Friday, 12 March 2010
So this morning we got into the office and realised that is it mid-March. Mid-March. How exactly did that happen? We have had a wonderfully busy start to the year here at WBZL and thought it was about time we gave you a little update on what we’ve been up to.
Last weekend saw the wedding of Priya and Bayju at the breathtaking Eltham Palace. With 12 weeks planning time, there was no hanging around with this wedding and it was great to see the wedding all come together so well on the day. It was a total honour to work with this couple and to be so involved with their day; Priya and Bayju’s love for one another is completely infectious, they have got a very happy future ahead of them. The day was captured by the legendary Polly Alexandre who was a total dream to work and general all round rock-star. Here is a sneak peek into the glamorous affair:
Secondly, we’re really excited to be announcing the winners of our Blurb contest. So the winners (as chosen by Truly Random Number Generator) are….(drum roll please)…Karen, Laura G and Sylvia. Please drop us an email and we’ll make sure you receive your prize.
In other news, earlier this month we were speaking at the The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners Annual Conference. It was a great weekend in a stunning location (somehow I ended up with the most amazing and biggest room in the place) and it was lovely to see old friends and meet new ones.
March has also seen us featured in the current issues of both You and Your Wedding and Cosmo Bride. See our tips for finding your wedding style on page 151 of Cosmo and page 256 of YYW for some great budget saving tips. There are lots of gorgeous things in both magazines but wow, there are a couple of amazing fashion features in Cosmo – be sure to check out the Birds of a Feather shoot. Too beautiful for words!
Happy weekend everyone!
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Monday, 15 February 2010
So I’m really excited today to announce that we are hosting our first ever WBZL giveaway and oh boy are you in for a treat! Having long admired the lovely books by Blurb, I was thrilled when the company got in touch to offer 5 lucky readers the chance to win a £30 voucher. You lucky devils!
Blurb have created an ingenious system that allows you to create your very own book. The books can display a mixture of photographs, artwork and/or text and are perfect for creating a really special wedding keepsake. There are a million and one ways to use Blurb in relation to your nuptials but I especially love the idea of creating a book that is passed around during the drinks reception that tells the story of how you met and got together. I also love, love, love the thought of creating customised fairytale books to keep the little ones entertained during dinner.
If you’d like the chance of winning one of the vouchers just leave a comment explaining what you’d put in your book (doesn’t have to be wedding related) and the winners will be chosen at random and announced here next Monday the 22nd of Feb.
Good luck!
Posted in Accessories, Entertainment, Favours, Gifts, Giveaway, photography | 13 Comments »
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Thursday, 21 January 2010
When these stunning images from Lindsay Fleming hit our inbox today let’s say we were speechless. Art-deco-delicious, the perfect way to brighten a dreary January day.
The company is soon to be visiting London to extend their services to those outside of Scotland so get in touch if you’re interested in getting your hands on one of these beauties yourself.
Photo credit: Archibald Photography
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Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Pompoms are so cheery they always make me want to laugh*; the perfect accessory to a cute, contemporary shindig. These ones from Party Poms are especially beautiful.
These minature napkin holders are cute, cute, cute!
*maybe this is because they remind me of furiously wrapping wool around two cardboard circles at Brownies. I don’t know what they were for but I remember making lots of pompoms at Brownies. How strange.
Posted in Accessories, General Wedding | 2 Comments »
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Monday, 4 January 2010
Hello lovely readers! We hope you had a really magical Christmas and a wonderful New Year. We had a fab time enjoying the snow, great friends and lots of delicious food and are now looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store.
To kick the year off, today we’re featuring a back to basics planning guide. So for all you newly engaged couples this is the post for you.
Happy reading!
4 Back to Basics Planning Tips
1) Set a budget. This little piece of advice is as old as the hills but it’s so important and allows you to build a firm foundation for your wedding. Many couples struggle to set a budget because if you’ve never planned a wedding, it’s hard to know what is realistic and how far your money will go. However most people know how much they can realistically afford and how much they are comfortable spending on one event: it really is worth spending some time researching and getting your budget right at the beginning. Until you have a budget, you can’t begin approaching suppliers and all of your plans become a series of confusing ‘what ifs’. It’s much better to start things off properly with a good idea of what you can spend in each area.
2) Clarify your priorities. Unless you’re on a very large budget, you will have to compromise on some aspects of your day. Identify your top 5 priorities at the outset so that you can concentrate your budget and energy on doing a few things really well rather than spreading yourself too thinly and doing everything badly. We tend to find that for most couples that as they focus on a particular part of the celebrations that aspect becomes THE most important part of everything and that it becomes very tempting to overspend. Formally setting your priorities at the outset helps to guard against this and saves lots of heartache down the line.
3) Get the basics in place first. From the second that engagement ring is on, planning a wedding can be an overwhleming whirlwind of well meaning people asking questions and giving their opinion. Rather than allowing yourself to be swallowed up into the insanity of it all, take a couple of weeks to soak up your new status and to slowly chat your ideas through with your partner. Once you have a rough idea of what you want as a couple, you can begin (slowly and rationally) putting the basics into place. You’ll need to start with finding your venue and you’ll be able to narrow down the options by budget, availability and style. Once your venue is confirmed you will have a date and this will allow you to begin approaching the other suppliers. Here, our advice is to focus on those suppliers who can only do one wedding per day e.g. photographers, transport, entertainment, hair and make up artists. After booking these suppliers, you can relax and start thinking about the visual aspects of the day and finding items such as dresses and stationery. Don’t be tempted to do these things before you’ve confirmed your basic suppliers as you will only tie yourself up into stressful knots and end up making little if any progress.
4) Finally, view your wedding holistically. It’s easy to view your wedding as one long to do list but it’s vitally important that you don’t make decisions (especially regarding visual elements) without considering other aspects to ensure there is a thread of continuity running throughout your celebration. For example, it’s easy to rush out and buy a dress before you’ve really thought about items such as your venue or entertainment. However, the style of your dress should be heavily influenced by your venue and how formal your celebration will be. This in turn will effect the type of entertainment you choose, the style of your flowers and even the type of menu you serve. As bizarre as it sounds, it’s really important to consider all of these items together because if you don’t your wedding will lose its sense of flow and can end up feeling as though it has lost it’s soul.
By its very nature, being engaged doesn’t last forever so enjoy it while you can; take things slowly and don’t be tempted to wish it away. There are no second chances with weddings!
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Wednesday, 2 December 2009
With a bitter chill in the air, there’s no avoiding that winter is well and truly here. Winter weddings can be really magical and if you’re getting married in the run up to Christmas but don’t want to go obviously festive, then this board is the one for you. Inspired by diamonds and pearls, this wintery concept uses golden tones to create a cosy ambience that’s perfect for a timeless winter wedding. It makes me want to go and curl up by a log fire with a glass of mulled wine. Lovely.
Photo credits
Dress: Christos via SMP
Fairylights: via Flickr
Bracelet: Sedona Bride via SMP
Pearl pendant: Heather Berry
Table setting: Brides
Bride and Groom: James Christianson via SMP
Necklace: J Crew
Flowers: Domino Magazine
Posted in Design Concepts, Gold | 1 Comment »
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Monday, 16 November 2009
These are so beautiful they make me feel light headed. Sighhhhhh
Buy them over at Ban.do
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Thursday, 5 November 2009
Lavender is a popular palette for summer weddings but it tends to gets left behind when it comes to the winter months. That being said, I think this soft shade is perfect for winter and when combined with snowy white, creates an elegant yet unusual finished look. The advantage of using lavender over something such as a soft blue is that whilst remaining simple and classic, the end look is slightly warmer; to the chilly English winter!
Photo credits:
Gowns: Blue by Enzonai
Champagne: Minted
Framed Calligraphy: MS Weddings
Couple shot: Project wedding
Bridesmaids dress: JLM Couture
Trees: Oll Bullough via Flickr
Stitched stationery: Bird and Banner
Lace edged bouquet: Ariel Yve via SMP
Bridesmaid dress: J Crew
Posted in Design Concepts, Purple | 5 Comments »
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Wednesday, 4 November 2009
We’re thrilled to be featured in this month’s gorgeous issue of Cosmo Bride! Check out page 80 for our advice on the hidden costs of getting married.
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Wednesday, 28 October 2009
When we’re viewing new venues one thing we’re always sure to do is scout out the toilets. Although this might sound a little bit odd we firmly believe that with weddings it’s all about the finishing touches and grotty loos are one of the last things you want on your wedding day.
On the day itself it’s easy to neglect the loos however, more often than not – and of course this is especially for The Ladies – the loos become a gathering place, so it’s nice to make sure they’re really comfortable. At our weddings we like to add scented candles, scattered petals and, if not provided by the venue, some luxury hand soap and lotion. If you want to go further, it’s also nice to add a few basic bits and pieces such as hair pins, blister plasters and deodorant to ensure guests are as comfortable as possible.
Posted in Planning Tricks | 2 Comments »
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