On the 13th of January, we do one thing and we do it well –  cake and bubbles! This little wedding website is officially turning sixteen today.

It’s the oddest time of year to have a birthday for a business, to be honest, the world always seems like it is still waking up. The sun is beating down and after three years of pandemic lockdowns and supercharged workloads, it seems everyone is a little worn out, and we’re no different. But today, after another year of giving Polka Dot Wedding everything we had I am as thankful as ever for the little wedding blog that could.

After our redevelopment and changing our name in 2020, we’ve been on quite the journey of shaking things up. A lot of this now that our rebrand is complete is not immediately visible to the public eye. There are discussions, processes & structures that have changed, there have been decisions we have made, and education and learnings we’ve undertaken that have shifted our priorities and perspectives.

And it is with this, that our commitment to creating a website where diversity and inclusion are at the centre of what we do, has become even stronger. because not only has it always been our passion, it seems the deeper we dive, the more it becomes our purpose. The more time we spend diving into it all, the more we realise the sheer enormity of the work we have yet to do.

We are continuing on this path. The path where high-powered growth and big numbers are not our goals. But instead, we’re working on building a wedding website where you are welcomed with open arms. Where there is space for you, and safety. Where you can see yourself represented, where you can read stories of those who have faced similar battles and issues to you. Where you never ever feel like you’re not living up to some arbitrary standards. You are, after all, as corny as it will always sound, perfect as you are. We want you to feel that in every word that we write.

2022 saw much intention in what we do around this. From the launch of The Feel Good Wedding Podcast and the stories, guests and words we’re sharing over there, the conversations we had with multiple vendors and colleagues specifically focussed on what we as a publication and an industry can do better and the real weddings we have shared from couples all over the country with all kinds of stories, and lives they so graciously share.

And none of it I do alone. I am surrounded by amazing, strong women (and men) who always deserve my endless gratitude. They continue to step up to the mark and continue to do so much to make our shared vision of Polka Dot Wedding come to life.

Our Polka Dot Wedding members are the bee’s knees. Each of them works their little heart out to make couples’ dreams come true every day and they support us in helping them do it. We think they’re amazing and stand behind them 100% as the perfect people for your wedding dream team.

Everything we do around here is not for us, it’s for you. Everything we do. The stories we share, the hours we spend finding credits. The scrolling on Instagram to make sure we’re representing you. The people we interview and the words that we choose. Polka Dot Wedding is yours and we hope you know it.

We encourage you to join us today in grabbing a glass of your favourite bubbles and grabbing a piece of cake. Speaking of cake, can a website be a cake? Because this birthday cake is! This year’s cake is a beauty as always by Ladybird Cakes (how that team manages to surprise and delight us every year with our birthday cake will never be taken for granted).

We dream that 2023 is as full of colour, sparkle and deliciousness as this beauty.