DIY

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."

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!

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...

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."

“Joyfest 2011” A Weekend-Long Festival Wedding: Jen & Rob

Kat

January 18, 2012

"A weekend of celebration" was how Jen & Rob described their festival wedding to me, and that couldn't have been a more perfect description. Stokes Barn, specialising in self-catering group accommodation, in the Shropshire hills played host. "We knew we wanted something different," explained the bride. "We wanted to celebrate with the special people who enrich our lives and who share and understand our values and beliefs. We had the idea of a festival type celebration where we could create a magical, memorable and warm weekend (whatever the weather!) of celebration, relaxation, much merriment, Peace and Love!"

A DIY Carnival Wedding at Home: Bethany & Eric

Kat

January 18, 2012

Bethany & Eric's carnival-themed wedding was held at their home, Antebellum Farmhouse in Granville, Ohio. "The inspiration for our wedding really started with our pre-civil war home", Bethany told me. "When Eric and I first saw our house with our realtor we both stood on the front porch with tears in our eyes. We had not even walked through the front door but we knew this was our home. Eric looked at me and said 'we could be married here.' He then carried me across the threshold. Sounds like a fairy tale.... But so real." The theme may have started with their home but over time 'a day and night at the fair' became their manifesto. Royal Steamline provided the perfect stationery to fit the idea. "We wanted to create a vintage carnival feeling for all ages of guests to enjoy," the bride continued. "I have an antique and interior design business named after our home, so I incorporated many antique and vintage items, furniture and props to create the scene. I searched auctions and estate sales for real vintage goblets, punch cups and plates for our guests to enjoy. I used vintage furniture outside to create a living room area that was a fabulous photo booth for all of our guests as well as the bridal party."

A Mendhi Ceremony & A Beautiful DIY Wedding: Jenni & Alex

Kat

January 18, 2012

Jenni & Alex's wedding celebration began with a Mendhi ceremony held at the groom's parents house a few days before the wedding. Their photographers Madlove Photography were there to capture this intimate event as well as their actual wedding, which was held at Rancho Guajome Adobe in Vista, CA in November. "They were such a sweet and fun couple!"explained photographers Mike & Nickie. "Their day was filled with so many beautiful details, many of which were handmade by Jenni. She DIY’ed the boutonnières, table settings, wedding favors and so many of the cute decorations. They were really able to achieve a beautiful, vintage aesthetic for the whole day."

A Heritage & Handmade Australian Wedding: Janelle & Liam

Kat

January 17, 2012

For their December wedding, Janelle & Liam wanted an aspect of heritage and an element of the handmade. They chose Eryldene Historic House and Garden in Gordon (Sydney, Australia) as the place to host their celebration. "Most of our wedding was handmade - assembled and painted by bridal party," the couple explained. "We made our own vintage fabric bunting and table cloths as well as hand made fabric napkins. We sourced over 100 vintage plates from op shops and collected jam jars from family and friends. For favours we had home made seed pouches and home made orange flavoured lolly pops. The seating chart was a window from an old home in Epping and some fence posts. We wrote on the window panes so people knew where to sit."

A Pop of Neon: A 50s Meets 80s Styled Bridal Shoot

Kat

January 17, 2012

When wedding blogger and stylist Sonia of Want that Wedding send me this neon inspiration shoot I fell in love immediately. I'm a bit of a colour fiend (no duh!) and neon is a trend that I'm love love loving on the high street right now. I'm super excited to see it filter down into bridal styling and I'd love to see some real Rock n Roll Brides rocking out this look on their wedding days. What do you think? The shoot took place at the beautiful One Marylebone, London. Their bright white 'galleries' room made the perfect backdrop for the shoot. The white setting really makes the neon accents pop! "The inspiration for this shoot came about during a brainstorming session with Kat Hill of Kat Hill Fotographie," Sonia explained. "We were discussing various themes for a shoot when this idea just suddenly popped out ‘how about a 50s shoot with an 80s twist?’ I’m not even sure who said it first but we both fell in love with the idea."

A Back to the Future, Harry Potter & Star Wars Themed Nerdy Wedding: Jaclyn & Steven

Kat

January 17, 2012

"My husband and I are such nerds," began Jaclyn's email. "Our inspiration for your wedding came from the things we love which included: Harry Potter, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Disney, a literary theme, a music theme, etc." I loved her instantly! "We had lightsabers, owl and Weasley crown cookies, records everywhere, and my shoes caused people to call me a 'hooker Minnie Mouse' several times," she continued. "We picked the things that were important to us and did them, the rest like having a first dance, a cake cutting, a bouquet toss and garter toss were totally left out because it had no meaning to us. We had no DJ and there wasn’t even a dance floor at our venue. So many people were shocked that there would be no dancing, but at the end of the night not one person complained about it. Everyone was having such a good time they didn’t even notice that so many traditional things were missing. We just wanted to hang out and have fun, and it’s exactly what we did."

A Quirky East London Pub Wedding with a Nod to the 1940s: Becca & Dan

Kat

January 16, 2012

For Becca & Dan, a formal wedding was never on the cards. "We wanted the day to be about our guests not all the attention on us," the bride wrote. "There were no formalities, just tea & cakes followed by pie & mash then a good all knees up in an east London pub with Billie Holiday playing & a free bar all night!" Becca got ready at Zetter Townhouse, a really stylish house with quirky vintage decor & stuffed animals. It proved to be the perfect place for some pre-ceremony snaps with her bridesmaids and really set the tone for the rest of the wedding day.

Roo’s Favourite Finds: The Tattered, The Broken & The Not So Shiny…Plus How to Haggle

Kat

January 16, 2012

Now, even after seeing what treasures can be found if you look hard enough in the right places, you would be forgiven for presuming the following formula: Charity shops = tat … Because, quite frankly, quite a lot of the time it’s proven to be true. Whether you’re a tried & true charity shop scavenger or a recent disciple following this series, you’re sure to have had a “dud” run, and that can be disheartening. When you’re perusing for the fun of it it’s not so bad, but if you’re committed to the cause for the sake of your wedding it’s easy to get blindsided by the dud run and head home feeling dejected. This month I’d like to focus on spotting the potential in otherwise “useless” items: the tattered, the broken, and the not so shiny.

DIY Tutorial: Piano Keys Slogan Garland – A Great Alternative to Wedding Bunting

Kat

January 14, 2012

Today's super cute DIY tutorial comes from reader Klaire of Paper Me Happy. The piano keys theme could be a great alternative to bunting at your wedding. Alongside her husband, Klaire makes gorgeous paper flowers - the perfect alternative to the real deal. "We create alternative wedding flowers for alternative couples, fusing ancient origami folds with contemporary prints and patterns and vintage novel pages," she explains. Over to you Klaire...

“Less is More & Keep it Simple”: Michelle & Kyle

Kat

January 13, 2012

Michelle & Kyle we're married in Savannah, GA. The outdoor ceremony was held in a public park, Oglethorpe Square, and their reception was at the amazingly named (and coloured!) The Olde Pink House Restaurant. "If you allow yourself to get pulled into today’s wedding etiquette, you can really drive yourself crazy," Michelle began, when I asked her if she had any advice for the newly-engaged. "We ignored all the rules and threw caution to the wind, and just chose what we liked and what represented us well. We both love vintage things - ideas from the 1930s or 1940s or just something that is banged up and broken in, 'well loved' as we like to call it. We also played on our love for tattoos and nature. We both have been getting tattooed for years and wanted to incorporate our art into the day in a natural way. It’s part of who we are."

A Vintage Tepee Wedding: Gemma & Giuseppe

Kat

January 12, 2012

There's quite a story behind Gemma & Giuseppe's gorgeous wedding, and one that I hope might ease any of you stressing about your wedding venue (I know Roo had a bit of a similar drama last month, she'll be writing about it for you soon). "Our reception took place in tepees, at Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge (who, p.s. were AMAZING)" Gemma explained. "We had always wanted a tepee party, but our original venue to pitch them fell through with just 8 days to go! Oatlands Park Hotel came to our rescue and then some. They turned everything around so brilliantly - nothing was a problem, and they accommodated everything from the tepees to my 100 vintage teacups for the arrival champagne. After it all went bottoms up, major panic ensued for approximately half a day before I gave myself a stern talking to and set to work! I have to say that despite all of the last minute worry, the day went like a dream, and it just goes to show that even the biggest disasters don't mean that your special day is ruined!"

A Retro, Kitsch & Cherry-Themed Southend-on-Sea Wedding: Heidi & Jim

Kat

January 11, 2012

You can't help but fall in love with Heidi & Jim's Southend on Sea wedding. The cherry theme is just so cute and perfect for a retro, quirky and kitsch seaside wedding. "Our inspiration was most definately ourselves, our loved ones and where we live, sunny Southend on Sea!" Heidi explained. "We wanted a wedding that was totally personal to us, that involved everyone close to us as much as we could and that was totally full of fun and unstuffy. We knew we wanted good food and a venue that was ours, where we could do what we wanted, decorate it how we wanted, drink the drinks we wanted and eat the food we wanted!"

Edgar Allen Poe & A Day Filled with Love: Joann & Jacqueline

Kat

January 11, 2012

A quote by Edgar Allen Poe was the starting point for Joann & Jacqueline's wedding plans. 'We loved with a love that was more than love' made them realise that really, their love was at that mattered. Luckily for these two beautiful women, they were surrounded by the stuff on their big day. "No matter how much planning that went into that day, we were both blown away by the amount of love we received from our family and friends," they explained. "We can’t fully explain or describe how it felt, but hopefully the love and laughter in the atmosphere of our wedding day had everyone just as thrilled and excited as we were. Our wedding was held at Penn Park, in Whittier, CA. The greenery was vivid and lovely just the way fairytales usually are, except this time there were two princesses."

A Winter-Themed Shoot & a Bride with Purple Hair

Kat

January 11, 2012

Becky's bridal shoot was the brainchild of wedding photographer Bethan Haywood Jones. She found Becky online and loved her look (hello, purple hair!) and so approached her with the idea of a winter themed shoot. "Aaaaah, winter. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan on the whole!" Bethan explained. "It's cold, it's dark, most things appear to be dead and it rains a lot. However, the winter weddings I am lucky enough to shoot are usually bursting with love, life and enough warm things to make your toes feel toasty. So my inspiration for this bridal shoot was to show that even on the greyest of days it isn't too hard to inject a bit of colour into your day."

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