Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts

Monday 8 June 2020

An Achingly Cool London Wedding on a Budget

This incredible London wedding needs to come with something of a disclaimer, as it's my best friend's big day. Tamarisk has never been a cookie-cutter kind of girl, so it's no surprise her wedding to Ryan was uniquely awesome. From her glittery gold Badgley Mishka gown, to her practical attitude towards budget and theme, Tamarisk created a wedding which focused on feasting, family and celebrating love. If you're planning your big day abroad, or returning home as an expat, you'll find her attitude super-inspiring. It turns out there's no need to obsess on the details, or the stationery or the favours, when you've got an atmospheric venue, and great DJ, lots of champagne and a truly brilliant photographer in Joanna Brown.


We got married in London at The Roost on 29th Sept 2018
. We live in Canada now, but we met in London and we miss it a lot. It felt like the right place for us to get married was where we met and fell in love. We aren't formal people, and besides, the exchange rate was not in our favour! We were looking for a venue that already had a ton of personality that we wouldn't need to do a lot too. We were both clear eyed about our appetite and aptitude for a "big project" that would span time zones ie: not at all! When we found The Roost, we knew it was perfect…all we needed to do was add a few touches, we didn’t need to go overboard. 


My husband got a beautiful, completely custom suit from his suit makers Suit Supply. Our wedding date is embroidered on the inside pocket and my nickname for him is under the collar – it says Meatball.  


I went to a big fancy wedding dress shop once and found the whole thing completely awful. It was all I could do not to break down sobbing in the changing room. The grubby, dirty dresses that are all too small…so depressing. I hated it. After trying to figure out why I hated it so much, I realised I had bought into the idea that you HAVE to wear a white dress and I remembered I don’t HAVE to do anything. That’s when I started looking for something really me. 



I landed on a Badgley Mishka gold sequin dress that I got for $800 off the retail price by finding it on eBay. I splurged on a pair Christian Louboutin rainbow striped heels though! 


I didn't enjoy planning my wedding at all. I am not a planner. Then on the actual day when you're trying to enjoy it and take it all in, people still keep asking you admin questions. This style of wedding is what worked for us – we decided what the big pieces were that really mattered to us and spent our money there. We decided not to care about almost everything else. We wanted the right venue, the right photographer and delicious food and drink. Planning a wedding from overseas, when we knew we’d be flying out for out mini-moon the very next day helped us to say no to anything that would add a complication or a big expense.  


When it came to my bridesmaids' dresses, I let them decide. One of my sisters got a dress she already owned copied in the fabric of their choosing in Dubai.



I found our photographer on Instagram when I was researching venues. One of Joanna Brown's shots turned up under a tag, and that was that, she was the photographer I had to have. I am not a fan of the romantic, dreamy style of typical wedding photography. Joanna has this amazing knack of catching the quotidian moments that are filled with love and joy but are grounded and real. She "interviewed" us to see if she felt like we were a fit and I have never wanted to impress someone so such! I wish I could just put her on a retainer to come and shoot all my big life events!   


For favours, we went with Caramel chocolate bars because I have always loved the red and gold wrapping them come in

. We got Disco Shed to DJ the party and they were outstanding, great tunes! I walked down the "aisle" to the Theme Song from Top Gun. We didn't have a recessional. Our first dance was Number 1 by Goldfrapp. 




Did you have a theme in mind? Is "cheap" a theme?! For our wedding flowers, we got a recommendation for a whole-seller from our caterer and ordered a load of baby's breath super-last minute to decorate the tables. 


I bought a plain chocolate tiered cake from a supermarket as a last minute decision because our amazing and bossy caterer told me I should. I asked her to throw a couple of punnets of raspberries on top to tumble down the layers and dust it with icing sugar, I didn't eat a crumb of it though!




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Thursday 12 December 2013

A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details - The Reception

A little late-coming {I got horribly distracted with Christmas shopping}, but it's time for the delicious second half of this gorgeous wedding. Groom Adam set his bride the challenge of incorporating his football team, Manchester United, into their wedding. Laura managed it with aplomb, creating an incredible 3D table plan, complete with real grass. The red of their shirts proved a slight problem, as it didn't quite fit in with their cream, elegant wedding colour palette, but Adam compromised with cream shirts in the main dining room! There's plenty more stealworthy ideas to snaffle from the pictures - not least the personalised stamp made by BerinMade stationers. Laura used it to brand all their wedding stationery, and to create salt dough heart ornaments. Laura's mum even borrowed it to hand-stamp biscuits, in case any of the guests got peckish on the bus to the reception venue. I'm a huge fan of Laura's antique sapphire and diamond engagement ring as well! Huge thanks to Laura for filling in all her answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire, and to Lissa Alexandra Photography for her fantastic pictures. I've never seen such a fantastic array of wedding portrait shots!

We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.


Our wedding photographer was Lissa Alexandra Photography. Shortly after our engagement, I went to a wedding fair, and I fell instantly in love with her photography style. I knew I had to have her from that moment. I think she was the first thing I booked once our date was confirmed.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details

Ice-cream van? Check! Quirky character cars? Check! Fabulous vintage bus? Check! As you can tell, this gorgeous wedding has tonnes of simply fabulous details - many of them with four wheels, and a vintage personality! Laura and Adam were keen to host a classic, elegant wedding, which reflected them as a couple, without having too obvious a theme. Pinks and greens are the dominant colours, and there's definitely a vintage hint to many of the details. I've fallen for Laura's Audrey Hepburn inspired wedding outfit, and her stunning David Austin rose bouquet. Throw in the pretty-as-a-picture church, and historic venue near York, and I'm sold! Enjoy all the gorgeous pictures by Lissa Alexandra Photography - she captured every detail perfectly, and make sure you unashamedly steal Laura's wedding ideas from her answers to Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire! More from the reception published later today.


We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.


I wanted a venue which was a blank canvas and suited me. Bold green patterned carpets and massive drapes like you get in a traditional castle or stately home venue, just wouldn’t cut it. I chose The Old Deanery for its dark wooden floor boards and cream panelled walls.



Wednesday 25 September 2013

A Modern Navy-Blue, Pink & Purple Themed Wedding - The Reception

There's tonnes of fantastic wedding inspiration in this gorgeous spring wedding. Ruth and Mark chose an on-trend jewel colour palette of navy blue, hot pink and purple for their wedding theme, and carried it through all their wedding details. The bridesmaids' dresses, the flowers, the cake - even the DIY'd table stationery, all match perfectly. It's the wedding planner effect without a wedding planner!! DIY brides will find Ruth's efforts hugely inspiring - she even made her own FIVE tier wedding cake - and it couldn't look more professional if it tried. With favours made my Ruth's brother-in-law, marquee-style letters made by her Dad, and a ring-pillow made my her mum, this really was a family project. Enjoy the gorgeous pictures by Matt and Sarah-Jane Ethan. I love the modern-style portrait shots!


We chose Matt and Sarah-Jane Ethan as our wedding photographers. They stood out to us on our search. They totally “got” what we wanted from our photographs which was informal and relaxed. Also your wedding photographer is with you most of the day, so I think it is important to get on with them, and we really did!


 I came across a navy blue, pink and purple look, and I loved the contrast of the colours together. It looked very modern, and I was keen for our wedding to feel modern as well as classic.


A Modern Navy-Blue, Pink & Purple Themed Wedding

There's an ethereal element to these beautiful wedding pictures by Matt and Sarah-Jane Ethan. Every one feels like a magical moment, and I'm not sure whether my edit has done them justice. Suffice to say, Ruth and Mark's wedding was a stunning affair. Ruth chose a colour palette of navy-blue, pink and purple as her wedding theme, and picked out navy-blue for her bridesmaids, hot pink for the ushers' ties, and a mixture of all three for her wedding flowers. The carefully coordinated colours create a very put-together look, and I love the colour pop against her white wedding gown. My other loves include their incredible wedding venue of Wynyard Hall, the cute diamante initials on the back of Ruth's shoes, and Ruth's elegant Mori Lee wedding gown. Huge thanks to Sarah-Jane and Matt for their beautiful wedding photographs - don't miss the fantastic wedding reception shots later today.


We celebrated our wedding at Wynyard Hall in Cleveland on 26th May 2013.


 I came across a navy blue, pink and purple look, and I loved the contrast of the colours together. It looked very modern, and I was keen for our wedding to feel modern as well as classic.



Monday 27 May 2013

Amazing Geometric Wedding Altar Backdrop

If you're not getting married in a church, but you want to walk up an aisle, then you might want to consider an altar-equivalent. There's a huge wedding trend for so-called 'backdrops' in the USA, and it's winging its way over the Atlantic to hit our shores this summer. Ribbons, bunting, flowers, paper chains, balloons, blackboards and vintage door-frames, they've all been used to create a focal point for the marriage ceremony, but the latest {and greatest} idea are these origami diamonds. Designed and handmade by French Knot Studios, they're fabulously neon, and the perfect addition to any contemporary themed wedding. Check out more wedding altar and backdrop ideas on my Pinterest page.




{Photo Credits} Izzy Hudgins Photography

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Monday 18 March 2013

Real Vintage Hollywood Swiss Wedding: Kate & Lucas

For some brides, the frothy feminine style of a traditional wedding leaves them cold. Instead they choose a sophisticated theme for their wedding day, with maybe a short, chic wedding dress, and an urban venue. Gorgeous bride, Kate, plumped for the latter, picking a modern look for her wedding day, with a lovely layer of vintage glamour. Her lace covered wedding dress is the Zarita from Diane von Fuerstenberg, and works perfectly with her birdcage veil and red lipstick. Her sunshine yellow shoes perfectly match her colourful bouquet, creating a very 'put together' look - the type I can only dream of recreating! Lukas and Kate chose the Zurich Courthouse in Switzerland for their wedding venue, and hosted their reception in stylish cafe, with the lovely Andrea Kuehnis on hand to take their wedding pictures. Don't you love their style?
















{Wedding Credits}
Flowers: Blumenhaus Unterstrass
Shoes: Something Bleu, BHLDN
Dress: Diane von Fuerstenber (Designer) Zarita (Dress)
Wedding Venue: Courthouse Zurich, Switzerland
Reception: Milchbar, Zurich
Wedding Photographer: Andrea Kuehnis Fotografin  

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Monday 24 September 2012

Alternative Wedding Buttonholes

*I just love these!*  I've already featured Kikichoo's badges as an idea for wedding favours, but these cupcake couples are perfect for the wedding party. At £1 each, they're a lot cheaper than floral buttonholes, and come in cute pairs and different colours, so you can match up your bridesmaids and ushers. It's one way to drop hints about who you think should get together on the dancefloor!


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Sunday 19 August 2012

More DIY Ikea Wedding Inspiration

So many brides have commented and emailed about my last Ikea wedding inspiration post, that I thought it only fair I found even more fabulous details for you! Inspired by the wedding of Swedish Crown Princess Victoria {back in 2010}, Ikea partnered with stylist Lo Bjurulf and photographer Denise Grünstein to create a stunning wedding theme. This one is called "Paper & Fold" and it fits in perfectly with this season's wedding trend for DIY weddings, origami and natural tones. Fabulous wedding inspiration for brides looking for a modern, fresh look, without blowing the budget.





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Friday 25 May 2012

Real Super-Cool Hipster Wedding: Priyanka & Chris

My favourite weddings are those where the bride and groom really stamp their sense of style on the day, and this couple are seriously hip! Just take a look at Priyanka's fabulous wedding day look; her strong make-up, red lipstick, chandelier earrings, full-skirted wedding dress and pretty up-do. Chris wasn't going to be left behind - I'm loving his sharp three-piece suit and stripe monochrome bowtie, plus Ray Bans. Other stealworthy ideas include the four-leaf clovers in the buttonholes, the wild orange table flowers and the vintage lace wrapped bottles. So many perfect wedding details! Huge thanks to Our Labour of Love for their beautiful pictures.














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