Last month County Wedding Magazines shared with our readers bridalwear designer Sabina Motasem's intimate lockdown wedding - which we loved! This month, here's Sabina's top tips on hosting a personal, intimate, micro wedding.... weddings aren't gone, and they're certainly not forgotten!
Sabina says, "Embracing a small and intimate wedding now and having a larger reception later can be intimately beautiful and you get to celebrate again with your guests. After our wedding date was postponed several times and it became clear a ceremony and reception were off the cards. We had a small wedding in September with 15 of our nearest and dearest. "The new wedding restrictions are for legally recognised weddings only in the UK, which means all 'non-legally' recognised weddings are sadly not and follows the 'Rule of 6'. In these instances, many weddings may have a cultural ceremony now followed by a civil ceremony and reception later.
Here are my 14 tips for a small + intimate wedding... 1. A smaller wedding means more money to spend on your wedding outfits. I wore a beautiful bespoke head piece by Kelly Spence and he wore a navy brocade tailored suit from Vanshik Menswear.
2. Book make and hair zoom lessons or book a supplier for the day (remember, wedding suppliers are not included in the restricted 15 number). I had make-up lessons from Birute Thomas using products from the Tropics range and Hair by Duboux was there in the morning to create my long hair with clip on extensions.
3. Choose a wedding dress you can effortlessly transform to another look, like our slip-style Elsa, Elsie or Elsa Sass worn under the Margot lace or tulle over-dress, skirt or topper with art deco beaded belts and silky sashes.
4. Get two sample sale dresses for the price of one. We have a selection of sample sale dresses all looking for beautiful homes, which can be seen here, priced £400 to £750.
5. If you love your dress so much, simply wear it again when you have your reception, or get married all over again with all your guests.
7. Don't economise by not booking a photographer to capture those special moments, which you won't get a chance to take again... unless one of your best friends happens to be a pretty good photographer.
8. Buy local and support local businesses wherever you can.
9. Have a Zoom station during the ceremony and through to the reception. Here are my full Zoom wedding tips, read the full blog post here.
11. A little memento from the day makes a big difference. Make masks from leftover bridal fabric and commission a cool illustration from Aneela Illustrator. Read 12.13.14 and the full blog post here.
The 2026 UK Wedding Blacklist: The 10 Songs Couples Don’t Want on the Dancefloor
Modern British couples are officially rewriting the rules of wedding entertainment, according to new social listening research released today by UK live music and entertainment agency Jonny Ross Music. An analysis of social media discussions across TikTok and Reddit (r/UKweddings) reveals that traditional party staples are being systematically blacklisted in favour of curated, sophisticated setlists. The results point to a clear change in what younger couples want from their wedding receptions. Group dances, heavily played 2010s pop songs and football-style chants are among the tracks and trends couples are increasingly asking DJs and live bands to leave off their playlists.
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The rise of ‘wedding-like’ commitment ceremonies – and the legal dangers couples don’t see coming
With the costofliving still shaping how couples celebrate, and social media normalising nontraditional ceremonies; more people are opting for celebrations that look like weddings but aren't legally binding, and many couples aren't realising the risk until it's too late. Google searches for "what is a commitment ceremony" have surged 63% in the past year, and with costs ranging from just £200 for a simple register-office ceremony, non-legal celebrations are becoming an increasingly attractive option with the cost-of-living continuing to put couples under pressure when considering marriage. However, these ceremonies also carry hidden legal pitfalls
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New UK map reveals Brits’ favourite proposal spots according to social media
National family-owned jeweller, Beaverbrooks, has unveiled a new map revealing the 15 best places in the UK to pop the question, based on Instagram hashtag data. Whether it's against a backdrop of dramatic coastlines, rolling countryside or iconic city skylines, choosing the perfect place to propose is almost as overwhelming as choosing the ring. To help partners looking to ask the all-important question to their other halves, Beaverbrooks has created a new 'Proposal Map of the UK', making it easier than ever to find an idyllic location.
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Why more couples are letting the coast shape their wedding day
For couples planning a wedding, the setting is increasingly becoming more than a backdrop. Research from WeddingDates found that 78% of UK couples consider location an important factor when choosing a venue, with more than a third specifically influenced by the view. Rockwater, the UK coastal hospitality brand with beachfront venues in Hove and Branksome, says this is helping reshape how couples approach weddings by the water. Rather than simply choosing a coastal venue and then planning the celebration independently of it, couples are increasingly allowing the landscape, changing light and relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces to influence the day itself. Rockwater has identified four of the key considerations shaping modern coastal weddings.
