Where it all began….
When mooching around wedding fairs in the midst of planning my own wedding some nine years ago, it didn’t feel quite as jubilant and exciting as I’d hoped, really.
Some of the environments housing what are essentially ‘trade expos’ were pretty uninspiring, and it felt a bit corporate for my taste. I did visit one or two smaller events that were much more inviting and soulful, but there didn’t seem all that many oop North that really tickled my fancy that were well promoted and well organised. Popping up at non-traditional venues wasn’t that much of a thing, back then, you see. I went on to make a career out of it, unsurprisingly (!), surrounded by an amazing bunch of fellow creatives, with the same ethos and drive.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some great finds to be had on occasion at ‘showcases’, but it can feel a bit impersonal, really. A tad overwhelming, even. I spoke to many now-hitched and recently engaged friends that felt exactly same. Call me an old-fashioned hippy (I’m really not!) but I wanted to find creative, dedicated, quality ‘suppliers’ (well, people!) that were style-savvy, hot on their knowledge and passionate about what they offered, without feeling like I was in a meat market.
I didn’t want to have to travel to London or Brighton or elsewhere for this inspiration; I knew there had to be amazing folk right here on the doorstep (I was at the time, living in Manchester) that also weren’t fond of this style of events, but that connecting with them, from an engaged person’s point of view, was a bit of a mission. With so many directories and blogs out there, largely headed up by people who had never actually worked with feet on the ground in the wedding industry in a production capacity, it can be a bit mind boggling, and dare I say it, a bit suss?
I’m all about connection. People and connection. Face to face, we can see if there is that spark present to be a good fit, and for the magic to really happen. Through a phone or website, it’s just not the same. I’m no luddite and I embrace technology, social media and all it has to offer, (though, Instagram sure has its bloody moments when you’re a small business!) but the advantages of real, in-person conversations are not lost on me. So, In April 2016, the first Indie Wedding Fair event was born a month before my own wedding day, in fact. Featuring my sister’s feet, and Microsoft Paint (sorry Gilly), as my bff (alongside several years’ experience in organising and promoting events), I put it together myself. It was bloody marvellous. Not perfect (spoiler: life isn’t), but all the right vibes in all the right places. The vast majority of the indies in those tipis still form some of my friendship group today, and some of them are up there with the absolute top people I know and genuinely love (Sweetpea and Thyme aka Cath, I’m looking at you, kid).
I wanted to create a beautiful alternative event that offered this happy medium to those getting hitched; those who wanted to enjoy the planning process and connect with lovely local suppliers, offering something a bit special. Carefully curated, relevant and reputable exhibitors offering a wedding fair with a bit of a different feeling. A cracking day out, with a festival-style welcoming atmosphere, that is smallbiz and independent-friendly.
…Safe to say I was on to something.
Years later, at a Joe Lycett gig in Sheffield, where my wedding business was subsequently based, I bought a badge to support the charity Arts Emergency, launched by Josie Long and Neil Griffiths: “Sometimes if you want something to exist you have to make it yourself.” I look at that badge every day and am reminded of all the wonderful things I have created, and continue to create, not least the Indie Wedding Fair, as a platform for good folks; for independents and for people, whomever they are and however they identify, to connect and work together to create great things.
I can’t wait to be back in 2024 at a new and exciting space in Sheffield. It’s going to be an absolute banger (but of course!)
All love,
Ellie x
