Louise Pentland wedding exclusive: first photos of YouTube star's dress
In the last column I wrote, I was a Miss. But as of a few days ago, I am officially a MRS! I did it! I'm married!
Whilst I wouldn't recommend marrying and divorcing in your twenties, then needing the world's longest engagement to overcome your bridal imposter syndrome in your thirties, I would recommend a second marriage! (*whispers* Providing you find the right person of course.)
Having both been married before, my husband and I had the added benefit of knowing how this wedding lark goes and the confidence to make the right choices for us. You know how people say, 'hindsight's 20/20’? Well, your second wedding is sort of 20/20 too!
Last week I married my gorgeous fiancé Liam in a small church ceremony, and it was perfect. We’d crafted the perfect experience for our little family and I couldn't be happier.
Every aspect of it exceeded my expectations and so I thought for my first column of 2025, I'd share a few things I think any potential bride might consider.
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My advice for nearly-weds
1. Be realistic about who you are and make sure your wedding fits that
You don't have to do the set experience you've seen others do. I know that as an introvert, I have a short social battery. Full-day events can be extremely overwhelming. With that in mind, we split our wedding into two halves – the church ceremony (Feb) and then a big reception (May).
Maybe you are the opposite and love to socialise for long periods – why not book amazing activities on either side of your big day? A friend of mine hosted a huge BBQ the day after her wedding and carried the party on. It's your wedding and you can shape it into whatever you want. Please don't feel like you have to follow a traditional template. Create the experience that suits you!
2. You do NOT have to keep up with the Joneses…or social media!
After our church ceremony, we invited guests back to our house to celebrate for a couple of hours.
We strung fairy lights around the kitchen and made a balloon arch for the patio doors. We bought bottles of fizz from the supermarket, printed our orders of service off on my decade-old printer and set up a 'wedding song' playlist through our portable speaker.
We splashed out on caterers to do amazing picnic-style bits and a giant cake and paid for lovely flowers in the church, including a floral archway around the door.
We spent on the things we cared deeply about and the rest we made work with a bit of creativity. Do you know what? Everyone loved it! I was inundated with messages the next day saying how lovely it was to feel so relaxed and so at home. It was a total success!
Cutting the cake with my new husband in our own kitchen and dancing around the lounge with my old friends from uni was perfection. It wasn't 'aesthetic' or 'Insta' but I honestly couldn't care less. Have a wedding (or any event for that matter) that pleases you two, not your online following. Personal and authentic is all the rage now anyway.
3. Take time for the details
When I planned my first wedding, I was so caught up in the big things that I didn’t consider the personal touches. It's understandable when there's so much to think about but if you can, try and carve out an evening for those special little bits.
Pour yourself a glass of fizz, light your best candles and allow yourself to enjoy the process - you deserve it! Things I found helpful were considering sweet traditions (such as 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'), looking through family photos of weddings (my auntie had the most amazing flower displays at her 1970s wedding that I'll be incorporating into my May reception), scrolling the wedding sections of Etsy and of course, every wedding planner's favourite, Pinterest!
I had a silver bridal bouquet charm made with a picture of my late darling mother, the girls had personalised acrylic signs that said, 'Here Comes Mummy', to walk down the aisle with and I ordered Liam a heartfelt framed poem to give as a wedding morning present.
Those smaller things felt big on the day and really added a layer to it that meant so much to us. Well worth the time spent to organise.
4. Book something for the next day
Your wedding will be a high high and the next day can be a low low, trust me. I've been the woman crying the day after because my emotions were so off kilter.
Let yourself come down gently and think about what you'd like to do in the aftermath. Maybe you still have friends and family around or you're staying in a hotel - make the most of that!
"Let yourself come down gently and think about what you'd like to do in the aftermath"
As we were at home, we had a slow morning and then headed out to a really cute market town for a nice lunch and mooch around the shops. We ended up in Jo Malone buying the soap version of my wedding scent as a memento of the day so we could stay in the bliss bubble that bit longer.
Having something to look forward to the day after really helped me emotionally regulate the experience. When I look back on that weekend, I won't think about a big dip, only lovely, happy memories.
5. Make the day yours
Ultimately, I think my biggest piece of advice is to make the day YOURS. Whatever your dream day looks like to you, that’s what you should go for. Shut out all the noise from social media, strong willed family, your opinionated colleagues and make it about you and your other half. This is an experience to celebrate your lives, your future and your love - nobody else.
So, I'm now officially married and fully in my bridal era because up next we have a hen weekend (yep, the order of events is very unique because trying to get 10 working women from across the UK all together at once is harder than securing Glasto tickets!), menu tasting for the London venue, more dress fittings (two weddings needs two dresses right?) and of course, the main event - The Wedding Reception of Dreams!
I'll be sharing all the day-to-day details over on my socials (@LouisePentland) but wanted this column to be the first place I share our official photographs.
My photographer, Georgi Mabee (@georgimabee), and I were in the same year at school so we go waaayyy back. It was just another nice, personal touch to it all, and I couldn't be happier with what she captured - I hope you approve too, you're the very first eyes to see them!
Rightio, that’s probably enough from me, I better go and see what my HUSBAND is up to!
Thanks for reading, Louise (Mrs, at last)
Photography: Georgi Mabee
Cake and Catering: The Copper Kitchen
Flowers : Errismore Flowers
Dress: Justin Alexander from Silver Sixpence
