Edgy and Elegant Phoenix Hotel Wedding: Evan & Catherine

Kat

Encarnacion

December 9, 2013

Evan and Catherine were married at the iconic Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco and their reception was at the super cool Chambers Eat + Drink. They wanted a wedding that was edgy yet elegant - just like them! The venues they chose really helped to set that mood. "After a long search for wedding venues, we were feeling uninspired", Catherine began. "Pricey and cookie cutter was the theme for most of the spaces we looked at. We needed to find a place that inspired not only us but our guests."

Etsy Christmas Gift Guide: Winter Warmers

Kat

December 6, 2013

Snugly winter goodies make perfect Christmas gifts. There's nothing I love more than finding something soft and warm under the tree that I can wear immediately (and probably not take off until April). The chunkier the better.

Etsy Christmas Gift Guide: All That Glitters…

Kat

November 29, 2013

A Red & Black Rock n Roll Wedding: Theron & Erin

Kat

July 16, 2012

Happy Monday everyone! I thought I'd start this week with a bang, some much needed sunshine and the gorgeous May wedding of Theron & Erin. The couple were married at Vizcaya Pavilion and Mansion in Sacremento and had a red & black themed celebration. "Our advice to future brides & grooms would be to stay organized and delegate tasks in order to stay sane", Erin told me. "Don't change anything in order to make other people happy... stay true to who you are and what you like. We knew that people were going to want to rock out and mingle, so we didn't force anyone to a sit down dinner... it was all about the open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres!"

A Simple Napa Valley Wedding: Ronnie & Richard

Kat

July 11, 2012

Ronnie & Richard were married at Calistoga Ranch, California. Originally from Taiwan, the couple's families knew each other and had often joked about setting the two of them up, but they'd never met. It was only when they both moved to America (her to New York and him to Austin, Texas) that they started emailing and arranged to meet. The bride readily admits that she's not a very crafty person so DIY was out of the question for their April wedding. She did however fall in love with etsy and used it to source as much as possible for the wedding. "We didn’t have anything handmade ourselves except for the 'here comes the bride' flag which Richard made", she told me. "I am not crafty, but I like the unique touch that comes from handmade products which is why I used etsy so much. I am also very into vintage style clothing and décor. I spent a lot of time researching on the site, searching for vintage wedding dress, bridal accessories, wedding favors and paper goods. At the end, I feel really fortunate to have found things I loved with affordable prices."

A DIY Country Wedding: Jacob & Sarah

Kat

February 22, 2012

Jacob & Sarah had a DIY country wedding at Harmony Museum, PA. "Together with our community of friends, we pretty much made everything on our own because we wanted our wedding day to represent who we are," Sarah told me. "Having the wedding ceremony and reception take place in a non traditional atmosphere also helped to sort of describe where we were coming from, a subculture scene of punk music and tattoos. One of the most important things that we wanted to come from our wedding day was to have a celebration with the people who we love the most. We have a very close group of friends that we respect and hold close and we wanted them to feel like it wasn't just 'Jake and Sarah's Day' but rather a party for all of us. Immediately after the ceremony, which was fairly short, there was just a big party."

A Vintage Rockabilly Wedding: Molly & Sam

Kat

November 1, 2011

Molly & Sam's beautiful vintage rockabilly wedding was held at The Promethean in Adelaide. Before the ceremony, the couple met at Cafe Salsa - a 50's themed beach cafe - for photographs. They also has some shots taken at the skateboard park as Sam and his friends can often by found hanging out there.

“Punk Rock is in Your Soul” – A DIY City Hall Wedding….and a Bride in PINK: Lenore & Ryan

Kat

October 12, 2011

I don't say this lightly, but Lenore & Ryan's wedding may be my wedding of the year! I simply love everything about it - from the bride's incredible pink ensemble, to the family-central cuteness of the whole thing. I've also realised that I definitely need to add some more giant bows to all my outfits. I don't know about you but I kinda want to live in this wedding...

Under the Spotlight – Dell Cove Spice Co.

Kat

September 20, 2011

Etsy sellers Dell Cove Spice Co. specialise in unique and humorous food-based items that make perfect wedding favour ideas or to use if you're hand-making any tasty treats for your wedding.

A Reclaimed, Relaxed & Fun London Wedding: Caroline & Lewis

Kat

September 14, 2011

Caroline & Lewis wanted a relaxed and fun London wedding which would reflect their loves and inspirations - reclaimed items, Caroline's love of fashion and vintage and quirky DIY elements all played a massive part in their wedding. "The whole day felt so perfect, not in the sense that everything went to plan, but it felt good that all our hard work was finally coming to fruition," Caroline told me. "Amazingly we didn’t feel nervous at all, we just felt excited. It gave me a huge sense of achievement knowing that I made my own wedding dress, made the bouquets, the cake, the invitations and all the decorations. I’m not saying that I did a better job than the professionals, but it was fun to have a go and it keeps costs down. You don’t need a massive budget to have a London wedding. There are lots of pubs, bars and restaurants that would jump at the chance to host a wedding and don’t charge a hire fee."

A Beer-Swilling, Handfasting, Freak Show Wedding: Heather & Tyler

Kat

August 23, 2011

Whoa Whoa Whoa...old onto your knickers as they are about to be blown off! Heather & Tyler's wedding is quite simply and all out freak-fest (and I mean that entirely as a compliment!) "Yeah I would describe our wedding as a Red, Black, Moustaches, Beer, Victorian, Wild West, Freak Show" Heather told me. "We wanted to get married in place with a lot of history (and liberal liquor laws) so we chose Virginia City, NV becasue it still has the Victorian beauty, but has decayed a bit to make it spooky and they welcome rowdiness. The ceremony venue was The Mackay Mansion and it is thought to be haunted. For the Ceremony, the wedding party (bride included) walked out to 'Hysteric' by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We had a gender-blind wedding party with both guys and gals on both sides."

A Quirky, 1950’s & DIY London Wedding: Rebecca & Morgan

Kat

August 5, 2011

I fell in love with Rebecca & Morgan's quirky wedding as soon as it landed in my inbox and I'm honoured and super excited to share it with you today...especially because they used some of my favourite suppliers (including Lisa Jane Photography and Vivien of Holloway) and well as some of the DIY project that I've posted on my blog. Yey! Rebecca told me all about their fabulous wedding. "Morgan and I grew up only 8 miles apart and even went to the same secondary school; in fact he was in my sister’s year in school. However we didn’t meet each other until April 2009, believe it or not he sent me a facebook friendship request, we went for a date and a crazy year later I asked him to be my fiancé. I even commissioned a ring from the quirky designer Amber France as a surprise, he said yes (sigh of relief on my side). Our daughter Efa was born and things went on the back burner and then 7 months later on my birthday he gave me a beautiful blue opal ring, it was like a green light!"

A DIY Heavy Seaside Wedding with a Paper Trail: Clare & Paul

Kat

July 19, 2011

Clare & Paul's fabulous seaside wedding had a whole lot of DIY love and the bride told me all about it, "I had such a fabulous time organising our wedding. I usually work as a community artist and I often work on exciting glittering and decorative carnival costumes, so this was an opportunity for me to bring some sparkle into our day!"

Jachen & Monica’s Travel Themed, Whimsical Woodland-Inspired Wedding

Kat

July 5, 2011

Oh where oh where do I begin with telling you about Jachen & Monica's woodland-inspired wedding? The images and video of their wedding are such a visual feast that I almost don't know where to start. The day had a sort of travel/woodland theme which reflected the fact that the couple met in Switzerland. Monica explains, "A year ago I was living in Switzerland as an Au pair when I met my now husband. I was only there for 3 months, but just long enough to have met him the last month I was there. We were both in the right place at the right time, the only time I would have been able to meet him. It is amazing how you can look back on all the events that led up to that moment and how evident it was that I was supposed to be in Switzerland to find him. After I met him we had one more month until I had to return to my home in Seattle. We continued skyping, emailing and a few times he came to me and I went back to beautiful Switzerland to be with him where we became engaged. Sometimes everything just falls into place and we were lucky enough to have that happen to us."

A Sunday Kind of Love – Kim’s Little Monsters

Kat

June 12, 2011

Because we all need a little comfort sometimes...

Tania & Jay’s “Love Rocks” Wedding

Kat

June 3, 2011

"Music is what brought us together (this quote was featured on our invite) and we decided to base our wedding around our mutual love of music," newlywed Tania told me. "We decided that we would use the term 'Love Rocks' throughout our wedding and incorporate the music theme through all the wedding details."

Christina & Sybrina LGBT-Friendly Wedding

Kat

April 13, 2011

Christina & Sybrina were married in their own back garden in Vegas. Christina wore a beautiful dress by Ouma Clothing and Sybrina wore a sharp suit. The couple are pretty active in their local LGBT community and so wanted to use their connections to do it 'right' and create a wedding that was perfect for them and their friends.

Michelle & Deborah’s Romantic Parisian Themed Wedding

Kat

April 1, 2011

Michelle & Deborah's touching ceremony was one of the main reasons I wanted to share their wedding with you all today. Quite apart from all the beautiful and individual details the couple put into their day, the readings and poems that they selected for their ceremony made this wedding really special and signified their relationship perfectly. They chose Shakespears Sonnet 116, a section from the children's book "I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard and "I carry your heart with me" by E.E Cummings for their vows. Finally in order to include the fight for equality they read the Massachusetts ruling on marriage. They thought it was so simple and basic and spelled out what marriage meant to them in a perfect way. "FROM GOODRIDGE V DEPT OF HEALTH (Mass. 2003): Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support; it brings stability to our society. Without question, civil marriage enhances the “welfare of the community.” It is a “social institution of the highest importance.” Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family… Because it fulfils yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition….It is undoubtedly for these concrete reasons, as well as for its intimately personal significance, that civil marriage has long been termed a 'civil right'."

Emma & Pete’s “Enchantment Under the Sea Dance” & A Big Fat Surprise Wedding

Kat

March 30, 2011

I honestly don't know where to begin describing Emma & Pete's wedding to you all. From the reaction to just the sneak peek post (epic) that I put up last week, I know pretty much the whole of blog-land has been eagerly awaiting to see this wedding too and so I'm pretty flipping honoured that not only was I invited (and let into the secret that it was a surprise wedding!) but that Emma & Pete have allowed me to share it with you all. I have the best job in the world.

Annette & Chris’ Fancy Dress Victorian Circus Themed Wedding

Kat

March 17, 2011

Annette & Chris had a fancy dress/steampunk themed wedding in Liverpool. The bride wore a corset purchased from Corsets UK and a skirt from MTCoffinzUnderground on Etsy. "My dress wasn't technically a 'dress' as it was a Corset and a separate skirt," the bride told me. "I bought the white and black steel boned corset for around £60 and the skirt, which was described as a 'Victorian Lace Gothic Ball Gown', cost around £100." She also wore Victorian-style black ankle boots which she hired from a fancy dress shop! Chris hired his unique outfit from a fancy dress shop too.