Wedding Planning Blog

Busy Weekend

2008-09-05T20:37:00.004+01:00

So its been a busy week at WBZL this week but tomorrow we're super-dooper excited to be going to Mellissa and Scott's marquee wedding. We're crossing our fingers and toes for good weather but know that whatever the weather this wedding is going to be a ball! Will hopefully grab a couple of photographs to show you on Monday (and I just know you're going to want to see these photos!) but for now I leave you with this beautiful cake that was featured on one of my favourite wedding blog The Bride's Cafe. I think this cake's florals are really orignal and Donna from Beautiful Blooms needs to get a gold star!

Beautiful!

Photo credit:
Studio Nine Photography

Blogosphere

2008-09-03T20:31:00.002+01:00

A couple of exciting things happening around the blogosphere yesterday:

1) Wedchicks. We were so excited (and so honored) to be featured over at the super-cool Wedding Chicks. Amy and Jocey are super beautiful and super-talented and it's so cool to be featured on their blog. Check the post out here and if you don't already, add Wedding Chicks to your reader.

2) Secondly Hello!Lucky posted on the highs and lows of being a self employed entrepraneur. This post is good it had me clapping and shouting "Amen sister". I echo all of their points and it was nice to be reminded that other people feel the same in this self-employed-wedding-industry-boat too!

Blackcurrant Purple and Soft Green

2008-09-02T12:01:00.005+01:00

I imagine this type of wedding happening in the winter months, somewhere down to earth (perhaps a farm) and excited guests leaving footprints across frosty lawns. I'd love to see simple, rustic foods balanced by delicate (but quirky) calligraphy and floral arrangements with lots of silvery-grey greenery. In the evening I think some kind of traditional music would be perfect (a ceilidh perhaps), for favours I'd give away Welsh love spoons and for late night snacks I'd serve roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate - delicious!

Inspiration for this concept's colour palette came courtesy of Nordljus, a beautiful food & photography blog I stumbled across. Now a cabbage isn't normally something I'd want at a wedding (except perhaps on the menu) but I was really inspired by this beautiful photo. If you are in need of some food eye candy or just have a few minutes to spare be sure to stop by Keiko's fab blog.

Photo Credits:
Flowers: Rebecca Thuss
Cheese and cookies: Martha
Dress: J Crew
Cabbage: The super dooper talented Nordljus
Trees: Oll Bullough via Flickr
Invitation: Hello Lucky
Dress: Brides
Calligraphy: Minted (please make sure you stop by this amazing site)
Berries: BBC Good Food

More Wedding Music

2008-08-29T16:07:00.004+01:00

Over the weekend we were away at a very muddy Greenbelt festival. On the last day there was a moment where the entire 10,000 strong crowd got together to sing 'Here Comes the Sun' by the Beatles. It was a fantastic moment and I thought that the song would make a great a bridal entrance/exit/first dance or perhaps even in place of a hymn in a civil ceremony.

I also recently discovered Bon Iver and cannot get enough of this amazing music which again would be perfect for somewhere within a wedding. My favourite track is Skinny Love. Go download the album if you haven't already.

Photo credit: The Beatles

Timelines

2008-08-28T13:04:00.004+01:00

So sometimes I think the public perception of wedding planners isn't great (if I had a pound for every time someone jokes about planners stealing grooms - thanks J Lo) and sometimes I think people are generally confused about what planners do. So today I decided to post a screengrab of a timeline that we recently produced for a client. A timeline is a great way of mapping out all the tasks to be completed before the big day but also making deadlines so that the weeks before the wedding don't give you the wedding crazies.

Our Timelines are done in a Gantt Chart style with tasks listed down the left and the months listed across the top. We use different colours to indicate who is to complete each task, a series of different symbols and that pale green line down the center indicates that a wedding date has been confirmed; a linchpin decision that lots of other tasks depend on.

So I hope that gives you a little insight into the work of a planner.

Happy Thursday!

Rosa Clara

2008-08-22T00:01:00.003+01:00

Beautiful things over at Rosa Clara:

Take a couple of minutes to watch the runway show, it's worth it just to hear the music (though I have to confess I didn't have the stamina for the whole thing).

Off to Cheltenham for the bank holiday via Ben and Susan's wedding at the beautiful Syon Park. Be back early next week. Happy bank holiday everyone!

Proven Wrong: Red and Aqua

2008-08-20T20:36:00.005+01:00

One thing I love about the blogging community is that I'm constantly kept up to date with the most original, daring and edgy suppliers/ideas/weddings out there. Today, the super talented Teardrop Weddings featured a stunning wedding shot by photographer extraordinaire Lisa Lefkowitz. The couple's colour scheme was an edgy red and aqua, a palette I've never seen before and which at first thought I'd think would clash but then:

and this:
Along with this:

and this:

What a happy bride! A what a fantastic, unusual colour scheme.

Be sure to stop by Holly's and Lisa's sites for some beautiful (and unique) stationery along with some serious wedding eye candy.

Photo credits: Lisa Lefkowitz

I Heart: Biscuiteers

2008-08-18T12:15:00.003+01:00

Over the last few years iced biscuits have become all the rage and these oh-so-beautiful creations are some of the prettiest out there. Available from Biscuiteers these little beauties would be perfect for favours, bridesmaids and flowers girl gifts or even for something girly and high sugar to eat as you get dolled up on the morning of your wedding.

Here's what the company has to say:

"We love biscuits more than most people. In fact, we're a tad obsessed, which is why we always send our friends tins full of our delicious iced biccies on their birthdays and anniversaries, for holidays or just to say thanks for a lovely weekend. It's not that we don't love flowers, chocs or all the rest, it's just that it makes a nice change. So we came up with Biscuiteers. The idea's really very simple: you just choose the biscuit collection you want to send, fill in the message details and then leave the rest to us."

I think this one would make a fab flowergirl gift or favour.

Also the exciting news is that if you sign up to the company's newsletter you also receive 25% off their LOVE range. Be sure to to stop by the Biscuiteers site even if it is just to see an example of a beautifully designed website!

Photo credits:
Big Fish

Fab Ceremony Exit

2008-08-15T18:09:00.003+01:00

I love this unusual ceremony exit featured over at the fantastic SMP. A great idea if your venue won't allow confetti or maybe an idea for a fun way to leave your reception.

The photography for this beautiful wedding is by the very talented, California based Amy Squires whose fab website and eye-candy-filled blog you should definitely check out.

Beautiful Dresses from Sarah Arnett

2008-08-15T15:51:00.003+01:00

If you haven't already, be sure to stop by Brighton based designer Sarah Arnett's beautiful bridal collection. Here are a couple of my favourites.

Design Concept: Leafy Green

2008-08-12T10:17:00.017+01:00

Super busy over at WBZL today so I'm going to let this luscious green concept speak pretty much for itself. I'm imagining a very sophisticated affair with great food, warm lighting and fantastic friends.

Photo Credits:
Venue: The Cinnamon Club
Hairstyle, bouquet: Style Me Pretty
Pears: Taste
Cheese: Truckles and Chutney
Invitation: Minted
Earrings: BridalEmunique
Asparagus: Martha Stewart
Table Center: (I'm sorry I didn't note this and now I can't find it, please let me know if it's yours)

Beautiful Gowns: Pronovias

2008-08-08T09:17:00.004+01:00

Saw this breathtakingly beautiful gown in the latest issue of Brides magazine. This shot looks much better in print than online (in print there's more definition and you can see how beautiful the fabric is) but you still get a feel for it here. Pronovias Valdemar, 2009 Preview Collection.

A Short Service Announcement...

2008-08-08T09:09:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know lovely readers, that I've changed the comments settings and you should now be able to post a comment without having a Google account. Yippee! I look forward to hearing from more of you :)

Real Wedding: Libby and David III

2008-08-06T20:23:00.002+01:00

A few more details from David and Libby's wedding:

The day was wonderfully Scottish. Bagpipes were played on the church steps (making all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up), the majority of the men were in kilts and the evening reception was a Ceilidh. What a hoot! The music was fab, it was great to see so many guests up and dancing and hilarious trying to get all the steps right. Plus it was super sociable due to all the impromptu partner swapping (my favourite move was 'the basket' where two couples make a kind of circle and the guys swing the girls up, off the floor - it was like being on a funfair ride!)

In place of the first dance the bride, groom and their bridal party dancing a 'Strip the Willow', another high speed ceilidh dance.

Finally, the stationery. Below are the orders of service which were little concertinas containing all neccessary information along with some lovely shots of the couple and the Scottish Highlands. Aren't they lovely? I'm in love with the colours they used here.

And last but not least are these little concertina beauties that were used to decorate the tables. Cute childhood photos galore!

Congratulations David and Libby!

Real Wedding: Libby and David II

2008-08-05T16:14:00.004+01:00

So next for the floral details. Libby and David's entire wedding was beautifully understated (Meg would definitely approve) and a professional florist didn't go anywhere near the celebration. My super talented cousin arranged the bouquets and the cake topper whilst my equally creative and talented aunt made the bridesmaid's gowns and arranged the church pedestal. All the flowers were bought from the flower market whilst the table centers were miniature 'trees' from Ikea decorated with tiny sparkling beads (sorry no picture I'm afraid, my photography skills just didn't cut it!).

Real Wedding: Libby and David

2008-08-05T11:47:00.003+01:00

Just back from Edinburgh having spent the weekend being a guest at the most lovely wedding. Lots (and lots) of photos to follow but first of all I wanted to make the most of these beautiful shots. What a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful bride! I love her 1940s style hair.

Beautiful Wedding Updo

2008-07-31T19:26:00.004+01:00

I love Eva Longoria's hair here and think it would be perfect for a bride.

Photo credit:
Women Hairstyles

Rethinking Gypsophila

2008-07-30T14:10:00.004+01:00

Yesterday one of my favourite wedding blogs (and one of the best out there for wedding eye candy), The Brides Café featured a stunning wedding that exclusively used Gypsophila for all of the floral arrangements. And oh my, the results are breathtaking!

Stunning!

For a long time I have regarded Gypsophila as out dated but this wedding is so beautiful and the floral arrangements are so effective that I have been forced to have a rethink!

The bloom works so well here because the bride and groom have carefully contrasted the delicate almost ‘fussy’ gypsophila with beautiful clean lines elsewhere in the wedding. The bride’s simple a-line dress with beautiful crystal detailing works perfectly against the complex detail of the Gypsophila and creates an almost ethereal feel.

And the absolute BEST thing about it all…Gypsophila is super cheap. Super doper cheap. So you could have dozens and dozens of floral arrangements and keep well within a small budget. That’s a real winner in my book!

Photo Credit:
Sedona Bride

Rebrand

2008-07-30T08:56:00.004+01:00

If you're on the button (or if you don't read this blog via an email or reader) you might have noticed that over the weekend we launched our rebranded website and blog. The new look is clean, contemporary and much less 'pretty' than before. The blog is now very simple and perhaps even a little stark and but I really wanted a blank canvass to display the design boards as opposed to the previous layout which I felt was sometimes a little bit distracting. It's a big change and we're quite nervous seeing as so many people commented on how much they liked our previous branding and website but change is good and we're excited about the next phase in our business. So we hope you like it but if you don't and you can't stand the look of it maybe think about subscribing to the blog in a reader!!

Happy Wednesday (Wednesday already?? Eek)!!!

Design Concept: Rhubarb Pink & Chocolate Brown

2008-07-24T13:51:00.008+01:00

I imagine today’s Design Concept taking place in an urban setting, perhaps even a modern restaurant rather than a dedicated ‘wedding venue’. I’m imagining a couple who appreciate clean design & who want a ‘frill’ free wedding. A bride who wants to look feminine but not over-done or too ‘bridal’ and a groom who wants to wear Converse trainers and a chocolate brown suit.
I really like simplicity of this type of wedding and think it would be easy to achieve on big and small budgets alike. For the bridesmaids, I love the idea of simple (& cheap!) high street sundresses in different shades of pink teamed with simple golden sandals.
I really love the colour palette for this concept but if you’re thinking it’s perhaps too pink and girly, aquamarines and teals would also work perfectly.

Photo Credits:
Dress, sandals and light pink dress: J Crew
Dessert bar: Taste via SMP
Cake: Lovinsullivan via SMP (that cake is to DIE for)
Calligraphy: Laura Hooper (amazingly talented supplier)
Hair pins: Etsy
Invitations: Hello!Lucky
Dress: Oasis
Pendant: Sonya Renee via SMP
Hairstyle: Brides

What's New Pussy Cat?

2008-07-23T18:24:00.004+01:00

We're undergoing a bit of a re-brand over here & today our sparkly new business cards arrived. New website (& redesigned blog) coming any day now. How very exciting!

We're also super excited to be featured in the News section of Wedding Magazine.co.uk which is doubly nice because we're also in the current edition of the magazine. So hello if you've made your way here via the magazine or website. Lovely to have you!

Planning Tricks: Escaping the Boredom

2008-07-21T17:33:00.005+01:00

I always think that without a little bit of care and attention weddings can perhaps become......a little bit, well...boring! As a wedding planner I know I probably shouldn't say that but it's those pesky line up photos that can do it you see. Plus the fact that some guests might only know the person they came with in addition to the bride and groom. And that would all be fine (it is the bride and groom's day after all) except for the fact that in my experience, bored guests make for a somber party atmosphere. And lets face it if you're spending all that cash you want to throw a great party!

With a little thought and attention, it's so easy to create a great atmosphere & get your guests to share the love and mingle a bit. One of my favourites is the classic treasure hunt (customised to your wedding's theme of course)! Chocolate egg hunts for Spring, flower fairy hunts for enchanted woodland weddings and butterfly hunts for the summer (no real butterflies please!).

In addition, all sorts of variations of the classic guest book are currently taking the wedding world by storm. From the polaroid guest book to makeshift 'studios' made from a piece of draped fabric and even real photo booths, some of the results are hilarious and make fantastic keepsakes. I particularly loved the blackboard set up that these super-talented school-sweethearts had at their primary school themed wedding which was featured in Martha a few years ago. Guests wrote well-wishes onto a blackboard and then had their photos taken alongside their scribblings. Such a great idea!

Finally an idea of my own that I'd love to see would be kite flying. There's a little boy who flies his kite out on the field near my house and I always think that it would be great fun to do in a big group at a wedding. As always, at the right wedding in the right location but I think this would be a great source of entertainment for kids and oldies alike!

Happy Monday!

Photo Credit: Flickr

Things I'm excited about

2008-07-17T11:16:00.003+01:00

Number 1: Sale on at the wonderful Cox and Cox!!! Eeeek. How exciting. I am most excited about the 15% discount they have on this gorgeous Sophie Conran china. I am lucky enough to have a sizeable collection of this beautiful stuff already but I'm always interested in expansion! I am currently missing this gorgeous pouring bowl:

(if you're thinking about choosing Sophie Conran china for your wedding list, do it! It's perfect for everyday & fancy (love that word), super durable and goes in the dishwasher. What more could a person want!)

Also on sale is this charming Luxembourg Ribbon:

Number 2: New Vera Wang fragrance!

Word is that Vera is launching a new fragrance called Bouquet. Featuring notes of narcissus, honeysuckle and lavender, the new scent is due to hit the shops from the 18th of August. I'm a big fan of Truly Pink so looking forward to what Vera has in store for us with Bouquet.

Entrance Music

2008-07-14T10:47:00.005+01:00

Love this band. Love this track. Perfect for a bride's entrance if you ask me.

Design Concept: Enchanted Woodland (for Susie)

2008-07-11T10:44:00.007+01:00

This concept is inspired by the very lovely Susie who is marrying Tom in Suffolk this coming October. Susie and Tom have chosen a theme of Flower Fairies & a palette of plum, sage green and champagne gold.

As I started putting this board together all I could think about was fruit. Apples, pears, plums, blackberries etc are at such abundance in autumn that it seems only fair to include them in the celebrations! Pears, apples and even pomegranates make the perfect place name holders whilst I love the idea of incorporating blackberries, rose hips and other hedgerow berries into the floral arrangements. To keep guests warm Susie and Tom are serving mulled cider and on track with the fruit theme I think it would be lovely to serve toffee apples, perhaps as a late night snack or again as a favours at each place setting.

Susie and Tom are having a humanist ceremony & I’d like to see the aisle decorated with autumn leaves, hurricane vases and large candles.

As for incorporating the flower fairies, naming each table after one is a lovely idea whilst a fairy hunt would be the perfect entertainment for younger (& maybe even older!) guests.

For the evening, I’m a huge lover of a bonfire (it’s something about the smell) and with October/November being prime bonfire season I think this would be the perfect entertainment. I’d love to see hay bales for outdoor seating, sparklers, perhaps some fireworks and definitely some bonfire toffee.

Finally, I’m thinking all about the humble jam jar! I love jam jars, I like that they are simple and rustic, that if you collect them they are free and I love the way they look when you put lots of different ones together. Jam jars as makeshift vases, candle holders and perhaps even giving homemade jam or apple butter away as favours would create a lovely home-spun, rustic atmosphere. (Update: Bizarrely Cara is also talking about jam jars today & has a great tutorial about how to make your own jam jar candles)

Have a lovely weekend everybody!

Photo Credits:
Gown: Brides
Bonfire: Flickr
Blackberries: Flickr
Sparkler: Flickr
Jam jar candles: Flickr
Hanging jars: Flickr
Flower Fairies: Tom and Susie's invitation
Cider: My Recipies