Submissions

Diversity first

We’re working to represent everyone on Barefoot Bride NJ. We want to see and feature weddings with Black brides or grooms, Asian weddings, minority ethnic weddings, LGBTQI weddings, elopements and alternative celebrations. Please help by submitting all the wonderfully diverse weddings under the rainbow – we’d love to share them! Non members are invited to send in weddings which support our diversity pledge.

So what are we looking for?

The weddings and styled shoots we feature are beautifully photographed, creative and inspiring. I do adore details: the fold of a silk ribbon, calligraphy close ups, or a stunning statement bouquet. But I fall head over heels for romance too: a glance, a forehead kiss, magical light… I also want to see couples with their guests – hugs, group hugs, laughter and those human connections we’ve learned to treasure so very much. These are the things I love to share on the Barefoot Bride NJ Blog.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Photographers, please ask your couple for permission to publish their wedding on the Barefoot Bride NJ Blog before you submit images. Then email me [email protected] with:

1) REAL WEDDINGS

An introduction to your wedding. What makes it wonderful and inspiring? Tell us a little about the venue too, and any other suppliers involved in the day.

A link to a Dropbox folder containing 60ish of your most beautiful, bloggable images.

Images should be 2000px wide. Please send lots of detail images (flowers, stationery, venue styling) and couple portraits.

I’ll send you a copy of my interview form for your couple to complete. (This is required for every wedding we publish.)

I’ll also need your website and social media handles if you’d like us to include these in your feature.

2) STYLED PHOTOSHOOTS

Please send me a link to a Dropbox folder containing 60ish of your most beautiful, bloggable images.

Images should now be 2000px wide (not longest edge! Even portrait orientation images need to be this width)

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US

If you’re not a member of Barefoot Bride NJ, we’ll send you joining information (unless your submission fits with our diversity & inclusivity pledge.)

We’ll always try to reply within 14 working days to every submission. If it’s a yes, you’ll be given a date for publication, which will usually fall within 8 weeks of receiving your submission. It could even be the following day, if we have a slot free and LOVE your submission!

From the 60 or so images you send, we will select 30-40 favourites for the blog: these will be the images we feel will inspire readers the most, and those which are beautifully photographed, overflowing with romance and take my breath away.

Please be aware that by submitting your images to the Barefoot Bride NJ Blog you are agreeing to us publishing them. Occasionally we’ll publish the day after you send in your submission; so it’s really important that you don’t submit to other blogs at the same time, that any exclusivity clauses from other publishers have ended, and that you have permission from everyone involved. Once submissions are made they can’t be withdrawn.

Wedding blogs actively encourage sharing to Pinterest by our users and editorial teams. At Barefoot Bride NJ we try and alt-tag all images with the photographer’s name because the alt tags feed through to Pinterest descriptions. We also encourage the use of (subtly) watermarked images so that where these are shared on social platforms people will see your brand. Do watermark your images if you’d prefer to; don’t submit if you’re not happy for them to be Pinned. By submitting your images to the Barefoot Bride NJ Blog you agree to us sharing your images across ALL of our social media.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Wedding experts, wedding suppliers

As an Barefoot Bride NJ member if you have a product launch, new website, exhibition or exciting event you’d like us to share, please ask. We’re happy to share beautiful stationery collections, wedding cake designs, contemporary accessories and wedding ideas with the Barefoot Bride NJ Blog readers, so long as they fit the aesthetic of the blog. This means professional photography please – always.

And if you’ve an advice article up your sleeve we’d really love to hear your idea for a guest blog post! Send us a quick email with your idea and if it fits, we’ll get back in touch with what happens next! [email protected]

A note on exclusivity
We’re often asked if suppliers are ‘allowed’ to share images before we publish a shoot, or if we accept submissions of weddings or shoots which have already been featured on other blogs. The answer is a resounding YES!

We don’t like exclusivity policies: they’re limiting, and we’d rather see suppliers able to feature their work on every blog and print magazine, to get the most exposure they possibly can for their brands.

The only thing we ask is that you don’t submit to different publications simultaneously. If a wedding or shoot is published on more than one blog in the same week, it’s just a bit embarrassing. It’s also better for your business to spread out your submissions.