I was starving.

SPEAKER_02 20:19

Because I'll hand you a tray of canopies. We'll we'll go around.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

Yeah, and put food to the one side, we'll make sure that you get it.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

We'll also make sure you have ten minutes to yourself.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

Especially the canopies section because you are usually either mingling with guests or having your photos. So guys, if you are having canopies and you know you you probably will miss it, make sure you tell them to put it to one side because as soon as you could have it whilst you're having your photos, you can come back to it. Big time. Um trying to please family, spoken about that loads. No. It's a simple no. Yeah. You're only pleasing both of you, like yourselves. So that one needs to go. Um, feeling overwhelmed, normal, standard. I think every every couple will go through.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

And that's where you need to take time to spend time with each other and remember what it's about.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Yeah. Take a night off. If it's all too much, just close the scrapbook or whatever you're using, the spreadsheet, and just be like, nah, we're not in the right mindset. We're arguing.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

Take ten minutes, literally ten minutes away from guests, from photographers, from videographers, go on a walk, do a round your your venue, do something. To bring the buzz back. Even just to put yourself into a room post-ceremony, just to process that you are married and to have that time because and just to basically drop your shoulders and relax.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Yeah, yeah. I think argue and drawing planning as well, pretty normal. If you don't, very blessed. We had never bickered so much in all of our lives. And we don't really argue, but it just yeah, everything's heightened.

SPEAKER_02 21:45

It is because you both have this is where it comes back to the start, and when we've done it at one of the f very first episodes was your expectations as a couple and knowing what you both want. Yeah. And if you're not on the same page about it, that's why. Where kind of arguments do your butt heads. Yeah, your butt heads, and especially if one of you is more stubborn or if you're both quite stubborn about wanting it to because you will both have how it will look inside of your head. I know. Um, and as a woman, you kind of plan that from very being a little girl, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 22:14

So yeah. Um let's move on to the next topic. So guest list regrets. So we've got a few here. So inviting co-workers, children slash no children drama, distant relatives, evening guests, yeah, that's a good one. Plus ones, and people they no longer speak to, but obviously we're friends once upon a time.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

So co-workers co-workers tend to usually sometimes if you're not really, really close to them, most of them go to the evening.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

Um which is fine.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

I mean, depends like depends on how close to work. We're working colleagues, we're like really good friends. Yeah. Like in previous jobs.

SPEAKER_02 22:54

So I wouldn't say it depends on how close you're if you're if you're inviting anybody to your wedding for the sake of just inviting them because such and such is coming, don't invite them.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

It's the same with um children, relatives, yeah. The children slash no children drive. Plus ones, whoever it may be, people that you no longer speak to, don't be afraid of taking them off at list.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah. Yeah, I think the children topic always upsets people anyway. It's it's a tricky one. Um, but you've just got to go with what feels right. Like I've spoken about there was like 18 toddlers on our um guest list, and I was just like, nah, not for me. Like I'd rather 18 of my mates that are gonna remember it and have a good time. Yeah, that's just me. Um, so next topic worth it or regret it. So we've got oh, we've spoken about that before, photo booths, content creators, wedding newspapers, drone footage, signature cocktails, sparkler exit, smatching robes, champagne towers, favours, DIY decor, and perfect for TikTok clips.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

So photo booths I have seen they're so worth it if you they're a good way of doing a right, they are a really good way of doing a wedding favour to s for somebody to take home. And I know I spoke previously on that quickfire one last week where I was like wedding favours people don't notice, but if it's in the evening and you've got it's a form of entertainment as well for them to take home. If they're done right, when I say right, I mean with whoever is on that photo booth, that selfie mirror, whatever it may be, it is done with great staff that interact with guests and make it entertainment, not just somebody stood there and looking boring as hell.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

But I am over photo boobs, I'll be honest. I think they've they've they've they're overdone. Sorry.

SPEAKER_02 24:43

But this is where I'm saying you can do it in a different way.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

I know you agree with that. Yeah, I know I do. I I don't I'm not like wowed by them and yeah, that's just me, sorry, if that upsets anybody.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

I there's a fair few that I still recommend coming out my ears.

SPEAKER_00 24:59

Yeah. Because they do a really cool and they entertain and they get involved. But when I turn up at a wedding and like it's standard.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

And I just, yeah. It's not my style.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

But do it in a different way. Don't have to do it, always do it at night time. You can do it in the daytime.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

True.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

You can get also photo booths that go onto tables. Yeah. So you can get the photo literally the And I like the old school ones as well.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

Yeah. Where it's like freestanding and it's not a booth as such, but they've created a space.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

There's there's many, multiple ones you can do now. You can do the 360 booth, you can do a standalone booth where you can literally hire basically a selfie mirror or a photo booth that is on its own with no staff and guests can go up to it. Yeah. You can do that kind of stuff as well, and that can be there during the daytime rather than the evening.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Yeah. Yeah. I don't think you'll ever regret a content creator.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

I don't think you will as well. And I think content creators are incredible, and I have so much space at them in my heart.

SPEAKER_03 25:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

Um I don't think you will regret anything that content creators. I think they're worth it. And especially if you have family or friends or anything like that, and you want to see the behind the scenes and you want to see those clips of them enjoying the day, but also the movement of that video, then no, get them. Yeah. Please hire them. They're incredible.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

What about drone footage?

SPEAKER_02 26:16

I don't think you'll regret drone footage either.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

No, what's it to regret? No. Coming over like birds eye view. That's mega. Yeah. Um signature cocktails. If you're if you love a cocktail, like do it. That's so nice. Putting your own twist on it.

SPEAKER_02 26:34

And also doing it as like a his and hers. Or a her and hers or a his and his or whatever it may be.

SPEAKER_00 26:39

Fab. Don't think you'll regret that. No. Sparkler exit. I think that's stunning.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

No. Do not. I love a sparkler exit balls at the same time. I freaking hate it. Why? Because of the prep. No, it's just everyone's a knobhead. Honest to God, when people have got alcohol in it, and I'm really sorry too stereotypical, but it's like, oh man, cave fire. Yeah. It's like fire, honest to God. Like, they're just like anybody just becomes an absolute arse when they're a drunk man or a drunk woman.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Have you ever done a sparkler exit when you're sober as a guest though? I've done it sober, buddy. He's a coordinator and Yeah, but I'm I feel so awkward.

SPEAKER_02 27:22

I do. Yeah. I'm like, oh I think a sparkler exit I think a sparkler I don't even know why it's called a sparkler exit either in the sense because it's not you're not exiting the building. I think sparklers can be done really well if it's a small group of people. Yeah. Because you can control it.

SPEAKER_03 27:39

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

And you can people just don't listen when they've got again, it's the herding cattle and it's the herding cow mentality. Is it just goes in one ear and comes out another. And when it's fire, they just become absolute dead.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

Some venue like the electricity. I know. Some dangerous really, isn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

And if you are having a sparkler exit, obviously we always tell you this, but hold like to the guests anyway, hold them up, don't hold them out. Yeah. You're gonna burn such and such. Yeah. And like I've said, we did so the wedding that we did together, which was Ellie and Jordan's. It's our anniversary today, actually.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

I know, I just wished them.

SPEAKER_02 28:15

Um and when we did that, we did sparklers, but we did it with just bridesmaids, groomsmen, uh more controlled. And it was more controlled, and it was really lovely. Yeah. And nobody was an idiot because they were a really good group of people. We respected what you were telling them to do. Yeah. So I I don't think you'll regret it, but you'll also you will regret it. Plan it properly. Yeah. Basically. And also like just be conscious of your dress. Yeah. And who your guests are. If you've got a guest that's quite silly, put them in the back.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Basically. Um matching robes. This gets brought up a lot with with what the industry I'm in, because obviously they always start with matching PJs. Or yeah. I would actually try and stay clear just from again being in the industry. Satin.

SPEAKER_02 29:09

Everybody sweats, they're not they're not flattering. Also, if you spill your water up a second or whatever, it just shakes down the channel.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Yeah, they're uncomfortable. Like just go to Primark and get Jersey Cotton matching ones of those because nine times out of ten the satin ones people moan about. And it's really hard to essentially afterwards as well. Like rewear. I know. Whereas you'd probably wear the comfortable ones, wouldn't you, again? Passively. Um I feel like the rest we've gone over favours champagne towers. C or eye decor though.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Um I don't think you'll ever regret it. If you're that type of couple, no.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

I think you would if it caused a lot of stress. Yeah. Because a lot of people do bring that. I can understand that. You know, like um signage, we've spoken about this loads. I did regret doing it myself.

SPEAKER_02 29:57

It's the prep of it that you will regret doing not having that time to spend elsewhere or with other people. Yeah. But on the I love a DIY wedding, big time. Yeah, because it's so it's much more personalised. Do you know what I love? Is when you do a DIY wedding but your flowers are still from a florist. Yeah. I think that's beautiful. Yeah. Because I think sometimes if you do buy the artificial flowers, you can tell and it doesn't look as good. Yeah. Whereas if you do like your bud vases and uh your bouquets and everything like that still from a florist, but utilise that, perfect.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

No, I would say like the DIY, it depends what it is, but the stationary I did regret mine. Not I I love the style, I loved how I made it, but it is a few. It's a tie stretch. Yeah, it's a tiny straight. Yeah. You underestimate how difficult that is.

SPEAKER_02 30:47

And I yeah, and I do I think you underestimate as well the setup and what you're doing the morning of. If you will be in that chair having your hair and makeup do so done, sorry. So that is going to be on somebody else to set that up. So you've got to figure out who that person is to set that up.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Yeah. Amazing. Well, I feel like we've flown through that as well. Um, we have got a few uh questions. Okay, Fab, should we go through them? Yeah. Perfect. Um let's just head over to where they have been.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Do you want me to bring them up? Yeah. So we popped up a story onto our socials about um asking you what your biggest regret is. So we've had a couple of people um chip in and put in, and we absolutely love it when you guys do this because it gives us a perspective of what you regret and what you love and what you don't like.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

And it's getting you involved, which is what we're always asking for.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

So the first one is not including my dog and hiring a dog chaperone. Somebody's put in that they regret not including their dog on their wedding and not hiring a chaperone.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

Well, yeah, if your dog's like a huge part of your life, I can see why. Yeah. And it's so easy to organise nowadays. Big time. Because there's people out there who specify in that job. Exactly. So yeah, if your dog is your bestie, get them there. You'd have crumpet now, wouldn't you? Oh my god, yeah. It's like your child. Absolutely like not even a doubt that I wouldn't have my dog there. I mean, like I said, I got married abroad, but I would have had him at the legal ceremony a thousand times. Oh my god, those photos would have been really cute. Yeah, I mean, my niece was my something blue, but I think crumpet would have taken her place.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

This is something we speak about all the time. Not having video footage on your day.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

Get a videographer or a content creator. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 32:45

And that is actually from a content creator themselves. Like, so I know that content creator, and she when she was Oh, oh yeah. The re I she was is one of the reasons she actually um became a content creator. Yeah. So she was doing it as a job and she didn't have any footage on her wedding day, and she really, really regretted it.

SPEAKER_00 33:03

I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised. Next one.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Allocating bedrooms at hotel instead of letting guests make their own bookings.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

Oh, that's a good one. Okay. Yeah. So she regrets not allocating the bedrooms.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

Yeah, so at some venues, say for example, you will get 36 bedrooms. Let's just say the thirty I don't know why 36 in my head, but 36 bedrooms and you uh allocate them, you you can allocate them to certain guests. But what you can do is when you book that said venue The only reason I I think the only reason I think 36 is coming to my head, it goes back to my nunsmare days, is there's 36 bedrooms and there we go. You had to you got a code and you gave that out to your guests, but what some people did was allocate those bedrooms to certain people rather than giving out that code and those people just paid the couple for the bedroom rather than having to contact the venue and pay and quote that code.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

Yeah, because you can plan who's by what and you can whoever is it.

SPEAKER_02 34:08

Yeah, so definitely that's a good one. That's a good tip. 100% I would say if you can allocate bedrooms, yeah, um, if you've got only a limited amount, definitely do it. It's massive. I've just pulled up the questions now. Well. So same person regretted having a Thursday wedding.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Oh no, we spoke about this. We love a weekday wedding. Then that's the supplier talking, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 34:33

But I also love a weekday wedding as a guest because I think if you've got the right guests, it vibes quite well.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:38

And also it depends on the time of year as well. Say for example, it's Christmas, it's a Thursday after Christmas, or Thursday before Christmas, everybody's already in the hype for a holiday. Same for half term, same for summer holidays, nobody really thinks about it. Yeah. But if you've got uh one Thursday in the middle of March and people have to take an extra day off, sometimes they ri they they're like no. And then it's I have seen it from a different perspective where hardly anybody has shown up and it is quite disheartening, and it's it doesn't bring the same value.

SPEAKER_00 35:12

Yeah, yeah. How gut in there? I know. The next one comes from a photographer, a guest we've had on actually. So she also said not having a videographer. How mad is this? Big time. Like it just shows, doesn't it? Yeah. She's also said, ooh, not having canopies at my 12 pm wedding.

SPEAKER_02 35:33

If you are having an early ceremony, please provide canopies or food. The way that you can do it as well is if you're having a three-course sit-down meal, take away your starter and have canopies instead. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

Yeah, budget wise.

SPEAKER_02 35:48

Budget wise and do it that way. Oh, it's always an option. Do you know what I mean? It's always an option, even if it's something like a cart of some sort or crisp wall or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 35:58

I love like these stands where you can just go and get like cheese and biscuits, but it's like help yourself. Do you know what I mean? It's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Um I love it when like you have in the middle of a tate, like literally just one table for your canopies, but it's a shocky three boys. Yeah. Yeah. Unreal. Not having a second dress because my first dress was quite big and I was so over it by the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

That's quite a um I hear so many opinion opinions about a second dress. I had a second dress, but everyone a lot of people are like, why would you have a second dress? Spend so much money on your first. I love it. Because of that reason.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

Yeah, because also as well, if you it also depends on your who you are as a person, because if you're like, oh no, screw it, I'll just get dry cleaned afterwards, fine. But if you're gonna let that sit in Festa and get mouldy and all of that kind of stuff, get a second and or if you want to let loose in the evening and you've got a massive train and a big dress.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

It's a fun element, it's your day, like anybody's opinion put you off that second dress, and then you're not bothered about getting drunk. No, just do what you want to do, like, yeah, you have spent a lot of money on your first dress, but why can't you have the second one? If you want it, if you want to party and you want it, go and get that second dress. If you want it, you do it. Yeah, literally. Amazing. Well, again, I feel like that was a really good app and hopefully helpful for you guys. Um, so shall we finish up on where everybody can find us, Joella? You can th share those uh Apples this time.

SPEAKER_02 37:23

So you can find us at the Isle Diaries Podcast on Instagram, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcast, Facebook, TikTok, The Works, and our email address gone so at the IODIariespodcast at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

Um and remember, guys, please keep submitting those bridal spirals. Any questions, concerns, tips, putting to help. Um we really need it. We love we love hearing them. Um you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, um Sophie.brown.makeup and Joella, where can they find Serafina?

SPEAKER_02 37:56

They can find me on Instagram, which is at seraphina weddings underscore, and Facebook is at seraphina weddings.

SPEAKER_00 38:04

Thanks for listening and watching, guys. See you next week. Bye