A Two-Day Hindu & Catholic Wedding: Lucy & Vish {Part Two}

Kat

February 1, 2012

After the festivities of their Hindu ceremony, Lucy & Vish woke up on the Saturday morning ready to do it all again - this time in a Catholic church. The ceremony was held at St Patrick's RC Church, Manchester, with the reception that followed back at St Peter's Hall. Their Catholic wedding has very British influences - from high tea to xx. Lucy wore a vintage wedding dress from Elizabeth Avey. "I knew I wanted a vintage Betty Draper-esque dress, as the 50s is my style era! Elizabeth's was my first stop, which was ideal as it was only up the road from where I live in Kentish Town. Although I didn't find the dress straight away, Elizabeth knew exactly what I wanted and told me to return in a few weeks as she was due to get in more pieces. I'm so glad I went back as when I returned she pulled out THE dress, which was an original 50s number, fresh from LA! Although she needed a clean she was in pristine condition for her 60 years! It was originally a drop waist dress but the lovely ladies at Designer Alterations raised the waist to make it m

A Simple & Homely Wedding in Milan: Roberto & Cherie

Kat

February 1, 2012

Italian Roberto & Chinese Cherie planned their Milan wedding from other sides of the world, "Until 2 months before the wedding, we had lived in 2 different countries (Hong Kong and UK) for 16 months, " Cherie told me. "I had taken a sabbatical to spend time with my family in Hong Kong and the majority of our ideas exchange and planning was done on email or Skype. We found the organising super boring, couldn’t wait to party on the day!" The couple met in London and so filmed their Save the Date video in the city, and they actually ended up having two weddings (the Italian one pictured and another in Hpng Kong) so it really was a multicultural, multinational affair!

Affordable Bridesmaids Dresses & Accessories from Girls of Elegance

Kat

January 31, 2012

Launched in 2004, Girls of Elegance are one of the UK's leading suppliers of affordable bridesmaid dresses, wedding shoes and bridal accessories. After trading solely online for the past 8 years, in August last year they launched their first dedicated wedding shoe showroom in Dorset, and February will also sees them taking on Charlotte Balbier wedding gowns into their boutique.

A Rock n Roll Shoot & Iron Fist Ruby Slippers: Cat & Louis

Kat

January 31, 2012

It started with those ruby slippers. When wedding photographer Kat Forsyth first laid eyes on the Iron Fist beauties, she knew she had to do a photo shoot styled around them. "I’m not even a shoe girl, and I hardly ever wear heels, but hot damn, I wanted everything on the Iron Fist website," Kat wrote. "I couldn’t get the ruby slippers out of my head, so a few weeks later I popped into a shop to see them in person. Well, the only pair left was the display pair, and they were one size too small for me. But they were On Sale. On Sale for one fifth of the original price! So in order to justify the purchase, I decided I would buy them to use in a shoot one day. Photographing them’s just as good as wearing them, right? In fact, better, because it’d be more comfy!"

A-Rockin’ & A-Rollin’, Bushy Park Engagement Shoot: Theo & Lisa

Kat

January 30, 2012

Hold the phones! This might be one of the cutest engagement shoots I've ever seen. No joke! Theo & Lisa are rockers at heart who love charity shop and vintage shopping, hip hop music and hanging out...and that's exactly what they wanted for their engagement session - a simple shoot that shows the real them. I flippin' love it.

A Music & Literature Themed Wedding: Claire & Scott

Kat

January 26, 2012

Claire & Scott chose an old movie theatre in as the setting for their ceremony, The Lantern Theatre, Sheffield. Although they hadn't even thought about marrying in a theatre, after seeing one in Whitby they loved the idea. "We’d originally planned to marry in Whitby, as it’s a special to place to us both," Claire told me. "Whilst looking at venues there, we were shown a theatre hidden away at the back of the sea front community centre. We hadn’t thought about marrying in a theatre, but we both fell in love with the idea. In the end, we decided that we’d rather marry closer to home in Sheffield, but the idea of marrying in a theatre stayed with us. After an afternoon on Google, Scott emailed every theatre within a fifty-mile radius of us to ask if they did weddings. The Lantern Theatre was one of the few that replied and it turned out to be barely a mile from our house. When we arrived we fell in love with the place. It’s an old 84-seat Victorian theatre with anaglyph wallpaper and red velvet seats. The staff there were so flexible and open to all our ideas. They even bought a mirrorball so that I could walk down the aisle in spiralling light. They served cocktails in teapots, put together a lighting and music programme so that the ceremony ran without a hitch and Keith – the volunteer who ran the bar – even dressed up in a dapper waistcoat and tie."

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 Shabby Chic Wedding with Vintage Touches: Hannah & Andy

Kat

January 25, 2012

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."

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."

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...

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.

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 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 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 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.

“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!"

A Bohemian Wedding with the World’s Coolest Centrepieces

Kat

January 10, 2012

Describing your wedding to me as 'vintage tech' automatically gets my attention. But when I actually laid eyes on the Star Wars figurines and helmets, the 80's VHS', the tennis rackets, the splashes of neon paint and the 80's cassette players...all nestled nicely into the bohemian chic setting...well I might have let out a little squeal of joy. The two juxtaposing ideas shouldn't work, but they do - perfectly.