Europe Weddings

Planning a long-distance wedding isn’t always easy, but this adorable duo didn’t let a few thousand miles (or more) get in their way.  Instead, they enlisted the help of some of Ontario’s finest vendors, including the amazing Hazlitt Vintage Rentals and The Little White Dress, and drew upon their own crazy talented DIY skills and creativity to throw the sweet, vintage wedding of their dreams.  All captured by Young Hearts Photography, the gallery is literally overflowing with magical moments for us to enjoy. Click here for more.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

Oh, and we’re not done yet.  We have a breathtaking film from Nataschia Wielink Photo + Cinema to seriously sweeten your Monday. Enjoy!

From the Bride… To say that I was anxious and overwhelmed at the thought of planning a wedding remotely while living overseas was an understatement. Our family and friends would be coming from all over the world for our wedding, and I wanted it to be a perfect reflection of us. Luke is from Australia and I’m from Canada, but we now live together in Hong Kong. This meant that not only would there be a lot of traveling involved during the planning process, but also a lot of emailing, using Skype and relinquishing control to others (which I don’t do well). I was so overwhelmed with the thought of planning the wedding that we were engaged for nearly 5 years, looked at locations in 3 different countries, and had planned and canceled three different dates, before we finally settled on Canada as our location. Since our entire love story unfolded in Asia, we felt it was really important to bring all the things we love about our “home” to our families who have not yet been able to visit us in Hong Kong. With friends and family scattered all over the world (and some who hadn’t seen us since we’ve been together) the most important thing for us was to have every single detail express who we are and help those that only knew us individually to understand our love and connection.

To help be my eyes, ears and my super hero in Canada I enlisted the help of wedding planner Kate Vanderlugt of The Little White Dress, and from there our wedding visions grew into a dream come true. She not only understood our vision and brought it perfectly to life but she became a great friend in planning process. It was all the little details that made our day unique and that was what I focused on. Luke was a superstar groom. He designed our invitations, made our cake topper, molded and painted our photo booth props and became a master of the sewing machine! He sewed our vintage floral napkins, our linen table runners, and all the ties for the groomsmen  – as well as embroidering them! Our venue didn’t allow our guests to throw anything as we walked back up the aisle, so I made little paper flags with lots of fun sayings and our initials for our guests to wave. I also enlisted the wonderful Selena from Hazlitt Vintage Rentals to complete that vintage travel vibe we were going for. She had just the right pieces – from tables and suitcases to the tandem bike that we used for photos! For dinner, Luke and I felt it was especially important to bring our favourite tastes of Asia to our guests, and we then followed it up with a yummy dessert bar with my favourite homemade squares that my mom and grandma baked. Our guests’ favourite part of the evening had to be our photo-booth-turned-guest-book. I created a scrapbook station with tons of stickers and letters and such and the guests had fun all night taking photos, having them print out and creating funny pages to help us remember the night.

Although there were a lot of frustrations leading up to our wedding, it truly was a day that far exceeded even my wildest dreams. I kept saying, leading up to the day, that although it was the day that I got to marry my soul mate it was so much more than that. It was also being able to be with and share in the love of all those closest to us whom we seldom get to see as we celebrated such an important moment in our lives. I have to thank Kate from The Little White dress for really understanding our vision and making it come to life. And I also need to thank Young Hearts Photography and Nataschia Wielink Photo + Cinema for capturing the day — the happiest of memories that we will have forever.

Wedding Photography: Young Hearts Photography / Wedding Venue: Bellamere Winery in London, Ontario / Event Planning: Kate Vanderlugt of The Little White Dress / Floral Design: Village Vines Florists / Wedding Cinematography: Nataschia Wielink Photo + Cinema / Wedding Cake: The Cake Box / Officiant: All Season Weddings / Vintage Rentals: Hazlitt Vintage Rentals / Wedding Invitations, Cake Topper, Photo Booth Props, Napkins, Table Runners + Groomsmen’s Ties: DIY by The Groom / Paper Flags, Heart Garland, Bunting + Bridesmaids’ Jewelry: DIY by The Bride / Hair + Makeup: Nova Vita / Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy (Color: Firecracker)

We’re taking a quick hop, skip and jump across the pond to bring you this heavenly London wedding by My Love Story.  I am quite enamored with this charming beauty with its winter elegance and mod flair.  There is so much to fall head over heels for like the flirty bridesmaids all in white, the perfectly sweet arrangements of tulips and anemones and, of course, incredible personal touches that will tug at your heart strings.  Click here to see it all!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… We knew we wanted our wedding to feel really simple and elegant, so tried to keep this in mind throughout. We live in London, so we got married here to make organising the day as straightforward and easy as it could be. We had a winter wedding, as we got engaged in January and wanted it to be in the same year. The reception venue is a Georgian town house in a beautiful London square with a gorgeous flagstone hallway and big, floor-to-ceiling windows. The fan light on the front door inspired the design for our stationery, and although we were really clear that we didn’t want to have any particular ‘theme’ for the day, the venue probably ended up influencing the look and feel of it all. The things that were important to us were having great food, having all our family and friends with us and everyone having a lovely time. Leon knew of the caterers, Clerkenwell Kitchen, and their food was amazing. They recommended the florist we used, The Flower Appreciation Society. I probably gave Ellie quite a vague brief, so the flowers were a wonderful surprise. Alex, from “My Love Story” was our photographer. He was amazing all day and brilliant to have around in the morning with all my bridesmaids getting ready.

My dress was from The Vintage Wedding Dress Company. I had it altered by a dressmaker one of my friends suggested, Nicola Donati. She added sleeves out of a vintage lace collar that was my great-great grandmother’s. My mum bought all the gorgeous white poinsettias to have up the stone staircase from a local garden centre. The venue is a listed building — it only had uplighter lamps in the rooms, and we weren’t allowed real candles, so I became a bit fixated on tea lights and the right candle holders! My sister found gold tea lights and Leon and I scoured practically every Poundland in north London, buying about fifty million of them! Two of our grandparents couldn’t attend the wedding due to ill health, and our grandfathers had both passed away, so we had photographs of all of their and our parents weddings on the mantelpiece, which all of our families really loved.

My worst decision was wanting to get a black cab to take me to the registry office. It didn’t show up and only told us 15 minutes before it was due to arrive! My bridesmaid did a sterling job of keeping this from me and organising a local taxi last minute. My advice to brides to be would be to think about what is important to you, what will make you happy and once you’ve decided, stick to it! Where possible keep things as simple as you can. I promised myself not to get stressed (this is harder than you think at times), not to let the little things that invariably go wrong bother me and to enjoy the day, which we did.

Wedding Photography: Alex Dimopoulos of My Love Story / Ceremony: Islington Town Hall in Islington, London, UK / Reception: 6 Fitzroy Square in London, UK / Floral Design: Ellie of The Flower Appreciation Society / Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Primrose Bakery / Catering: Clerkenwell Kitchen / Officiant: Cynthia Green / Wedding Stationery: Designed by the Bride & Groom / Transportation: Addison Lee / Wedding Dress: The Vintage Wedding Dress Company / Wedding Dress Alterations: Nicola Donati / Bride’s Hair Accessory: Jennifer Behr / Bride’s Jewelry: 1950s Vintage Bracelets / Bride’s Fur Cape: eBay / Bride’s Shoes: By Larin / Hair: Hob Salon / Makeup: DIY / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Asos Salon, Darling + H&M / Groom’s Suit: Paul Smith

Good morning my lovely LBBers. You’ll want to put down your coffee before you watch this London wedding from MintySlippers. Why? You will have a permagrin on your pretty little face from the moment you hear what this groom has to say about his lovely bride – and I don’t want to be responsible for spilling coffee on your keyboard. So enjoy, liquid free, and have a fabulous (and hopefully wedding filled) day!

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Gavin & Emma from MintySlippers

We met first as teenagers, both being part of a larger crowd of kids in the area in which we lived. With plenty of friends in common, we had a strong friendship for many years, before finding love with each other in 2008. Fast forward to December 2010 and we were on holiday together in Long Beach, California, staying on the beautiful Queen Mary, the worlds once romantically famous ocean super liner, now a permanent floating hotel in SoCal. It was the last night of a week long trip that had began in Las Vegas, and when walking around the famous deck, taking in the holiday vibe for the final time, Gavin dropped to one knee and made the proposal. Being the final day, Emma was perhaps more shocked that she hadn’t seen it coming than for the proposal itself!

When we began looking at venues, we knew we wanted somewhere unusual or different. Being in our late twenties, we had more or less been attending weddings on a monthly basis for a couple of years! Limited to the venues that were available just nine months later when we intended to marry, and those that could accommodate up to 250 people eating Kosher food, we were desperate not to return to one of the venues already enjoyed by friends of ours (often on multiple occasions!). We sat down to shortlist places we had never seen that would meet our criteria, and came across the St. Pancras Renaissance project. Completion of the hotel had been set for March 2011 and (with half a mind on the issues experienced by couples marrying at the Savoy when its renovation ran badly over) we felt confident that it would be up and at running speed by September 18. The fact that it was stunning (even back in Jan 2011 when we visited it as a full blown building site) and somewhere that no one we would have invited would ever have been to, was enough for us to know that we didn’t need to go and see anything else!

Our inspiration was only to take the ‘must have’ elements required and put any interesting twists on that we could think of. For example, we replaced flowered table centres with blue coloured ostrich feather arrangements bathed in contemporary LED lighting. With such a spectacular and freshly finished venue, we were keen to keep production elements to a fairly subtle level. As for colour, we went with blue to reflect the famous pale blue ironwork of the St. Pancras Hotel and International Station.

One of the most successful elements of the day was the party at the end. We’d chosen a band/dj hybrid meaning we had the flexibility of a disco with the spectacle of live singers and musicians. Combine that with podium corners on the dace floor (and of course the sambucca) and we had a party that was so much fun, the crowd actually booed when carriages were called!

Videographer: MintySlippers / Photographer: Reportage By / Venue: St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London / Catering: Chives / Shoes: Alexander McQueen / Dress: Ian Stuart / Toastmaster: Jamie Paskin / Florist & Chuppah Design: Black and Cook / Music: Creation Disco-Live

This is such a tremendously sweet wedding.  Not only because of the details which are, don’t get me wrong, as pretty as can be, but for the sentiment and love that went into each and every planning decision that this bride and groom made.  They celebrated their love for each other and for their family members, both those who were present in person and in spirit, in some of the loveliest ways imaginable.  NovaMarkina Photography captured every precious moment and every romantic, vintage detail.  Click here to see them all!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the groom…Our day was special before we even got married, before we even got engaged. Our day was special for a very different reason, our day is the day Alisha’s Grandmother passed away; it’s been 8 years as of this year. So before we planned a single detail, we knew this day would be special.

We planned a day of nostalgia, we planned a day of family, we planned a day of décor looking as if it wasn’t planned, but rather – meant to be – LIKE US! The challenge was to create a special day out of an already special day – create a day that was a bittersweet reminder of Granny Kit – a day that was about us – but also about all of our guests. We started with us..

We like old things – we live in a century home, we go to antique shows and shops, we breathe new life into old things. Our home is proof. We chose the oldest, most beautiful church we could imagine, St. Peter’s. People often gasp when they come in, the beauty of St. Peter’s to us was it’s beauty – we only needed a single decoration – posie pockets. Alisha’s Grandma Jacquie lovingly hand-stitched one by one, then she hand starched them with Great-Grandma’s starch recipe 17 in total, each one as perfect as the next.

Next came the venue – we were sticky on this – how does a couple go about having a massive family wedding in somewhere other than a hall or tent? The London Club was perfect – a tight squeeze for 200, but perfect, established in the 1800’s as an “old boys club” it has maintained its nostalgia, class, and charm while allowing for some updates and female members. The next way we brought “us” into the day was in décor. Not only were most items antiques that we hunted and searched for over a year but they allowed for some DIY too. Table numbers were antique prescriptions with numbers stenciled over top, all the other candles were a mish-mash of old and new, some borrowed that were all unique and beautiful in their own way. The crates around the room added a rustic element that we were looking for amidst the ivory linens and clean candle light. The bottles on the tables are all pharmacy bottles (the groom is a pharmacist – hence why the table numbers and bottles work) they were borrowed from the pharmacy Mike works at and had about 50 years of dust and who knows what else on them when they were dug out of the basement!

A reoccurring theme was a tandem bike which we loved as it symbolized being on the same journey together. The save the dates, the table stationery and cake topper all followed this theme. We brought family into our day by displaying pictures of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days with the verse: “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. We cut our cake with the groom’s grandparents serving set used at their 50th wedding anniversary and subsequently at all grandchildren’s weddings after.

Now to bring in Alisha’s Grandmother.. Alisha wore her Grandmother’s earrings, the same ones Granny Kit wore on HER wedding day years before.  We danced to her Grandmother’s favorite song, Elvis’ “Love Me Tender” –according to Granny Kit – it was the only REAL love song. In lieu of traditional wedding favors, a donation was made to Strathroy Hospital, where each of the 19 of Granny Kit’s grandchildren were born and where we said goodbye to Granny Kit 8 years ago.

The day was perfect, the nostalgia was there, our family was there, and most importantly, the loved ones who couldn’t be there – were there.

Ceremony Location: St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica / Reception Location: The London Club / Transportation: Checker Limousine + Tourism London / Wedding Photography: Nova Markina of NovaMarkina Photography / Hair: Hair by Lindsey Boyd / Make-up: Janet Entwistle of Face Trends / Floral Design: Olive Lane Floral / Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman via Zappos / Bride’s Hairpiece: Prim and Posies / Bride’s Earrings: Her Grandmother’s (who wore them on her wedding day too!) / Groom’s Suite + Shoes: Hugo Boss / Groom’s Shirt: Nordstrom / Groom + Groomsmen Bowties + Pocket Squares: The Belle & The Beau / Custom Hangers: DIY Brides via Etsy / String Quartet: String Classics / Band: The Doug Varty Band/ Invites, Table Numbers, Guest Book, Drink Flags, Seating Chart: DIY / Cake: IncrEDIBLES by Lani

Set in the wilds of London, this wedding is a bright, colorful affair from beginning to end. And what’s more, it oozes total charm that only a hand-crafted wedding can offer up so naturally. Anushe Low snapped all the pretty pictures and there’s a whole lot more to this beauty so you will want to make an afternoon pit stop to the gallery for all the goodness. It’s but a click away.

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…We wanted the day to be quite heartfelt and relaxed, where children could play and the older guests could sit and gossip.  As we had a lot of family and friends it was really important to us that the overall feeling was fun and that everyone could cut loose without feeling they needed to be formal. We chose a village pub with a large garden so that we could capture that special Saturday afternoon pub feeling where everyone is just simply enjoying themselves and each others company. Trying to decide on one color scheme was not going to be possible so we went for bright and chose every color under the sun!

From the beginning we knew that we wanted to make as much as possible from the hand cut liberty backed glass decorations to the sewn circle streamers – everything had a touch of us in it. We made and painted large pub signs, stitched table clothes, made matching pillows for the pub benches, giant windmills and sourced 100 different (and slightly imperfect) hankies from China as well as some 1970s beer mats for the tables.

We were so blessed with so many wonderful people helping from family growing flowers (started in November!) to friends endlessly making tissue pom poms and  endlessly tying ribbons to gates/trees/arches. I guess the inspiration was a bit vintage, a bit carnival and very english village fete! We really wanted people to come to the reception and feel special, not to go “wow”, more to feel that we had created everything for their enjoyment. We also borrowed a lot of props with good friends lending us cake stands, linen, and one extra special friend making us a stunning photo booth. We had quite a few surprises with home-made cakes, biscuits and Tom’s dad’s special fudge. Both of us are product developers and we love detail so made sure that there was enough little things that we cared about – red stripe beer to match the table covers, 96 cut glass vintage vases, red and white butchers string trying lace netting to the benches, party festoon light and Chinese good luck charms picked up in Guangzhou. We loved our day and more so when we look at photos of our friends and family among the chaos of color.

Wedding Photography: Anushe Low / Wedding Dress: Candy Anthony / Bride’s Shoes: Office / Flowers: Family + Friends / Bridesmaid + Flower Girl Dresses: Oasis + Next / Hair Clip: Glitzy Secrets / Paper Goods: Paperchase / Vintage Cut Glass Vases: Charity Shops

This sweet-as-can-be e-session by Robbins Photographic totally has me dreaming of romantic trips across the pond with my huz. I’m loving the casual yet flirty vibe of this shoot and think this couple is super duper good looking and oh-so-hip. Oh, and that face to face, laying in the grass pic? To die for! Click here for even more.

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Robbins Photographic…Gemma is a TV producer and Joe is a camera man. I shot their engagement session along the Southbank by the Thames. We walked around the book stalls, across the bridge past Big Ben & the London Eye over to a park next to Embankment station.

Photography: Robbins Photographic

What could be better than a stroll through a London park and a picnic with the love of your life? Not much, I’d say. That’s why we’re loving this sweet and summery e-session styled by London Bride. This couples lovely Chicago nupitals were planned by A Perfect Event who shared these adorable photos captured by Emily Quinton with us. The retro red and white check tablecloth, the basket full of cherries, the mini-chalkboards, and the cute-as-can-be couple all add up to make the perfect e-session. See even more here!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From A Perfect Event…Here is an adorable engagement shoot in London of my bride and groom, Ariel and Paul. It is so fun and playful, perfect for summer!

Style & Design: London Bride / Photography: Emily Quinton / Wedding Planner:  A Perfect Event

You probably won’t believe me when I tell you that this gorgeous wedding by Rosie Parsons Photography was planned in just six months…but alas, it’s true! This laid back bride just let everything fall into place for her big day and lucky for her it all came together gorgeously! I’m loving the black cocktail bridesmaids dresses and the outdoor terrace at the Bingham Hotel. Now there’s a place I could stay all day long! Click here for the full day!

Click here for entire image gallery!

We had 10 months to plan our wedding and apart from the dress and the venues which we knew we had to sort fast if we wanted our preferred dates, wedidn’t start with the details until about 6 months before. It was during a time when I was unwell and off work for a few days and discovered the alternative universe that is the wedding blog community and the wedding heaven that is Etsy that my planning started. Seriously, I had absolutely no idea half these websites existed. There were so many ideas and choices out there, and at some point I think Tom thought we were going to have a circus/1920’s/mexican fusion wedding with all the different details that I wanted!

Both Tom and I were adamant that we wanted our wedding in London as the idea (and cost) of having a wedding at venues in places that were not familiar to us and far away didn’t appeal. The Church was a no brainer – I used to live near it and always thought that it was a pretty venue to get married in, and we eventually hope to settle in the area so it means something to us. The reception was a bit more difficult as we wanted to have a venue that wassuitable for younger children, something that was intimate, as well ashaving amazing food and wine. After some research on the internet we found The Bingham and made our one and only venue visit. As soon as we walked inthe front door we were blown away with the decor, the garden rooms, theamazing terrace and lawn. In addition the staff were welcoming andprofessional from the outset and it had a Michelin star for its food. Afterour visit we knew that this was the venue for us, and didn’t even attempt tolook for any others.

I was a pretty relaxed bride and I didn’t start looking for a dress until about 7 months before the wedding only spurred on by my bridesmaid sister who pointed out that after the magic six month mark a lot of dresses become rush orders and my options could be limited. My first stop was my fantasy bridal store Vera Wang and I fell in love with the first dress I tried on, and it elicited excited squeals from the bridesmaids so I was sold. It was perfect and they had just started makingit in white (which was a must) and had lovely black sashes to go with it. Spurred on by the notion that surely it couldn’t have been that easy I half heartedly did the rounds at a couple of other stores and ventured to a sample sale or two but nothing had the wow factor for me. I had made up my mind and booked in for a second fitting for the Vera but the weekend before I attended a wedding fair and saw a stand for Temperley London. Most of the dresses were too flouncy for me but there were two dresses that caught my eye. I booked in for an appointment for the following week to try them on -the day before my second Vera fitting. I went alone (always a bad thing) and as soon as I tried the Dragon dress on I was wowed, and again it was perfect as they had only just started making it in white. Confused as now I had two dresses that I loved, I went home rang my sister and agreed that I would try the Vera on a second time and she would come for a fitting the next day for Temperley to help me decide. I tried on the Vera and almost put the order in there and then but stopped myself, and went back to Temperley again for a second opinion. As soon as I tried it on again, and seeing my sister speechless I pretty much knew Vera was off and Temperley was on! From that point on every time I went back for a fitting I felt a million dollars knowing that I had found ‘the one’.

The most important element was our personal wedding vows that we wrote for each other, as it was not just about saying that we wanted to be married,but also about spelling out our commitment to each other in front of ourfriends and family. For our readings we wanted to have readings that talkingabout togetherness, rather than having traditional readings. We chose apassage from the bible as well as an excerpt from a Hemmingway book which wefelts that summed up how we felt. The music was more traditional, as wewanted to utilise the soprano that we had and her lovely voice. The defining moment of the entire day was definitely walking in the church and seeing Tom at the end of the aisle. I practically ran down it to get to him!

We didn’t have a concept or theme planned for the wedding at all apart from the fact we wanted it to elegant and have a timeless feel to it. In the end though there was a common thread of trees/birds/spring from the invites to the seating tree but honestly that only all clicked into place in the last month of planning by accident! I really wanted to have some items that were used in the day but also keepsake type things. As soon as I discovered Etsy I was in awe of all the different little things I could get. I had our ringbowl made especially with our wedding date as I thought I was a nice keepsake but my favourite has to be the guest book ‘tree.’ I had never seen one before and both Tom and I love the fact that we now have an item that it not only beautiful but also reminds us of our day and all those who shared it with us.

I have a thing for wearing all black all the time so there was a running joke I was going to have a black wedding dress! We wanted to get everyonesomething that they had the option of wearing again (the holy grail of bridesmaids dresses!) As the bridesmaids were completely different shapes and coloring black was a safe bet for them and the ruffle on the shoulder matched my dress so it was perfect. We also wanted to ensure that the groomsmen could wear their suits again (and be different from Tom’s greysuit) so black it was as well!

No matter how careful you are at planning things still may go wrong, but that’s the fun of planning a wedding. Two months before our ceremony we didn’t have a minister or a registrar due to circumstances beyond the churches control but it all worked out in the end. Also ensure that you both are involved in the planning. Although I definite lead the research, the time that we spent together discussing and deciding all the little details were priceless (especially when you end up having 30 min discussions on cupcakes and discover that your future husband has a thing for rose flavor!)

Photographer: Rosie Parsons Photography / Ceremony Location: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel / Reception Location: The Bingham Hotel / Wedding dress: Dragon Dress by Temperley London / Earrings: Jenny Packham / Hair and Makeup: Justina Sullivan / Garter: Bespoke by Florrie Mitton Couture / Umbrella: Aspinal of London / Cars: Addison Lee / Bridesmaids dresses: Coast / Grooms Suit: Start London / Groomsmens outfits: Marks and Spencer / Fingerprint tree: Bleu De Toi / Table Tree: Tags made by the bride and the tree by florists Roseberg / Caterer: The Bingham / Flowers: Roseberg / Bride’s shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid’s shoes: Coast / Cake: Marks and Spencer / Cupcakes: Primrose Hill Bakery / Band: The Hares / Rings: Raphel / Ring plate: Paloma’s Nest /Favours: Hotel Du Chocolat

My favorite photographs are those that capture moments beyond the posed or the detail shot.  Aussie photographer Kelly Tunney just might be the queen of finding these precious occasions and turning them into exquisite memories. Not only are there scenes from this awesome and chic London fete but little snapshots of Chelsea that make me want to pack a carry-on and hop on the next flight across the pond.  Don’t miss even more in the full gallery!

Click here for even more inspiration in the full gallery!

From Kelly Tunney –

“This really was the wedding of a lifetime to photograph and I am totally lost for words when I try to explain just what an incredible experience this was……. Everything exceeded my very high expectations from the moment we landed in London and meet Alice & Ed for the first time.

Both Pete and I were welcomed with open arms by this amazing couple and every single member of their family. We felt so involved and so appreciated every single day. Then came GAME DAY…the wedding…and WOW, we were just floored by everything we were there to capture. 15 hours felt a little like 15 minutes in Chelsea – everything and everyone just rocked my world. Aside from Pete and I pinching each other every 5 minutes, we also had time to stop and sit back to enjoy the moments and watch the day unfold. INCREDIBLE is not enough, RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING is not enough – NOTHING can ever describe that moment, absolute pure JOY and EUPHORIA”

From the bride, Alice –

“For a girl who lives in jeans and trainers and has ‘ tom boy’ as her middle name, the prospect of a long white dress, make-up and brushed hair could seem a little daunting – How wrong I was! The hidden girl from within came out with bells on! The whole Weekend was amazing from start to finish – No-one – believe it or not – was stressed and there was an emotional vibe that I have never felt before. Loved every minute. As Dad was the Governor and has worked / lived there for 5 years – it was very familiar surroundings. It is such a special place because of its amazing surrounding and the people that live within it. Everything about the day included people we knew from the hospital.

Ron, the head gardener at the Royal Hospital , and his lovely assistant Heidi helped us choose and arrange all the flowers.  All the flowers were from New Covent Garden market, a big flower market on the south side of the river. We collected them on the Thursday. We arrange them on Friday ready to go for Saturday. Tim, the head chef at the Royal Hospital, copied my sketch to perfection!!! I bought the ribbon from VV Rouleaux and he made a lemon cake that we ate for dessert with collie and summer berries.

Simplicity and elegance were the key for us. The royal hospital is such a beautiful venue and so full of history that it would be a shame to clutter it up with frills. It has a stand alone beauty that we wanted to accessorise with a simple elegant touch.”

Photography:  Kelly Tunney /  Venue: The Royal Hospital Chelsea / Cake: Head chef at the Royal Hospital / Dress: Suzanne Neville / Makeup: family friend, Marianne Domension / Hair: Richard from The Drawing Room / Bridesmaids’ Outfits:  Reiss and Kurt Geiger shoes / Groom’s and groomsmen outfits: Rented suits from Moss Bros; Hugo boss ties;  Void Cufflinks; shoes: Mr. Hare

We’re hopping the pond with this next little gem. Photographed by the always fabulous Marianne Taylor, this wedding literally defines the word pretty. Pretty, pretty dress. Pretty flowers (well gorgeous actually). The prettiest bride I’ve ever seen and a style that is BEYOND pretty. Way beyond. Oh and don’t even get me started on the bridesmaids. I always get a little excited to see what Marianne is going to send our way next but this one…well, it just might take the cake! There are so many details that we couldn’t show…click here for more!

{click here to see the full wedding}

Rose & Brendan’s garden party wedding at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset really was a pretty special affair. This is how Rose described her theme for the wedding: ‘I’ve tried to keep all the stationery formal in style as I really like formality, but like the contradiction that it is a garden party event. I’m a sucker for tradition but I love tiny personal details. For the day I wanted to create a real inside outside feel – like a vintage 1940s tea dance that has come through time and ended up in a garden –  so everything’s a little distressed from the elements but still beautiful.’

Rose and the bridesmaids got ready at the gorgeous Launceston Farm, which really set the mood for the day from the start. Rose’s dress and veil were from Pronovias Bond Street and this is what she says about finding the perfect gown: ‘I searched for ages because I really wanted a Spanish style dress but couldn’t find anything that didn’t look like I was drowning in fabric! It was really hard to track down the dress I chose and I had to order it before I’d even seen it in real life, but it worked our perfectly and was totally “the one”. I LOVED the fabric of the dress with its tiny flocked dots all over the tulle, mixed with the cotton lace. And I loved the gros grain bows. My amazing friend and colleague Lisa Roberts did all the alterations (It was meant to have a halter neck and we changed some of the detailing on the bust). She did an exceptional job and I’d recommend her to anyone.’

‘My shoes were Louboutin and my bag was last minute buy from Monsoon Bridal.’

‘I got the Bridesmaids Dresses came from Topshop as I really wanted something that looked quite cute, with a hint of vintage, and in a daywear fabric! We made little net underskirts to go under them to puff out the skirts so they looked a little fuller. I made the Bridesmaids hair ornaments with fabrics I bought online from The Trimming Company and bought the bridesmaids shoes from New Look.’

‘Brendan’s suit was from Topman and  the groomsmen just wore their own black suits to match. Brendan’s shirt was a River Island buy, as were his excellent very long shoes (which had beautiful roses carved into the leather soles which was a nice hidden detail). The bow ties were from Tie Rack.’

One thing that made this wedding feel very special was that the whole wedding party was just 14 people in total (Brendan lost his best man as he had to be onboard his Navy ship the same day as the wedding as the queen was visiting). It really felt exceptional to be a part of such an intimate party, and it made for a beautifully relaxed day – the often normal ‘stresses’ of a wedding day seemed far away. I still can’t get over how beautiful all the carefully selected details looked. Here’s what Rose told me about them: ‘I collected a lot of mercury glass as it looks like formal interior decorative items that have been left outside – silver glass that has been worn away with sun and rain. They came from places such as Niki Jones, Cox & Cox, Graham & Green, and from antique shops.’

‘The candelabras were from eBay and all our cut glass vases, candle sticks, bowls and ornaments were all vintage/charity shop finds. There are some fantastic charity shops in Devon and Cornwall where you can find the best things for a bargain. Woodside is probably the all time best where most of the things came from.’

‘I used all country garden based flowers that were in season, very unstructured – no “floristry” as such, just flowers in pots and vases. I ordered all our flowers through our local market Petals Florists and we made our bouquets and buttonholes ourselves the night before the wedding. My mum did all the vases at the venue for us in the morning before the wedding.’

Photography: Marianne Taylor Photography / Flowers: Petals Florist (DIY though!) / Getting ready: Launceston Farm / Ceremony & reception location: Larmer Tree Gardens / Invitations: Rose Phillips (the bride) / Shoes: Louboutin/ Dress: Pronovias / Groom’s suit: Topman / Bridesmaid’s dresses: Topshop

We are going to take a little trip across the pond today with Queens and High Tea and gaps to mind. That’s right, we have our sights set on London and you know what  this most fantastic of cities has to offer?  Beautiful, whimsical weddings centered around a good old fashioned English Tea Party. This lovely event photographed by Marianne Taylor is quintessential London and it is mighty handsome. You might just have a new gaggle of favorite details. From the double decker bus to the insane dessert spreads, we’re talking awesome detail overload here. Get ready folks. In the famous words of Paul Revere…”the British are coming, the British are coming”….but this time it’s really, really good.

{click here for more from across the pond}

Anna & Russ’ charming London tea party wedding took place on a beautiful spring Friday in April. Anna had put such care into every beautiful detail, that the whole day was literally bursting with prettiness! Everything from the gorgeous Montague Hotel, where Anna was getting ready, to her beautiful dress and accessories, and especially the flowers (oh the flowers!) were carefully thought out to carry the theme and colours throughout the day and the different venues.

Anna has a keen interest in the Tudors and so Fulham Palace was an ideal venue for the reception. Being a tea party, the food consisted of delicious sandwiches and mouthwatering cakes, which were all laid out in the most gorgeous manner, such a feast for the eyes as well!

There were also lots of thoughtful little touches, such as a bead bar for the young ones to make their own jewelry, and a pretty awesome candy buffet, which got both the children and adults pretty excited! This really was the most charming wedding!

Photography: Marianne Taylor Photography / Flowers: Euphoric flowers / Catering: Create / Getting Ready Venue: Montague Hotel / Ceremony Location: St George’s Holborn / Reception Location: Fulham Palace / Shoes: Monsoon / Dress: Stephanie Allin / Candy buffet: Party Belles Events / Hair: Severin Hubert / Make up: Lina Cameron / Bead bar: Beadoir / Car: Polly Pootles

There is just something about a traditional, ballroom wedding that is so timelessly beautiful. And yet, they are rarely shown off on the blogs these days. Well, I thought that it was about time we featured a ball room wedding that was ALL style, ALL gorgeousness. Photographed by London based photographer, Polly Alexandre, this wedding is pure luxury. Oh and the bride behind the affair just might be the most drop dead gorgeous bride I’ve ever seen.

The wedding was held at Hylands Hall in Essex, UK. The ridiculously lovely bride wore a Stuart Parvin gown (The Way We Were) and shoes by Emmy, along with a necklace by Stephanie Browne that just might be the most amazing accessory EVER. The bridesmaids wore bespokie gowns by Naomi Neoh. It’s funny…even though the style behind this wedding is utterly luxurious and traditional, there are little touches of personality, of real style…sprinkled throughout the entire affair. LOVE that.

A little bit of background from the fabulous photographer, Polly…

Liz is an interior designer and drew together her contacts and skills to create a stunning, glamorous wedding with a timeless elegance. This wedding has quite a vintage feel – a kind of 40’s or 50’s glamour to it. Check out the gorgeous individual favours of vintage brooches for each female guest, whilst Jim, the Groom’s reflected his musical background in the mini The Who badges as favours for the men. The ushers were all presented with vintage The Who signed LP’s as a gift from the Groom and he later got up and joined in with the band.

Thank you so very much to Polly Alexandre for sending this beautiful affair our way. Make sure to check out Polly’s blog for even more eye candy. Oh and a huge thank you to the lovely bride and groom for giving us a little window of inspiration into your day. We are obviously in love.

I have the prettiest little wedding for you this morning. I guess that it’s not so much a wedding, as the couple eloped in London prior to the party, but rather a celebration of marriage with their nearest and dearest. And although it’s an outdoor affair, nearly all of the ideas and inspirations could easily be translated into an indoor reception…from the fabulous Spring color palette, to the Martha inspired dessert bar and the absolutely adorable details. Photographed by Dia Rao Photography, this is one of the sweetest weddings I’ve ever seen!

From Dia…

The couple, Bree and Nick, eloped in London’s Covenant Garden a little while back. But both missed the idea of celebrating their new marriage with their family and friends. Regretting not having a celebration, they decided to throw a wedding party for all to attend. The Groom’s parents and close relatives came from Europe to attend a ceremony and reception that they planned at unique historical villa near their home. Most of the details were completed by the couple’s family, including the adorable Cookie Bar with homemade family favorites. As well as the handmade Limoncello favors and Love Matches.

The florist behind the absolutely perfect centerpieces and detailing was Anne Mendenhall. Her work is this perfect combination of fresh from the garden and yet tailored at the same time. I love the use of lemons throughout, such a fun and yet inexpensive way to bring a bit of whimsy to the day. Super, super cute.

Actually everything about this wedding was darling. The cookie bar, filled with family recipes and treats that the bride has always enjoyed, the limoncello favors, the lemons as seating cards, the perfect flowers, the glowing bride…everything is completely gorgeous! Oh and the color palette of pinks, yellows and greens…PERFECTION.

Thank you so very much to Dia Rao for sending us today’s affair. Dia was a guest at the Lisa Vorce planned affair that we all fell in love with a while back and has been smitten with SMP ever since. We feel the same way about her.

More coming up!

A HUGE thank you to Marianne Taylor for sending me today’s featured wedding. It’s official, you are one of my new favorite photographers. If you guys haven’t already pored over Marianne’s site, it’s a must! Here are a few more photos from the simple, but stunning reception…

Simple, but sophisticated centerpieces set on classic white linens in an undeniably beautiful space…it really doesn’t get much better than that. Simple, simple elegance. It’s probably my favorite style of wedding.

A few more bits of eye candy from today’s beautiful British affair that the FABULOUS Marianne Taylor photographed (doesn’t it just kill you that even the guests are chic!)…

I mean, seriously! How gorgeous is this. A pretty little garden party with some serious edge. I love when guests can add another dimension to an already stunning party. They can truly bring a wedding to life!

More from the reception on the way!

There is something so dreamy about this wedding. The venue itself is a little piece of heaven, but then you add in a chic style, a gorgeous bridal party and details that make you swoon. It’s the recipe for total perfection.

From Marianne Taylor, the amazing photographer behind the affair…The ceremony of Claire & Hywel’s wedding took place in St Andrew’s Church in Chelsea, London. It was conducted both in English and in Hywel’s native Welsh, and really was one of the most touching ceremonies I’ve had the pleasure to attend. After the ceremony the bride and groom, followed by all the guests, piled into two old Routemaster buses, that drove everyone to the reception at The Garden Museum. I adored this unusual venue, with pretty flowers and colours everywhere!

We have so many more gorgeous pictures on the way, just stay tuned!

I got this absolutely darling wedding in my inbox this morning and it just made me smile. The photographer, Marianne Taylor, managed to capture the sweet, sophisticated British wedding to perfection…

Here are some words from Marianne…the couple, Claire & Hywel, were the sweetest people I’ve ever worked with, and everything about their wedding day was full love and pretty things.

So much more to come! It just gets prettier and prettier!

Question 3: I’m getting married in a small church in central London at the end of April (Charles Dickens’ parents were married there!), and we’re having the reception on a boat on the Thames. My dress is ivory with a black sash, and as the upholstery on the boat is a dark pewter gray I thought a good colour scheme would be black/white/gray with accents of warm yellow and lots of sparkle. The problem is that my other half doesn’t like it! He thinks that Spring is a great time for colour – for greens, pinks and a riot of flowers… What would you suggest?? Is there another way to use gray and black that’s less funereal (his words!)?

I have a feeling I know what some of your answers are going to be, but I know that this bride would love all of the input that she can get! What do you think? Yellow as an accent color or should they go another direction?

OH, and if you’ve sent me a question in the last few months that you really want to see up here today, shoot me a reminder email and I’ll do my best to get it up!

Answer 3: I think that so many of you are right…it totally depends on the mood you are going for. In my opinion, black/gray/white combination can be utterly chic and gorgeous. Adding sparkle would be the icing on the already lovely cake. But, it’s true…if you are going to go for understated, muted colors, you have to do it right. Common Spring colors like pinks, peaches, greens are a little bit easier to pull off.

Okay, with that said, I was playing around on the GORGEOUS new Bastian + Skoog site today when I stumbled upon this image:

I thought that it just might be the perfect inspiration for this particular question…a very French, girly approach to a muted color palette. So from this image, I came up with this…

dress by Vera Wang on Brides.com, flowers by Bastian + Skoog, Bridesmaid dress by JCrew, Rosemary image by Artfool

Keeping the palette muted and bringing in feminine, wispy flowers, herbs and such would be a nice way to embrace the natural surroundings while still seeming to be light and Springy. I loooooooove the idea of adding a bold stripe into the mix, to really make things pop, either in yellow or slate. Perhaps in the napkins or favor packaging?

Bottom line…if you decide to go with the muted palette, keep things simple and clean. Then, add one big pop of pattern to liven up the look. It could be spectacular if done right. If you decide to embrace a more Spring-like palette, the world is your oyster!

Our next entry was inspired by the photo in the top left corner, a room at the Blakes Hotel in London, designed by Annouska Hempel…

Top left, original picture, Blakes Hotel, London; Flowers, Rebecca Thuss; Invitation, Inkylivie (Etsy seller); Gown, Karen Jarmarkier