Wedding Blog
There are definitely a few differences between bridal magazines in the US and the UK.
I’ll only delve into the UK Bridal Magazines at the moment, but remind me to tell you about the cheese!
In the US, when you purchase a bridal magazine you’ll often receive just the magazine; occasionally it will be a special issue with an insert, or perhaps include a CD ROM. But in England, you get a bridal package. In fact, you could probably use the packet to lift weights. I purchased two wedding magazines, Brides and You and Your Wedding:
Inside I found:
Woooooooaaaaaah.
The pink ones are an invitation catalog, the mini Brides is a wedding planner, and the one on the top right is a fancy dress catalog. In You and Your Wedding there was a surprise second magazine! The red square thing is actually an additional CD!
In the UK magazines they show you the fashions from the UK…
… the US…
… and Europe.
Not to mention that many of the articles include the names of specific shops, because you could potentially visit any store in the country. After all, it isn’t exactly huge. Here is a page with a notice about a new shop in Cheshire:
You can see how large it is on the page!
There also seems to be a lot more information for grooms inside, which is pretty cool for Mr. D’orsay! There are the usual articles, advice and fabulous dress pictures as well.
There is a fabulous huge wedding fashion show extravaganza in London in February that I keep seeing ads for. It’s 16 pounds for a ticket, but I’m thinking I’ll head down (maybe with my FSIL?) and take tons of lovely photos for you all!
Does anyone else read wedding magazines from abroad? What differences do you notice between them and mags from the US?
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What is the price difference between the UK ones with all the goodies and the US ones? Are the UK ones much more expensive or about the same price?
I’m South African, so we get both UK and US imported magazines, as well as some average-ish local ones. I have to say I always preferred the UK ones! They just seemed more *me*. I was working in a bookshop most of the time I was engaged, which meant free reading of *everything*, so I got to read a lot without paying a cent…good times!
I love all British magazines vs. American ones. On my first trip to the UK I had several magazines in my carry-on. I love all the free stuff they give you in order to get you to buy the magazines. It’s mostly all junk, but I found myself going “Ooh, lip gloss! I’ll buy that one!”
oooh, that’s something I miss about London–it wasn’t just bridal magazines, but regular magazines like Cosmo. They all always had some sort of goodies–a tote bag, and on one memorable occasion, an itty-bitty-amost-not-there-bikini!
I actually just got back from spending 4 months on a study abroad in the UK and I wanted to find bridal magazines so I could try and check out the differences… but I couldn’t find them! The bookstore and magazine shop on campus didn’t have them and I always forgot to check when I went into town. Now I wish I had looked harder!!!
That’s pretty awesome! I’ve seen UK magazines like Cosmo at Borders. I wonder if that one comes with all of the extra stuff.
That is so cool! I had no idea there would be any difference! Do they cost more in relation to US magazines?
The biggest difference between US bridal mags and ones in Austraila is the the Australian ones are about $15-$20 each! I had to ask my fiance for one as a christmas present because I feel too guilty spending that much!
Heh - I think it is important for readers to know that British magazines usually come with some kind of token - I bought british cosmo and british glamour over the summer - one came with a free book and one came with a free pair of flip flops. I think the freebies with newsstand magazines is just a British thing…maybe added incentive for purchasers?
I just got back from study abroad in London, and the bridal magazines we’re FANTASTIC.
One came with No. 7 mascara 
I wish the U.S. ones were like the UK ones…
Oh heck, I wish I was back in London!
I love the gifts with the UK magazines, once it was raining and I needed an umbrella so I just bought a magazine that came with a free umbrealla. In my experience with non-bridal magazines, the UK ones were ore expensive, mostly due to the exchange rate but now that the pound is weaker it may not be so different.
Wow! I wonder, since thy provide you a packet- if there is less of a need to buy further magazines? Does the packet rate similarly between all the magazines…
Thinking ahead, that is just a lot of extra stuff to either throw out, give away or recycle. Oui.
The best magazine gift I’ve seen so far was the Glamour one a few months ago. They gave away full size Nails Inc nail polish (which itself retails for £10) with a £2 magazine. And it was colours you’d actually wear, not the crap they couldn’t get rid of!
They also gave away a full size Benefit lip gloss last year as well.
The UK magazines generally retail in the £4 or £5 region so around $6.50 at the current rate.
I must admit that although we have these great magazines, I love going to Borders and finding Martha Stewart Weddings… The grass is always greener on the other side!
I got the Nails Inc. polish and the Benefit lip gloss too– you could choose between a few different shades, on the newsstand, if I recall correctly.
Magazines here are great, but a thing that sucks is that it’s hard to find good deals on subscriptions. A lot of the offers, you’ll save only 10% off the newsstand price, not like in the US, where you’ll save tons.
Anyone here in the UK find a cheap website to order magazines?
Ha! Gotta love the “bikini in a magazine”. And yes I have one. Eh. TWO.
But gotta second that there’s a lot more for the boys in UK (and Irish, and Italian) mags. FI was downright disappointed in the US bridal mags my mom brought me, as he’s used to the Italian variety where half the mag is dedicated to the groom!
In general, I like European magazine of any sort over the US versions - they are so much more creative! When I am shopping for a new hairstyle, I ALWAYS get the Euro mags, even though they are more expensive. US versions just seem to show slightly different versions of the same thing. Yawn!
Except for Martha Stewart anything (as a crafty-nerd, I can’t say a word against Queen Martha!)
I love the fashion and photos in the European bridal magazines…but how easy is it to purchase something in there from here in the States?
This makes me want to buy a UK wedding mag! Are they available in the US?
i love European magazines! When I was visiting Europe this summer I picked up two or three in England and got two bags and a paperback book along with the magazines. When I was in Poland there was a magazine that came with a travel hair dryer!
@Miss Kitten: Depends on the selection of your local bookstore, but you can definitely find UK wedding mags at some larger chain stores. (They run about $8-10 here, but I gave in and bought a couple! Love seeing a new set of ideas, as the US mags often tend to rehash the same trends….) Sadly, no goodies when you buy them here. 
Shooot.. I was in the Uk last November, should have picked some up then. Next time we go we’ll already be married so I missed the boat on this one. Might check them out at Borders but it’s not the same without a free gift 
My mom buys wedding magazines for photography inspiration and the UK ones are always my favorite. I love reading through and picking up funny new terms to use.
my first wedding magazine was british, because i got engaged while visiting my fiance in london. (so of course the first thing i did was buy a magazine to celebrate!) i remember being surprised by all of the free goodies, but also confused by some of the vocabulary when i read the articles–hen parties and bespoke gowns and all of that!
Jinx is right, mine were £4.70 each, which seems to be about the same as a US bridal magazine. I’m kind of irked I didn’t get lip gloss now…
Ooooh… I love UK Bridal magazines! I can usually find a couple at Borders…
I LOVE UK bridal magazines! Except for the wonderful Martha Stewart mags, the UK magazines are my favorite. I go to Barnes & Noble each month to get the new one. I have the two you have right now! My favorite things are the word differences: “bespoke” for “custom,” “marquee” for “tent,” and “diamantes” for “rhinestones.” I also love how bunting is standard wedding decor in the UK. I love that photo of bright colored temari cakes in the You & Your Wedding issue. I am really excited to see how you blend UK and American style in your wedding. Do you have a copy of the Phillips’ wedding spread?
Self-professed anglophile here! I love UK magazines in general! The freebies are such a bonus: I’ve gotten a cosmetic bag, CDs, umbrella….
Hi Miss D’Orsay! If you want free tickets to the Designer Bridal Show, just get in touch with some of the exhibitors on the website (especially if you’ve already booked any of them for your wedding). They each get 5 free passes and often pass these to their customers. You can ask up front or book an appointment to see one of them (a florist or a photographer) and sneakily ask them if they will be at the show! I did this last year and got free tickets — a £32 saving. It’s the best of all the shows with a really high standard of service, no crowding and lovely freebies!
That’s so funny as i’m a UK bride and i’m always going to Borders to hunt down the American wedding magazines, i love Martha Stewart weddings and InStyle weddings! We just don’t get the beautiful craft articles in our wedding magazines generally like you do in Martha! Our wedding magazines are getting better though and i particularly love Brides magazine and Wedding magazine here in the UK. They always have inspiring articles and pictures and the free wedding planners and DVD’s are handy too. The main difference i’ve found between our magazines and the US magazines is that there are a LOT more adverts for wedding dress desginers and brands in the US magazines. But i still feel that the US wedding style is much more refined than ours here in the UK. But hey, i guess the grass always seems greener on the other side!! I seem to spend half my wages on wedding magazines at the moment!!
I miss UK magazines. I’ve gotten loads of things: full chick lit novels, sunglasses, handbags, flip flops.
Brides UK and You and Your Wedding are available at Borders. I want to say they’re about $8-9, but you don’t get any of the extras. Just the magazine. Well, I’m off to the UK soon, I’ll just pick them up there!
For sure I did - I wanted to see real life weddings. The UK mags and Austrilian mags have actual feature articles and real life weddings and these articles make up most of the magazine. You can only see so many of the same ads over and over again in the US mags. If you’re from Canada and can find it, the WedLuxe mag in Vancouver, Toronto and I think Calgary is a nice glossy mag that showcases top vendors of each city with lots of real life weddings.
I can honestly say that I have not bought one bridal magazine. None. Nada. Ziltch. Mainly because they all seem to be filled with dress advertisements. I’m more of an article reading kinda gal. Maybe if I had access to UK mags, I’d give in and buy a magazine.
Can you please confirm the publishers on these two magazines. I may need to add these to my website.
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Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UK
Age and Occupation: 24, Stay at home fiance (formerly in nonprofit communications)
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shop
Engagement Date: August 10, 2008
Wedding Date: August, 2009
Venue: Oakland Manor
About Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
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