Beyond Weddings is built around the strengths of two generations working side by side. Alison brings more than 30 years of wedding industry experience and an extensive international network, while Sasha brings a digitally native Gen Z perspective and an instinctive understanding of how the younger generation now booking weddings discovers and engages with luxury.
Together, they combine deep industry knowledge and established relationships with a fresh perspective on what today’s couples genuinely respond to.
Alison Hargreaves, Founder
Alison Hargreaves founded Beyond Weddings in 2017, building on more than 30 years of experience in the wedding industry. She is one of the most experienced and well-connected professionals in the global luxury wedding sector, with an extensive UK and international network.
She began her career in the industry in 1995 when she founded Guides for Brides. It has since grown into one of the UK’s largest and longest-established wedding planning platforms. Today, it supports over 280,000 couples a year and represents more than 31,000 wedding businesses nationwide.
Alison has won several accolades, including Venus Business of the Year and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Alumni Champion Award, presented at the Tate Modern in March 2025.
She regularly appears on podcasts and speaks at international wedding conferences, including in London, Switzerland, Istanbul and Dubai, sharing data-informed insight into luxury wedding trends and opportunities. Alison also attends numerous international industry events each year. This allows her to maintain close working relationships with planners, venues and tourism partners, particularly across Europe, the Middle East and the US.
Alison was a pivotal figure in the UK Weddings Taskforce, serving as Vice Chair during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also founded the not-for-profit UK Wedding Association and the wedding marketing agency, Big Day Agency.
This work gives Alison a broad, strategic view of how the wedding sector is evolving. It also gives her insight into the opportunities and challenges facing businesses operating at the premium end of the market.
She founded Beyond Weddings after recognising the need for a more focused resource. She wanted to create a platform specifically for couples and planners seeking exceptional venues and experienced professionals for luxury destination weddings. This distinguishes Beyond Weddings from the broader, UK-wide directory model of Guides for Brides.
Within Beyond Weddings, Alison focuses on strategy, visibility, industry relationships and maintaining the high professional standards that underpin the brand’s credibility. She travels regularly to meet venues, tourism partners and planners. Alison also plays a central role in organising the familiarisation trips and industry events that give Beyond Weddings first-hand experience of the destinations it works with.
Connect with Alison on LinkedIn
Quick fire questions for Alison
What’s one destination you think is still underrated for luxury weddings?
Right now, I’d say there are two regions that are underrated for weddings: the Puglia region of Italy, and the Phuket region of Thailand. Perhaps it’s in their names, but in both cases they just aren’t seen as the cool place to get married.
Theoretically, Puglia should be far more popular, especially for couples from the UK. There are olive groves, vineyards, pretty villages, beautiful coastlines and an array of traditional masserie for weddings.
It’s had its share of publicity too. Justin Timberlake married Jessica Biel at Borgo Egnazia, and the same venue hosted over 100 luxury planners and influencers, including myself, for the first European “Engage! Summit”.
Yet, it’s just not seen on the same level as Capri, Florence, Rome or Lake Como.
Phuket has some incredible 5* hotels in breathtaking locations, as well as private hire wedding villas such as the Vanderbilt Estate. However, people tend to see it as more of a honeymoon destination than a wedding location.
High levels of hospitality are crucial to any wedding, and few nations who have hospitality ingrained to the degree Thailand does. Direct flights between London and Phuket from November 2026 will make logistics easier, so we may see an increase in weddings there.
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the luxury wedding industry over the last 30 years?
Luxury weddings have become more performative and theatrical during my 30+ years in the industry. The businesses that have succeeded are the ones that recognised and adapted to that change.
Florists now prioritise visual display over incorporating tradition and delicate scents. Musicians have evolved into show bands, while stationery, food and cocktails have all become increasingly Instagrammable. Venues are also leaning into stunning backdrops.
For Indian weddings, if the food is not good, the wedding is not good.
For luxury weddings, if it doesn’t look great on a Reel, the wedding planner is deemed to have failed.
What’s one thing you look for in a venue before it earns a place on Beyond Weddings?
My job would be easy if just one element defined a standout venue. It’s a combination of many factors, but if I had to define it, it’s this: the venue team needs to genuinely and authentically understand luxury and commit to delivering it.
It’s the reason so many family-owned properties are on our list and why some countries are represented more than others.
If celebrating and indulging in luxury is in the owner’s blood, or in the nation’s culture, it shows. You see it in the way the team looks after the couple and their guests, and in the way they deliver weddings.
Sasha Hargreaves, Head of Partnerships
Sasha Hargreaves joined Beyond Weddings in 2025, bringing a contemporary intergenerational perspective to shape the future direction of the brand.
Her previous career as an internationally recognised equestrian and luxury brand ambassador gives her a strong understanding of how modern couples and planners engage with luxury brands. It also gives her insight into how brands build trust and desirability, and how digital platforms influence decision-making at the premium end of the market.
Sasha contributes insight into audience behaviour, brand alignment and how Beyond Weddings communicates with a refined, international audience.
Day to day, Sasha identifies, assesses and appropriately represents the most relevant venues and planners for Beyond Weddings’ selective audience.
She researches and visits destinations first-hand and works directly with venues around the world. Sasha also writes much of Beyond Weddings’ destination and venue editorial.
In March 2026, Sasha spoke on an international panel on the emerging luxury GenZ market at the Swiss Wedding Industry Round Table. The event is one of Europe’s leading gatherings for wedding industry professionals.
Her skill set complements Alison’s long-standing industry experience. Together, their perspectives help ensure Beyond Weddings continues to reflect the expectations, values and behaviour of today’s luxury wedding clients.
Connect with Sasha on LinkedIn
Quick fire questions for Sasha
What’s a destination that surprised you the first time you visited it?
Switzerland. I knew the scenery would be beautiful, but I wasn’t prepared for just how spectacular it would be in person. The level of service really stood out to me too, and the food was incredible. It’s somewhere that completely exceeded my expectations as a wedding destination.
What’s one lesson from your background in elite sport that shows up in how you work today?
In professional eventing, small details can make a huge difference to the end result. I think I’ve carried that into how I work now. I naturally want to understand the details rather than just looking at the bigger picture.
What’s one detail people don’t expect matters so much when choosing an international venue?
The lighting at different times of day. It’s something that’s really easy to overlook. However, where the sun is during your ceremony or when you’re having photographs can completely change how a space looks. It’s definitely something I notice when visiting venues now.
