Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of exhibiting at the Unconventional Wedding Fair, held at the quirky and wonderful Wellbeing Farm in Bolton. Promising a ‘kaleidoscope of quirky, colourful wedding inspo’, expectations were high – but they were certainly exceeded.
This was my first wedding fair as a wedding celebrant, so I went with a nature-inspired stand. To represent the ‘fern’ element of my name, I gave out wildflower seeds, while the ‘fable’ part was represented by the books I invited attendees to help themselves to (all pre-loved items). Ultimately, a personalised wedding ceremony is all about story-telling, so it made sense (to me, at least) to give away stories on the day. And hopefully, there was enough whimsy and joy on stand to convey what Fern and Fable is all about. A big thank you to my bestie who helped me keep the energy up all day.
If you didn’t make the fair, don’t panic. In this blog post, I’ll share the highlights, as well as a list of suppliers you should definitely check out if you’re planning a wedding that’s a little… untraditional! Let’s start with the venue itself.
A quirky venue for outdoorsy types
The Wellbeing Farm is a sustainable countryside venue with clear eco-credentials, from its on-site renewable energy to its many waste reduction strategies, including transforming food waste into fertiliser. It has several spaces for your ceremony (and afterparty), including the main wedding barn and an outdoor pavilion, as well as llamas and donkeys, who you can also involve in your big day. They have bow-ties and flower crowns (yes, really).
Celebrants to suit your style
There were three independent wedding celebrants in attendance at the Unconventional Wedding Fair (including me, obvs). I’m going to link to them here, which is bonkers for SEO, but I want my website visitors to get actual value from my content and, if I’m not a match for them, one of my co-celebrants might be. Gill (The Curly Celebrant) and Cherry (Cherry the Celebrant) are also accredited with The Academy of Modern Celebrancy (it’s turning out some belters, let’s be honest).
Wedding FAE-vours
Book nerds, rejoice! You can weave a reference to your favourite story into your big day with literature-inspired scents thanks to FAE Candle Company. The lovely Devon started the company having purchased an ‘Underworld’ candle that didn’t smell like she imagined the underworld to smell. So, she took things into her own hands and made her first scent. And then another. And then another. Now she’s got well over 20 scents and admits that she might “need to reign it in”. Respectfully, I disagree.
The sound of love
While I am, of course, biased and think the ceremony is the most important part of a wedding, I am a huge fan of music and think getting this right is critical. Fortuitously, my stand was positioned next to Viva La Vintage (Abbi-Kaye), a stunning jazz vocalist who did a phenomenal cover of The Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco which brought joy to my millennial heart. Meanwhile, the neighbour to my right was Annaliza from Dirtbag Entertainment, an agency that helps you find the perfect live band for your big day. They have some seriously cool bands on their books, so don’t be surprised if you end up with a huge longlist!
Capturing the moment
During one of the quieter moments of the day, I made my way over to a stand that had what appeared to be a piece of modern furniture in it. Turns out, it was a studio quality photo booth from Nook Booth. The professional DSLR camera, top-quality lighting and excellent choice of filters make these memento photos truly special.
From my stand I could also see Jenn Davy-Day’s photography, which is particularly lovely and shot on 25mm & Polaroid with an editorial edge.
Fix up, look sharp
The Unconventional Wedding Fair wasn’t short on beautiful attire, boasting everything from dresses and suits to accessories. Across the way from me was Aleshea Simpson from Aisle and Attic, which provides vintage prop hire and styling for weddings and has recently branched out into bridalwear. The stand directly in front of us belonged to Elizabeth Lad, a studio creating considered pieces for bridal and occasion dressing. Every piece – from bags and hair accessories to tailored accents for menswear – is handcrafted using carefully selected fabrics. This is lovely slow fashion, designed for the couple with an eye for detail, and she and her partner are lovely, friendly people.
I also met and chatted to Allana Vincent, a costume maker and seamstress with a theatre background. The dress she had on show was beautiful, and Allana herself is a ray of sunshine.
The best bouquets
One of the stands that immediately caught my eye belonged to Moorland Blooms. It was a chilly autumnal day, so her whimsical and wild bouquets of dark purple and plum hues felt completely on point. In complete contrast was Boom Bridal. I didn’t get to speak to Laura, the owner, but her colourful felt wedding flowers were so eye-catching, and I think it’s lovely for couples to be able to hang onto their flowers as a keepsake. This is an LGBTQ+ owned company too. What’s not to love?
Cut the cake
The stand that, no doubt, made me feel the hungriest belonged to Occasion Cakes. Established in 1985 and based in Chorley, they have decades of experience and hundreds of designs. There’s even a magical castle cake on their website!
Taking to the f(air)
Attending wedding fairs like this is an enjoyable part of wedding planning, and I met so many couples who – along with their friends and family – were excitedly exploring their options (and, in one case, doing a last-minute supplier search).
If you didn’t make it along to the Unconventional Wedding Fair, I would encourage you to find a similar event to attend, especially if you’re looking for creative independent businesses to help you create your dream day. While the big expos can be good for gathering general inspiration, more ‘niche’ fairs help you find what you’re actually looking for. It’s like filtering products on a website down to the category you’re interested in, instead of scrolling endlessly.
As a supplier, this event confirmed that the wedding industry (at least where small businesses are concerned) is predominantly collaborative and supportive. Individuals providing similar products or services don’t regard one another as competitors. They know that their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent (to quote the great philosopher Ru Paul) attract different types of client. Different strokes for different folks, in other words. So, if you’re a supplier who hasn’t yet taken part in a wedding fair, don’t worry about sharing the space with “rivals”. The clients that are right for you will choose you because you are also right for them!
If you met me at the Unconventional Wedding Fair, I would like to offer you a discount on your booking with me. Simply get in touch to find out more.
