I Heart: Julia Boggio

I'm really excited today to feature a fantastic photographer, Julia Boggio. You might recognise Julia as being the 'Dirty Dancing' bride that took the internet by storm but aside from being internet legend Julia is also an incredibly talented wedding and portrait photographer. Julia has an fantastically original style and approach to wedding photography & some of her photos really are stunning! In terms of style, Julia's work is also an interesting contrast to popular reportage wedding photography, she actually does a lot of very clever 'posed' work and post-production, creating some very special, quirky wedding photos.

Julia was kind enough to answer a couple of questions for us:

ZL: Tell us a little bit about your company.

JB: Julia Boggio Photography offers wedding photography that is fun and glamorous. We find that the couples who gravitate towards us are very design-conscious and often they hail from the arts and media industries. I've been photographing weddings for 5 years now, having previously worked as an advertising copywriter. I haven't looked back since!

ZL: What inspires you?

JB:People inspire me! I love helping people who are unsure in front of the camera become confident and secure in front of my lens. I do a pre-wedding shoot with each couple before the wedding day, so that they can experience what it's like to be shot by me. It's amazing how many couples are nervous at the beginning of the shoot and, by the end, they don't want it to stop. I find that this makes them excited about their wedding photography, instead of viewing it with trepidation.
I'm also inspired by movies, books, magazines, and art.

ZL: What makes a great wedding?

JB: The best weddings are ones where the couples' personality shines through. My husband and I (infamously) had a movie-themed wedding and our guests really enjoyed it (along with 5 million other people). My advice to couples would be to have the wedding that they want to have and don't be afraid to do something truly different.


Be sure to stop by Julia's website for some eye candy & if you're thinking of booking her be quick, quick, quick as she only does a limited number of wedding a year!

Julia is also planning a fantastic charity event for November. Check out www.thebigidoredo.com if you fancy a great night dressed in your wedding gear!

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Readings: Captain Correli's Mandolin

"Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two."

(Louis de Bernieres)

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Design Concept: Ice Cream Sundae

My lovely mum came up with the initial idea for this concept & I don't think I'm going to say much more about it! I'm thinking a Neapolitan icecream colour palette, a retro ice cream van & a 'candy bar' with lots of swirly lollipops for the reception!

Photo credits:
Veil & icecream: Brides
Pompoms: Martha Stewart
Ice cream van: Superdry87
Dress: Vintage Studio via Peonies
Bottles: Lorina
Cookies: Peggy Porschen
Cupcakes: BBC Food
Ice cream parlor: PopKulture

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The Bride's Cafe

Cute real wedding over at The Bride's Cafe. Loving these two elements:

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Planning Tricks: Entrance Music

In recent years, as weddings have become more and more personalised, processional music (the bride's entrance music) has also been given a makeover & many couples are looking for something beyond the traditional wedding march (not that there is anything wrong with traditional you understand!). At the too-many-to-count weddings I've been to in the last few years, I've always found that processional music is a great opportunity to express your personality whilst also setting the tone and developing the style of your celebration.

So....what will you choose?

One of my closest friends had this beautiful track & despite not being at her wedding (!! OK so I didn't actually know her back then,) the track really captures something of them and their relationship.

Recently, I've heard this & this which both work beautifully as processionals. With the Coldplay track the bride entered at the 'guitar crescendo' - what an amazing moment!

For my own wedding I chose this (sorry you can't hear more of it), the lyrics to which are:

"Hold my hand while you sleep
So when you dream I'm there with you.

Home, feels like home

I hurry to make my way home
Cos you are my truth and my light
And when night falls I search for you
Make my way closer to you, closer to you"

I chose this track not only because it's beautiful but also because the lyrics were really meaningful. Getting married felt like coming home, finding that place where you're suppossed to be and so 'coming home' became a minor theme to our wedding day.

For a long time I toyed with the idea of having this incredible piece (warning: long piece of music but definitely worth it) & I still think it would be incredible at a wedding. Maybe a cathedral wedding. A cathedral wedding with a huge budget where you could have the entire orchestra there ;)

I also recently found this Spiritual from Oh Brother Where Art Thou which I think would work brilliantly at a Christian wedding.

For our exit we also chose this iconic track (nb nothing to do with SATC). A great track that worked perfectly for that moment!

So......tell me about yours.....

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Design Concept: A Seaside Soiree

Just back home after a lovely few days in Norfolk. On Friday we took a trip to the beautiful Norfolk coast where we visited the most stunning, unspoilt beach I have ever seen. The water was crystal clear, the sand super clean and the sky the most intense shade of blue. Wedding planning never far from my mind, this beautiful place of course inspired a design concept!
With this concept I was keen to things subtle and resist going over board with all things seaside! Hopefully this board has a good balance of reflecting the surroundings but not feeling too gimmicky.
Central to this concept is the use of light and cleverly bringing the outside in. I’m imagining lots of clear glass, fairy lights, sand filled hurricane vases and tea lights in jam jars. I’ve always loved the idea of a bonfire on the beach and I think this would be beautiful for a wedding. A barbeque of rustic seafood with toasted marshmallows for a midnight snack. Sky lanterns and sparklers just before the bride and groom steal away together. Oh how lovely!


Photo Credits:

Hair: Brides
Candles, jam jars, limeade & canapes: Martha Stewart
Bonfire: C J McKeeve
Sky lanterns and beach: Me!
Cupcakes: Rebecca Thuss
Gown: Stephanie Allin
Sandcastle: A Merry Monk

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I Heart: Ritzy Bee

Today the lovely Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee Events has been kind enough not only to feature us on her fantastic blog but also to spend some time answering the same questions so that they can be featured here. For me it's fascinating hearing about both the people behind these fantastic blogs and also the American wedding industry. We've also included some photos of one of Maria's weddings, you can see more here. Here goes:


Q. Tell us a little bit about your company

{rb} Ritzy Bee Events is a boutique style event planning firm specializing in weddings, social and corporate events in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC area. I launched the company two years ago after working as a corporate event planner for seven years prior. I named the company after my love for bees...and the fact the word {bee} also means "a social gathering in order to perform some task"...how perfect for event planning! We launched the {ritzy bee blog} www.ritzybee.com in late February of 2008 to have a forum to highlight ideas, trends and tips for all of the little details surrounding weddings.


Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the American wedding industry?

{rb} The American wedding industry is enormous...with 2.4 million weddings taking place each year in the United States with an average of $30,000 {U.S. Dollars} spent on each wedding it only continues to grow. Many American couples are marrying later, have less time, and more disposable income with established careers, so they can afford to hire a wedding planner to handle the details which is fortunately a very good thing for us!

There are endless resources it seems for just about every aspect of weddings...from dresses...to invitations...to favors...it can be downright overwhelming to know where to start and who the reliable resources truly are. In the past 5-7 years there has been such a surge of wedding resources on the internet...from blogs to message boards at wedding related websites, brides-to-be have such an incredible wealth of information at their finger tip's!

Q. What locations are popular in DC & Virginia for weddings?

{rb} Couples in my area are so lucky and have so many amazing venues to choose from. With so much rich history...many couples choose to have their weddings in historic locations such as Mount Vernon {George Washington's home}, other historic manor's such as Oatlands or in one of the many beautiful old historic buildings in Washington DC that have such amazing architecture and presence. Virginia and Maryland also have beautiful, scenic backdrops from the mountains to the beaches. Wineries & vineyards are becoming increasingly popular locations in my area too!

Q. What are the current trends in the wedding industry you are seeing there?

{rb} I would say the top trends I am seeing now are:

Beautiful, bold and unique color palettes such as navy blue & marigold yellow or fuschia pink & teal blue are being used in all the little details of weddings from invitations to favors

A move from more formal, sit down dinners with a 3-4 course meal...to more of a relaxed, cocktail/lounge type set-up where heavy appetizers and food stations are set-up for guests to enjoy movement and the freedom to mingle with a lot more guests.

A focus on making sure guests have the absolute best time and feel comfortable versus just what the couple wants. With costs for traveling on the rise, couples want to show appreciation to their guests for traveling such great distances to join them on their big day!

Midnight snacks or a send-off food station serving things like donuts & milk, mini-fries and burgers, etc. are very popular right now! Guests love this!

Q. When you aren't busy planning weddings, what do you enjoy doing for fun in your spare time?

{rb} I feel like I spend my time playing catch-up on my blog when I have spare time...but I enjoy spending time with my wonderful husband...we are addicted to the TV show LOST! We also enjoy visiting vineyards, traveling, fixing up our house and I love spending time with my friends and family!

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Real Wedding: Sarah & Rob

A couple of pictures from Sarah and Rob's beach side wedding.







I had all of 2 seconds on the day to grab some shots and these really do not do the wedding justice but hopefully we'll have some professional shots in a couple of weeks.

Rob and Sarah chose sage green and lilac for their colour scheme whilst their table centers were rose and rosemary arrangements in cube mirrored vases. The whole event was simple and elegant and perfectly reflected Sarah and Rob's sense of style and design.

Congratulations to the lovely Sarah and Rob!

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Design Concept: Navy Blue and Egg Yolk Yellow

We’ve got lots of exciting things to blog about this week but to start things off I think it’s about time for a new Design Concept. So voila!

I’ve had the colour palette for this concept for a while now but it’s only in the last week that I’ve come across the photos to complete the board. I really can’t get enough of navy blue at the moment and I just love how fresh it looks when teamed with the sunny yellows. This concept has French, preppy feel and I’m imagining bold patterns, golden sunshine and maybe freshly squeezed orange juice cocktails? Perhaps miniature pan au chocolat at midnight?
I chose white peonies and yellow ranunculus for flowers as I think their fluffy texture is a great balance for the crisp lines of the stationery and the beautiful Oscar de le Renta gown. I think the gown is stunning but more about that later this week….


Photo Credits:
Wedding cake: fcmulle
Gown: Oscar de la Renta
Table setting: Martha Stewart Weddings
Bouquet: Brides
Invitation: Linda & Harriet
Ribbon: Cox & Cox
Dress: J Crew
Ranunculus: FrogMiller
Necklace: Nutraj via Etsy

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I Heat: Linda & Harriet (a fleeting post)

So it's all super busy over here today. Tomorrow we have Rob and Sarah's beach side wedding so we're packing up all our bits and bobs and crossing our fingers for good weather. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures for you on Monday but in the meantime I just stumbled over Linda & Harriet and I am in LOVE!




Sometimes you see something so beautiful it makes you want to get married all over again!

Have a lovely, sunshine filled weekend one and all!

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What a Shame!

Having spent such a lot of this week talking to the media about Wayne and Coleen's big day, I couldn't avoid making reference to it here. I've been asked about it so much I almost feel like I should be one of the bridesmaids!

Anyway, it just goes to show that wherever you go, you can't guarantee good weather. What a shame!


Lovely, lovely shoes.

Photo Credit:
Daily Mail

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I Heart: The Gherkin

A little while ago I took a trip into London town to visit Oliver and his team at 30 St Mary Axe (or as it’s more commonly known, The Gherkin). And what a stunning venue it is. Ok so it’s not your typical fairytale wedding venue but for the right couple and the right wedding The Gherkin really would make a stunning venue. Not only is this amazing piece of architecture iconic of modern London, the 360° views across the city are stunning. Stunning I tell you! The real selling point for me however, is that the venue changes with the light; as the sun moves around the sky, eventually sets and finally nights falls. It almost feels like you are getting two venues in one!
Hired for a wedding, couples are given use of the penultimate and very top floor and if the food is anything like the orange juice I was served (!) guests are in for a real treat.
Although at first glance the venue might seem corporate and perhaps a little clinical, I think with a little work and the help of a talented florist, the place could be transformed into a stunning backdrop for the perfect city wedding.

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Design Concept: Timeless Elegance

At the end of last week, I was looking over my design concepts and realised that they all had very strong colour palettes and design themes. So I felt it was time for a change.
Today’s board is all about the beauty and elegance of a ‘classic’ wedding. With a much more subtle theme and palette, this board is influenced by the timeless elegance of the 1950s. The palette is all about ivories, antique golds and caramels (I haven’t included one this time; it does show well against the background of the blog,) whilst the celebration itself is wonderfully refined with warm lighting and perhaps jazz music?
As I collected photos for this board, I just knew I wanted a Vera and this a-line beauty is just the ticket. I love the understated beauty of this gown and I can imagine guests gasping with glee as the blushing bride takes her firsts steps down the aisle. And just how beautiful is that hairstyle? And the stunning calligraphy (oh how I wish I was a guest a Darcy Miller’s wedding)? I could go on…and on.
I have to admit that I find this style of wedding truly breathtaking. I know it’s popular and therefore could lack personality but I just love it’s elegant simplicity, timeless glamour and abundant romance.

Photo Credits:
Votives: Cox & Cox
Place names, cake and reception: Martha Stewart
Vintage wedding: Anna T
Hairstyle and champagne: Hard drive ancients I’m afraid
Gown: Vera Wang
Roses: Brides
Guests in the doorway: Harvey Collard

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Fake Enquiries: All Hail Kings Larry

Most weeks I receive several fake enquiries. Which is annoying. Very annoying. If all of these enquiries were real, WBZL would need a staff of about 10 people and our bid for world domination would be very much in full flow!

Anyway, yesterday I received one such enquiry from ‘Kings Larry’ (sensational name btw Larry, maybe next time go for something a little less conspicuous) that was just so priceless I thought it only fair to share it with you dear readers. So here is an excerpt:

"I am getting married on June 16 2008, in Westharm uk. But i dnt know if you will be able to help me plan the wedding seen am in the States and my Luv is in Canada."

Now Larry, besides the fact that there is nowhere in the UK called Westharm (research is the key my dear Larry) I have to say that expecting me to plan an entire wedding in 13 days is a little extreme. However you really did seal your fate with:

"attaching a preview of my wife so that you can know whats going to fit her".



Brilliant, quite simply brilliant. Thank you Kings Larry for filling the office with boisterous laughter on an otherwise quiet Tuesday afternoon.

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Planning Tricks: The £1,000 Wedding

Photo credit: Anna T (what a beautiful bride!)

Today I've been writing a piece about how to get married on a budget of £1,000. Now, I'm not entirely sure that the £1,000 wedding is possible but I'd love to be proved wrong. Anyhow, I thought I'd share with you some of the tips I wrote:

Think about your friends and relatives; what skills do they have, what could you borrow? Could someone make your cake or arrange the flowers? Are any of your friends in a band? Do you know anyone who got married recently? Do they have anything you could borrow?

Consider getting married outside of peak wedding season and even during the week. Venues often offer massive discounts to couples willing to marry outside of busy times.

Book some consultancy time with a local wedding planner. Although this might seem like an unnecessary expense, a planner will be able to advise you how to create a wedding on a budget and how to effectively spend your money.

Before you buy anything, find out if you can hire it first. Florists often hire out vases, candleholders and other venue decorations for a fraction of the cost price.

When choosing the flowers for your wedding think about how to make the biggest impact with the smallest amount of flowers. For example, three peony heads floating in a fishbowl vase can be just as beautiful as a traditional table center and will cost a fraction of the price. In the same way, give bridesmaids single stems rather than full bouquets.

Keep the number of bridesmaids, best men and ushers to a minimum in order to save on expensive attire, accessories, flowers etc. If you can’t choose between your best friends consider having a couple of flower girls in place of adult bridesmaids.

Buy a second hand wedding dress. Most dresses are worn for such a short time that if you’re on a budget, it makes sense to buy something second hand. It’s often possible to pick up a designer dress for next to nothing from sites such as ebay and some charities shops even have dedicated bridal stores.

Hold your ceremony later in the afternoon. That way, you’ll reduce the amount of food and drink you require as well as cutting the amount of time you’ll need to hire your venue for.

Think really carefully before you book your venue. It might be tempting to go for the village hall because it’s the cheapest option but consider how much you’ll need to spend on decorations. A local restaurant might be more expensive a first glance, but if it needs few finishing touches, it might be the more budget-friendly option.

When choosing your menu, pick dishes that are seasonal and if possible local. Not only will ingredients be cheaper, they’ll also taste fabulous.

Serve your wedding cake in place of dessert. Perhaps choose a chocolate cake and serve it with cream and seasonal berries to create the wow factor without the attached price tag.

Consider asking each of your guests to bring something to drink along with them. Guests will be more than happy to contribute as they won’t spend money at a bar you’ll have a great selection of drinks for guests.

Send invitations via email rather than buying them and sending them by post. There are lots of pretty templates to choose from and you could even design your own. Not only will you save pounds, you’ll be kind to the environment too.

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Four Weddings and a Feud

If you were watching BBC breakfast news yesterday morning and you were watching carefully, you might have spotted me! It was my second visit to the studios and this time I was commenting on why, according to Debenhams, 1 in 4 weddings end in some sort of feud. Although I’m sure a bit of artistic license has been used to exaggerate the results into a story, I’m not at all surprised that 25% of brides row with their bridesmaids or that 1 in 10 weddings were blighted by drunken behaviour.

What do you think? Ever been to a wedding that resulted in a row? Fallen out with a bridesmaid? Ever noticed a guest trying to upstage the bride or heard an offensive speech? Let me know your horror stories!

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