How we planned our LGBTQ wedding

Heidi met the wonderful Betti and Afnan when they were modelling on a styled weding shoot she was part of.  When Heidi chatted with them and found out about their wedding plans and spiritual journey she knew they would make brilliant podcast guests. 

In this deeply insightful epsiode, Betti and Afnan discuss sprituality, manifesting their relationship and plans for their Bali wedding with their head Shaman. 

A great listen, which will really open up your mind to new ways of thinking and being. 

Betti & Afnan (Wild Flower Couple) www.instagram.com/wildflowercouple

This week Ross is joined by Kathryn Palmer-Skilling, a Humanist celebrant who is passionate about making weddings more acessible.

Kathryn chats about her own experience of planning a wedding as a bride with additional access requirements, and shares tips on how couples, businesses and the wedding industry as a whole can create more accessible weddings that welcome and celebrate all abilities. 

You can find out more about Kathyrn by visiting her instagram or wesbite (details below). 

https://www.instagram.com/kps_celebrant/ 

https://www.celebrantkathryn.com/

One thing we don't see celebrated enough, are second and third-time around weddings. These can be just as beautiful and meaningful as first time weddings, so we thought it high time we address this topic. 

In today's episode, we chat with Ellie & Eddie who very openly and honestly talk about planning their wedding day with their belnded family of 5 children clearly at the forefront. It's a conversation filled with both laughter and poignancy, and one we are very grateful to this lovely couple for sharing. 

City weddings are nothing new, but rarely do we hear tips and adivce tailored specifically to couples planning a wedding in an urban setting. 

There are endless reasons why city weddings are a great idea but also quite a few considerations to bear in mind before planning your favourite city. 

In this episode we chat with Keely & Bryony about their Manchester wedding and their advice is invaluable! 

Ross Willsher Photography https://rosswillsherphotography.co.uk

Glorious By Heidi https://www.gloriousbyheidi.com 

We often chat with couples who have really struggled to find inclusive suppliers to help them on their wedding planning journey. However, we know that there are lots of wonderful wedding professionals working hard to make all couples feel celebrated and seen. 

In this epoisde we share examples of great inclusive practice in the wedding industry and discuss ways of ensuring all you wonderful couples have the weding experience you deserve. 

The incredible wedding suppliers  featured in this episode are well worth a follow on social media and can be found via the links below. 

EllaBella - Wedding Planner

https://www.instagram.com/ellabellaweddingsandevents

Mark Caffrey - Celebrant 

https://www.instagram.com/markcaffreyceremonies_

Freckles & Flowers - Florist

https://www.instagram.com/frecklesandflowers_

Hawthorne & Ivory - Wedding Stationery 

https://www.instagram.com/hawthorneandivory

Fifi's Cakery - Wedding Cakes

https://www.instagram.com/fifiscakery

Laura Baker Productions - Wedding Videographer

https://www.instagram.com/laurabakerproductions

Caleigh - Celebrant 

https://www.instagram.com/celebrantcaleigh

Tiny Sarah's Cakes - Wedding Cakes

https://www.instagram.com/tinysarahscakes

Kathryn Palmer-Skillings - Celebrant

https://www.instagram.com/kps_celebrant

Michelle Taylor - Funky Celebrant

https://www.instagram.com/michelle_funkycelebrant

North & Flower - Florist 

https://www.instagram.com/north_and_flower

Erica Stacey - Bridal Couture

https://www.instagram.com/ericastaceycouture

Emerald Orchid - Wedding Planner 

https://www.instagram.com/emeraldorchidweddings

Ross and Heidi can be found at...

https://www.instagram.com/rosswillsherphotography/

https://www.instagram.com/gloriousbyheidi

We chatted to wedding celebrant Juliette (@Juliettebythesea) on the last series of the podcast, when she shared her frustrations at planning her wedding as an older bride-to-be. She's now tied the knot and so we wanted to invite her back to ask how it went and to see if  - and how - she overcame some of the obstacles she encoutered as a bride-to-be in her 50s. 

Over the course of the conversation, Juliette and Ross (Heidi was away for this one), discuss mental health, represeantation, feeling celebrated and sticking to your values. 

If you love what Juliette has to say you can follow her by visiting https://www.instagram.com/juliettebythesea/

In this week's episode Heidi and Ross chat to Mercedes who runs an eco-friendly wedding styling business. As a plus-size, bisexual black women, Mercedes has struggled to see herself represented in blogs and on Pinterest. She is now modelling for styled shoots and her mum has opened a plus size bridal boutique, in order to be the change they want to see in the industry.

In this insightful epsiode, Mercedes talks openly about her sexuality, disability and what she does and does not want from her upcoming wedding.

You can find out more about Mercedes by visting her instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/4yaparty/

Her mum's bridal boutique for plus size brides can be found at https://www.instagram.com/lamourcurvesbridal/

Ross Willsher Photography - https://rosswillsherphotography.co.uk

Glorious by Heidi - https://www.gloriousbyheidi.com/

If you're sick of being bombarded with images of wedding couples who are no larger than a size 8, and want to see more reepreatation for bigger bride and grooms then this is the podcast episode for you. 

We chat with the fabulous Lily Screen-Gear (https://www.instagram.com/lilyscreen) who talks candidly about her experiences of being a larger woman, her journey towards self-acceptance and how she made sure she had the wedding day she really wanted. 

An inspiring listen. 

Our first guest this series is the wonderful Rachel Bull. Rachel has been in the wedding industry for many years and has recently setup a platform to provide advice, guidance and recommended suppliers for couples who are neurodivergent. 

Rachel shares lots of tips for both wedding suppliers and couples themselves, and offers ways in which we can create a more open and welcoming environment to discuss any additional measures that can be put in place to make wedding planning more welcoming for those who are not 'neurotypical'. 

To find out mroe about Rachel and access her resources, please visit https://www,instagram.com/your_weddingology 

(We apolgise for the odd clunk and banging in this epsiode - some sound gremlins snuck in during recording that we were unaware of at the time).

VIsit Heidi at https://www.gloriousbyheidi.com

See Ross' work at https:///rosswillsherphotography.co.uk  

After a (more than) brief hiatus, Ross and Heidi are back sharing stories from unseen and underrepresented couples to promote inclusion in the wedding industry. We have some fantastic guests lined up covering topics such as body positivity, neurodiversity and ageism in the industry. 

In this first episode

• Heidi teases Ross' "Hi"
• We have a quick gloat over the reaction to our previous season / series
• Ross shares his passion for diversity and why he started the podcast
• Heidi speaks candidly about her experience of being a parent of a child with Downs Syndrome
• We share our appreciation over the tenacity and honesty of our guests.  

Please like and subscribe to be notified as soon as new episodes are available. 

Ross is an inclusive wedding photographer covering Essex, London and the UK and his work can be view by visiting https://rosswillsherphotography.co.uk

Heidi is an award-winning bridal accessories designer and her incredible creations can be viewed at https://www.gloriousbyheidi.com/