A Rainbow Rockabilly Wedding: Jennifer & Jon

Kat

January 25, 2012

If you're a long-time reader of this 'lil wedding blog of mine, you'll be well aware that I'm a huge fan of the rainbow wedding trend. I even modeled in an 'Over the Rainbow' themed shoot last October. So you can imagine my glee when Jennifer & Jon's wedding landed on my desk. The couple wanted a huge party, and with 200 guests and only a $10,000 budget they were determined to not spent a fortune to do so. "We honestly would never have been able to pull of any wedding without our friends and family," Jennifer told me. "It was truly a DIY wedding with everyone helping out days beforehand by shoveling, raking and baking in the hot sun to make my friend's ranch into a kick ass outdoor wedding venue. Caitlin & Michael Burns, owners of Rebar Ranch were gracious enough to make our vision come true (or turn our lack of vision into something amazing!)"

A Budget-Friendly DIY Wedding with the World’s Cutest Wedding Video: Melissa & Robbie

Kat

January 25, 2012

The Inspirations: Mark Niemierko

Kat

January 25, 2012

How can I possibly even begin to describe Mark Niemierko? Well, he's a high-end wedding planner based in London and a force to be reckoned with! But more than that he's one hell of a character, and one I'm honoured to call a friend. We met a few years ago when he invited me for drinks at The Charlotte Hotel (read: a fancy hotel that I couldn't afford to even step foot in) and I was super nervous. I wondered why the hell he wanted to meet me. After all, from the outside we appeared to be very different people and to have very different tastes and ideas about what made a great wedding. However let me tell you, I was wrong...it's not only nonconformists like me that get judged by the way they look! Mark and I got on like a house of fire from the moment we met and I can, in all honestly, say he's rated high in my internal list of favourite people. Despite his recognition and reputation, Mark is actually quite a private person. You won't find him spilling his guts on Twitter or wanting to tell people every idiosyncrasy of his life or his business. In actual fact, I haven't seen that many interviews or articles about him online that really peel back those designer suit layers and get right inside his head. Which is why, dear Green-Roomers, I'm utterly thrilled to be the one to share his secrets right here! If you dont learn a thing or two about running your own sucessful business from Mr Niemierko then I dont know where you will. It doesnt matter what kind of weddings or which market you want to attract; Mark is a genius marketeer, and the perfect representation of his brand.

A Shabby Chic Wedding with Vintage Touches: Hannah & Andy

Kat

January 25, 2012

Cash Wedding Registries with Deposit a Gift

Kat

January 24, 2012

Earlier this month I went to lunch with one of my best and oldest friends, Katie. We've known each other for years, ever since we started skipping Sunday School together! Anyway, this lunch was extra special (and it wasn't just because we went to Wagamamas) because she told me she was getting married...in March! Yes in under 3 months time! Anyway one of the first things we got talking about (after the dress of course) was the wedding gift registry. She told me they'd decided to go for the cash registry option and wanted to know if I thought it was 'tacky' to ask for money over gifts. They already live together, but they want to have the honeymoon of their lives. So, instead of asking for toasters, dinnerwear and cushions, they're asking people to contribute as much as they feel comfortable with towards their dream trip. They've added small things from as little as £5.50 for a favourite cocktail, all the way to a few hundred pounds for flights. I thought it was a great idea! Who needs another throw cushion anyway!?

A Neo-Victorian, Steampunk Wedding: Jasmine & George

Kat

January 24, 2012

"We are both crafty, artistic and creative," the pink haired bride told me. "We wanted a mix of romantic gothic, neo-Victorian, vintage and steampunk for our wedding. We really wanted to make it our own and original with still trying to keep a little tradition for our families. We decided we just wanted hints of each. That's why we decided to DIY as much as we could." After an 11 year relationship, Jasmine & George were married in The Greenhouse at The Foundry, NY by groom's cousin, John Russo. "We got our wedding rings from Gemvara," Jasmine continued. "My ring has black and white diamonds and his had black diamonds added to it. The inscription says 'True Love Waits' after a Radiohead song because we waited 11 years before we got married."

Dealing with Rejection & Why it’s the Best Thing That Will Ever Happen to You

Kat

January 24, 2012

So you come up with a brilliant and inventive idea for your business. You're excited and can't wait to get started. You also start telling people about your plans too, because well, you're excited... But then someone screws up their face and tells you they don't like your idea and that it's probably not going to work. What do you do? A) Decide they're probably right, have a little secret cry and drop the idea all together. B) Convince yourself that this person is clearly and idiot an carry on regardless. C) Listen to what they say, ask them questions as to why they think the idea is rubbish and make changes based on what they've said. D) Change your idea completely and come up with something new. While none of the options are necessarily wrong, today I want us to think about and discuss how we deal with rejection, or people saying 'no' to us, and in turn what we can learn from it in order to grow our businesses. There are a couple of things to think about when someone says no to you or tries to dissuade you from an idea. Do you value their opinion?

A Laid-Back & Family-Central South African Wedding: Daniel & Annette

Kat

January 24, 2012

The beautiful South African wedding of Daniel & Annette was sent over to me by their wedding photographer Bruce of Flyinghorse Photography. Not only do I love the relaxed vibe of this day, but Annette's short powder blue dress is just perfect! The wedding was held at Hillhouse, Dargle and was a huge family occasion, with everybody pitching in to help. "Daniel and I had so much fun planning the wedding, we got a kick out of every little detail and it was our special little project," Annette wrote. "We didn’t want to spend a fortune on the wedding so we decided to do most things ourselves, with a lot of help from our friends and family. We are both not at all into big white weddings we basically just wanted to do the legal/official bit and then have a big party with all our friends and family. Ideally this would’ve involved something like going to Las Vegas with a bunch of friends. However it quickly became pretty clear that the most important people to us won’t be able to join us on such a crazy adventure, and we couldn’t do it without them so we started to look for something a bit closer to home."

An Eco-Vintage Backyard Wedding: Shannon & Nick

Kat

January 23, 2012

Shannon & Nick were married in Shannon's parent's back garden, a lovely idea that made their wedding really personal and intimate. "I was inspired by the 1950s, nature and the country," Shannon told me. "I was looking for a way to bridge the gap between vintage elegance and the modern eco-friendly way of life. Every chance I could I made things reusable, recyclable and DIY. I also tried to pick vendors that were eco-friendly. I didn't set out to do things differently I just chose to do what I wanted to do and didn't let others reservations side track me."

An Indie Hipster Wedding: Will & Keri

Kat

January 23, 2012

Will & Keri's Richmond, VA wedding was simple but effortlessly cool. The ceremony was held at Maymont Park, with the reception that followed at The Boathouse Restaurant at Rocketts Landing. "We really didn't want to over do it on the decorations since both venues we're so beautiful on their own," Keri told me. "We found a lot of things on Etsy, and the rest we made ourselves. The heart on the tree at our ceremony was a grey chalkboard heart purchased from Urban Outfitters, we painted our initials on it with white paint and tied it to the tree with rope. After the ceremony we took it around the city taking pictures at our favorite spots in Richmond. We decided for the ceremony to just add small bundles of dried lavender to the chairs, it was really beautiful and simple. We also had a little table set up with hot apple cider for the guests after the I Do's."

Being a Professional Wedding Photographer is Easy

Kat

January 23, 2012

My buddy Tattybojangles tweeted this last week and I just had to add an extra Green Room post today to share it to. Who says being a professional wedding photographer is hard? They obviously haven't seen these!*

A Bohemian Hoedown Wedding: Reenie & Edwin

Kat

January 23, 2012

As soon as I saw bride Reenie in that incredible floppy hat I knew I had to feature her wedding. I love seeing brides that make really unique styling choices and I don't know about you but I can remember ever seeing a bride in a hat like this before. With her fabulous head wear she wore a 1970s style dress, which was the very first thing she bought, from Nataya for just $199! The October wedding was held at Hampton Hall Farm, Jefferson City, TN and their laid back hippy vibe makes me wish I was there. I love how homely and cosy it all looks and that the whole family got involved. The photos of them all having a pre-ceremony sing-along on the porch are just the best!

A Sunday Kind of Love: Partying at The Dorchester with Hot Male Models, The British Wedding Glitterati & Martha Stewart Magazine

Kat

January 22, 2012

This is how stupid my life is right now. Can someone please tell me how I got here and what planet I'm living on? Last week I hung out at The Dorchester...at a party hosted by wedding planner Mark Niemierko...for Darcy Miller, editor of Martha Stewart magazine...Oh and there were male models dressed as soldiers...not to mention the fact that I got to meet/chat to/be in the same room as to David Fielden, Charlotte Castigliano, Stephanie Allin, Sassi Holdford, Ritva Westenius, Suzanne Neville, Stewart Parvin, Phillipa Lepley, Elizabeth Emanuel, Bruce Oldfield and Johanna Heir. Name dropping? Moi? In fact I have nothing else coherent to say about it really except...HOW THE EFF DID I GET INVITED?!

DIY Tutorial: Twine Ball Light Garland

Kat

January 21, 2012

This simple and cute tutorial to make your own twine ball light garland is right up my street. Thank you to Michelle Kelly of Pocketful of Dreams for putting it together for us! Over to you Michelle... I've seen twine balls used for all sorts of purposes, from chandeliers to pretty table decor, so I thought I'd have a go at making a light garland using this idea. I wanted something that would create a really pretty lighting effect, but I also wanted the string to have quite a strong and vibrant colour.

Simple Upcycling Ideas for Your Wedding Dress

Kat

January 20, 2012

I love love love the idea of making my own wedding dress. I am, however, more than a little bit sucky with a sewing machine. Alas! However this week I chatted to eco-wedding dress designer Deborah Lindquist about some simple upcycling ideas. Launched in 2004, Deborah’s eco-conscious clothing line combines environmental responsibility with a cutting-edge aesthetic. Deborah works her fashion magic with a mixture of environmentally-friendly fabrications and the resulting designs are as striking as they are ecologically sensitive. As a trailblazer at the forefront of the stylish green clothing movement, Deborah is making an impact in the fashion world while remaining true to her love for the environment. So as you can see, she's the perfect person to talk about upcycling with, I think even I could do a few of these things...

How to Get the Best Out of Exhibiting at a Wedding Fair

Kat

January 20, 2012

I'm just gonna come out and say it...as a general rule, I'm not a huge fan of the wedding fair. A little controversial I know. My reason for this is not because I find them boring or a waste of time but because the people exhibiting aren't making me want to love it. Often they simply sit at their stands with a 'take it or leave it attitude' or they'll just thrust leaflets and samples at me like they're going out of fashion. This is both annoying as hell and a little bit terriflying. I don't think the wedding fair is dead just yet. There are hundreds of thousands of brides (and poor poor grooms)-to-be that attend these shows during their engagement. So, this week, I thought a little discussion and a few tips on how you can make wedding fairs work for you should be in order. Thank you to Heidi from The Alternative Wedding Fair, which is taking place in London this Sunday (I'll be wondering around with Roo - please don't throw things at us) for putting together this article.

An Intimate Palm Springs Wedding with just 10 Guests: Berrit & Daniel

Kat

January 20, 2012

Berrit & Daniel had just 8 (well 10 including their photographer Marianne Wilson and her assistant!) guests for their super intimate wedding in Palm Springs. By keeping the numbers so small they were able to pay real attention to all the wedding details in order to create an utterly stunning celebration. The wedding was held at a private house called Silver Orchid. The couple traveled from Germany, where they live, to be married in California on a Friday evening. They had a florist come in and set up an archway and chair for the ceremony as well as a little dinner set up out on the lawn that was catered (mini milkshakes and all) by Chef KK.

Thursday Treats – 19th January 2011: Modeling for Ian Stuart & Umbrellas Hanging from Ceilings

Kat

January 19, 2012

This week has been a little bit over-exciting. On Monday I had a meeting with Ian Stuart...yes the actual Ian Stuart. When I got an email from his office before Christmas saying he'd love to meet me to discuss a project idea he's working on I wasn't sure I actually believed it. In fact even as I was hopping on the train to London to visit him in his studio I still didn't actually believe it. However I couldn't, even in my wildest dreams, have considered what he was about to ask me. Our conversation went something like this...

A Quirky Country Diner Wedding (Dinosaurs Welcome): Sam & Stew

Kat

January 19, 2012

What started as an 'in' joke about a love of dinosaurs, ended up being the inspiration for Sam & Stew's wedding, which took place in South Africa last September. "Neither of us can really remember where the dinosaur thing started," Sam explained, "but it is now well and truly an inside family joke - the fact that Stew and I are 'dinosaurs-for-life'. I found the plastic models at Pollocks Toy museum in London, and added the little details to turn them into our very own bridasaurus & groomasaur, cake toppers (by far and away the groom's favourite part of the decor!)"

A New Orleans/Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball Wedding: Emily & Courtney

Kat

January 19, 2012

New Orleans has a lot of sentimental meaning to both Emily & Courtney. Although their wedding day in Virginia, they wanted a New Orleans/Mardi Gras theme for the event. Their wedding photographer Crystal George explains, "Emily had been through some pretty difficult years and took a trip to New Orleans on her 28th birthday. During that trip she said she hit a turning point in her life. The city itself has been through so many difficulties and still perseveres with it's culture and beauty, and she said it was an inspiration to her. At a large cathedral, St Louis Cathedral, there in the city she had a spiritual moment." "On her 31st birthday she revisited the city, bringing Courtney along. They had a civil ceremony and then visited the cathedral together. For their church celebration at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church (the images here) and their wedding party they wanted to continue that New Orleans theme. With an unpretentious black tie celebration and masquerade."