Inspirational Ideas: Lanterns and Poms

Decorating your wedding venue with your colour scheme adds a personal touch to your big day like nothing else. Lanterns and pom poms are a really simple way to achieve a big impact. The phrase ‘the more the better’ definitely applies and grouping them together can really make a statement backdrop. If you are decorating your own marquee, barn or similar type venue take a look at the rest of our board in Pinterest for more inspiration, but here is just a taster of what is possible.

A cheap way of doing mini lanterns so you can light paths and dark corners is to collect jam jars and fill them with long burning tea lights. If you want to have a go at making your own paper pom poms they are really easy – just follow the instructions here from Martha Stewart. To give you an idea of the time involved you can make around 5/6 per hour.

Or if you really don’t want to go to the effort of making your own you can buy them online.  Paper Poms UK are a specialist vendor who sell the poms on Etsy. Prices start from £2 for a 3″ or 4″ pom. Visit their website for more inspiration on how to use your paper poms.

Image Credits all via Pinterest:

1. The Knot

2.Rock my wedding

3.Brokeassbride

4. www.pottingshedpostcards.com

5. West Country Marquees

6. Before the Big Day

7. The Bridal District

8. Follow My Bliss

9. thebridallounge.ie

10. Hanging Lanterns

Fantastic Find: DC Bouquets

If you are looking for an alternative to the usual wedding bouquet or accessories and want something completely different then you are going to love DC Bouquets which is run by the very talented, Debbie Carlisle. Debbie makes her fantastic one-off designs with vintage and vintage-style jewellery mixed with buttons, crystal, glass and pearl beads.

Her range includes wedding accessories, bouquets and buttonholes. Here are some designs from her 2012 accessories collection.

All images: Copyright of DC Bouquets

Vintage Wedding Shoot at Upnor Castle

Today we are really pleased to be sharing a fantastic vintage photoshoot at the very lovely Upnor Castle, Kent. The shoot was set up by Margate based photographer, Robert Marriott with the help of Maxine Gregory of Tea-licious and Sandra Andrews of Vintage Curves.

We just love the vintage dresses, the gorgeous red detailing and wow – that cake! Here are just some of our favourite shots but take a look at the slideshow for the full shoot. Enjoy!

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Image Credits Robert Marriott – thanks Robert!

Photo Shoot Credits:

Stylist’s Stephanie Stanley, Lacey Biginton and Leanne MacPherson

Florists Mals Bespoke Bouquet, Flower Heaven and Helen Louise Jury.

Red Ruffle cake supplied by Francesca Pitcher, Cupcakes by Samantha Vanstone

Vehicles from Amandas Vintage Car Hire, Simply Stunning Cars and Retro Caravan Hire.

Real Kent Wedding: Chris and Katie’s Wedding Safari

Today on the blog we are sharing with you the wedding of Chris and Katie, who got married back in May at Port Lympne. The lucky couple had lots of friends to help out and so we asked Katie to tell us about their big day.

Katie tells us “Port Lympne was the only venue we looked at and we fell in love with it. I had been there previously for work and thought it would be really different and unique to get married there. Erica at Port Lympne helped us so much and was brilliant.We had 72 guests for the daytime, with another 130 coming in the evening. We wanted quite a traditional wedding but with a few personal touches. We had a VIP safari trip as part of the wedding day so we all got on big safari trucks and spent an hour going round the park seeing the animals.

Our wedding photographer was Kerry Ann Duffy. I had heard about her through some friends and then when we looked on her website we knew she was our photographer!

My dress was from Brocades Bridal Studio in Sittingbourne. They were really helpful and had some beautiful pieces. As well as my dress I also bought there my veil, hairpiece, a necklace and earrings. I borrowed my sister’s bracelet for my ‘something borrowed’. My shoes were from BHS – they were comfortable enough to wear all day and all night!

Chris’ suit was hired from Slaters in Canterbury. It was grey with a white shirt and purple cravat. The bridesmaids dresses were also from Brocades and the flower girl dress was from Next.

 We had a motor racing theme for the reception as Chris is a mad motor racing fan. For our table centres we had flowers in tyres instead of vases and our table names were the names of Formula 1 drivers. Our favours were Air Ambulance scratch cards as it’s a charity close to our hearts. For the children’s favours we got party bags from All About Party Bags which contained activity books, stickers, sweets and bubbles.

Our brilliant stationery was made by a friend of my sister, Tomarty, and included invitations, table names, table plan, post box and guest book. A friend, Jo Tantum, did our wedding flowers. We met up to discuss the flowers but I had no idea what to pick apart from the colour so we left it in her hands as we trusted her to do a beautiful job. I had no idea what they were going to look like until I saw them on the day but I was over the moon with them! My bouquet was a mixture of ivory and lilac roses, purple lisianthus and eucalyptus. There were also button holes for the men and corsages for the ladies as well as flowers for the tables.  The wedding room didn’t really need much decorating as there are gorgeous animal murals all over the walls so we didn’t have flowers to decorate the room.

Our menu was by the in-house caterers and we gave our guests choices so we had starters of Pate, Garlic Mushrooms or Melon & Parma Ham followed by Salmon in chive sauce, Chicken in mushroom sauce or Romney Marsh Lamb. Dessert was Apple Pie, Chocolate fondue with strawberries or Lemon tart. It was all delicious! Throughout dinner we had some table magic by a friend who is a magician.

A friend also make our wedding cake – we had chocolate and vanilla cupcakes decorated with purple and ivory icing, with hearts and flowers as well a top layer of fruit cake.  In the evening we had a big party and it was great to see people on the dance floor all night.  Our first dance was to Elton John’s ‘Your Song’. We have just always loved the song and the words.We had a fantastic band, Marylebone Jelly, who we had seen at some local events and knew we had to have them at our wedding – everyone love them!”

Katie planned her wedding in just under a year and says “accept help from friends and family where you can as it all helps and don’t worry about what other people want – it’s your day so have things as you want them!”

Thanks to the couple for sharing their day and big congrats from us! x

Image Credit: Kerry Ann Duffy

Forever Wedding Flowers

Sniff sniff…..the wedding is over and now you don’t know what to do with your gorgeous bouquet that you simply can’t throw away…

Josh Spencer Photography

Well thanks to one of our gorgeous brides-to-be who was worrying about this exact problem we have a solution!

The Flower Preservation House not only preserve your wedding flowers but make them into a really special keepsake. What’s great about this company is that the flowers aren’t pressed so maintain their natural 3D appearance and look fantastic. Your preserved flowers can be mounted and framed in various designs and frame types. It’s up to you what design option you pick and prices start from just £85.

Design Sample from The Flower Preservation House

 

 

Bloom to Bouquet: What’s in Season?

In season now are lily of the valley, sweet william, peonies and gerberas – just some of our favourite  flowers for wedding bouquets and decor. Nip over to our Pinterest page for more flower inspiration.

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com

http://www.weddingbee.com

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com

somethingturquoise.com

Sunday Summary: Lots of Treats

This week we have been looking at hidden gem wedding venues which we will be sharing with you over the next week. We’ve also been working hard on our new website which will be ready to launch in June. We’re super excited about it and can’t wait to share it with everyone.

We also had a little field trip yesterday to the Pantiles Food Festival in Tunbridge Wells. It’s always a great place to find lovely, talented and food obsessed people who cater for weddings in the county.

We kicked off on Monday with news of a bridal gown sale at Froufrou Bridal Boutique which is on next month and includes discounted dresses from famous designer names (see a few of the dresses available below)

We also shared with you two fantastic Kent suppliers. Florist in the Forest was up first with owner Katherine Craft, who showed us her beautiful and stunning designs. Katherine is a talented lady as she not only creates her designs but also grows her own flowers at her studio and cutting garden in Broadwater Forest. Then we met Jennie Bishop of Little Boutique Bakery where we got to see just some of her fantastic wedding cakes. Jennie told us “we are known for our elegant and unique designs and attention to detail, we only take on a limited number of commissions per week so we can ensure the utmost quality and time required to complete orders.” These are cake and flower designs you won’t want to miss out on!

Florist in the Forest

Little Boutique Bakery

Candy Anthony

The final part of our series about Planning a Vintage Wedding was all about the dress and how to find it. Whether you want a true vintage gown or are going for vintage styled one we shared our favourites from a range of designers and online boutiques.

Then to round off the week we brought you five of the best wedding pumps so you could save your feet but still look gorgeous!

That’s it from us so Happy Sunday everyone.

x

Fabulous Find: Florist in the Forest

On the hunt for pink flower inspiration this week we sourced the help of Katherine Craft, owner of Florist in the Forest. We had been meaning to catch up with Katherine for sometime as we’d heard so much about her gorgeous flowers. Along with her husband, Katherine not only creates her designs but also grows her own flowers at her studio and cutting garden in Broadwater Forest on the Kent and East Sussex border. This means the flowers she uses are the freshest and most beautiful they can possibly be.

Katherine tells us” as with all brides I have a no obligation consultation where we can discuss the flowers and styles for their day. This means I get to know the bride a little, which is key in creating designs that will best suit their wedding. During the growing season I take them around the cut flower garden so they can see the flowers that they might want to have. This consultation also allows us to talk about getting the most from any budget and plans for the big day.”

Katherine’s designs have a natural, country-style which will make any wedding feel relaxed and timeless. For more about her work visit her blog and be inspired!

Images 6 & 9: Victoria Kaye Photography, all other images by Florist in the Forest.

Get the latest look: Buns and Roses

As we approach summer our resident fashionistas’ latest news is that the bun is making a big comeback.

I have hair I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It’s thick, frizzy and has a mind all of its own. If my house was on fire my GHD’s would be the first thing I saved. So when I heard the news I thought it might be the answer to my morning hair woes. No more messing around trying to tame hair at the crack of dawn, the bun would be my new secret weapon. I cast aside the fear I might end up looking like Mrs Lyons from the Post Office and off I went to buy a bun ring to try it out.

Back home I started with a low ponytail and put the ring over the top. I then used another band to pull hair over the ring and secure it in place. I then pinned up all the loose ends with some grips behind the ring. Voila a bun to behold! Three easy (ish) steps, minimum effort, maximum effect. Ok it wasn’t all that neat and I won’t be winning any style awards just yet, but I did have hair with a bit more attitude than my usual ponytail. I tried out a few sparkly grips and then swapped them for a small rose clip instead. And with loads of comments throughout the day about my new ‘up do’ my bun ring is definitely here to stay.

If you are looking for inspiration for bridal hair then check out our bun inspired board on Pinterest, I guarantee you won’t look like the lady from the Post Office.

All images via Pinterest via:

1. rebeccaanderton.tumblr.com

2. nibsblog.wordpress.com

3. theberry.com

4. onepickybride.blogspot.co.uk

5. nibsblog.wordpress.com

6. blog.modcloth.com

7. weddings.theknot.com

8. janetaylormillinery.com

9. favim.com

10. sullivanowen.com

Eco Wedding? Try the Natural Wedding Book

We have seen growing numbers of couples who want a more eco-friendly wedding. Whether it’s using sustainable printing for stationery or going completely organic for the wedding breakfast it’s a theme that is growing in popularity.  At the Wedding Dolls we just love “The Natural Wedding” book which is dedicated to helping you have a completely natural wedding. From stunning vintage dresses to intricately crafted organic cup cakes, this book will provide you stylish solutions with a natural twist.

The author and eco wedding designer, Louise Moon, suggests simple how-tos and insider tips to make your day truly unique. It’s set out into bite sized chapters for each topic and is great to dip in and out of when planning.

Louise says in her introduction “I wanted to write the book to give couples inspiration and advice on every aspect of their greener celebration. Its my eco-chic guide to weddings without hairy shirts or mud in sight!”

If you are anything like us you will love this book and it might just persuade you that eco chic is the way to go for your big day.

The book is published by Alastair Sawday’s and is available to purchase online for £14.99.

Images from Alastair Sawday’s