Europe Weddings

It’s been quite the wonderful week here at SMP. We’ve gushed over gorgeous weddings, got lost in the prettiest of parties, and pinned to our heart’s sweet content. But in this land of all things lovely, it can be easy to lose sight of what makes love so very, very special. Because here at SMP, we believe at the end of the day it’s simply about the one by your side. And in that spirit we’d like to share an English anniversary party so spectacularly captured by Alexander James Photography. It’s a celebration of couple who have been by each other’s side for 60 years and never let go. (A love story that started when Morton carried Mary’s books each day on the way to school!) It’s everything that makes our hearts truly happy as we reflect on what weddings are all about and you can see even more of this sweet celebration right here.

Photography: Alexander James Photography

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But all the Friday fun doesn’t stop there because we’ve got some super special giveaway winners to announce–right here, right now!

The lucky duck winner of  the $475 gift certificate towards the Jenny Yoo Collection 2013 Social Collection is Katie. You go, Katie! 

The next winner of a $100 gift certificate to Paper Source is Brooke! Big congrats Brooke!

Look out Jessica Bingham, Betsy and Lorelei, because you all three won the Cupcake Vineyards’ prize packs consisting of books by Alison Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Messina (valued at $64.99)! And be sure to keep an eye on Cupcake Vineyards’ Love Deliciously Dream Wedding Contest going on now!

Last but certainly not least we have Kate Horden who won a one-hour portrait session with Scott Surplice, as well as a DVD with 20 high-resolution images. How exciting, Kate!

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And with that, we send you off into the weekend! But be sure to join us here on Monday for another week of unforgettable fêtes!

Everything in England just feels a bit more magical, no? I blame it on its long history of love stories, because when I hear of an English wedding, my eyes light up. So my heart got all kinds of excited when this pretty barn wedding landed in my lap. It’s the English wedding of my dreams crafted up by the two most adorable newlyweds and Bridges & Eggs Studio. We get to enjoy every last bit through the talented lens of Sam & Louise Photography, so don’t miss a minute of all that pretty waiting for you right here.

For even more of this gorgeous day, be sure to catch their film from Will Nixon…

From the Bride… As we are both creative we couldn’t wait to design and organize our own wedding. After our initial venue fell through we happened to stumble across this barn in the middle of Essex, in the most idyllic setting. Owned by a lovely family on a farm with a bunch of horses, it was exactly what we were looking for and they allowed us to transform it how we pleased. We had found that other venues had been stuffy when mentioning bunting, straw bales and even confetti! All we wanted was to be able to decorate it with wild flowers, vintage bottles, lanterns, fairy lights, straw bales – anything natural and rustic.

We spent days screen printing our invitations, sewing bunting, designing our menus, carefully constructing hundreds of origami birds, sourcing tweed, maple boards, searching for bottles on ebay and making signs on wooden chalk boards. The weather was perfect, with live music and cider outside, romping around the wheat field, cooking up a hog roast and climbing over the tractor. We could not have wished for more, the whole day was filled with music, food, laughter, dancing and a few tears.

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Wedding Photography: Sam & Louise Photography | Wedding Venue: Elms Farm in West Hanningfield, Essex | Event Planning + Design: Bridges & Eggs Studio | Wedding Cinematography: Will Nixon | Floral Design: Debbie Sharpe + Julie Maulkerson | Caterer: Phil Stacey | Invitations: Bridges & Eggs Studio | Wedding Dress: Suzzane Neville | Shoes: Fred Perry

I know that I probably say that at least once a week but I don’t know that I’ve ever loved a wedding like I love this affair.  I literally want to crawl through my computer screen and live in this beautiful space and it has EVERYTHING to do with the gorgeous imagery shot by Aneta MAK Photography. She captured London cool infused with old world glamour in a way  that will make you want to throw on some sparkly heels, grab a scrumptious cocktail and join in the merriment or at least plan a wedding that looks exactly like this beauty; lace veil and all. See even more right here in the full gallery.

From Aneta MAK Photography… I would love to share a gorgeous London wedding with you at a very unique venue, MC Motors, frequently used for high end fashion shoots (eg. Keira Knightley, Kate Moss, Erdem campaign, etc) and as a filming location. It is full of character ranging from a mixture of architecture from different London eras, an eclectic assortment of furniture and art, dilapidated and textured walls – all lit by beautiful natural light through their glass ceiling and victorian sash windows, illuminating the elegant details so lovingly put together by the bride and Charley, the wedding designer and planner from London Bride. Peter and Gemma, helped by Charley, created an understated and elegant celebration, with just the right mix of the best from early to mid 20th century fashion and design, a nod to vintage and some good old fashioned Scottish partying, with fun and dancing by provided by a traditional scottish ceilidh band for the first part of the party.

From Charley Beard of London Bride… I worked closely with Peter and Gemma to bring to life their brief of ‘distressed elegance’ for their November wedding. Peter and Gemma are a super stylish couple and were keen for their wedding to reflect them and their London lifestyle – combining their love of the urban city but with a sophisticated, creative aesthetic and the key was very much to enjoy their day with all their wonderful friends and family. The ceremony took place at the beautiful art-deco Town Hall in Islington, after which guests were treated to Champagne aboard a London Routemaster bus to the reception at an urban warehouse location in the seriously hip creative hub of London, Dalston – which is just around the corner from their home.

Peter and Gemma had some precious time together with their photographer Aneta before arriving by classic black London taxi which was actually driven inside the trendy al-fresco style atrium bar. We transformed the warehouse, which is essentially a film and photographic location, into two decadent spaces for drinking and for dining and dancing. Champagne was served and oysters were hand-shucked to guests, whilst the young children could play in their own play room created just for them!

As huge foodies, the catering was a key element to the day and the menu reflected their love of enjoying London’s culinary delights with an oyster shucker, home-made terrines by the Groom’s brother (who is a chef), indulgent cheese boards and a hearty evening hog roast. As a nod to the Bride’s Scottish heritage and family, after dinner guests took part in a traditional (and very lively!) ceilidh dance followed by a brilliant DJ party set. With the meal taking centre stage, inspired by indulgent supper clubs, the table decorations were elegant but with a relaxed bistro feel. The couple thought of every last detail – the bride sourced antique brass candlesticks, and wine was served in hired vintage cut glass decanters which were interspersed with relaxed white and raspberry florals.

The menus, each tied with a mini sparkler to be used for the toast completed the bespoke gold foiled and screen printed stationery suite, and the couples friend hand drew the table plan onto an ornate mirror for a touch of luxury. With a keen eye for fashion, the Bride’s dress was designed by Halfpenny London and for the evening she swopped her delicate lace shrug for beautiful embellished and sparkling detail for a glamorous transformation. In keeping with the theme the florists draped ivy from the industrial walls, poles and ceiling beams and festoon lighting was hung to provide warm lighting for the dark winter’s evening. The couple added thoughtful touches such as taxi cards so that guests could make their way home safely and for a nightcap there was of course an abundance of Scottish whisky served on a whisky trolley. The whole day was full of fun, food, style and sophistication and with many suppliers involved everyone did a fantastic job of bringing it all together.

Wedding Photography: Aneta MAK Photography / Ceremony Venue: Islington Town Hall in London, England / Reception Venue: MC Motors in London, England / Wedding Planning + Design: Charley Beard of London Bride / Floral Design: Flower Appreciation Society / Cinematography: Ewan McNicol (family friend) of Lucid Inc. / Wedding Catering: Roast Hog + Oyster Meister (mobile oyster service during cocktail hour) / Wedding Cake: Groom’s Mother / String Quartet: Tyburn String Quartet / Ceilidh Band (Traditional Scottish Dancing): Lochnagar Ceilidh Band /  DJ: Wedding Smashers / Vintage Hire: Classic Crockery / Lighting: Peachy Productions / Transportation: Routemaster Transport (red buses)+ Black London Taxi / Wedding Dress: Halfpenny London / Bride’s Shoes: Rupert Sanderson / Hair: Severin Hubert of Hepburn Collection / Makeup: Mariam Jensen / Groom’s Suit Tailor: Cad and The Dandy

This adorable couple knew right away that they wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of London in exchange for a quiet, small town wedding and the result is a fabulously laid back, quintessentially British day filled with lots of love and pretty, little details. Lucky for us Jez Dickson captured each and every moment to perfection and you can see it all unfold here in the full gallery!

From the Bride… After Paul proposed and we started to talk about “the wedding,” we knew that although we live in London now, having both grown up in small towns, it was a countryside, homey-feeling wedding that would suit us best.  We wanted something that would introduce our friends and family to a place that means something to us but more importantly, we wanted a wedding that would really show who we are through lots of personal touches and that was planned by us, from start to finish. Suffolk, the county where I grew up, became the focal point for our search for the perfect location. We found The Old Rectory, a local B&B, which rents the whole house for private weekend parties. After meeting Sally, we knew that she would allow us the flexibility we were looking for but more importantly, she seemed excited to help us create the day (which quickly became a weekend) that we dreamed about. Luckily for us, it turned out that Sally and her team were also amazing chefs and quickly transformed our ideas into a spectacular menu, using local produce when possible and always sticking to things in season.

The feeling that this was “the place” grew even more real when we walked 50 meters through the garden gate to St John the Baptist church to meet Harry and Deirdre, the local vicars. They were so welcoming (not always the case when you go to churches out of your parish to talk about a wedding!), and over the following year, they really made us feel part of the congregation, so much so that we asked the church bell ringers to peal at the start and end of our ceremony. I walked down the aisle with my dad, hands shaking, heart pounding and feeling very nervous. But as soon as I saw Paul and his smile (and the little “hi” that he had written on his hand to make me smile), all of my nerves went away. Our ceremony was beautiful. The hymns were ones that were important to us and to add a little dash of “us.” Our last song was “Happy Together” by The Turtles, which Rev. Harry graciously allowed us to incorporate into our Church of England service and which Pam, my high school piano teacher, accompanied all our guests to on the organ — it was so fun and added a really lovely talking point to the day.

We walked the short distance from the church to reception and more of our personal touches came out — the canvas for people to paint/write/doodle messages to us on, the Polaroids and picture frame, deck chairs to relax on, quoits to play, etc. We served Pimms and Cordial (both quintessentially British) and Byron Pale Ale (alas, not our brewery!) during the reception and had typical British seafood served from our rowing boat as a makeshift seafood bar (I grew up in a seaside town) for people to indulge in before dinner. We decided to do all speeches before dinner so that our more nervous speakers could deliver them and then relax and enjoy the rest of the night. The speeches flowed beautifully and there was a equal share of laughter, pride and tears. Dinner was served, wine and champagne was consumed, and our wedding cake was cut. The dance floor was full all night – we even had impromptu flash-mob dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and LMFAOs “Party Rock Anthem.” Our last dance of the evening was “Con Te Partiro,” which has always been a special song for Paul and I after hearing it at the close of the Hong Kong 7s (rugby) early in our relationship. It’s true that your wedding day goes past quickly, but I am so glad Paul and I stepped back every now and then, together, and just soaked it all in — our friends and family enjoying themselves and seeing everyone together for such a special occasion.

Wedding Photography: Jez Dickson / Ceremony: St John the Baptist Church in Campsea Ashe, Suffolk, England / Reception: The Old Rectory in Campsea Ashe, Suffolk, England / Event Design: The Bride & Groom / Wedding Day Coordination: Rebecca Elcome / Floral Design: Victoria Strowger Flowers / Wedding Cake: Anmar of Crumb / Wedding Invitations: Emma of A Bespoke Design / Wedding Dress: Paloma Blanca via Lara B / Bride’s Shoes: Miu Miu / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Liz Fields via The Dress Consultants / Groom’s Suit: Reiss / Groom’s Shoes: Paul Smith

If you were to look up the word “anglophile” in the dictionary, you’d probably find a picture of me. Okay, okay… maybe you wouldn’t find my exact image, but a girl can dream.  Because when it comes to people obsessed with all things England, it doesn’t get much bigger than my love for Jane Austen, Princess Kate, The Beatles and The BBC.  And when I spotted this lovely countryside affair captured by Weddings by Nicola & Glen, I added to the list of reasons I ADORE England faster than you can say “amazing.”  It’s classically elegant, filled with personal touches and downright pretty.  See it all in the full gallery.

From Weddings by Nicola & Glen… Philippa and Louw’s wedding was a fusion of English whimsy and romance with an African-inspired twist. This London couple decided to get married in the stunning Oxfordshire countryside in the village church where Philippa’s parents reside. They held their reception in a very rustic barn a mile away from the village, where they could have a relaxed celebration and transform the space to really showcase their personalities. With the couple’s love of travel and the groom being South African, these elements inspired the details for the day. Philippa sourced vibrant African fabrics to use as tablecloths and created traditional English bunting with an African twist. The couple’s six-month long honeymoon traveling from England to the southern most tip of Africa by car was the influence behind the table plan, which was a giant map of the African continent with the guest names and gold stars denoting the route they planned to take. To keep the atmosphere as relaxed as possible, Philippa organized a system where all the guests would help with the serving and clearing of the food, thus negating the need for waitstaff on the day. Duties were coordinated by various colored ribbons attached to each guest’s name tag. The table names were maps of the different countries guests were allocated to on the map. The food itself was delicious but informal, with charcuterie boards for starters, a hog roast for the entree and Eton Mess for dessert. Philippa made her own bouquet, and together with her friends, she created all the floral displays for the day. During a trip to the Covent Garden flower market in London a few days before the wedding, they bought beautiful English flowers and South African proteas. The proteas brought an African spice to the dreamy and delicate English flowers. The wedding cake, also made by a friend, featured traditional African craft copper wire bicycles and real flowers.

The church ceremony did not escape the South African influence either, with all the guests practicing traditional hymns in Louw’s mother tongue of Afrikaans before the start of the ceremony. Having Philippa’s brother-in-law conducting the ceremony was a lovely personal touch. Most of the wedding coordination and duties were administered by friends and family. Philippa’s best birds (as she did not have official bridesmaids) did her makeup and hair in the morning, and she wore her grandmother’s vintage heirloom jewelry. It was also a group of friends and family who dressed the barn with the bunting, lanterns and fairy lights for the reception, and friends of the couple took turns to DJ in the evening. The wedding car for the day was their newly acquired Toyota Hilux, which was to be their mode of transport for their honeymoon travels. It was an amazing and inspiring wedding to capture as it was so unique to this vivacious couple.

Wedding Photography: Weddings by Nicola & Glen / Ceremony: St. James Church in Somerton, Oxfordshire, England / Reception: Troy Farm in Oxfordshire, England / Floral Design: DIY by the Bride + Friends / Catering: The Food Workshops / Wedding Cake: DIY by a Friend / Wedding Invitations: Oxford University Press / Wedding Dress: MiaMia Bridal by Alan Hannah via Morgan-Davies Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Her Own / Bride’s Jewelry: Her Grandmother’s / Groom’s Suit: Walters of Oxford

If ever there was a wedding to which you copied every last perfect detail this one might be it.  Probably having something to do with the fact that the couple is flat out stunning, the English countryside backdrop is straight out of a movie and the details are simultaneously romantic and utterly effortless. Although I also suspect that photographer Polly Alexandre has a bit to do with why I can’t seem to tear myself away as well with images so lovely, I am considering printing them out and hanging them on my walls. This my friends, is why I’m so grateful that 2013 is here and that we’re ringing in the New Year with weddings that completely set the bar for all things lovely. Click here to see even more.

From Polly Alexandre… This was a beautiful English wedding held at Babington House, Somerset, England, by a couple in the film industry. The groom is also in a super talented band with a big future ahead of them….and some members of his band played at their wedding. The couple wanted a relaxed weekend of good food, good friends and fun partying. She wore a Valentino dress and flat gold sparkly shoes. They married in the chapel on the grounds of Babington House, with a cocktail reception following. Big family style platters of food at dinner encouraged the convivial feeling and the party went on long into the night….until 7am to be precise!

Wedding Photography: Polly Alexandre Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Babington House in Somerset, England / Floral Design: Flowers by Passion / Wedding Cake: Linda Fripp Designs / Wedding Dress: Valentino / Bride’s Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti

I don’t even know what to say about this wedding, except that I love it. I loved it the moment I first laid eyes on the stunning shoes and the vintage gown. I love every single bright and happy color. I love the red, double decker – so indicative of the city in which the soiree took place. But most of all I loved the joy. The overwhelming joy spilling out of every image from Catherine Mead, and especially in the bride’s contagious smile. So when you’re ready to add a whole lot more joy to your day, click here for the full gallery!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

My dad was actually getting married on Saturday the 25th September 2010. I was my dad’s florist and best man so had quite a busy few days. On the morning on the 23rd I had to go to the flower market at 3am in the morning to get all the flowers for the wedding arrangements. I then had to go to work! James had said he wanted to take me for dinner so we could spend and evening together before things became very hectic with dad’s wedding. I didn’t know where we were going and thought we were just having a low key dinner so was very pleased that I had bothered to washed my hair when we arrived at the Waldorf hotel on the Aldwych. I did comment that the venue was vey posh for a Thursday night but it wasn’t unlike James to take me to places such as this. We had a cocktail in the bar and then a lovely dinner. During dinner James surprised me with a trip to Galway in Ireland. We were to leave the day after dad’s wedding. I was over the moon with the trip so much so that I didn’t stop talking for the rest of the dinner! In the end James had to interrupt and ask me to stop talking and to close my eyes. He put the ring in my hand and asked me to open them. I couldn’t believe it. I just burst into tears. I didn’t even say yes I was so shocked! In the end he had to ask again “will you be my wife?” Of course I said yes. That hardest things was not telling anyone until after dad’s wedding as we didn’t want to over shadow someone else’s day.

Delfina is a very contempory venue in a very quirky part of town. It is a restaurant but with a large white room which can almost be treated like a blank canvas. James and I wanted somewhere we could make our own and really show off who we are as a couple. Delfina is an events space so the team there have great experience in putting on all sorts of events so are a great help and inspiration. There was a great black and white checker board dance floor which I loved and you could do all sorts with the lighting there which really made the room. There was also a really cool outside space, which is sometimes hard to find in the heart of London. Also I am from London and we both live in London so we really wanted our wedding to be in London.

My theme was sort of 1950’s London meets Italy. My dad’s side of the family are Italian hence the Italian church and the Italian theme. A mix on vintage and Italy. A white wedding but with an informal air. We just wanted people to have fun but to really come away thinking how ‘Jen and James’ that day was. My dress was an original 1950’s vintage dress. I bought it from a specialist vintage dress supplier called Elizabeth Avey. My mum and I spent a day out trying on dresses in three different dress shops – all vintage as I knew that is what I wanted. Elizabeth was the last dress shop we went to. I had found a dress in each of the previous two shops, which I loved and thought, might be the one. My appointment at Elizabeth’s was at 6pm so I was quite tired by this time. Trying on even more dresses began to confuse me. However, when I put on my dress and came out to show my mum, mum said there was a renewed energy about me and I came out prancing around like a show horse. I didn’t want to take it off. I just knew I had found the one! It was fun and girly. I didn’t want anything too serious! A mix of tulle and Chantilly lace. It was perfect! I didn’t really have a colour scheme apart from a LOTS of colour. My florist described the colour scheme as a riot of Technicolor! Like when films were first in colour and the sky was so blue compared to a girls overly red lips.

I made my table plan, menus, place cards and table name cards. My table plan was actually an old garden gate, which I painted white. I then tied three tiers of string through the gate. On the string I attached A5 recycled paper with real rose petals in it with the list of guest names per table. I attached small paper roses to the gate which where also used in the favours. In front of the gate I had two old tea crate that had been planted up by the florist. One crate said Jennie & James Est 3.9.11 and the second one said please take your seats. The menus, James and I printed on the same paper. We decorated the menus with the same paper roses but we also made small bunting designs out of string and all different paper and decorated the menus with this. I bought vintage looking typewriter stamps and stamped out each of the place names with these stamps. I also stamped a massage on old luggage tags and put one of these in every guests place again with vintage paper roses decorating the tags. Our table name signs were photos of James and I holding up signs with the table names on. This linked back to our invites.

The whole day was the best day of my life! Particular favorite moments included my dad actually giving me away. I couldn’t stop shaking but he was as nervous as me! First seeing James at the alter. He says my bottom lip was trembling but he was pleased I kept it together otherwise he said he would have broken down. James’ mum and brother welcomed me formally into the family by giving me a signet ring with the family crest on during the best mans speech. That was very moving. James telling me I looked beautiful when he first saw me! And finishing the night in a Salsa club with James, my dad, brother and Stepdad and a few friends. There was a old couple in the club who were regulars. The man took hold of me and the women took James and the whole club made space for us on the dance floor and they taught has a dance. They then told us their secret to a long lasting marriage, which was never forget to laugh.

Photography: Catherine Mead / Flowers: Cave London / Ceremony Location: St. Peter’s Italian Church / Reception Location: Delfina Restaurant / Invitations: Made by the couple / Shoes: Cerise Wedge by Aruna Seth / Dress: Original vintage 1950’s wedding dress bought from Elizabeth Avey / Headdress: Vintage Headdresses / Groom’s suit: Gresham Blake / Favours: Balloon Mad / Band: Andalus

You know you’re meant to be when you meet the love of your life halfway across the globe from both of your homes. Yup, this adorable couple met in Kenya and fell in love almost instantly. Fast forward and their standing in the most gorgeous chapel in Glasgow saying their I Do’s. N. Barrett Photography captured each and every beautiful moment and there’s so much more to see right here.

Watch this amazingly beautiful wedding come to life in this film by Sugar8:

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Click here for the FULL wedding!

From N. Barrett Photography… Maria and Lee were wed in Glasgow, Scotland at the Glasgow University Chapel. They met in Kenya, but Maria is originally from Kentucky and Lee is from Scotland. Their day was beautiful and it came with its very own piper. The men are wearing uniforms from the the British Army and Royal Air Force. At the art club, Maria changed into her party dress and Lee put on his kilt! They danced the night away to songs from a Celtic band.

Wedding Photography: N. Barrett Photography / Ceremony: University Chapel at University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland / Reception: Glasgow Art Club in Glasgow, Scotland / Floral Design: Little Flower / Wedding Coordination: Louise MacPherson Wedding Design / Wedding Cinematography: Sugar8 / Bakery: Three Sisters Bake / Wedding Invitations: RSVP Candy / Music: The Strides / Piper: Piping Services Scotland / Cake Topper: Oklahoma Stencil Company / Guest “Book”: SayAnythingDesign / Transportation: Ecosse Classic Wedding Cars / Wedding Dress: Suzanne Neville “Mirabeau” / Bride’s Reception Dress: Kitty & Dulcie / Bride’s Shoes + Jewelry: Nina / Bride’s Fascinator: ThereOnceWasAGirl / Hair: Gillian Cleminson / Makeup: Kat McSwein / Bridesmaids’ Fascinators: MaddieLus / Bride’s + Bridesmaids’ Robes: SingingSlowly

You can always tell when I’m obsessed with a wedding by how long it takes me to build my boards. I go through image after image a thousand times, making sure I choose the very best of the most amazing shots. I don’t want to miss the perfect shot of a smile, a detail, a handhold, but when Marianne Taylor Photography is behind the stills, it’s impossible to share them all. I spent a very, very long time curating the images for this post because the wedding (and the bride, and the groom, and the energy) is absolute perfection. At least in my book. So pretty please, pinky promise me you’ll spend your afternoon in the gallery pouring over all the images I had to leave out of this gorgeous post. It will make you so happy.

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Click here to see the full image gallery!

I always knew planning my own wedding would be a slightly strange experience, having run my own wedding photography business for six and a half years I have seen all sorts of weddings. I have always known its a great opportunity to make a statement about yourself, and plan a day that really resembles you as a couple.

Myself and Daz met back in 2006 when Daz rented off a mutual friend. We spent many evenings in together watching films, eating take always and putting the world to rights. It was quite a while until our romance blossomed but within 18 months we lived together.

We have always loved music, going to Glastonbury every year and attending gigs whenever we could.

In April 2010 I had the opportunity to go to New York for a shoot and decided to take Daz along. It was here a surprise proposal came and we returned with a sparkly ring bought from the diamond district.

We didn’t start the planning straight away as work was busy and we knew we wanted a relaxed ‘festival’ style wedding. Haven’t had some of the best times of our life at Glastonbury we figured this represented us well. When we came across Edworth Manor Farm we knew it was perfect. On a working farm, very rustic (so in our eyes unspoilt) and very old. After this was confirmed a lot else managed to fall into place. The church was booked, my dress was bought and the florist was sorted.

There was a lot of pressure surrounding our day, as we were the last in our group of friends to get married. Also friends kept saying that it would be amazing as I was in the industry. At times if became a little overwhelming and almost like a pressure we felt we had to look up to.

I chose not to wear a wedding dress and opted for a Grecian Matthew Williamson gown. I really wanted to wear a flower garland/crown as felt this reflected Glastonbury and the festival style. It was important that my dress was slightly understated as to carry off the flowers in my hair.

I opted for peach colour themes (which was a slight nightmare for the florist as all the autumn colours were prominent). The florist totally got me though and my incessant Pinterest flower pinning.

I wanted Daz in something also light in colour and away from any traditional like tails or a suit. Whilst in Brighton getting our rings we managed to find his trousers from ‘jump the gun’ and pick up a vintage waistcoat. We had polka dot bow ties made in the states and shipped over.

With the ushers and bridesmaids we decided to go non matching. I think everyone is unique in their own right and we wanted our close friends to reflect themselves in what they wore. I gave the girls a peach colour swatch and told them to find whatever they liked that was close to that colour. We gave the boys polka dot bow ties in blue whilst Daz and the dog Vince wore peach.

We had Irish folk music playing (to reflect Daz’s routes), twinkling lights, a kids tipi, drinks in jam jars, a coconut shy and a tiny peach coloured retro car.

We put so much work into decorating our venue with herb plant favours, hearts on sticks as escort cards, handkerchief bunting, homemade food stalls, retro bikes from eBay…..the list goes on.

My cousin Rob gave me away in replace of my Dad who passed away some years back. We were incredibly close but having Rob (as good as my brother) give me away was lovely. So many friends and family played a little part in the wedding. Help with making things, baking things to good friends doing make up and filming the day. It was a labor of love but everything paid off. We wouldn’t change a single thing. To share such a wonderful day with the people we love (and our pooch of course) is the most special thing of all.

Photography: Marianne Taylor Photography / Cinematography: Kissing Gate Films / Flowers: The Flower Fairies / Catering: Zest Caterers / Cake: A Little Piece of Cupcake / Ceremony Location: St Marys Church, Clophill / Reception Location: Edworth Manor Farm, Edworth / Invitations: Something Kinda Cute / Shoes: Prada & River Island / Dress: Matthew Williamson / DJ: Wedding Smashers / Hair: Vanity Hair

Thanksgiving. It’s by far one of my most favorite holidays. Full of family and feasting, it’s a day where people stop and take some much needed time to be thankful. And here at SMP, we couldn’t begin to count all the things we are thankful for. So we are giving thanks in the way we know best, by sharing the pretty. Today’s heaping helping of gorgeous comes by way of Aaron Delesie (we couldn’t be more thankful for him) and this stunning Thanksgiving soiree (planned to perfection by David Pressman Events) that seems as though it could come straight out of a storybook. It’s a fête where every image deserves top billing on the mantle, because they are all so jaw-droppingly beautiful. So after grabbing that second piece of pie, come join us in the gallery…we’ll be in there for awhile.

On a trip to Edinburgh last Christmas, I fell hard for Scotland. It’s gorgeous and amazingly friendly, so naturally, I gravitate toward any Scottish wedding that comes across my screen, but this one. All I can say is WOW. It’s a summer soiree and it’s so soft, so romantic, and so beautiful, my heart aches to be there. Not just in Scotland, but in this very wedding, seen through the lens of Craig & Eva Sanders Photography. I can count my lucky stars though, because there is a gallery filled to bursting with so so so many of the heartfelt details, and it’s all right here!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

We were on quite a tight budget as we paid for the majority of the day ourselves so we enlisted the help of all our family and friends and took the DIY approach to a new level!

My sister in law, Beth made our gorgeous, original invitations. She hand painted the backgrounds, which were inspired by our crockery and came up with the idea of writing the info on see through paper to lay over the design below.

My Mum was my florist, and did a wonderful job with all the bouquets, church and reception flowers. We went to the Glasgow Flower Market at 5am (!) a few days before the wedding and bought the best seasonal blooms we could find in soft, neutral colours. She also hand picked, dried and sorted all the flower petal confetti!

My mother in law, Gill made our beautiful ombre coloured cake and I hand stitched the heart toppers. My friend Allana made the cupcakes and my other friends Katie and Jen made the macaroons and brownies.

Pete made all the canapes, starters and main course side dishes with some help from his Dad, and Sizzly Piggy did an amazing job with the hog roast.

My Father in Law, Phil drove us all the way to France to find the wine and the ‘Moineaux’ champagne. Moineaux is French for Sparrow, a champagne he discovered many years ago which is made by a wonderful small family owned vineyard near Epernay, and in my humble opinion was better than any Krug or Bolly you could buy!

I continued the lace idea from my dress with lace decorated candle holders decorated and my Aunt Jackie made 60 feet of the most glorious lace bunting, I wish you could have seen it close up, it was just unbelievable!

We had the wonderful Be.Eventful sisters there on the day to help pull everything together.

My dress was from Sassi Holford and the Veil was Caroline Castigliano, both of which I secured as massive bargains in a sample dress shop. I loved the soft, elegant style of it but I was worried after buying it, that it was too simple and so I added the corded lace detail around the middle from another vintage dress I found in Armstrongs in Edinburgh. The headband came from a piece of material that was destined to be a sash in a dress shop called PanPan but I asked them to stitch it on to ribbon for my hair instead.
I made my pearl necklace and bracelets, which had a little plaster cast of a Sparrow skull – bit creepy haha but i love it!

Pete got his tweed jacket from Hackett and the best men all just wore a mix of other tweed jackets, with their pink and blue club bow ties (a silly university boys club – best not to ask). I made the buttonholes the night before with some feathers, striped ribbon and left over flower materials!

I liked the idea of mismatched bridesmaids, they all had creamy, neutral dresses with a bit of sparkle.

I was really inspired by the 1920s and I wanted the feel of a Gatsby-esque garden party.  Kirknewton was the only venue we visited, we instantly loved the feel of the place with the walled garden and chicken’s running around! Plus it was important for our DIY catering approach that we had free run of the kitchen for the weekend.

Duddingston Kirk was an obvious choice because of its beautiful location, warm and friendly minister and great pub across the road!

I kept the colour scheme faded and soft with some hints of glitter on the table decorations etc. I generally love anything old/antique/vintage (or crap as Pete would say!) and so I absolutely LOVED spending my weekends and days off work rooting around car boot sales and second hand shops to find our old wooden deck chairs, antique cut glass vases, old patterned tea cups and vintage silverware. I made paper chains, heart garlands and origami cranes out of old music sheets and books, which Pete despaired at me cutting up!

The Victorian print birds decorating the tables and on the seating plan were from a book on Audubon’s Wildlife. I got my idea from the amazing jewelry designers Rust – how they use old animal prints to display their goods. I’m a bit obsessed with the designers blog.

I bought antique playing cards from Etsy and clipped them to our vases with glitter covered pegs. My friend Marlene sent us my garter and Pete’s cufflinks from Etsy also.

I had other little hints of the Great Gatsby in the decor – there were some quotes on the table and the pages behind the LOVE framed letters were from the book.

As you might have seen the other big theme was birds! I think I got a bit carried away with this one! Our table plan was my favourite thing, with the little Victorian print birds nestled on the tree branches with the guest lists! I hand stamped the guest names on old luggage tags along with a little sparrow stamp I found for place names.

As a budget alternative to a photo booth, I set up my own camera on a tripod, bought some fancy dress gear and some fabric for a backdrop. There are some great shots from that!

We really wanted a nice relaxed atmosphere for our guests so we set up benches round some fire-pits and put out marshmallows and sparklers for the evening. We had a ceilidh to get everyone up dancing and then just put on our favourite cheesy tunes on my iPod!

We had the Staves – Mexico for our first dance, they are a relatively new band, but I love them! They are coming to Edinburgh soon, if you get a night off you should check them out. Pete’s Mum got us dance lessons as a ‘present’ to stop us shuffling around the floor, we were pretty terrible students, I think our dance on the day was helped a lot by Pete’s Grandpa’s desert wine!

We really had the most wonderful day and we were lucky enough to have the only bit of sunshine seen in Edinburgh all Summer! We so blessed to have such an incredible bunch of friends and family to help us out with our plans and to keep smiling during some minor hiccups which inevitably came with the territory of a D.I.Y wedding. Pete and I have been together for 8 years now, but our day was still the most beautiful, romantic, special day of our lives. It was everything we could have wished for and more.

Photography: Craig & Eva Sanders Photography / Reception Venue: Kirknewton Stables / Ceremony Venue: Duddingston Kirk / Wedding Planning: Be Eventful / Bride’s & Bridesmaids’ Fashion: Sassi Holford, Caroline Castigliano, W. Armstrong & Sons, Pan Pan Bridal / Men’s Fashion: Hackett / Vintage Decor: Junkaholique & Etsy

If you’re not looking to fall in love this morning, I suggest you close your eyes, because as soon as you see this wedding film from CineMate Films, you’re not only going to fall in love with an adorable, head over heels for each other couple, but their wedding too. It’s going to be a total love fest this morning, and I can’t wait!

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From CineMate Films … The sun lit up the waters of the clyde and lit up the hearts of familiar family and friends in Glasgow on the 28th July 2012, there to witness the wedding of Shona & David.

Familiar to the couple for the obvious reasons but also familiar to us as wedding filmmakers. This was in fact our second Gorrie wedding and when Shona & David came to CineMate to book their date, we couldn’t be happier!

A wedding with a unique venue is something special however a wedding with two is incredible and this celebration was exactly that. From the grand sites of Glasgow’s University Chapel for the marriage ceremony to the ever so unique Tall Ship which rests its’ sails on the banks of the Clyde for the cerebrations.

As the guests arrived for the reception, they were treated to fine music, drinks and another fabulous venue. The Tall Ship really was a stunningly unusual venue which perfectly complimented the juxtaposition between the beautiful, personal decor which filled the dinning hall and the upper desks to the industrial, mechanical inner works of the now dormant ship. It was great to see the guests enjoying this combination as they roamed the empty desks of the ship.

David & Shona, it was an absolute pleasure being welcomed back into your family. Your day was absolutely beautiful, impeccably planned and you both deserved such an amazing day! Gregg and I wish you both the best in married life together.

Filmmakers: CineMate Films / Ceremony: Glasgow University Chapel / Celebrant: Margaret White / Reception: The Tall Ship / Photographer: Lisa Devine Photography / Band: Love Pirates

One thing I know for certain – you are about to become 100% obsessed with this wedding.  Like can’t get enough, stare at these images all.day.long obsessed.  Because this wedding… this glorious Scotland affair?  It’s the kind of wedding that will most definitely render you speechless with one drop-dead gorgeous detail after another, an entire gallery of breathtaking images from Craig & Eva Sanders Photography and bundles upon bundles of pure, unadulterated bliss.  See it all right here.

From the Bride… We chose Friars Carse as we just wanted a big old country house that we could take over with our close family and friends for the weekend. We were able to all have dinner together on the Friday night with singing and speeches, the wedding day on the Saturday and brunch all together out on the lawn on the Sunday. The hotel has lovely grounds and is very relaxed and informal. Friars Carse was close to our church, Maxwelton Chapel, which we chose because it is so beautiful. We loved its small size as it was important to us that people could see, hear and feel everything with us.

We wanted a relaxed, happy day full of people we love. We were inspired by our fondness of the countryside around us, the village I grew up in, the beautiful wildflowers of May and by our enjoyment of recycling/upcycling and crafting! We were keen to make many of the items for the day ourselves and to use the skills of our very talented families to help us with this! We had everyone collecting jars for the year running up to the wedding, which we used for flowers. We made our invites, menus, table plan and all other stationery using recycled card and string to keep it all natural feeling. For the children, we made up little packs of coloring books, fairy wings and stickers. My Mum (and a few helpers) made meters and meters of bunting, which we strung up in the marquee. My sisters and brother made an amazing photo booth for us, which doubled as a guest book. My Mum enjoyed making some lovely wildflower displays for in the church and inside the hotel. My dad repaired some old crates, stamped our names and wedding date on them and filled them with flowers. He also surprised us by having our family tree put on a poster and displayed in the hotel. We were also surprised by being given a saw instead of a knife to cut the cake — it had been made by our family because Callum is a carpenter! Everyone pitched in as a team the day before to pull it all together.

Wedding Photography: Craig & Eva Sanders Photography / Ceremony: Maxwelton Chapel in Moniaive, Scotland / Reception: Friars Carse Hotel in Auldgirth, Dumfries, Scotland / Floral Design: Little Botanica / String Quartet: Cairn String Quartet / Band: Two Left Feet / Transportation: Solway Beetles / Wedding Dress: Benjamin Roberts (with Major Alterations) via Mia Bridal / Alterations: Sarah of Mia Bridal

We’re no strangers to crafty brides around these parts, but this creative bride take the cake for sure! Not only did she plan her entire wedding from another country, she made most of the details herself. Oh, and that amazing dress she’s wearing actually belonged to her mother. LOVE!  Jo Bartholomew captured all the love and smiles from this vintage chic DIY fete brilliantly and you can see even more right here.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Jo Bartholomew… Nora and Ed live in Sydney but are from the UK originally, so they decided to have two weddings! A small ceremony in Sydney for their closest friends, then a much larger wedding in Scotland to be celebrated with their old chums and, of course, their families. They decided to get married in a quaint little village called Peebles in the heart of the Scottish highlands (around two hours from Edinburgh). Nora is a very creative and talented girl who created a beautiful, vintage-themed wedding, making most of the details herself. Her amazing dress once belonged to her mother. She had it altered by “The emergency button” in Double Bay, Sydney, and they did an incredible job. The bridesmaids sourced their own vintage-styled, softly-colored dresses. The groomsmen wore vintage tweed waistcoats and neck ties that were sourced from various op shops  around Sydney and Surrey Hills in particular.

Nora got ready at an old house in the village where she was staying for the duration of the wedding. They were married the gorgeous local church of Peebles and then went to their reception venue, The Peebles Hydro, for photos and to eat, drink and be merry! Nora wore yellow gumboots to have her photos taken as the weather had been very very wet and unpredictable in the days leading up to the wedding. The reception room was filled with old vases of white and green flowers to give it a fresh, simple, country feel. The guest favors of custom notebooks and ring-shaped crayons were sourced from Etsy. They also had a cake buffet table filled with delights such as macaroons, cupcakes and sweets, all sourced from the local suppliers in the village. The cake stands were all vintage sourced from various op shops. They also created a photo booth table, which had a Polaroid camera on it along with mustaches, glasses and lips on sticks which Nora made herself. Nora also made all of the signs on the tables. Nora and Ed’s cake was made from cheese and fruits — they bought everything locally the day prior to the wedding and constructed it themselves.

Wedding Photography: Jo Bartholomew / Ceremony: A Local Church in Peebles, Scotland / Reception: Peebles Hydro Hotel in Peebles, Scotland / Floral Design: Scent of Ginger in Peebles (01721 720 659) / Wedding Cake: DIY by the Bride & Groom / Cake Stands: Vintage / Wedding Invitations: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Dress: Her Mother’s / Alterations: The Emergency Button in Sydney (02 9327 1433) / Bride’s Shoes: Unknown Store in Sydney / Bride’s Jewelry: Swarovski / Bride’s Headpiece: North Sydney Markets / Hair + Makeup: Lindsay of JD Bridal Hair

We love Saturdays on the Little Black Book Blog because we have a little more time to dedicate to the viewing of a phenomenal wedding film, and today will not disappoint. Not only is the film, from Ever After, one to make you run for the tissues, but the couple’s story is so crazy, you just have to read it to believe it. So press play, then save some time to read all about these two lovebirds from the dashing groom’s perspective.

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It was a cold wet February evening in the town of Corby, England. Saturday the 17th to be exact. Both of us were attending a meeting to sign up for charity work serving at the world famous Glastonbury festival. At this point, we didn’t know each other. But as the obligatory karaoke and alcohol flowed (for Michelle as I don’t drink at all, but I do sing!) Michelle said to her friends she had her eye on a handsome young man sitting a few tables away. She came over, and we spoke; about music, life and ourselves, and this was what would be, unbeknown to us, the start of a romance that would lead us to where we are today…

Music was a shared love of both of us, and indeed it was only fitting that our first date was a gig of which, I only remember small parts of, simply because I was so besotted with Michelle and the amazing aura she has about her.

We also shared a passion for the world; mine new and enthusiastic about seeing and experiencing what our amazing world has to offer and Michelle the seasoned veteran keen to expand her horizons and visit more wonderful parts of the globe. So as our relationship
blossomed, I moved in and our ambitious plans to travel and see the world together began to come together nicely.

South America was our first destination, where we took in The Peruvian Amazonia, trekked the Inca trail, and one of my most important ever purchases ever: an engagement ring. So I planned secretly to try to pull off a romantic gesture and propose at stunning point on the trip, loaded with the ring at all times to pounce on a perfect opportunity to pop the question and marry the woman of my dreams. We continued our travels through the wonderful countries of Bolivia and Argentina soaking up the amazing cultures and sights, but no moment seemed to be the perfect. And not least a rather rare experience during our visit to Brazil and the famous Rio de Janeiro, where we were tied up and held captive in our hostel by seven gunmen equipped with grenades and knives who robbed us and 30 others of our money and our only worldly possessions. Definitely not what we had planned, but a story to tell nonetheless!

If I hadn’t already had our love confirmed before, the Rio experience made us realised how much we loved each other, and gave my proposal plans even more impetus! (and luckily the ring survived the situation too!)

We continued our travels, driving a camper van round New Zealand and Australia, and then on to the wonders of Asia, where I finally got the chance, on our favourite beach, using my guitar to play our favourite song, finally asked the question I wanted to ask for 11 months… SHE SAID YES!!!!!

We arrived home and within a year Michelle was well under way planning the vintage inspired wedding she has always wanted. Everything from the location to the tea cups and flowers, our wedding oozed style and imagination thanks to Michelle’s hard work and vision. It truly would take too long to explain the thought and effort that went in to creating such a unique setting and atmosphere for the perfect day. The village church was quaint in size but huge on character and occasion. The transport was festival inspired with a friend’s vintage VW camper van doing the transport honours. The wonderful National Trust site home to a old ruin set the scene for our romantic marquee reception, and the traditional ice cream van sweetened the procession after a fresh summer styled barbecue was a hit with the guests.

The speeches were truly a magical memory. After myself, the father of the bride and the best man had performed their duties, a collection of family and friends sprung a massive surprise by jumping to their feet and adapting the words of Lou Reeds ‘perfect day’ to suit the bride and groom. A truly magical moment.

The entertainment was brought throughout the day by a range of wonderful professionals, led by the fantastic toastmaster Matthew Biggin who kept the relaxed wedding party flowing, singer songwriter Kelli Blanchett providing wonderful voice and guitar playing for the reception, whilst the live band and DJ gave the wedding party the opportunity to put on their dancing shoes.

I’ve never danced, cried, laughed or smiled so much in my life, the permanent smiles on our faces were uncontrollable, which I can truly describe as a wonderful experience sharing such a happy and momentous occasion with the ones we loved, it couldn’t have gotten any better. People said to me before who had gone through the vow of marriage before us, enjoy the day it will go quick and that your own wedding is the best wedding you will ever attend, and I have to say, every cliché given to us, including the two mentioned above, were absolutely true, and I am so glad that we savoured and enjoyed every moment of it.

The day was perfect. The hard work, help and support of our families and friends sprinkled with the wonderful ideas and style of my beautiful wife’s impeccable taste, matched by the beautifully captured frames by our videographers (ever after) I can easily say, without doubt and without question, this day will be forever one of the most special of our lives.

The icing on the cake to complete us was the arrival of our son Elijah Bearin April 2012.

Cinematography: Ever After / Ceremony venue: St. Mary’s church in Lower Benefield / Reception venue: Lyveden New Bield / Dress and headband: Jenny Packham / Make up by: Liza Smith / Flowers: Vicky Martin, Corby / Hair: Extreme Lengths, Corby / DJ: John Headley / Live band: The Contenders / Marquee: Posh Tents / Bar: Chequered Skipper / Catering: DDW caterers / Toast master: Matthew Biggin

I’m a firm believer that every day needs at least a small dose of glamour – however you choose to weave it in (using your fanciest coffee mug totally counts). Well today lovelies, you are getting enough glamour to hold you over all week by way of this London beauty captured by Polly Alexandre Photography. It’s traditional elegance meets dream wedding, all planned and designed by Kim Balasubramaniam (the bride). You can see all the gorgeous right here.

From the Bride… My husband and I still can’t believe how perfect our wedding day was. Each time we reminisce or flick through our beautiful photo album, we’re reminded of what an amazing time we had. Although first and foremost it was an opportunity to celebrate our 10-year love story with our family and friends, as a wedding planner and stylist myself, we wanted our wedding to feel decadent and glamorous. It was always going to be about the details! We chose to marry in London — we both fell in love with the statuesque building that is Islington Town Hall for our ceremony. Although we had 150 guests, the room itself was round, so the ceremony felt very intimate and personal. Each guest received a bag on arrival that my Mum had made (I had seen similar on SMP before and searched high and low for the perfect lace trim; I actually ended up shipping it in from New York!) that we had filled with handmade goodies such as postcards of our children’s book readings, the order of service, delphinium petal confetti and heart-shaped shortbread. We wanted to make a lot of the items for the wedding ourselves, both to save money and to make everything as personal as possible, and I was determined to prove that DIY details can be glamorous! 

We hired two iconic London buses to transport guests from our ceremony to the reception, which everybody loved. On arrival, we served signature cocktails garnished with rose petals, delicious canapés and had a Spanish guitar band to entertain everyone. In the main ballroom, a mix of round and banquet tables were laid with cream linens and lined with numerous vintage crystal and silver receptacles. These were filled with church candles and roses – we had over 1,000 roses and spent months collecting silver trays, crystal vases and bowls. Amongst many other things, we handmade our napkin rings from black velvet ribbon and diamante clasps to echo our stationery suite, made wish bracelet favors for the ladies, created crystal-trimmed place names and designed escort cards that were tied to even more roses. During the drinks reception, our photographer Polly Alexandre whisked us away for our couple shots. Even though it was the greyest, rainiest day London could throw at us, we were blown away when we saw how beautiful all the images were. You would have thought it was the most perfect weather, and Polly managed to capture every single detail of the day in her beautiful, inimitable style. We will cherish our photographic memories forever.

We wanted our wedding to be the greatest party we’ve ever thrown, so in the evening, the emphasis was on fun! We hired a fabulous DJ, had free-flowing cocktails running all evening and had a photo-booth that we customized with our own logo and props. We made boxes of pashminas and flip-flops for the ladies to use and take home with them, each of which had a little hand made tag on them that coordinated with all the other items from the day. The dance floor was full all night, with guests only taking a break to feast on the fabulous cake my Mum had made for us and the Sri Lankan “short eats” that Chara’s Mum had also made. We managed to incorporate elements of all our favorite things in life into our wedding, from Chara’s love of football and my love of shoes, to our passion for travel and even our two cats. We thought carefully about every item we included and had our guests’ enjoyment in the forefront of our mind when planning everything. It really was the most emotional and special day, and looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing.

Wedding Photography: Polly Alexandre Photography / Ceremony: Islington Town Hall in London, UK / Reception: 45 Millbank in London, UK / Wedding Design, Styling + Planning: Kim Balasubramaniam (The Bride) / Floral Design: Cindy Kirkand of Creative Works / Wedding Details: DIY by the Bride, Her Mother + Sister / Catering: Kalm Kitchen / Wedding Cake: DIY by Bride’s Mother / Cupcakes: Hummingbird Bakery / Bar: Bars by Design / Band: Andalus / DJ: Mitch Matthews / Photo Booth: Say Fromage / Paper Straws: Peach Blossom via Not on the High Street / Wedding Dress: Adapted from Novia d’Art + Custom by Mamfii Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Karen Millan + Swarovski Crystals Glued on by the Bride’s Sister / Bride’s Tiara: Halo & Co. / Hair: Severin Hubert of The Hepburn Collection / Makeup: Mariam Jenson / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Maids to Measure / Bridal Preparations: The Sanderson Hotel / Groom’s Suit: William Hunt via Hugh Harris / Groom’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger

I was lucky enough to visit Scotland for the first time last winter, and let me say, it is every bit as gorgeous as this stunning shoot from Craig & Eva Sanders. The luxe greens are just as vibrant in real life, which is why it comes as no surprise to me that Corrine Smith Design was inspired for the new “Essence” collection by the beautiful nature all around. And lucky for us Americans, Corrine Smith Design will be popping over from Scotland to exhibit at New York International Bridal Week for the first time in October. Make sure you fully fall in love with the new collection in the full image gallery – and then start looking at how you’re going to get to NYC in October!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

From Corrine Smith Design … Corrine Smith Design is proud to introduce their illustrious 2012/13 ‘Essence’ bridal accessories collection. The award winning company are gearing up for a busy autumn launching over 20 new pieces which offers an array of designs and choice for the future bride’s big day.

Craig & Eva Sanders Photography were the perfect choice to capture the vision of the natural world in this exquisite photo shoot at the magnificent venue of Glennapp Castle, Scotland. This Scottish Baronial castle is set in beautiful and secluded grounds and is an exclusive wedding venue in the Scottish countryside.

Designed to depict the beauty of nature, the new collection captures the essence of contemporary elegance whilst retaining a timeless, classic feel. “My aim was to create sensitive representations of organic forms yet in a modern style. Floral accents play a key role and elements of looping vines and flourishing foliage help to create the overall vision.” says Corrine Smith.

All products are designed and lovingly handcrafted in the UK by designer/owner Corrine Smith ensuring a high quality standard and finish. The intricate designs can be customised to meet individual brides’ requirements maintaining the company ethos of providing a truly bespoke personal service.

Craig & Eva Sanders Photography were the perfect choice to capture the vision of the natural world in this exquisite photo shoot at the magnificent venue of Glennapp Castle, Scotland. This Scottish Baronial castle is set in beautiful and secluded grounds and is an exclusive wedding venue in the Scottish countryside.

Designed to depict the beauty of nature, the new collection captures the essence of contemporary elegance whilst retaining a timeless, classic feel. “My aim was to create sensitive representations of organic forms yet in a modern style. Floral accents play a key role and elements of looping vines and flourishing foliage help to create the overall vision.” says Corrine Smith.

All products are designed and lovingly handcrafted in the UK by designer/owner Corrine Smith ensuring a high quality standard and finish. The intricate designs can be customised to meet individual brides’ requirements maintaining the company ethos of providing a truly bespoke personal service.

Photography: Craig & Eva Sanders / Bridal Accessories: Corrine Smith Design / Location: Glenapp Castle, Scotland / ‘Venus Bridal’ dress supplied by: Glitz / ‘Ginger’ Dress: Enzoani supplied by Opus Couture / Hair stylist: Gail Rankin from Bespoke Wedding Hair / Makeup artist: Jackie Bruin from Looking Good Makeup

Sweet weddings belong in a category all their own. Not too fancy or over the top but just right in that easy, breezy, beautiful sort of way. They tug at the heart strings, those sweet ones and pull you in with their pretty, pretty photographs of a Bride and Groom saying “I Do” amongst an intimate crowd, surrounded by perfectly personalized details. Yep, that is a sweet wedding in a nutshell. For the longer version, complete with a groom carrying his Bride over a muddy field (sweet x a mill) check out the full gallery captured by Helen Cawte Photography.

From the Bride… Dave and I were married on April 28, 2012, at Wycliffe Baptist Church in Reading. We decided to get married in the church that I grew up in, so the wedding felt very personal. It also meant that I could get ready at my parent’s home with my bridesmaids – my mum, in true fashion, had prepared an amazing breakfast, and the whole morning was so much more fun and relaxed than I could have imagined! Instead of decorating the church with flowers, we strung up lots of pom poms in pastel shades. We held a “pom pom party” a couple of weeks before the wedding – we provided the wine and the paper, and our friends happily sat concertina-ring into the night! Our Christian faith was an important element of the day, and we put a lot of effort into planning the service. The church service was lead by a family friend, Dave’s dad gave the address, and our friends played in the band. It was hugely personal and very moving.

The reception was held at Bearwood College in Berkshire, which is an amazing private school. The staff were amazing – they put up with all my requests, and it was incredible to walk into the gallery and see that they had prepared the room exactly as I has asked. They have Saturday school in the morning, which means you can’t actually do any of the set up yourself – they do it all after 1 p.m. on the day of the wedding! We arrived at about 3.30 p.m., so I was very impressed with their quick turnaround. I found Green and Gorgeous through a wedding blog and was very excited by their webpage. They offer standard wedding flower services, but they also allow you to buy flowers by the bucket to arrange yourself. This was brilliant as it meant I could leave the complicated elements to the G&G girls, Rachel and Jo, and have a go at table arrangements myself (with a small but mighty team!). We first visited Jo in February (Dave could not get his head around the lack of flowers) and discussed everything over a cup of tea in her lovely, cosy cottage. Two weeks before the wedding, we visited again to make a “cutting list,” which involved walking around the garden and choosing whatever we liked! The whole experience was wonderful, and I’m so pleased we found them! We spent an age trying to find a photographer who we could trust with our most important of photo albums! Helen was brilliant – she did an amazing job. We were blown away by the photos and her commitment throughout. Helen and her assistant Camilla were both completely chilled out and knew exactly how much direction to give. They were stars!

We sourced a French soft drink (La Mortuacienne) as a nod to the time I had lived in France. For the flower girls, I made up bags of goodies to keep them entertained during the meal. I borrowed an idea I had seen on lots of American wedding blogs for a finger-print tree. We surrounded it with photographs of our ancestors on their wedding days – it was hard work tracking down the photos but amazing to see where we came from and having them all there (in photo form!) on our day. We made the seating plan out of a piece of world map wrapping paper from John Lewis! The menu board was bought cheaply from Home Sense and with a chalk pen I wrote out the menu for the day. It’s now up in our house as an alternative piece of art! My mum made the cake – it was huge! She made about 10 round sponges, which Dave stacked up and smothered in duck-egg blue butter icing – great team work. All of the save the dates, invitations and orders of service were made by us in Word. We downloaded a free font from dafont.com so they didn’t look too comic sans! The invitations included an RSVP postcode with a pair of penguins on the front. We asked guests to decorate the penguins before sending it back and got some incredible replies! It was such a treat seeing how much effort friends and family had put in to them and gave us a good laugh. An old friend DJ’ed for us — he did a great job and we loved the party. Our wedding was amazing, but there were many times in the run up that I felt completely overwhelmed by the task. I’m so glad we put the effort in though – everyone commented on the personality of the day and how much it reflected us. It was so exciting – we were beaming all day. Looking back there is nothing I would have changed – I got to marry my best friend and have an amazing party, and it doesn’t get much better than that!

Wedding Photography: Helen Cawte Photography / Ceremony: Wycliffe Baptist Church in Reading, United Kingdom / Reception + Catering: Bearwood College in Wokingham, Berkshire, United Kingdom / Floral Design: Green and Gorgeous / Wedding Cake: DIY by the Bride’s Mother / Wedding Invitations: DIY / DJ: A Friend / Reception Lighting: Henley Theatre Lighting / Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham “Giralda” / Bride’s Shoes: Vintage Dune / Bride’s Earrings: Accessorize / Hair: Vanessa Harrison, A Family Friend / Makeup DIY / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Warehouse / Groom’s Suit: Flannels / Rings: Solitaire

There is a new top of the color list in my book and it is lavender. It’s fresh, it’s soso pretty, and it’s the star of this Isle of Skye (and might I add GORGEOUS) number. I’ve always been one for the scent, and the flower is gorgeous too, but after a brief love affair that might just turn into something serious with Marianne Taylor Photography‘s images, lavender is the color of the day. And this wedding is the wedding of the hour – in all it’s glory sitting pretty right here.

Jamie and I met and fell in love at 16 when we were in school. After a few years apart at University we realised that we couldn’t live without each other and we were meant to be together. We moved to Melbourne 3 years ago where Jamie proposed on-air at the radio station where I was working. It was a huge surprise to hear his voice on the airwaves, it was such a gorgeous happy day!

When were were deciding where to get married we knew there was only one place, our beautiful home island of Skye where we met in the Scottish Highlands. It was a bit trickier organizing everything from Australia but it made it all the more worthwhile and it was great fun being able to plan and look forward to the big day from afar.

We knew we wanted a very relaxed informal day on Skye where we could really celebrate with our fantastic friends and beautiful families, where the kids could run around enjoying the summer weather in Portree and everyone could let their hair down.

I have always loved lavender, the colour and the smell and decided to use it throughout the day, the colour looks amazing against the Scottish countryside. My dress also had lots of French lace and so we included lace in much of the wedding decoration. The Print Fairy in Melbourne helped us to come up with a lavender and lace design for our invites and we carried this theme throughout the day.

We were married by our good friend Fr Jim Lawlor in our local church and his amazing service set the tone for the whole day. We held a drinks reception in my parents garden in Portree on Skye. My parents home Scorrybreac is a really special place for us and for lots of our friends and family, we have had many happy times in our home and garden. My parents worked tirelessly to get the garden ready and it looked beautiful on the day.

We had a glorious Skye day and decorated the garden with pom poms, lavender bunches in Bell Mason Jars and dried Peony Heads in glass baubles from the gorgeous ‘Shropshire Petals’ based in England. We wanted a real vintage feel to the day and Devon Bunting provided us with gorgeous homemade lace bunting…sending us all the samples to Australia to try! We decorated the gates with flowers and lined the driveway with ceramic rose birdfeeders.

We then had a traditional Highland march to the town hall for our wedding breakfast and reception led by a piper which felt very special. On the island in the past this was common-place so it felt great to re-create a tradition of old.

The hall was decorated with fresh peonies, lavender and corn flowers by Angela Stewart and her team in Inverness with lots of candle light and glass vases. The Gathering Hall in Skye is steeped in tradition and we wanted to make sure that the decoration was subtle enough that the old feeling of the Hall was what stood out. The Hall was actually where my own parents met 35 years ago, it was the main Scottish ceilidh dance hall on the island for many years!

We were delighted to have the amazing Marianne Taylor and her assistant Susanna travel to Skye to take our photographs and Reel Love Films travelled to film the day, we loved the beauty of their films. Skye can put on wind, rain, hail and shine on any given day of the year so the glorious sunshine all day was a real treat for all our visitors! We didn’t really have a plan B if it was pouring with rain, but I kept telling Jamie I had a feeling it was going to be a gorgeous day!

The day was incredible and it was an amazing way to celebrate the journey Jamie and I took over 16 years to get married on our home island with all the people there that played their special part.

It was a day we will never forget, beautiful weather, a beautiful place and most importantly being surrounded by the love and friendship of the people that we are very lucky to share our lives with, there to celebrate our marriage on a fantastic day.

Photography: Marianne Taylor Photography / Wedding Planner: Cheryl Dowie, Premiere Wedding Planners Scotland / Caterer: Charles-Smith Maxwell, Foukou BBQ / Make-Up: Kate Butler / Hair: Elena Bhioghall / Wedding Gown: Martina Liana / Bridal Shoes: Vera Wang / Florist: Angela Stewart Creative / Cake: Top Tier Cakes / Videographer: Reel Love Films / Band: Local Ceilidh Band / Stationary: The Print Fairy / Ceremony Location: St Mary’s RC Church / Reception Location: Scorrybreac House + Skye Gathering Hall Portree

We couldn’t agree with the best man any more when he said “Being perfect is irrelevant. Being together is the most important.” We will go on to say, however, that not only are these lovebirds together after a very romantic wedding, but it was pretty perfect too. So maybe you can have your cake and eat it too. The highlight film from Ever After is so sweet – a perfect start to your Saturday!

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If you would have told me I’d be meeting my future husband in the middle of a busy airport terminal I’d have never have believed you! Just another day, wheeling my trolley bag through the hustle and bustle of a very busy airport on my way to work as an air hostess. And through the crowd there stood a very tall, handsome young man wearing a pilot’s uniform, one of which I recognised as the same airline as I worked for.

There Niels stood looking around, so my instant reaction was to go and say hello and to ask if he was ok and if he was lost. To my embarrassment Niels answered in a Dutch accent “No I am not lost , I am just thinking of whether to get a sandwich or not?”

I was very embarrassed and felt quite silly, but I guess he thought this was sweet. It started with a few nights out, dinner and soon we moved in together. Before I knew it the air hostess was to marry the pilot, very cliché but I never saw it coming.
Ever since I was little girl, with a mum owning a wedding dress shop, I knew exactly what I wanted for our fairy-tale wedding. We wanted a classy, romantic, traditional wedding. Niels being Dutch and being used to very different weddings let me take reign and decide on most things.

After looking at numerous venues we came across Fawsley Hall: a beautiful idyllic country hotel with 700 years of history, surrounded by 2000 acres of rolling hills. As soon as we drove through the grand entrance of Fawsley and stepped out of the car we just knew this was the perfect venue for us. The fields were filled with sheep and there in the distance was a small very quaint church set amongst the acres of farm land. The church we were to marry in. Very quickly we booked this magical venue and soon after St. Mary the Virgin church.

For me the most important part was finding the dress. Unfortunately for Niels I was spoilt for choice. I chose two dresses by my favourite English couture designer Ian Stuart. Then came our theme: my dress and my beautiful pink sapphire engagement ring. The flowers seemed the obvious choice when looking at my dress so our wedding was filled with a very floral feel sprawled with candelabras and urns full of peonies, hydrangeas and pink roses. To carry on the elegance, our tables were full of diamante buckles and vintage tea light holders. A string duet played so elegantly as my brother walked me down the aisle (as my father just passed away two years ago).

All our friends and family from both England and Holland gathered in the beautiful vintage chic Knightley Court for the wedding breakfast. A swing band set the mood for the evening and the night would not have been complete without the fireworks, which was set to music by Queen “Don’t Stop Me Now” which was in remembrance to both our fathers. Afterwards the night carried on in to the early hours.

The whole day from me getting ready early in the morning to every small intricate detail would never have been captured if it wasn’t for Ever After wedding films. Their friendly professional manner and assistance was amazing and from the moment I met them they put me at ease. They captured every tear, every laugh and the whole atmosphere of our very special day. I often say to Niels I wish we could do it all again and his reply is “let’s turn on the DVD.”

Cinematography: Ever After / Photography: Darren Cresswell Photography / Ceremony venue: Church of St. Mary the Virgin Fawsley / Reception venue: Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire / Wedding Dresses: Ian Stuart / Wedding Shoes: Gina / Make-up Artist: Rochelle O’Brien / Florist: Hayford and Rhodes / Invitations: Ghost Orchid Designs / Bridesmaid dress designer: Ebony Rose / Mens fashion: William Hunt / Jewelry: Halo and Co. / Band: Campbell Bass