For all you new readers (*waves*) who may not have heard of Coulson Macleod before then you are in for a treat, for all of you that have then you are also in for treat – fairs fair and all that.

Coulson Macleod are a UK-based art business specialising in the design and production of handmade, typography-based artwork printed onto natural and reclaimed materials including wood, metal, stone, fabric, and recycled paper. Their stuff is immense. I have a Love Makes The Ride Worthwhile piece in my hallway and it always receives a whole heap of compliments and subsequent requests for the source of purchase.

A couple of my current Coulson Macleod favourites are:

“Lovenotes“

and “Kissed“

Hannah and Mark who founded the company are not only ridiculously talented, they are also planning their own Big Day and have been huge supporters of Rock My Wedding since we first launched in September 2009. And today they are giving away not one but TWO of their “What” prints, one handmade on solid oak (worth £239) and a solid limestone version with a reclaimed timber frame retailing at £169.

What is Love in Oak:

What Is Love in Limestone:

The words of “What” were written by Mark Coulson for Hannah Macleod when he fell in love with her (I know – when Hannah told me I may have cried a bit…) and many brides ask if they can use the piece as a reading at their wedding, to which of course Hannah and Mark always say yes.

Not only would one of these look amazing in your home, it would also be a beautiful piece of decor for W-day – I’m thinking dessert table, or just displayed somewhere “look at me” in your reception venue such as a window ledge or fireplace surrounded by single stems or swathed in candlelight….

Both of these prints will be bespoke in terms of your wedding date, names and the colour of the text and all you have to do to be in with a chance of becoming the proud owner of one of these pieces of pretty is enter the competition.

“And how do you do that?” I hear you ask….

Simple.

Just drop an email to hello@coulsonmacleod.com with the subject “RMW What Is Love” and include your name, address and the print you would like to win. You then just need to come over and drop us a comment on this post with which version you chose and where you are thinking of displaying it.

Hannah, Mark and Team RMW will then choose two lucky lucky winners.

The competition closes at Midnight on Monday the 30th January so get entering folks – you’ve go to be in it to win it.

Big I Wish I Could Enter Love

Charlotte xxx

There are quiffs. There are crimson lips and patent platform shoe candy. There is a selection of sexy stationery and foxy fashion. And there is ceremony decor of epic proportions….. seriously people, if the venue where you are saying “I do” is a blank canvas then all you need is one of these laser cut paper drape creations.

I know there has been more than a couple of requests to feature some modern cool on these pages of late so here it is, with great big ruddy bells on.

All of the gorgeous images are courtesy of Chanelle Sergerius-Bruce.

Andri of Always Andri Wedding Design: I’ve wanted to do a very modern inspired bridal shoot for a while now, so when Chanelle from Segerius Bruce Photography, contacted me to ask if I’d like to work on one together I instantly knew what look I wanted to go for.

For the modern bride who is looking to have a clean crisp minimal feel for her wedding I decided that Altitude 360 would make the perfect venue with its clean white walls, polished white floor and panoramic views across London. Such a white space can end up looking very stark so I decided to use strong accent colours of hot pink and red to accentuate the details and avoid the overall look feeling too clinical.

The Suppliers

I was very keen to make the shoot paper heavy so had two stationery companies in mind who both came onboard with some great ideas. My first call was to the fabulous Helen at Cutture, as I felt this shoot was a great opportunity to showcase some of their stunning 3d laser cut paper work. We discussed creating a ceremony installation with laser cut paper ribbons and large oversize paper flowers to line the aisle and from the initial concept drawings to the final installation on the day they really didn’t disappoint.

With such a blank canvas space I think it is well worth creating a beautiful alter focal point and you can also use it again during the reception as a photo booth backdrop. They also provided some of their Perspex pieces which worked really well with the Ghost chairs I’d hired in from Well Dressed Tables.

To complement the laser cut paper creations, Amma at Beyond Beyond designed the bold graphic stationery for the orders of service and menus which added a punch of colour as well as the modern guest book ‘tree’ cards to clip onto the Umbra footfalls photo holder.

For the cake I approached Cakes by Krishanthi who designed two beautiful cakes that perfectly complemented Cutture’s paper pieces. Rather than traditional cake stands I used glass vases, displaying some of the paper flowers inside the taller one – you could also easily use coloured water inside the vases as an alternative contemporary twist for your cake display.

The flowers were by Leanne at Wildabout. When you’re going for a clean contemporary look, using block colours of a single flower variety works really well in creating striking focal pieces; here we used carnations. Now I know carnations are often overlooked or seen as a cheap filler flower, but when used en masse as we did here I think they look just stunning.

The Fashion

When it came to choosing the dresses I thought it would be nice to showcase a variety of designers and price ranges. I had seen this stunning Naomi Neoh dress at the Designer Wedding show and just love the simple classic shape of the dress which is totally transformed by adding the long sleeved shrug with wrap around ties.

Naomi makes all her dress with internal corsets too so they give you a fabulous nipped in waist. We accessorised this look with some lovely silver jewellery from Not on the High Street retailer Bijou Jewellery and sparkly shoes from Aldo.

The second dress was from new online bridal range Kitty & Dulcie. They have a wonderful range of dresses all at amazing prices; we used the short Bobbi Dazzler dress. I accessorised this look with a stunning headpiece from Kirsten Goss, if you’re looking for really contemporary jewellery then I highly recommend you take a look at their range as they have some dazzling pieces.

For the final dress I used a Two Birds Bridesmaid dress which are not only great dresses for your maids but make fabulous wedding dresses too, if not for the whole day then a great option to change into for the evening , (this dress is one of their custom colours).

For the menswear I went to bespoke suit maker Delvero, Italian ateliers based in London who make all their suits maid to measure. We had two looks for our Groom, a silk lined modern tuxedo and a three piece dark navy suit.

On the day of the shoot everything came together so well, (apart from the weather – we were in the clouds all day!) so a big thank you to the whole team for translating my vision for a modern wedding style so perfectly and for those brides out there who like the modern city vibe I hope the shoot  will inspire your day.

Hair And Make-up

Gemma Sutton: Lipstick is HOT right now, I think go red and bold with a bridal twist. Celebs like Gwen Stefani, Georgia Jagger and Katy Perry are all lovers of a brighter, vintage-esque sexy fuller lip.

If you want a modern look with an edgy hair do, why not try a curvy modern mohawk. This is a look both male and female can do! Adding curls to the your mohawk will make the look softer and more refined.

Venue – Altitude 360 & The River Room

Photography by Sergerius Bruce Photography

Design, planning & Styling by Always Andri Wedding Design

Styling Assistant Anna And The Ring

Hair & Makeup by Gemma Sutton

Ceremony installation & Perspex Stationery by Cutture

Paper stationery: Menus, Order of service by Beyond Beyond

Flowers by Wildabout

Cakes by Cakes by Krishanthi

Long wedding dress by Naomi Neoh

Hammered silver necklace & earrings by Bijou Jewellery via Not on the High Street

Short dress Bobbi Dazzler bridal gown (£285) by Kitty & Dulcie

Long silver dress by Two Birds Bridesmaid (tied in the Grecian Twist Cross Back)

Menswear by Delvero

Ghost Chair hire & White Linen Well Dressed Tables

Behind the scenes video by Dreamday Films

See what I mean about the laser cut flower drape?

Immense.

Anyone having this kind of red/pink colour scheme for W-day? thinking of donning a scarlett pout or a gold glittery shoe?

And if your venue is a blank canvas but with a modern edge what are your decor ideas?

Big (Pouffy) Carnation Love

Charlotte xxx

Have you read all of the books?

And how many of you are intending on seeing Breaking Dawn on the 18th November? (for those of you who don’t know it’s the one with THE wedding in it….)

Well folks, if you are a dedicated lover of Stephenie Meyer and her tales of the immortal we have a huge treat for you….and even if you don’t go ga ga for vampires, we have a shoot captured by Chanelle Segerius-Bruce, produced and styled by Sonia at Want That Wedding and inspired by the Twilight series that has plenty of covetable pretty regardless.

And is it me or does the male model bear more than a slight resemblance to Robert Pattinson?

This is also the first time I have been tempted by a dark red lip. Usually reserved for my talons only, this winter I may have to embark on a love affair with a rouge-noir esque pout…..

Sonia From Want That Wedding: Hello lovely ladies ~ so why did I decide to create a {Twilight} Breaking Dawn styled shoot? Well, for me the story of Edward and Bella is a modern day love story for our time, a tale of two worlds colliding… a modern day girl meets, falls in love with and then marries a rather dreamy vampire who is locked forever in his 17 year old, turn of the century body! What perfect wedding inspiration for any future bride to be (!)

I took my inspiration from the twilight novels visualizing how Edward and Bella’s dream nuptials could translate into reality. Edward was turned into a vampire in 1918 so I wanted to reflect the Art Nouveau period, you can see this in the style of the wedding stationery and wedding cake created for the shoot.

For the flowers I envisaged lots of romantic white blooms and green foliage. I thought it would be a stunning contrast to complement the blue from Bella’s hair-piece and so incorporated the blue thistles into the flower arrangements, I believe this added to the overall beauty of these incredible wedding flowers.

In turn I was inspired to select a pretty, vintage duck egg blue as the dominant colour in the colour palette. I chose to mix in a spectrum of colours from the dark red of Bella’s lipstick and the redness of the apple, to the navy blue of Edwards’s suit. An array of subtle accent colours were also used which can be seen in the styling of the sweetheart table.

To complete the look I chose a dramatic Georgian Mansion as a backdrop for this Breaking Dawn styled shoot to add an old fashioned English twist. The result ~ I think you’ll agree is an incredibly romantic, intense and vintage inspired {Twilight} Breaking Dawn styled wedding shoot.

Jodie From Make-up By Jodie: Sonia’s brief to me for ‘Bella’s’ makeup was to be ethereal and very beautiful. I decided to keep her skin very flawless and fresh looking to reflect her age and beauty with a very beautiful haze of iridescence around the eyes and a subtle smoky definition. The lips and nails were appropiately a dark blood red.

For Bella’s skin I used a fine layer of Jemma Kidd Light As Air Foundation just to perfect and even out her skin tone. I wanted to create a very soft peachy flush through her cheeks so I used Jemma Kidd Blushwear in Paw Paw and Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow in Iced Gold to highlight.

For her eyes I used Estee Lauder Double Wear Gel Liner in Black to darken her inner eye then used a mix of Mac Pro Pigments on her lid to create a shimmery iridescence that would catch the light and make her look slightly other wordly. I added lots of Ardell Individual lashes to create a very fluttery but natual lash line.

Finally I finished the lips with Jemma Kidd Lipstick Duo in Boudicea and the classic Chanel Rouge Noir on her nails.

Produced & Styled by Sonia at Want That Wedding

Vintage Props & Venue Styling by Kim and Tiggy at Idyllic Days

Photography by Chanelle Segerius Bruce

Venue – Nonsuch Mansion

Models – Gingersnap Model Agency

Flowers by Jamie Aston

Hair by Love Hair

Make-up by Make-up By Jodie

Wedding Gown – ‘The Petal’ + Veil by Belle & Bunty

Grooms Suit by POSE London

Hair-piece by Jannie Baltzer at Luella’s Boudoir

Wedding Stationery by Elle Is For Love

Wedding Cake by Janet Mohapi- Banks

Cake-pops by Gingercups

Bridal Shoes by Rachel Simpson

Table Cloths by Shabby Chic Originals

Chess Piece Card Holders by Kate Aspen

Shabby Chic Sign by Delightful Living

Napkins & Grooms Cravat handmade by Sonia at Want That Wedding

Material & Vintage Keys Purchased From Cloth House

For details of the full Breaking Dawn shoot then pop on over to Want That Wedding right about now lovelies.

I have a sneaky feeling the actual W-day of Bella Swann and Edward Cullen won’t be too far away in terms of colour scheme and decor – what do you think?

And I think that backlit floral archway is one of the most romantic pieces of aisle pretty I have seen in a long while…. I’d like one for my living room at Christmas.

Big Eternal Love

Charlotte xxx

Mark submitted the video highlights of a spectacular W-day to Rock My Wedding recently that is both decadent and spectacularly pretty in equal measure and is the perfect piece of escapism for you gorgeous lot to emerge yourself in this weekend.

Enjoy lovelies.

Mark Niemierko: This wedding was planned in just less than 4 months, so goes to prove how quickly a large scale wedding can be pulled off rather quickly. It was held at Cliveden House, in Berkshire on Tuesday 21st June. The longest day of the year…

Cigar girls and late night cocktails and canapés ensured the guests continued onto the early hours!

Video credit: Allora Visuals
Photo credit: Keith Appleby

I am occasionally left in awe of W-day details, and this is one such example – already a lover of hydrangea this is my idea of heaven.

With HUGE thanks to Mark Niemierko for sharing the amazingness, you can see more of his unique skills in his portfolio and on his blog.

Big Luxe Love

Charlotte xxx

This is what I thought when I saw the beautifully designed birthday of Love Lust List member David Long’s cute-as- a-button son Rafferty a few months ago. David’s partner Claire and planner Louise from Purely Events set about creating a fun filled village fete theme for Rafferty’s special day and used a selection of DIY down-loadables and easy to replicate supermarket finds to achieve the finished look.

Lovelies….

This is perfect for a hen party, big day reception or indeed a similar birthday bash you may have in mind for any of your little ones in the very near future.

I’ll hand over to Claire to share the whole “How-to”

Enjoy!

Claire: Inspired by the many beautiful weddings, parties and events seen on the Internet and in magazines I enrolled Louise from Purely Events to help create the 3rd birthday party of the year.

I had some amazing ideas about how she wanted the party to look with a village fete theme, the most exciting of her ideas was an ice cream parlor and sweetie table! The challenge was that this was all decided just 2 weeks before the big day!

We wanted a village fete style party with a pretty feel, using lots of bunting, bright balloons, lucky dip, tin can alley and hook a duck!

We wanted the tables to be clean, crisp and light so kept the color palette simple. Both tables were heavily inspired by Amy Atlas and the beautiful tables she creates for parties, weddings and other events. Taking her ideas, downloadable graphics and the ice cream parlour concept from Eat Drink Chic we personalised them and made them bespoke for Rafferty’s Ice Cream Parlor!

We measured the tables at our local village hall where the party was held and bought some mdf wood of the same length to create a backdrop to rest behind each table which we covered with blue and white stripy wallpaper. Backdrops really do add something special to the tables and are a great way of pulling together your colour scheme. The wallpaper used here was bought from Laura Ashley.

We chose pure white tablecloths for the ice cream parlor, as we wanted to highlight the pretty tone of blue that we were using in the signs/napkins/spoons etc. The tablecloths were £3.50 each bought from John Lewis. We were really pleased with the quality of these cloths, as they were paper made to look like linen. Most of what was on the table was sourced from our own homes – or charity shops. We were lucky enough to find some lovely wooden trays in a charity shop and painted them white. The main topping dispenser was just 3 cheap box files from Ikea which we superglued together and also painted white.

We picked up some pretty card in our colour scheme from a local craft shop and used these to give colour to the white ceramic plates, which held the meringues.

The topping signs were stuck onto paddle sticks bought from the local craft shop.

The ice cream cups were 9oz cups bought from the local party shop and using the cutout designs from Amy Atlas we glued them onto the paper cups. This was really easy and quick to do. You can use any toppings you like for the table – but keeping the colours soft and within your colour scheme where possible does help. We used only blue smarties and the popping candy was really popular!! We filled a drinks bucket with ice to keep the ice cream cold for the duration of the party.

We had a separate sweetie table. Again we sourced mdf wood for the backdrop and covered it in the same wallpaper. We created a sign for the backdrop and also created tags that were tied with pretty ribbon to each jar with wording such as EAT ME, YUM YUM , SWEETIE HEAVEN. We bought white paper bags from e-bay and using a hole punch and pretty ribbon from a local craft shop we tied personalised gift tags to them. These bags were used as going home presents and each child could fill their own bag, which added to the whole experience. Our jars were sourced from The Wedding Of Your Dreams, Asda and also from local charity shops.

The sweetie scoops were sourced from the internet. The sweets themselves we bought from supermarkets as they were reasonably priced. The pretty bunting was sourced from e-bay and borrowed from friends.

The little guests and their parents were in awe of the fabulous ice cream and sweetie tables and everyone commented on how amazing they looked and what fun they added to Rafferty’s birthday party.

The children and adults loved dressing up to have their photo taken in the photo booth and the photographs made a lovely memento of Rafferty’s party which were then used on thank you cards.

Photography – David Long

Styling – Claire Baird and Louise at Purely Events

Sweet Table Inspiration – Amy Atlas

Wallpaper – Laura Ashley

Table Cloths - John Lewis

Straws – Pippi

Label Designs – Michelle Fielder

Downloadable Graphics and Ice Cream Parlour Concept Inspiration – Amy Moss at Eat Drink Chic

Sweets? Ice Cream? Fancy Dress?

Sounds like my kind of party

Do let us know if any of you gorgeous lot are planning a creative affair for your hen, birthday or just for the hell of it (!) anytime soon and tell us what you have in mind, any excuse to gossip about styling and decor!

Big I’m Stealing All Of These Ideas Love

Charlotte xxx

We said we wanted to inspire you… and by that we mean ALL of you, so we weren’t messing around when we said we wanted to play with some different themes. And the one I was most excited about? Dolly Pop.

You see, I’m a sucker for colour. Bold, bright, juicy, punchy, every-colour-of-the-rainbow hues. Think candy colours, sorbet shades and beautiful brights. I love it all and if you do too, then Dolly Pop is for you.

We compined Pop-Art, Pop-Culture, Eye popping brights and fun fashion.

I hope you like.

Doll Face

As I said, Dolly Pop was all about colour, and we wanted to show that doesn’t have to stop at the accessories for W-day. After Charlotte’s Spring time beauty Queen with a fresh green eye went down a treat we thought, why not rock green for bridal, and charged Katy with creating a wearable green bridal eye. A pop of coral on the lip finished off a modern face for a youthful and fun bride…

It’s over to the talented and super-lovely Katy Messer (Make Up By Katy) to share more Dolly beauty secrets…

My brief here was to keep it fresh but vibrant and I loved showing that a sheer wash of a bright colour can be so wearable and flattering! I circled the eye with a mid-toned green that I pressed on denser at the lashes and then buffed out towards the brow bone. This was lifted with a slightly lighter shade of green at the inner corners and I placed individual lashes from Ardell all along the lashline to add volume but at the same time keeping it fluttery and natural.

Whilst the eyes were very soft and sheer, I wanted to inject some real colour on the lip. I started by lining the lips with a Laura Mercier lip pencil in Petunia, keeping the edge clean and sharp and filling in the whole lip (this increases longevity and helps lipstick wear evenly) and then I layered 2 thin coats of OCC Lip Tar in Memento all over and blotted.

Bow-Beautiful

I won’t lie, this is an idea I have been dying to use since we shared The Soho-Sexy with you… but taking it one step further, part tongue in cheek, part full on fun, we wanted to reference Minnie Mouse with a stand out bow style, right on top of Chara’s head.

It might seem a little comical for W-day and as with everything on these pages, it’s about finding something that’s you, but this Dolly is fun-loving, quirky and individually stylish. The bow makes a perfect base for adding a short veil for more retro styling and continues the theme working with such a fabulously feminine yet flirty dress.

Cassandra did a wonderful job of putting the brief into action and here’s how she went about it!

Chara surely Popped her Dolly Pop look with a Disney Minnie Mouse inspired Massive Bow and a large Bun. I neatly combed her hair into a sleek high ponytail which was split into two sections and pinned to create the Bow effect. With Chara’s second look I back combed her hair as Big as possible but kept it in the high ponytail to create the bun. I then smoothed her hair out and pinned it in place to give the bun a sleek apperance. (More on this look later…)

Let’s Play Dolly Dress-Up

There was only one choice for Dolly Pop when it came to frocks and that was short. However that’s not to say all short dresses have to be big-skirted… but more on that later.

The very first dress that popped into my head? This lace and tulle, swinging skirted creating by Morgan Davies Bridal’s own label. The very lovely Annaliza at Morgan Davies Bridal was kind enough to loan us this one (and as a matter of fact the other version of the same dress with a more solid, silk taffeta skirt). We loved the vintage look lace and neckline, retro skirt, feminine layers tulle and the adaptable nature of this dress. It would work just as well in a much more restrained theme but worked perfectly with the fun factor we wanted to inject here.

Of course, there are some absolute must have’s when you’re wearing such a fun outfit, killer colour-pop heels, the shorter retro-look veil we mentioned above (also from Morgan Davies) and some serious swishing!

We chose some lime green suede skyscrapers from Dorothy Perkins to subtly pick up on the make-up, (very kindly loaned by my friend Jess.) They’re last Summers collection, but lucky for you guys, you can find similar in any high street store currently while colour-blocking remains a huge trend.

Accessories were of the juicy but plastic-fantastic variety, picking up on the pop art theme and props we used. The Button Bracelet was by Blue Pebble from NOTHS and also had a matching necklace.

The scrabble rings (you can choose any letter combination you fancy!) were from Rock N Rose.

Dolly Pop was also an exercise in how to have fun with your decor. More and more, Brides are turning their attention to really ‘styling’ the venue, with tables laden with photos, vintage trinkets and cakes. But it doesn’t have to be all about pearls and cake-stands! Particularly if that’s not your style. We used retro style kitchen memorabilia and edibles (Fluff from Selfridges and a Mason Jar filled with Love Hearts) along with single flower heads scattered on the table top and a stylish clock. The important thing is to pick out your co-hesive colours and work them together, candy pink, sky blue on a background of mixed pastels – this little arrangement was almost leaning towards a 50′s American Diner feel, but whatever portrays your personal style will work just as well.

Sorbet Scoops

Charlotte and I don’t pretend to have a structured approach to planning these shoots… more often than not they’re the product of brainstorming madly and bouncing ideas around like ping pong balls, while flashes of inspiration hit us like a virtual light bulb switching on above our heads. So here’s a little peep inside my mind…

…Pop – Colour Pop – Spots – Round – Dots – Balls – Brights – Buttons – Bouquet – Ranunculas…

…I told you it was a little bit random!

So for Dolly Pop’s bouquet and their perfect little swirly rounded scoops of sorbet shaded petals, we couldn’t beat a packed dome of ranunculas in shades of mango, peach, coral, lemon, cream and pale green tinges. I’m a little bit in love with this bouquet, this colour scheme.

I’m a little bit in love with this Dolly.

Photographer - Julia Boggio

Bouquet - Robbie Honey

Hair – Cassandra Rizzuto (Love Your Hair)

Make Up – Katy Messer (Make Up By Katy)

Venue – Nonsuch Mansion, Cheame, Surry.

Dress – Morgan Davies at Morgan Davies Bridal

Veil – Morgan Davies Bridal

Shoes – High Street

Button Bracelet – Blue Pebble at NOTHS

Dolly Pop Letters – Alphabet at Pedlars

Pink Lady Art Work – Jasper Goodall

Scrabble Rings – Rock N Rose

Fluff – Selfridges

Mug – Find similar at Pedlars

Styling – Rock My Wedding

And you know what? We’re not done yet. Dolly Pop was so cool we’ve got a whole other look to share with you all, coming right up later. Pop Chic meets Pop Art and oodles more colour.

Yours (I’m Dolly Pop) Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

Boo. Us neither.

Ah well, if you’re going to be watching it from your living room rather than Westminster then there is still a little bit of time for you to purchase a wee piece of memorabilia ( and when we say this we mean the kitsch/cool variety not the desperately tacky junk that is seemingly readily available )

Kim Neville wedding planner from the Pink Pumpkin is sharing with RMW some of her favourite Kate and Wills merchandise as well as a few of her predictions for the fashion and decor we might see on Friday.

Let us know if there’s anything here that you expect to see – I’m having a moment over the Erickson Beamon chandelier earrings……

Biscuits by Biscuiteers

Tote Bag by Very Fabulous

Plate by John Lewis

Commemorative Pebble by Not on the High Street

Cushion by Jan Constantine

“Wills asked me First” picture by Not on the High Street

T-Shirt by 8 Balls

Heritage Eggcup by Marks & Spencer

Nail varnish by Nails Inc

Commemorative stamps by Royal Mail

The Fashion?

Jewelled headpiece by Jo Barnes

Lace shoes by Benjamin Adams

Chandelier earrings by Erickson Beamon at Net a Porter

Gown with lace bolero by Phillipa Lepley

All over lace gown – Shangrila by Caroline Castigliano

Slash neck lace gown – Faye by Beverly Lister

Lace gown with bead detail – Silaba by Pronovias

Lace parasol by Henry Kaye

Beaded Handbag from Very Fabulous

Diamond bangle from Tiffany and Co

The Decor?

Wedding cake by Maisie Fantaisie

Crystal Votives by Very Fabulous

Bejewelled invitation by Imagine Wedding

Flowers in silver teapots by Halo Blossom for Wedding Magazine

Lavender Lemonade Recipe

Crystalised Violet Petals from Rococo Chocolates

Frosted votives/ favours by Kate Aspen

Delphinium petals from Confetti

Floral detail from Style Me Pretty

Rococo Frame (for table number or signage) from Marks and Spencer

I want a cushion.

I want an egg cup.

I want to have been there, done that and bought the T-shirt.

Not sure what has happened to me but somehow I have turned into some kind of Wills and Kate fangirl……..

Some Big News coming up at 11.30am lovelies!

Big Royal Love

Charlotte xxx

Of course, it’s well known that NOTHS have a vast selection of the things that every bride needs – decorative letters, signs, bunting and there are extra specially different versions of these as well as the standard ‘wedding’ fare.

But I’d venture to say that there are a whole lot of savvy brides out there who perhaps haven’t thought a little harder about what NOTHS can provide for your wedding, so I thought today we could share some ideas of things to look for here

Jewels and Gifts

One of the hardest things to shop for for my wedding? Gifts. NOTHS has a massive range of (non-cheesy!) personalised items that make fantastic thank you gifts for your girls. There’s also handcrafted jewellery from brides wanting to take a step away from the traditional string of pearls.. but you know what? They have those too!

Personalised Initial Charm Bangle – Lily Belle

Flower Ring – Posh Totty

Cascading Earrings – Mia Belle

Modern Traditionals

I searched high and low for a garter for my wedding… I wasn’t really the garter type, but I thought, why not, I’ll just put it on later. Cue weeks of searching for something that didn’t look like cheap synthetic nastiness and an eventual purchase of a very simple organza affair. Whenever I see modern or vintage looking pretty garters now, I always think it’s worthwhile noting them down and NOTHS has several different designs from different sellers.

Garters – A Alicia

Keep Things Close to hand

Not every bride has a bag but for those that feel they need to have all their little bits and pieces to hand it can be invaluable. Looking back, I probably should have had one, rather than ask my mum for my lipstick whenever I needed it! Not only useful they can be another way of tying in your theme – I love this cute knitted one for a winter wedding or for the fifties bride how about this pop of patent red colour?

Knitted Clutch - Close Your Eyes Hold Out Your Hand

Red Patent Clutch – Peony and Moore

Evie Satin Clutch – Vicky Riley

Flower Corsage – LuLLiLu

Florals minus the Flowers

Not everyone is all about the flowers but finding good handcrafted alternatives if you haven’t the time or inclination to make your own can be tricky. These simple cotton buttonholes and corsages come in a range of colours to work with your style and will last for ever as a keepsake.

Cotton Buttonhole – A Alicia

Wrist Corsage – A Alicia

All the Little Extras

And I bet you never thought to look for underwear on NOTHS? All the (literally) little things are covered with beautiful and super pretty lingerie sets, handmade corsets and even the wee ones get a look in with unique flower girl dresses.

Silk Corset – Love by Susie

Cream Net Flower Girl Dress – Their Nibs

Blue Silk Bra (Matching knickers available) – Loulou Loves You

Sharing your Unique Style

And If you thought all that was good, what about this… The NOTHS Wedding list. Forget towels, sheets and bins and add some personality to your list by choosing fun, practical and stylish gifts. Homeware is all catered for, with even furniture, lighting, garden and kitchen items so you needn’t miss out and your guests get the advantage of being able to buy something you will really love.

So head on over to NOTHS for what I think could turn out to be a very productive shopping spree and hopefully might just tick off the list some of those outstanding items you’ve been searching for.

But before you do – do drop us a comment below and tell us if you have bought something from NOTHS for your wedding AND if there’s anything you’re still really struggling to find and we’ll see if the might of the RMW community can help

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

NOTHS are Rock My Wedding Sponsors and this is a sponsored post.

Then it was the colour-pop coral lipstick.

Then it was the bold, bright and beautiful florals.

Altogether the perfect ingredients for the kind of styled inspiration shoot the RMW Team know our gorgeous readers will adore. And as soon as we saw it we simply had to have it.

The very sweet and talented Louise from Bow Occasions submitted her most recent project to us as she too thought it had Rock My Wedding written all over it, with a delectable selection of gowns, catwalk- worthy hair and make-up and a whole host of completely do-able table scape ideas for you lovelies to steal…. we couldn’t agree more.

It’s Friday folks and let me tell you – We. Have. Got. It. Going. On.

Louise Bow Occasions: The shoot came about after I met Dasha from Exhibit Emotions on twitter. After talking weddings for a while, we discovered that we both have a common passion for colour and decided to plan a photo shoot for the start of spring which would inspire couples to be brave with colour when styling their weddings.

The Styling

With a starting colour palette of pink, purple and turquoise with hints of gold, Dasha and I set about finding talented wedding suppliers to enable us to bring the whole look together. It was important that each supplier contributed their own ideas for the shoot; therefore free creative rein was given. Each supplier was sent an inspiration board with the words to describe the shoot being bright, playful, colourful and fun and not much more.

The main table set up consisted of a standard white table cloth with a hessian table runner through the middle. Each place setting comprised of a gold charger plate, turquoise napkin, white dinner plate, a kraft lunchbox with a wooden fork and either a pink or clear wine glass. Gorgeous, bright flowers in pinks and purples filled three vases to make up the centre piece and then the whole look was finished off with a sprinkle of sequins. Many of the items for the shoot were purchased from the high street so not only is the photo shoot gorgeous, it is budget friendly too.

The Venue

Located in the heart of the beautiful Kent countryside and within easy access to both London and the South Coast, Winters Barns is a charming barn with vaulted ceilings and stunning grounds which will take you a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

The L Shaped Barns which date back to 1690 sit in the most perfect setting with so many hidden spots making for perfect photography opportunities.

The Photographer

A bright and fun photo shoot, requires bright and fun suppliers and Dasha from Exhibit Emotions Photography is just that.

“I absolutely loved working on this photo shoot. The whole team just ‘got’ the idea and everyone was on the same page. It is very important to have that for your wedding as well. The combination of location, styling, beautiful wedding dresses, colourful flowers and all the details made it a photographer’s dream! Also, Ethel and Will are a real couple and have been together for a while, so it was such a pleasure to capture that connection and love they have for each other”.

Make-up

Make-up artist, Mariam Jensen, has been creating gorgeous makeup for over twelve years, specializing in Airbrush Makeup for HD and Digital Photography. I was so excited to have Mariam on board and knew that she would exceed expectations.

“I loved that the shoot was vibrant and fun as it allowed me to use colours that you may not see on a bride usually. I wanted to utilize colour, lashes and glitter to enhance the makeup. Wedding make-up doesn’t have to be boring and use of texture, lashes, etc can add a lot of impact and glamour to the make-up”.

To-Die-For Hair

Cassandra Rizzuto of Love Your Hair pulled out all the stops and created fantastic, statement hair styles that complimented the models make-up beautifully.

This was a lot of fun especially with Mariam’s creative and beautifully done make up”. 

Fabulous Florals

Kerris from Blue Dove Weddings worked her magic on the florals, putting together two hand tied bouquets as well as centrepieces for the main table and displays for the dessert table.

The flowers that were used in the arrangements are Baby Pink and Violet Lisianthus, Hot Pink Ranunculus, Blue Forget-me-not, Purple Statice, Pacific Blue Roses (antique purple Roses), Baby Pink Milano Roses, Deep pink Sweet Akito roses and Purple Freesia’s”.

High Fashion

Adamo Bridal have a fantastic range of dresses suitable for all shapes and sizes not to mention an absolutely gorgeous bridal boutique. Lauren brought along a number of styles for the shoot, each one equally as beautiful as the next with designs by Alan Hannah, Cymbeline and Ugo Zaldi.

The main focus for the models was to be on the dresses, hair and make-up and therefore no there were no accessories for the shoot.

The Dessert Table

Dessert Tables are a hugely popular trend in America with the trend slowly starting to make its way to the UK. Harri from Crumbs! Couture generously provided cupcakes and cake pops for the dessert table which were extremely delicious and popular with the team after a fun days’ work. A gold frame was used as a focal point on the table and paper poms provided by Juliet from Paper Poms UK added a splash of colour.

Venue: Winters Barns, Canterbury

Styling and Design: Bow Occasions

Photography: Exhibit Emotions

Dessert Table: Bow Occasions

Dresses: Adamo Bridal (Dress Designers – Alan Hannah Cymbeline and Ugo Zaldi )

Make-Up: Mariam Jensen

Hair Styling: Cassandra Rizzuto

Cupcakes and Cake Pops: Crumbs! Couture

Flowers: Blue Dove Weddings

Models: Victoria, Jess and Ethel

Paper Pom Poms: Paper Poms UK

Chairs: Ambassador Furniture Hire

You like?

So then lovelies, who’s having a bold bright colour scheme? anyone going for the full on luscious lash look? anyone printing off these pages and sticking them in their scrapbook?

I want a dessert table that pretty for the next RMW soiree please.

And of course, you will all be invited.

With huge thanks to Louise at Bow Occasions for filling these pages with styled perfection.

Big It’s The Weekend Love

Charlotte xxx

Rick from Rick Schofield Photography is the genius behind the design and he’s here to tell you all about it.

Appropriately enough, the idea for Shoot Boutique came at a wedding; That of the husband and wife team who run it, Rick and Laverne Schofield. Rick is a studio photographer and Laverne a theatre nurse. Being in the picture taking trade but out of control of the shots on his own big day gave Rick the idea of putting more power in the hands of the people who matter; The bride and groom and their guests.

The Shoot Boutique website is under construction but you can find us on Facebook or Twitter. Give us a ring or drop us an email on:

Mobile: 07944 877 507
Studio: 01204 854 833
Email: info@rickschofield.com

I’m so excited about these guys – they’ve totally blown the photo booth concept out of the box with the stylish modern backdrops and rustic flooring; Don’t even get me started on the furniture… Dealing with Rick has been a pleasure too and I always think a recently married couple is a strong selling point for a wedding professional – after all they know exactly what you want for your day. I don’t think you could go far wrong with a photo booth like this from such a switched on couple too.

Say Cheese!

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo