Tuesday 30 November 2010

Beautiful Pencils

Tell everyone at your wedding they're beautiful with these fantastic pencils. Elegant, white, and complimentary - perfect for wedding favours. Pick up 6 for $10 via Prismera Design.

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Thursday 25 November 2010

Bollywood Hens Night

Hen nights can become slightly samey, so if you're looking for something different to the normal veil and learner-badge affair, I'd recommend Bollywood Hens. Tapping into the huge trend that is Bollywood right now, they organise parties for hens from all walks of life. You can choose between a Bollywood dance class with an experienced choreographer, a cooking class with celebrity chef Manju Malhi, a full Bollywood make-over and catering from Dakasha, or enjoy all of the above!

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Real Wedding: Emily & Matthew

If you're stressing out and worrying about organising your wedding, this stunning English affair should put your mind at rest. Fantastic couple Emily and Matthew approached their wedding with one eye on budget and the other on keeping the mood simple but chic. One way to do this is to pick a strong theme and then everything else will fall into place. Emily and Matthew chose a bird motif and carried it through into their stationery, favours and handmade cake-toppers. I'm loving the clock detailing on their Orders of Service, and their cute Nissan Figaro wedding car, plus their carefree attitude. Garden games like giant jenga kept the guests entertained, and no one noticed a few spots of rain. Don't miss Emily's answers to the Before the Big Day Bridal Questionnaire, listed below these gorgeous pictures from talented Alex Dimopoulos at My Love Story. Don't you just love his panoramic images?


The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Emily was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
On 1st May at Larmer Tree Gardens near Salisbury.

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We originally wanted a London wedding as we live there, but we couldn't find a suitable venue that could work on our budget and that could hold both the ceremony and reception. We then went to look at the Larmer Tree Gardens , and we didn't bother to look anywhere else as it was perfect! The venue was beautiful already, so we kept our decorations very simple with some potted daisy plants on the tables. Much of the day was outside in the gardens, and the venue provided white marquees and umbrellas, as we did have a bit of rain.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
The general colour scheme was yellow and white, and we had a birds theme too, with the cake toppers, table decoration and invitations, wedding favours, plus chocolate mini eggs!

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
I really never thought I wanted a traditional big dress and had trouble finding something I even wanted to try on. BUT in the end I found a really simple dress made by Maggie Sottero. I wasn't sure about it right up until the wedding as I never wear full length dresses or skirts being 5'2'', but absolutely felt brilliant in it on the day and didn't want to take it off. I kept the shoes and accessories really simple and basic, just a hairclip and bracelet from Accessorise!

What about your husband's outfit? Where was it from?
He kept his outfit simple too, a quality shirt and black suit from Moss Bros and an expensive blue tie. The best man wore the same with a different tie.

And how about your bridesmaids' outfits?
We got these from Monsoon, and kept everything really simple and in keeping with the style of my own dress. The bridesmaids were my two little nieces and they looked really cute and beautiful in anything so we didn't need to spend a lot to make them look great. And they loved dressing up too.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We had a three tier cake, made by my sister-in-law. We had a layer of coffee, of vanilla and of chocolate, all covered in white icing and decorated with simple tiny flowers on the edges. My husband and I made our own cake topper birds, again we kept everything simple and made what we could ourselves to keep costs down and to keep it all personal to us.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
A small bag of chocolate mini eggs, to go with the bird theme. We hand-filled these ourselves and handmade a thank you tag to go with them.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
My Mum's local florist did me a small bouquet for the day, in yellow and white, and my Mum did all the other daisy plants for the tables. I only chose the bouquet flowers the day before!

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Alex at My Love Story did our photos, we had seen some of his other work and really wanted to use him for our own wedding.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Yes and no! Of course its incredibly exciting but terribly nerve wracking too, we organised the whole thing in 3 months on top of full time jobs and studying for an MA, and moving house. We had to make decisions quickly, and were very mindful of budget, so its just about weighing up what's most important and not over-thinking the rest. Mind you, the day itself surpassed any expectations that I had and every second of worry is worth it in the end.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
I think every bride is different and has different things which they are expecting. It's easy to try and micromanage everything and to spend a long time trying to get everything perfect. In a way I'm glad that we had only 3 months to stress about it all, and on the day we could enjoy ourselves and spending the day with our loved ones, keeping all the other details simple. After the event the memories you have are of the people that you spent it with, not about the perfect flower arrangements! I was running around in the mud and doing the hokey-cokey with my shoes off in my beautiful dress in the afternoon, I was so elated and having such a good time that a bit of rain really didn't matter a bit.

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Tuesday 23 November 2010

Real Wedding: Natsuko & Jason

This gorgeous church wedding in London's Primrose Hill is full of love and gorgeous details. Natsuko drew on her Japanese heritage, and peppered her wedding with origami cranes and beautiful calligraphied fans. Origami is the best DIY project ever - you can make almost any creature you want from instructions online, choose paper that fits in with your colour palette, and fold away for months ahead of your wedding. I'm loving the simple Ikea vases of tulips, the flowers in Natsuko's hair and their beautiful son! Huge thanks to photographer Anna Rosell for her fab pictures.

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Monday 22 November 2010

Wedding Inspiration @ Wedzu!

Looking for something unusual for your wedding day? Maybe you want original stationery, a handmade veil and clever favours, or maybe you just want to support cottage businesses? Well I've recently made a discovery. It's called Wedzu, and it's like Etsy, but just for weddings. Head over there and check it out and tell me about your favourite items. Here are a few of mine!


Product Credits {clockwise from top left} - 1. A La Parisienne 2. Toolis Jewelry 3. Dancing Mooney 4. Coquette Paper & Press 5. Blushless 6. Lovey Bridal 7. A La Parisienne

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Saturday 20 November 2010

Real Wedding: Cindy and Greg

This garden wedding is such a treat! I'm loving Cindy's colour palette - the combination of sage green with citrus orange and yellow is gorgeous. The happy couple chose bamboo as their signature symbol, and carried it through from their stationery to cute little bamboo plants as favours. Other cheap but chic ideas to steal are the orange lanterns hidden in the trees, and using fresh flowers to decorate your wedding cake. Don't miss Cindy's answers to the Before the Big Day Bridal Questionnaire below, and huge thanks must go to Jenny from Alders Photography for her heavenly pictures!



The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Cindy was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
We got married at Hidden Chateau & Gardens on 8-8-09

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
Our main desire was to have an outdoor, intimate wedding, and Hidden Chateau & Gardens fit that perfectly. The venue already had so much greenery and plants and flowers that we did not need to decorate much. It had a gazebo so we added some plumage to that as well as hanging some orange lanterns to bring out the flowers in the centrepieces. The venue already had a lot of twinkle lights as well that added to the ambience as night fell. The venue itself had a bit of a Spanish mission feel which we loved.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
Both my husband and I are outdoorsy, earthy people so we chose colours in nature, green, orange, yellow. The colours fit the already existing landscape of the venue and accented the wedding party attire. Our wedding invitations featured bamboo, as did the name cards for the tables, so we chose to give small bamboo plants to each guest as our gift. The lanterns added to this kind of Asian feel.

Who made your wedding outfit and how did you come to that decision?
My dress was bought at Alfred Angelo (stockists available in the UK). I loved the lace back - that's what sold me. I did not have a veil, and my shoes were chosen for comfort more than style. My accessories were pearl earrings of my paternal grandmother, a pearl necklace of my maternal grandmother, and a pearl bracelet of my Mom’s. It was a way to honour my grandmothers who were unable to be there.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
He wore a tux from Men’s Wearhouse. It was black with an ivory vest. It was chosen to match my dress.

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
They wore “clover” (green) dresses to match the outdoorsy feel. We really loved all the greenery that was present at the location. It was enhanced by the bridesmaids’ dresses. Since all bridesmaids were different body shapes, they got to chose their own style of dress as long as it was clover, and for shoes, their own style as long as it was silver.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We had a 3 tiered cake with 2 different types of cake which was decorated with ivory butter cream and green trim with real gerbera daisies. The flavours were Strawberry Shortcake & Mocha. We wanted a choice for guests.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Our florist was Michael Holtzer of Floral Designs by Michael. I carried a bouquet of calla lilies since lilies are my favourite flower. Greg had a boutonnière of a lily, as did our fathers, brothers, and my grandfather. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of orangish roses as I like the way orange and green (dresses) look together. The groomsmen also had boutonnières of the orangish roses. My Mom, mother-in-law, and grandmother had boutonnières of gardenias. The type of flowers for the centrepieces was gerbera daisies. This was to honour my best friend who passed away. Since she was unable to be there by my side, this was a small way to have her present.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Alders Photography did our wedding photography. A friend of mine knows a friend of Jenny Alders Smith and put me in contact with Jenny. She had a lot of great ideas and beautiful photos to show us. She also was very accommodating of our requests and worked with our budget. She did an amazing job. Our wedding album is so beautiful. I get compliments all the time that our album is some of the best work my friends have seen.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Yes, I did. It was fun to get everything together.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
To enjoy the process. I did not get too obsessed about everything and was able to enjoy the actual day and see all the details that I helped create. This is a fun time, not a stressful one. Rely on family and your husband to be.

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Friday 19 November 2010

CD Wedding Program

These are just the best. People often throw away wedding programs, but this is one way to encourage your guests to keep them as a treasured momento. Just add a CD containing your wedding music and/or slideshow. The cover design can be customized, and the text is letterpressed in whatever ink you choose. Get in touch with Power and Light for more information.


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Honeymoons

Honeymoons are the best bit of getting married. After you've gathered all your favourite friends and family together in one space, and felt the love, and talked till your hoarse, there's nothing better than escaping somewhere exotic where it's just you and your Boy. First up you'll need a sexy boutique hotel {my pick is via Mr & Mrs Smith}, second you'll need travel insurance, and third you'll need some seriously gorgeous beachware. Here are a few of my favourites thanks to Net-a-Porter.



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Thursday 18 November 2010

Real Wedding: Lauren & Kevin

This cute and colourful summer wedding is the perfect antidote to a grey November day. Just check out Lauren's hot pink theme, carried through in her shoes, ring pillow and gerbera bouquet. I'm loving the usher's comedy outfits - they look fine and dandy in their bow-ties and baby-blue sweater-vests. Just goes to show that you don't have to go for matching suits - you can choose any outfit combo you like! Other stealworthy details include the cute bicycle cake-topper and the Japanese cranes - did you know that giving a thousand origami cranes are said to bring a thousand years of happiness and prosperity upon the couple? Such a lovely idea - watch a tutorial here and get folding in front of the TV tonight! Stunning pics published with thanks to Punam Bean.






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Heart Wedding Lanterns

These stunning nightlights would add a magical soft glow to your wedding reception. Pretty by day and night, the hand pierced domes are moulded in off-white porcelain by Wendy Jung in Hastings. Inspired by sea forms, they're available plain pierced or with an indented heart, and both are gorgeous!

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Wednesday 17 November 2010

Real Wedding: Whitney & Mike

This gorgeous farm wedding includes the most ridiculous amount of stealworthy ideas. I defy you not to be inspired! You'll want to use fresh peaches, hay bales and burlap in your wedding.You'll want get married under a huge oak tree.You'll want to use that tree as a logo for your wedding, because it represents strong roots, a flourishing life, and a growing future. And you'll  a swing in your wedding photos. Yup - this is the perfect classy country wedding. Fabulous photographs published with thanks to the team at Simply Bloom.

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