Yes, you read that right. My fiancé thinks lime green is a perfectly acceptable colour for his wedding suit.
He’s adamant that anything else would be “boring” and “personalityless.”
I am adamant his suggestions are more "peacocks at a pageant" than "please take me as your lawful wedded husband".
But let me explain, because I’m not just being a killjoy here: The iterations for his suit started with lime green (disgusting – is this a brat wedding?), escalated to bright orange (absolutely not), and then, oh, horror of horrors: gold.
Yes, gold. Like a 90s-disco pimp. Was he planning to carry a cane, too?
Honestly, with all these Crayola shades, I feared we were this close to Jim-Carrey-in-The-Mask territory.
Obviously, I vetoed these ideas on the grounds of them being 1) vile 2) dumb and 3) stupid.
I am all for him wearing something he likes, but I draw the line at marrying a Crayola crayon and having it forever committed to the wedding photography we've paid so handsomely for (shout out to Becky Wood Weddings – you are going to smash it).
Even the most doting brides-to-be could be forgiven for doing a runner under these circumstances. What about the family album?!
So I told him this was bullshit and he was not going to be wearing something so silly. It's a wedding, not a pageant.
I made plenty of other, reasonable suggestions. A dark green perhaps, which would look beautiful against his brown skin? Burgundy or rust? Delicious. Perhaps a sage, or a textured blue.
But no. According to him, anything other than lime green, orange, or pimp-coloured meant I wanted to “squeeze out all his personality” and make him wear a black suit.
It was clear we were at an impasse. And this impasse lasted several weeks. I'm not even convinced he was being serious about it initially, but now it seemed to have become a matter of pride – rather than a matter of principle.
All great writers give the same advice: write from the scar, not the wound.
And today, I can say, with a large amount of relief, that I am now writing from the scar, safe in the knowledge that his best men whisked him off to a tailor at the weekend, where a bespoke bottle green three-piece suit was measured up and purchased.
But all this drama got me thinking (Carrie Bradshaw style) about personality. Specifically, the obsession businesses have with cramming personality into their copy… at the expense of everything else.
Remember when everyone wanted to sound like Innocent Smoothies? Or Oatly, with their irreverent (and nonsensical) carton copy?
Every creative brief back then demanded a “disruptive" brand voice. But truly disruptive brands – like Apple, Innocent, or Oatly – aren’t disruptive because of clever copy. They’re disruptive by nature.
It’s not enough to play at having a personality. To truly stand out, you need to walk your talk.
Ultimately, personality without a point of view falls flat
After a decade spent fielding briefs very similar to this, crafting brand voices for scores of businesses big and small, I've realised that it's less about a voice with personality, and more about a voice with a point of view.
You simply cannot exist as a business without a clear message, and then try to shoehorn personality into your copy unnaturally.
Likewise, writing "with personality" isn't about dropping 50 F-bombs into your copy because IRL you're the sweary one. And it's not having an #unpopularopinion on anything and everything.
It's about nuance. Knowing yourself. Strong positioning in the market and a message and values to match. It's cultivated and considered, not sprinkled in randomly like confetti.
When tied to a clear, confident point of view, personality makes people take notice. It makes you synonymous with the thing you do.
That’s where my Story + Style + Strategy Framework comes in.
If you’re struggling to stand out, it’s because something’s missing: an ear-catching, wallet-opening hook for your message.
I’m now specialising in Website Copywriting & Hook Strategy – so you can nail your differentiators and start selling with strategy and inimitable style.
Let me pinpoint your unique Story (the juice in your journey), Style (the unique way you do what you do) + Strategy (the messaging, structure and SEO needed to land your market positioning) – and serve it all up to you on a silver platter.
Whether it’s in a comprehensive hook guide to nail down your messaging, or the full works – including a website makeover to match – it’s everything you need to take your brand from run-of-the-mill to run and tell EVERYONE.
This is for coaches, consultants, and creatives ready to step into the next chapter of their business – where their messaging reflects the authority and ambition they’ve built.
These new packages are so fre$h, they don’t even have a sales page online yet. But if you’re ready to make 2025 the year your copy positions you as the go-to name in your niche – and does the selling for you, even when you’re not in the room – reply with HOOK and I’ll send you all the juicy details (no strings, obvs).
Love, Emma
PS, Trust me – if I could reinvent a marketing hook around buying white bed linen season after season at The White Company, I can find the sticky marketing hook that makes your business unforgettable.
