Where is the Turquoise Tornado™ Going Now?

Kat

Made U Look

May 13, 2013

Goodness, what a rollercoaster The Blogcademy has been already, and today we're about to take another upside-down corkscrew followed by a loop the loop because we're adding even more dates to our 2013 world tour! Your headmistresses are nothing if not diligent, and when we announced the full wack of dates back in March, there were some outcries that we weren't going down to any of the Southern US states... Well, your wish is our command and so we've added an Austin date in August. BRING. IT. ON.

Ribbons & Rainbows – A Candy Coloured Wedding: Angelo & Candice

Kat

Erna Loock

May 13, 2013

For their March wedding, South Africans Angelo & Candice wanted a colourful day that oozed fun...so a rainbow theme it was! "Angelo and I are generally out of the box thinkers and the 'same old same old' wedding décor was not what we wanted", began the bride. "We knew we wanted colour and fun and we went from there. There were a few elements I needed to 'sell' to my parents but they went with most of my ideas (thankfully). Angelo and I are both involved in film and TV (Angelo is an actor and I am a Junior Creative Producer) so a strong film element had to be prevalent in our day. We had popcorn holding up our table numbers and a picture of a clapper board on our invites."

Lady in the Lake Bridal Shoot

Kat

Sarah Gormley

May 11, 2013

Shooting a bride in water is nothing new, but there was just something about this Lady in the Lake inspired shoot that spoke to me. I love the bride's beautiful blue, green and purple mermaid hair (obviously) and the simple yet edgy styling ideas are pretty damn awesome aren't they? I'd love to see a future real bride carrying a rustic and dramatic bouquet like some of these.

Industrial Eclectic Downtown Los Angeles: Phil & Joelle

Kat

Corey Nickols

May 10, 2013

Phil & Joelle were married at Studio Six01, an event spaces with a industrial vibe in downtown Los Angeles. They planned their wedding in just three months with the help of event planners Two B Events. "Because we had dated for so long, once we got engaged we knew we wanted to do a very short engagement", explained Joelle. "We initially planned on six months, but due to schedule conflicts that ended up being shortened to three months and a day. It was then that we realized we needed help, and Seth and Ziza of Two B Events came to our rescue. I wouldn't have done it any other way! Second to saying 'I do', hiring event designers was the best thing we did for our wedding. I loved every detail but my two very favorite things were the vows and the hanging edison bulbs (especially as seen in the chandelier built by Two B Events)."

Business Bites: Magazines & Mini Meltdowns

Kat

May 10, 2013

Yesterday Gareth & I hotfooted it to Brighton for a mini shoot with the inimitable Lisa Devlin for our magazine. Did I mention that I'm working - hard! - on the next issue right now? Oh yes, I am soooo super excited about it because I just know it's going to be even bigger and better than the last two editions. I'm actually taking the idea in a brand new direction and I'm super duper psyched to see what you all think about it! Onwards and upwards and all that...

Two-Day Welsh Waterfall Wedding & Seaside Blessing

Kat

Lucy Little

May 10, 2013

Dan & Charlotte had a two-day wedding celebration in Wales. They started off planning just the Saturday wedding by the beach with a pagan blessing, as this was what Charlotte really wanted. However they soon realised that legally, and for family reasons, they would need to have another ceremony with a registrar present, in a venue sanctioned for wedding ceremonies. "I did view having to have both ceremonies as a bit of a compromise", Charlotte explained, "But rather than just doing the legal bit in a quick service on our own in a registry office or something, we set about finding somewhere just as beautiful for that part and made it into it's own distinctive day. We also really wanted our wedding to last a bit longer than the usual one day which is why we split it into two. I would advise anyone planning their wedding to think about spinning things out a bit! It's all over so quickly on the day and we really treasured the extra time we gave themselves over the weekend to spend quality time with everyone that came to celebrate with us."

Thursday Treats: Spending time in the Sunshine

Kat

May 9, 2013

After a glorious start to the week (a bank holiday weekend with actual sun, who would have thunk it?!) it's starting to become a little less sun-drenched in the UK today, but that's certainly not going to put a dampener on my spirits. Gareth & I started the week with a trip to Bekonscot model village, a pub lunch and a walk... Christ how old are we!? But it was so lovely spending a whole day outside, away from our computers and spending some quality time together. We definitely need to do it more often.

The Three Reasons Why Your Business is Going to Fail

Kat

Made U Look

May 9, 2013

While there are infinite and varying possibilities as to why your business could fail, there are just three that will all but guarantee it.

Curiosity & Steampunk Wedding: Amy & Adam

Kat

Big Glass Eye

May 9, 2013

With steampunk and a contemporary twist on Victorian fashion as their influences, Amy & Adam planned their Glenarm Castle wedding to totally reflect them. They homemade as much as possible and hired tipis that were put up in the walled gardens of their venue for the reception. They had a humanist ceremony which included personal readings by friends, one of which was inspired by quotes from Einstein, Darwin and other scientists and philosophers. Amy designed her own wedding dress and had it made by dressmaker Lynne Gregg. Her shoes were Irregular Choice and her accessories were all DIY.

Spending my Birthday at the Los Angeles Blogcademy

Kat

Milou & Olin

May 8, 2013

After a blissful few days in Portland, it was time to hit the road and fly down to Los Angeles for the next stop on The Blogcademy world tour. I'm not gonna lie, I've visited LA once before and didn't really fall in love with it, but I was looking forward to experiencing it with my girls and seeing if my mind could be changed. I mean obviously the weather made it much more bearable, it was a scorching 25 degrees a lot of the time which was rather blissful, especially when hearing that it was snowing heavily at home!

Maui Animal Farm Wedding: Hollie & John

Kat

Tamiz

May 8, 2013

Unsupportive

Kat

Made U Look

May 7, 2013

Win Your Wedding Photography with Rutko Photographers

Kat

May 7, 2013

It is my life mission to save couples from terrible wedding photography. But picking the right wedding photographer is a big decision and I know one that a lot of my readers struggle with. For some of you especially, this is even more stressful as it's compounded with worries about the cost of it all. While I'm a firm believer that you should allocate a sizeable chunk of your wedding budget into the images that you'll keep forever, I'm not totally blind to the fact that for some of you, any investment at all just isn't possible.

Sweet Yet Edgy South African Wedding: Darren & Taryn

Kat

Jake & Jane

May 6, 2013

Darren & Taryn were married on 03/03/13 and 3 minutes past 3... and although they had a limited budget, they created a wedding that was both sweet and beautiful but edgy and fun! "We chose all the 3's because we loved the symbolism of the energy surrounding the number", explained the bride. "In numerology the energy of the number 3 is optimistic and fun-loving, and strives to uplift and colour its surroundings. They tend to be the 'joker', have a wonderful sense of humour and are very charismatic."

Colourful Seattle Elopement: Kayleigh & Jason

Kat

June Cochran

May 6, 2013

If there's one thing I'm never seen without, its something bright and colourful on top of my head. And as the weather gets warmer, I'm rocking my flower crown collection as often as possible - the bigger and brighter the better I say! So it goes without saying really that I was pretty darn excited when I saw Kayleigh's bridal ensemble. I know that if I was getting married now, I'd so be wearing something like this. Also check out her amazing nail art. Daaaamn this girl's got style!

Cake Pops, DIY & Super Alcoholic Cocktails: It Has To Be Pinterest’s UK Launch Party!

Kat

May 5, 2013

When you're invited to a party hosted by the fastest ever growing social media platform you don't turn it down. So when Gareth & I were asked to attend an event in London to celebrate Pinterest's UK launch, we didn't hesitate to get our gladrags on and hop on the train to the big smoke.

Polka Dots, Ice Cream & Rockabilly Babes

Kat

Haywood Jones

May 4, 2013

Two rockabilly babes, tattoos and seriously cute wedding dresses - what's not to love about this adorable set of images, shot in and around The Custard Factory in Birmingham? "This shoot came about from my vastly growing obsession with polka dots, in all their multicoloured forms", wrote button bouquet creator Emma, who masterminded the whole thing. "Actually, not just mine, but also many of my brides who often want a bit of dottiness in their bouquets! I wanted to create a look that would appeal to and inspire my clients so I set about this little collaboration with some wonderfully talented wedding peeps."

Mojave Desert Elopement Planned in Six Weeks: Ceri & PC

Kat

Julie Marchese

May 3, 2013

What could be more romantic than running off with your fiancé and your BFFs and getting married in the middle of the desert? Well, that's exactly what Ceri & PC did and I'm thrilled to have been allowed to share a sneaky peek of this super private and intimate wedding with you today. The ceremony took place in the Mojave desert just outside Joshua Tree, California, and afterwards they had a small 'reception' at Villa dei Fiori, a house they'd rented for the trip.

Business Bites: Moving Forwards, Always

Kat

May 3, 2013

Lush Green Garden Wedding: Ashlea & Joel

Kat

Jerome Cole

May 3, 2013

Ashlea & Joel's wedding was a mash up of everything they love and they actually found it quite difficult to narrow their wedding down to one particular 'theme'. "We found it really difficult to come up with a theme or concept to tie everything together, because we really weren't fussy and just loved everything we saw!" explained Ashlea. "Eventually we decided to give it a garden and green theme, and felt our reception flowers made the room feel beautiful and lush just like we wanted. Siglo, the terrace bar at The European, where we had our ceremony, was a great place as we were overlooking some gardens and we had garden boxes lining a grass aisle."