We are thrilled that this wedding is featured in the current issue of Perfect Wedding  magazine. 

This is the wedding of an infectiously fun American/Persian couple based in Kuwait who decided to marry in the UK.

Not in London though; the bride had her heart set from a very early age on a classic (but with a twist) English country wedding and so to work we went. 

It had to be Oxfordshire and had to be a beautiful ivy-clad mansion house and well we just had to have a marquee.

Of course it wouldn’t have been an English wedding without rain which did mean that the outdoor ceremony (largely Persian in style, tradition and décor)  moved inside to the stunning Baronial Hall.

But it didn’t matter a jot as guests were able to enjoy some time outside enjoying drinks before heading into the most eye-poppingly colourful marquee design. 

Orange and lime green is not a colour palette that we immediately threw together but it worked beautifully from the pom pom lanterns to the matchbox favours and the bright sunny gerbera floral designs, to the carefully styled placement card table, not mentioning the tongue-in-cheek reference to Aladdin’s magic carpet in the design of the wedding cake.

Kay and Nima, we salute your boldness and we miss you!

Key Credits:

Flowers: Euphoric Flowers

Wedding cake: Zoe Clark Cakes

Photography: Pippa Mackenzie Photography

Marquee: Wings

Stationery: Dottie Creations

Venue: Weston Manor

Wedding Venues & Services magazine -   Oct/Nov/Dec 2011 issue – Real Wedding of Kelly and Jason

Perfect Wedding

We have worked closely with the team this year on a number of Wedding SOS and Hot Topic features. Below are two of our recent contributions:

For inspiration for your own wedding you might like to take a peek at our press pages and gallery which are full of images of recent weddings we have organised.

Happy planning!

Cutemaps - I came across these at a recent wedding of some of my clients – one of the bridesmaids had decided to use this lovely company to arrange some bespoke maps that were given out to guests as they left the church. Although we had transport arranged, it was a hop, skip and a jump to the reception venue and the maps were ideal for those guests who preferred to walk. Postcard size, the maps show all the relevant landmarks in getting from A to B in a really cute but clear way. I’m sold!

 And more of the written word, at last weekend’s Luxury Wedding Show London I came across a great supplier of every conceivable type of wooden lettering and numerals. I know we’ve all seen lots of wooden blocks in many a store over recent years but when you’re looking at events for large numbers of people and with a certain style and colour theme, sometimes those stores don’t produce what you need in the way that you want it. I’m confident that Posh Graffiti by Emily Readett-Bayley could be just the ticket for bespoke orders!

Happy planning!

Dear Blog, I know I’ve been very naughty and abandoned you for quite a few months now but well, there are just three words – wedding season madness!  OK, grovel over.

There is lots going on which I hope to share with you this autumn. First up I just had to post about the exciting pre-wedding photo shoot for our wedding coming up this weekend.

Captured by the super-creative and endlessly fun Pippa and Ian at  Pippa Mackenzie, they seem to have got right into the swing of things with a really joyous and quirky photo shoot to the theme of the film ‘Roman Holiday’. Inspired by their engagement in Rome plus Bella’s love of Renaissance art and Italian style in general, the wedding this weekend will contain more than a dash of Italy. More on that soon but for now enjoy some images from their special day in Brighton:

 We look forward to featuring the wedding itself on the blog soon!

It’s a Classic The traditional table plan, usually placed at the entrance of the Dining Room or Marquee, will detail the guest’s table location and number. These can be home-made (a trip to HobbyCraft will have you stocked and ready to get creative in no time), from a kit (Confetti have a fantastic range) via the internet (TablePlans offer a great selection and range of themes) or designed and produced by a Wedding Stationers….the possibilities are endless!

All your birds in a row Using a bird cage as the centre of your table plan has been popular for the past few years, particularly at English Country Garden themed weddings where they tie in very nicely with the marquee, bunting and blowsy blooms. For the talented DIY-ers out there, a quick search on eBay should source you a beautiful birdcage that you then simply dress with flowers (real or artificial) and attach a card for each table detailing the names of the guests – et voila, hand-crafted and cost-effective.

Hanging Tree A small amount of creativity for a big result! Hanging Trees simply require a beautiful container (for example a large glass square vase for a contemporary wedding or a large metal water jug for a country garden wedding) and the prettiest branches you can find – these can either be from your garden or purchased from a local garden centre. You then attach cards to the branches detailing the guests and which table they are seated at.  The branches can also be ‘dressed’ to match the theme of your big day – miniature bunting, pearls, ribbons, etc…

Rustic Charm to give your wedding a rustic ‘outdoor’ feel; you could consider a variation on the more traditional Escort Card. Small squares of chalk board can be personalised with each guests name and placed on a picnic table outside of your Dining Room or Marquee. Team them with gingham napkins, brushed metal votive holders and native flowers for a relaxed, rural Californian type feel!

A few top tips for table planning:

* With divorced / remarried parents, the top table seating arrangement can cause headaches. Consider not have a traditional top table and instead each set of parents / step parents can host their own tables – filled with their close friends, they will feel comfortable and in their element.

* To save disagreements whilst deciding who to sit where – colour-code your guests (family, close friend, work colleague) on sticky notes which you can move around the paper ‘tables’ until you are happy that each table has the right mix of people.

* However tempting it is, try not to sit two single friends next to each other – they will see through your match making motives in an instant!

Happy Planning!

Credits: Photos

PR Wedding Photography

Butler Madden

Etsy – Bragging Bags

Being a savvy spender in one area can usually mean that you can splurge another; however have you considered renting key wedding items? It really could allow you to have your cake and eat it!

Let’s start with a girl’s best friends…Bridesmaids…as they come in many beautiful shapes and sizes, the trend for bridesmaids choosing their own dresses, tied into your theme by either colour or style, is set to continue in 2011. This is where Girl Meets Dress comes into play; having recently added a stunning Wedding Boutique to their collection, you and your bridesmaids can benefit from a wide range of dresses from 3.1 Phillip Lim to Alberta Ferretti from £49.00 for 2 days – not an unflattering puff sleeved number in sight!

Now let’s consider your other best friends…Diamonds… Sophie and the team at Rent Your Rocks have nearly 150 pieces of jewellery for you to choose from, with rental prices starting at a very purse pleasing £50.00 per week. Choosing to rent your wedding jewellery could enable you to drape yourself in diamonds, pearls or sapphires that would usually break the budget – how divine!

Have you been weighing up the possibility of purchasing Louboutins for your big day? This is often a dilemma; will the colour and style be wearable after the big day? Consider contacting the ladies at Cinderella Me for the fairy princess treatment, without the price tag! A gorgeous pair of Louboutin Prive Riga or Jimmy Choo Brent heels could be yours for as little as £49.00 for a week, perfect for you to strut down the aisle in style.

Should you be planning a retro wedding, another area of your wedding that can benefit from rental is your crockery and decoration. Two favourites in my little black book are Idyllic Days and Simply Love Vintage, both boast a huge selection of teacups, plates, cake stands, vintage table cloths, hurricane lamps and much more! Kim and Carrie have both taken time and care traipsing around car boot sales, eBay and charity shops to build up their fabulous collections so that you don’t have to. This rental option is not only cost effective; it is very ‘green’ which will leave you with a warm glow too!

Happy Planning!

This event, spearheaded by my alter-ego as Director of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners was ambitious in its aims, to genuinely inspire and offer advice to brides in a wedding event with a difference. No hard sell, just pretty things, lovingly presented and teamed with practical information on how to really pull together your wedding day from those who do it everyday, we wedding planners. Some asked ‘how is that going to work – 20+ wedding planners all working on one event on one day?’. But it did work and it worked superbly.

To talk you through the event:

I spent much time in our registration area welcoming our visitors and talking them through what was on offer at The Wedding Sanctuary at Somerset House.  (this isn’t me at the desk, but another planner colleague)

 Check out our ‘plan’ of the event which I worked very hard on with designer Melanie of  Cranberry Blue Weddings who offers a bespoke table plan service.

Guests strolled into our inspiration zone.  Six tables including the photographed sweet treats station were individually and carefully designed to very unique styles and with much attention to detail by fellow wedding planners of UKAWP. Here are just a few images:  

  Next up was the fashion boudoir, beautifully styled with props from Vintage Style Hire

 I was particularly proud of our ‘advice zones’ which I worked hard on designing and planning. Our visitors loved having the opportunity to sit down and actually engage properly with our hand-picked collection of wedding suppliers.

 And finally our ‘talks zone’  not only looked but played the part, with three highly practical and useful talks on key areas of planning from members of the  UK Alliance of Wedding Planners

 For more images and further write- ups on the event you might like to take a look here

 A special thanks to Always Andri  and Isabel Smith Weddings for working tirelessly with me on this event.

Credits:

Photography: Julia Boggio Photography

Flowers: Amanda Austin Flowers

Stationery: Cutture  and With Love

Lighting and production: Wise Productions

Advice zone furniture: Velvet Living

Catering: Table Talk

Table top items: Well Dressed Tables and Just 4 Linen

Cake and candy station: Zoe Clark Cakes

If you’re in the mood for some serious wedding advice from the experts, do consider joining us. Put carefully together by members of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (I’m a Director of this company), we aim for the show to leave you brimming not only with beautiful ideas, but a practical action plan of how to realise those ideas . 

Come and listen to the insightful talks, peruse the carefully designed tables in the ‘inspiration zone’ and sit down with some refreshment and pick the brains of the best in the wedding business; do take a look at the dedicated event website for the low-down on who’s involved. 

Want to join us? Click here for tickets

All the trimmings Barnett Lawson is a treasure trove of ribbons and trimmings in an unassuming basement near Oxford Circus. Frequented most often by theatre and costume specialists, it is the perfect place for luxurious ribbons, buttons and lace. Ribbon must be bought in full rolls, but it is at a purse-pleasing trade price!

Props and accessories Looking for something a little bit fun then David Fitch Services  have a warehouse full of fantastic props; from retro microphone stands to a milkmaid’s yolk and buckets, there will be something that takes your fancy.  Or for a full on themed experience try Theme Traders  who will create a Winter Wonderland fit for a princess, a Masquerade Ball, or possibly a ‘Mad Men’ themed celebration, complete with the whisky sours, jazz music and gorgeous dresses.

For the talented DIY-ers We recommend a trip to your nearest HobbyCraft where they are full to the brim with beads, sequins, gorgeous card and much more; perfect for hand crafted wedding invitations and table plans with a personal touch. Cox and Cox is a must for beautiful, yet affordable pieces to accessorise your wedding day; the little vases below could double up as table decoration and the perfect favour for your female guests – cute and cost effective!

Be Inspired! Whilst the specialist wedding shows are excellent (The Designer Wedding Show  is our particular favourite), sometimes it’s good to get inspiration from other trade shows. Why not try RSVP, we’ve been going to this show for years, and it’s full of fabulous entertainment ideas, inspiration and design; aimed at the corporate events market in the main, but equally applicable to a stylish wedding.  Please don’t forget the Spirit of Christmas and Spirit of Summer fairs – I went to the Christmas version last year and it’s full of not only delightful Christmas gifts but unusual and bespoke ideas, ideal for decorating and theming your venue or tables; or choosing unique favours or bridal party gifts. 

Want more from our little black book? We are thrilled to be involved in The Wedding Sanctuary, the first event of its kind run by the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners. It’s a genuine opportunity to meet and pick the brains of wedding planners in a stylish and advice-led environment. Taking place at London landmark, Somerset House, on 20 March 2011, it’s filled with top industry experts to help you bring together your perfect day. Planners from the UKAWP will be hosting talks on useful and practical topics, and designing dining tables in the Inspiration Zone to show you how to pull your theme together.  Do take a look at the dedicated website here where you can reserve tickets: www.theweddingsanctuary.ukawp.com

Happy Planning!

Credits:

Photos: Cox and Cox and HobbyCraft

 And involved is most definitely the word; I’m heading up the planning of the event with my other hat on (my role as Director of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners).  The concept came about at our annual members meeting where our planner membership gets together to review the year and plan for the next. “Meet more brides and show them how we can really help bring their plans to life”, came back the answer loud and clear.

So we set to work and over the past few months I (plus a number of hard working colleagues) have been burning the midnight oil pulling together an exciting event with a very different feel to your usual wedding fayre – we’re there to give advice and provide genuine insight and inspiration and are limiting numbers so that visitors get personal attention and a great experience. We have the fabulous Somerset House, hosting the event and a dream team of both established and fresh talent in the wedding field including  laser cut stationery sensation Cutture (who designed the event logo), wedding cake queen, Zoe Clark Cakes, renowned event caterers Table Talk who will be demonstrating some of their wonderful cuisine, men’s blogging legend Staggered and many many more including a dedicated fashion zone with style advice and hair and make up demos.

 My colleagues from the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners will be heavily involved on the day, offering advice alongside our industry partners, delivering useful talks on meaty subjects such as budget planning, timetable planning and finding good suppliers and demonstrating their creative talents in our showcase “inspiration” zone. Individually styled wedding reception tables will be themed plus there will be heaps of quirky little touches on display to help with your wedding design and theme. 

 If you are planning your wedding currently and would like to join us tickets can be obtained from www.theweddingsanctuary.ukawp.com where you can find even more information about who’s there and what’s going on. Tickets are priced at £10 for a single and £15 for a double ticket. We have an exciting prize draw on offer too.  I hope to see you there; do come and say hello. I’ll most definitely have a clipboard in hand!