Decadent Festival Wedding Shoot

Regular readers of this blog will know there's nothing I like more than a good wedding theme! Particularly when it's teamed with tonnes of wedding ideas, and some truly fabulous photography. Take a look at this genius wedding shoot inspired by the mighty Glastonbury Festival {my favourite weekend away!}. The brainchild of Lesley from The Vintage Hire Company, and Jo from The Gloucestershire Wedding Company, the shoot was the perfect opportunity for local wedding vendors to showcase their talents. A mix of rustic and edgy, the atmosphere is 'anything goes', and I love the mix of colours. Ideas to steal include the bell tents for lounging, the giant balloon wedding decorations, the 'Access all Areas' wedding stationery, and camper van photo prop. And for sheer originality - arranging the wedding flowers in old boots!!  Huge thanks to Christy of Christy Blanch Photography for sending this shoot through to me - all the details of the other vendors below!

An Enchanting Vintage Fairy-Tale Wedding Shoot

Take a dreamy summer's day, a gaggle of pretty bridesmaids and a stunning wedding venue, and you're talking some serious wedding-shoot excellence. I've fallen for the fairy-tale orangery at St Clere as the perfect location for your vintage-style wedding reception. There's something about the beautiful garden setting that invokes a dreamy fairy-tale theme, and I love the styling of this Snow White-style wedding shoot. Inspirational ideas to steal include the lace-themed wedding stationery and favour cards, the gauze-wrapped bridesmaids' balloons and the silver-burnished wedding cake. Other loves include the mix of mercury glass and clear crystal vases, and the pretty pastel bouquet by Florist in the Forest. Huge thanks to Jennifer Sue Weddings for her expert styling, and Kay Young Photography for her beautiful pictures. P.S. The private estate and house of St Clere are being offered for weddings in 2014 for the month of July only.

Real Fairy-Tale Dress Wedding: Kirsty & Michael

If you're dreaming of a truly princess-style wedding dress, you are going to fall in love with this bride's divine Ronald Joyce gown. The lovely Kirsty is something of a wedding dress aficionado, and had already decided on her designer of choice, long before her big day. She teamed her frothy Lola gown with simple Tiffany accessories, and a beautiful bouquet made of artificial roses and butterflies, a theme carried throughout the wedding. With a church service, and a soft-pink themed wedding reception at Albrighton Hall Hotel in Shrewsbury, you can see the care and time Kirsty and Michael put into their wedding day. Stealworthy ideas include Kirsty's Vivienne Westwood shoes {which smelled of blueberry!}, their pretty fishbowl table displays, and the bridesmaids Debut at Debenhams dresses - a great high-street find! Huge thanks to Kayleigh Pope for her beautiful photographs.

We got married on the Saturday 9th March, at St. Peters Church at midday, followed by our reception at Albrighton Hall Hotel near Shrewsbury. We chose Albrighton Hall because the décor inside and out was divine, and spoke a thousand words. The staff were friendly and their wedding breakfast appealed to us both. We went with a butterfly theme for our venue and throughout our wedding.

My dress was a Ronald Joyce 'Lola' diamond white dress. I was always going to choose one of his gowns as I love this work. He makes amazing dresses, with so much detail, and they definitely stand out from the usual wedding gowns. My shoes were Vivenne Westwood, and they were amazing. I received so many compliments about them - not only on their appearance, but on their blueberry scent!

My bridesmaids outfits were soft beige Grecian-style maxi-dresses from Debut at Debenhams.



My florist was a lady called Julie. I originally wanted my favourite flowers, which are peonies, but they weren't available in March. So instead, I decided to go for artificial rose bouquets with ivory, brown and nude pink flowers, decorated with butterflies, to fit in with our wedding theme. Choosing artificial flowers meant I could keep my bouquet to place on my Nan's resting place after our wedding day. 

My husband's outfit was a grey Lingfield morning suit with tails from Moss Bros. He teamed it with a cream cravat, waistcoat and matching rose buttonhole.

My veil was borrowed from my close friend as my 'something borrowed', as I wanted to add some meaning into the tradition. My accessories were my Tiffany necklace and bracelet given to me by my husband :). Also I wore Swarovski earrings which were also bought by my husband.

I loved planning my wedding so much I’m already thinking about planning our vow renewal! It's amazing putting all your time and effort, and seeing it all come together on the day. 

My advice to future brides would be to enjoy every moment of your wedding day, as it goes so fast. Always stick to your decisions, and remember it is both of your special day. Don't stress in the run-up, and enjoy your countdown. It’s the best day ever!

Our photography was Kayleigh Pope Photography. I was always going to chose Kayleigh as our wedding photographer, because I love her work and she is amazing with her camera. She takes pictures that tell stories, and creates memories that are unique.

For our wedding reception, we chose a colour palette of nude and pink colour, and the theme was butterflies.

I had a few DIY wedding projects. I did a DIY table plan as the one I originally bought got delivered with so many mistakes. I had a few minutes of bridezilla but swiftly moved on! I went out got all the crafts and spent an evening with my bridesmaid doing it which was lots of fun. I also made our wedding stationery. I bought place card templates decorated with butterflies, and wrote on the names.

Our wedding favours were chocolate truffles for the men, and the woman had butterfly candles wrapped in organza, with a thank you card. The children has sweetie cones and surprise lucky bags. 

We chose a four-tier wedding cake by Cakes by Kiki, with two square levels and two round. It was decorated with amazing peony-style detailing. Each tier was a different flavour - Victoria sponge, chocolate, lemon, and coffee. We chose Cakes by Kiki because we love their work! Their wedding cakes are stunning and so much detail goes into each creation.

More posts like this one:
✽ Destination Butterfly-Themed Wedding
✽ How to DIY Your Butterfly-Themed Wedding Cake

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Midsummer Night's Dream Wedding Theme

Take a dose of literature, a dollop of romance, add a sprinkle of fairydust, and you've got one of my favourite wedding themes - A Midsummer Night's Dream. A fairy theme would work well for any rural, forest or countryside wedding, just imagine luxurious flower displays, bridesmaids dressed in flowing chiffon, and pageboys wearing Puck-ish flower crowns. Shakespeare's poetry is perfect for wedding ceremony readings, and masks make for brilliant wedding favours. Fill your wedding stationery envelopes with glittery confetti, and ask for garden-themed wedding gifts. For more ideas, take a look at this incredible Midsummer Night's Dream themed wedding shoot, styled by Tricia Fountaine and pictured by Elizabeth Messina.

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Sparkly Cinderella Wedding Shoes

There's a secret place in many brides' hearts where they'd quite like to be Cinderella on their wedding day. So why not indulge your inner fairy-tale dreams with these gorgeous slippers from the Girls of Elegance Era range. They're not quite made out of spun glass, but the fully crystallised surface will ensure every step you take will shimmer with light. With several styles to choose from, including wedges and flats, you can be sure to sparkle on your wedding day.

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Key to My Heart Wedding Favours

Keys are romantic. Love letters written on keys are beyond romantic - in my view they're up there with Shakespearean sonnets and a good old proposal on one knee. That might explain why I've fallen hook, line and sinker for this cute laser-cut key, or it might be because I love all of Mister Rob's work. Pick up the limited edition keys from his online shop here, or pop down to his Colombia Road shop in London.

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Real Fairytale Dress Wedding: Sophie & Chris

In many ways, I wish I'd chosen a romantic fairytale wedding dress. There's something truly bridal about wearing a gown that's completely out of the ordinary. Something sweeping and feminine, just like the exquisite gown in this Real Wedding. The lovely Sophie chose a gorgeous, feathery wedding gown with a ruffled full skirt, and I'm head-over-heels in love! Throw in the luxurious rose bouquet, and I'm in bridal-heaven. I'm also loving all the wonderful wedding details, from the wooden LOVE letters, to the mini-vases of sweet-scented freesias and carnations on the tables, and the candy-striped wedding cake. Sophie and Chris celebrated their big day with a church ceremony, followed by their reception at the very stylish Havana Spoon in Hove. Restaurants are a great place to host your wedding reception, as you can guarantee the food will be good, and a reasonably-priced set menu will keep your costs down. A big welcome and huge thanks to Katariina from Light Trick Photography, for her fantastic photographs.

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Wedding Theme Idea: Happily Ever After

Did you know that you can actually get married at DisneyWorld?  I know that every girl is supposed to want a Fairy Tale wedding, but isn't that taking it a bit too far? I can't think of anything more likely to ruin the mood than a pair of Mickey ears. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with addding a few whimsical details to your big day, to add to the atmosphere of romance. Just make sure it's more along the lines of Cinderella's slippers rather than her pumpkin coach.

{Picture Credits} - Shoes & Flowers by Nikole Ramsay {Product Credits} - Tags: Seasonal Delights, Place Cards & Crown: Melker, Dress: John Galliano

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Before the Big Day Wedding Theme: Little Red Riding Hood

Now I'm not for a minute suggesting a bride should dress up as Little Red Riding Hood on her big day - but that doesn't make it wrong to use the Brothers Grimm tale as wedding inspiration. Red is a massively popular colour for winter weddings, and there's all the usual connotations of romance, lust and luxury. Use Little Red Riding Hood's picnic basket as inspiration for wedding favours, stamp her image on your place cards, and add cloaks to your bridesmaids' costumes. And if you want to go the whole hog, borrow a Siberian husky dog to act as your ring-bearer!

Photo Credits - Bouquet, Table Setting, Shoes: Nikole Ramsay  Product Credits - Little Red print: Hiden Seek, Child Cape: AS Boutique, Buttons: Fluff Stuffs, Adult Capelet: Enderby

Product Credits - Stamp: Corrabelle, Buttons: Once Upon A Button, Felt Flower: Heavenly Handbag, Felt Heart: Not on the High Street, Little Red model: Humblebea

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