Rock My Wedding » Chic & Unique

Jar Of Hearts – Colour Options.

Adam@rockmywedding — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:30:20 +0000

Our Jar Of Hearts D.I.Y tutorial, which you can view here was really popular (thanks folks!) and we have been inundated with requests for the graphic downloads to be available in various different colour schemes.

Your wish is our command and today we have managed to put together for you a few of the most popular colour requests.

We have decided to use grey as a base colour and provide various options for the accent colour. We figured grey goes with everything, so by doing it this way, the colour combinations we’ve put together will be useful for as many of you keen D.I.Y W-day planners as possible.

We are still open to requests, so please feel free to leave us a comment with your particular colour ideas and we will do our best to add to the downloads available on this post in due course, so please check back regularly.

We have created a word document for the name card download so that you can type in your own guest names. All of the other downloads are .pdf files.

The font we used in this tutorial is called “Delicious” and you can get it for free from the brilliant font foundry exljbris.

We hope you find these free downloads useful.

Please do let us know what colour you would like to use for your big day, we can’t promise anything but we will do our best to build a resource right here of your favourite colour combinations.

Personally I can’t wait to see some of your interpretations of Jar Of Hearts. Remember, we are just as happy for you to recreate our idea’s verbatim as we are for you to give it a personal twist with your own ideas, designs and adaptions.

Just make sure you send some pictures in of your creations so we can have a peek!

Adam.

Jar Of Hearts.

Charlotte@rockmywedding — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:23 +0000

Some time ago Vix, Adam and I sat around my kitchen table (it’s where all the magic happens you know..) to talk D.I.Y.

As in – innovative never-seen-before-we-invented-it-ourselves D.I.Y. Projects we can share with you gorgeous lot that are specific to these blue polka dot pages and that you can use for W-day.

This first “Jar Of Hearts” idea stemmed from my slight obsession with the Christina Perri song of the same name and… badges. I loves me a badge.

It started off as a quirky option for favours then developed into this whole way to get your guests talking during the wedding breakfast, a bespoke guest book, place card name AND favour fandango…It seems when I get a light bulb moment it becomes a full-on runaway train. Good job I’ve got Adam and his graphic skills to bring it all to life then…

And just like any D.I.Y project we will be creating in the future, we’ve got all our graphics as FREE downloads for you to help yourselves too as well as the step by step how-to.

We’ve got a few questions at the end of this post (as well as the opportunity to win cool camera stuff) so if you’ve got a minute we would really appreciate your feedback.

And as well as snapping Vix’s sexy 60′s face this week, Emma Case also took these amazing images of our Jar Of Hearts project – we even made her a badge and bought her a posh M&S sandwich as a thank-you…

Jar Of Hearts – What Is It All About Then?

…Ok so imagine you are a guest at a wedding, as you go to sit down at your table you notice your “name/place card” is part of some sort of task/game. It becomes clear that there is a “Jar of hearts” on the table (we recommend placing your jar somewhere near the table-centre) and that you have to choose yourself a badge (all instructions are on the jar label download so don’t worry about guests having to think too hard if they’ve had one or two glasses of Pinot…)

After selecting your badge and pinning it on you then have to think of some “Words of Wisdom” related to the badge label (we have love, life, lust, kissing…. a whole host of ideas for you to choose from in the available downloads) to write on your aforementioned name/place card.

A bit later on you can then pin your “words of wisdom” onto the associated canvas/pinboard (we recommend placing it by your cake/dessert/sweetie table or anywhere guests are likely to be having a nose…), not only does this provide lovely memories of W-day for the bride and groom (they can keep the canvas as is or perhaps glue the cards into a pretty book etc) but you also get to read everyone’s “words of wisdom” as the evening progresses…

Cool eh?

Now as with all things RMW it’s about doing it your way so please don’t feel you have to follow this Jar Of Hearts D.I.Y idea to the letter. For example, you may already have place cards that match the rest of your gorgeous stationery and not want to add any extra graphic/fonts to your table – there is no reason why the whole Jar Of Hearts game can’t just be on a table of its own for guests to play as and when during your reception drinks or well into the evening festivities.

And you don’t have to make a canvas – provide a pritt stick and guests can glue their cards into a lovely book of your colour scheme/choice (They always have a great selection in Paperchase)

In fact you don’t have to do the words of wisdom bit at all- just have a jar of super cute RETRO (!) badges for your nearest and dearest to help themselves to just for the craic.

What You Will Need

Badge Maker – You can buy or hire one, or send your designs to Everybody Loves Badges.
Badge Bits – If you are making your own.
Heart Cutter.
Glue – Either traditional glue, sticky strips or double sided tape.
String – Or ribbon or cotton.
Pen.
Scissors or a scalpel. – you do get a neater edge with a scalpel!
Steel Ruler.
Paint – to paint your canvas to match your theme.
Pins.
Blank Canvas.

(All of these items bar the badge-maker are available for a few quid each from Hobbycraft, or any other stationery/craft store)

Step One – The Jar… any old one you fancy really, lid or no lid – we chose to tie the top with some parcel string that we also used for our Words of Wisdom canvas “bunting”. Ribbon, lace or floral print material would look equally as ace. You then need to cut out your jar label downloads, we recommend a scalpel for an even finish but if you’ve got a steady hand then sharp scissors will do the trick. Our downloads have cutting guides on them to help you.

Step Two – Sticking The Label On…. With regards the glue – we found the sticky strip dispensers work the best as they are accurate, non-messy and allow you to re-position a few times! But of course you could also try double-sided tape, just make sure you hold it down firmly to ensure its well and truly….stuck

Step Three – Cutting Circles…. If you are considering buying/hiring a badge maker then this is the fun part – you literally just need to get the circle cutter bit of the kit and start punching out your badges. We have a selection of words available on the downloads but that doesn’t mean you have to use all of them, you may just want to have all your badges with “Love” and “Life” on for example.

Step Four – The Actual Badge Making Bit… simple and straight forward – honestly. And if you don’t feel like making a hundred-odd of them by yourself then how about asking your best girls/boys round for tea, cake and a bit of decor creating?

Step Five – The Name Cards… again easy peasy, just download, type in the names you need, print and cut out. Again you don’t have to have a mixture of the two colour ways – if you prefer the grey border with a bit of yellow then just have those or vice versa.

Step Six – “The Words Of Wisdom” Canvas… These come in a range of sizes, a plain canvas actually looks fine – especially if you choose to decorate with a patterned ribbon/buttons/something with a bit of colour. We decided to paint ours grey to match in with the colour scheme and make the mini heart bunting “pop”. Again the bunting is optional, a length of lace or string on its own would work just as well.

The little heart cutter we used was from Hobbycraft and was about two quid, we figured not only does this “mini bunting” provide a guideline for where guests need to pin their advice but it also looks…..pretty. We simply glued the hearts to the string, after mentioning it in the last paragraph I’m sure an assortment of buttons would be super cute too…

The “Words Of Wisdom” heart-shaped canvas header label is available in downloads and just needs to be cut out and stuck on.

And Voila….here is a bicycle-T-shirt-wearing me and my example of a badge-donning “words of wisdom” writing guest. I’m guessing some of the pieces of advice might be a bit silly… but that’s what makes it fun right?

Here is where you can get hold of all of the graphics that we used in the tutorial. We have created a word document for the name card download so that you can type in your own guest names. All of the other downloads are .pdf files.

The font we used in this tutorial is called “Delicious” and you can get it for free from the brilliant font foundry exljbris.

So…what do you think? shall we do more of these types of things?

And regarding the colour options, we’ve concentrated on a yellow and grey scheme however Adam has also provided a delicious pink and green version. If you REALLY want to use Jar of Hearts for W-day but none of these shades are appropriate then drop us a comment with the hues you would like.

Providing we get enough requests we’ll create you some alternatives.

You can view different Jar Of Hearts colour downloads here.

Oh and don’t forget the Lomography goodies you can win by leaving us some love…

Big Fingers, Legs and Arms Crossed You Lot Like It Love

Charlotte xxx

Stationery Geek Alert.

Adam@rockmywedding — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:08 +0000

I can’t help it – I am a total stationery nut job. Whenever I get given a business card, before I’ve read it i’ll have have gauged its thickness and assessed the finish between thumb and finger. When a brand new print job arrives hot off the press, the first thing I want to do is give it a smell…

*Ahem* confessions over – let’s talk design…

Two of the most popular emerging design trends in recent years have undoubtedly been typography and illustration. The evidence is all around us – in the media, in our glossy magazines and even lining the streets upon which we walk.

The Not So Olden Days.

A few years ago if a designer had presented a concept for a new billboard campaign that solely relied on a few well chosen fonts with no images at all, they’d be laughed out of the boardroom with a P45 wedged up inside their little beanie hat (all designers wore a little beanie around this time – outdoors, indoors and regardless of season). Likewise, if asked to create some loosely hand drawn imagery for a new brand or product launch, said designer would scratch at head through beanie hat and wonder why you hadn’t gone to talk to an illustrator instead.

Of course the art of typography and indeed the art of illustration are not new ideas – they are art forms from a bygone era, a time of letraset, letterpress and pens, ink and paints – a time long before MacBooks and Adobe Photoshop. But, just like with fashion, trends cycle and what was old becomes new and today’s designer has to be au fait with all of these disciplines to stay on trend, and the wedding stationery business is no exception.

Let’s have a look at how these two very different trends are starting to have a real impact on your W-day design.

1. Typographic Design.

Typography is very much an art from. Font choice, letter spacing, line spacing, colour and placement are key to a successful design and these subtle skills of judgement are not to be sniffed at. If you don’t get it just right, quite frankly it can look rubbish…

And this movie inspired typographic design above from Yield Ink is anything but rubbish! The spacing, stripped back colour scheme and the way the various fonts interact all appear effortless – a sure sign of the craftsmanship required to produce a design as clean as this. Yield Ink utilise traditional crafts and even have a vintage letterpress on which they produce much of their work. Snazzy.

In the example above the emphasis of the work is firmly placed upon the text. They say that a picture paints a thousand words, but it’s a shame to miss out if the thousand words are all as pretty as these ones by RSVP Candy.

A real stand out wedding of 2011 for me was the marriage of Ruth and Rob. Both designers at Raw Design Studio, they branded their wedding to perfection. Typography became a theme that ran through the whole event. They even created a little R&R logo. Very sweet, very creative and absolutely bang on trend.

View the whole wedding, shot by Shaw and Shaw, by clicking HERE.

Next up, combining text with a single repeated heart shape in various colours and patterns gave the invitations below, designed by Rose Mountague, a country garden bunting-esque appeal that totally nailed the brief.

In this beautifully decorated wedding that we featured back in August 2011 you can see how typography suits a back garden rustic affair just as much as it does a cool contemporary wedding.

View the whole wedding, shot by Dominique Bader, by clicking HERE.

2. Illustrative Design.

The other design-trend-of-the-moment can be as basic or as intricate as your imagination (or perhaps your designers imagination) will allow.

The great thing with illustration is that we can all have a go at it, and with modern printing and production facilities it may well be the case that, if you posses at least one creative bone in your body, you may well be able to knock up some wedding stationery that is actually pretty good, and of course very, very personal to you. Try it – you might surprise yourself!

View the whole wedding, shot by navyblur, by clicking HERE.

Bryony and Jamie created an illustration that they reproduced throughout their extensive range of home made wedding stationery. Just like Ruth and Rob, they created themselves a little wedding brand. With the right choice of materials, knowing your limits and by playing to your strengths, your home made branding can look absolutely spot on.

We recently shared with you the wedding of Caro and Simon – and they received such a response to their umbrella themed hand finished wedding stationery, that Caro and an illustrator friend, who designed and created the items have decided to start offering the service to others – if you would like more information then you can drop the girls an email at foldedpaperdesigns@yahoo.com.

View the whole wedding, shot by Debs Iveljar, by clicking HERE.

I also love the design below, in a similar vein of illustration – almost a call back to the simple and innocent quality of a school exercise book doodle. This is from another RMW real wedding and the design is by Kate Blake.

View the whole wedding, shot by Joanna Brown Photography, by clicking HERE.

Right, I have one last thing to show you today, and if you are digging the free style, simple and fun illustrative vibe we are on, you are going to LOVE this.

The Little Peach is a brand spanking new wedding stationery designer, specialising in screen-printing. I took to these designs like a designer to a beanie hat – because having done a bit of screen-printing in my time (I went to art college don’t you know ) I truly do understand the time and skill that goes into creating each of these magnificent prints. They are all original little works of art.

I love the simple colour schemes, the interesting materials, the witty and fun illustrations and the attention to detail. Everything, and I mean everything is hand finished. I am officially in stationery heaven .

It is easy to think that your wedding stationery starts and stops with save the dates and invitations but that is not necessarily the case. If you wish, you can incorporate a design that touches every single aspect of your wedding day.

I guess this leads me nicely onto a few final thoughts…

How important to you is your wedding stationery? It’s hard coming from a design background for me not to place it RIGHT UP THERE (above the dress maybe…?) I would be interested to hear where it sits with you peeps who are currently in the throws of W-day planning.

And who is thinking about making their own stationery?

Of course I have only shared the tiny body of work that I am currently pouring over, there are loads of styles, designs and great stationers out there, so please share anything you’ve seen that you like. That’s what it’s all about folks.

Adam.

What Is Love?

Charlotte@rockmywedding — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:00:26 +0000

*Your chance to win pretty within this post!

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

A Splash Of Contemporary Colour.

Charlotte@rockmywedding — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:00:47 +0000

I am currently having a moment over carnations, the big blousy variety all tightly packed together to create a pouff of extreme pretty. I am also having a moment over colour, bold bright clashing shades such as hot pink, red and orange in particular. So it was like Christmas (literally) after such a successful run of romantic rustic affairs when the uber contemporary inspiration shoot styled by Andri of Always Andri Wedding Design, landed in the RMW inbox…

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.

My Top Tips to get your perfect red point.

• Smooth concealer over your lips to lock down the colour.
• Work in thin layers, starting from the middle of the lip and work outwards.
• Apply lip liner after the lipstick and Use a lip brush for a smother finish.
• Add clear gloss after to make lips look even fuller.

My favourite reds are Colour Fever Lipstick in 151 by Lancome, Signature hydra lustre lipstick in Rich Red by Estee Lauder and Moisture Drench Lipstick in Dare Devil by No.7

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

Floral Headband Pretty – D.I.Y Friday

Vix@rockmywedding — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:00:15 +0000

Happy Friday everyone!! Phew! been a long week this one and I’m so ready for a nice glass of vino tonight!

Welcome to DIY Friday and I am happy to say that my DIY posts will be a more regular feature from now on… woop woop!!!

So, Charlotte and I were thinking how nice it would be to be able to make your own headband floral pretty (or for your best girls…), so I set to work and here it is. And it’s so very easy……..enjoy and please let me know of anything you want me to have a go at for future posts.

You will need:

Some material of your choice
Some fabric scissors
Needle and cotton
Some beads of your choice
A pen/ pencil
Plain plaited headbands (H & M are great and only £1.99 each)
Mini safety pins

Step 1.

Fold your fabric into squares ( think about how many layers of petals you want)

Step 2.

If you fancy it you can draw a flower shape or alternatively just use our downloadable template

Step 3.

Cut the flower shape out

Step 4.

Layer the flower petals and arrange as you wish to (neat or a bit haphazard, we prefer the latter)

Step 5.

Load up your needle with cotton and stitch through the centre of the flower and attach beads and/or buttons of your choice.

Step 6.

Ruffle the petals and if you want a more shabby-chic looking flower then you can pull away the edges of the petals to losen the weave to give a frayed effect

Step 7.

Use a mini safety pin to attach to your headband

Other ideas…

You can use multiple flowers on a band for a more statement effect or glue to kirby grips and use as hairslides. I also like the idea of using these flowers (mis matched fabrics would look cool!) to decorate favour boxes or even added to string to make unique chair back decor.

And if you want a non-wilting (and personalised) buttonhole then these make a great alternative.

I have already told Charlotte I am making loads and having them all the way up my W-day ailse (she just doesn’t know she’s the one helping me make them all yet….)

Top Tips.

Spray starch will help stiffen the petals and you can also use your iron to give the petals some creases in the right places. Also don’t forget to look in your wardrobe for unwanted clothes as these can be useful, the green ones are made from a summer dress I don’t wear anymore.

Finally for those that like a bit of sparkle why not get some flitter (extremely fine glitter) and give the petals a touch of glitz!!

Voila…………please excuse my rubbish hair, I’m going through the “too long too short” stage AND trying to grow out my fringe so at the moment every day seems to be a bad hair day.

Lots of Friday love

Vix

click the icon to download the template for this tutorial:

Breaking Dawn.

Charlotte@rockmywedding — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:00:28 +0000

I will begin with asking the obvious question, how many of you are Twilight fans?

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

Sow Me. Grow Me. Love Me.

Vix@rockmywedding — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:00:24 +0000

Give the gift of plant life people!

So then, I was having a think about favours and how it would be a great idea to give the gift of a lovely flower of some sort…. and I came up with the idea of giving a bulb or seeds depending on the time of year you are getting married. For instance, this time of year would be great to give Daffodills, Tulips, Crocus, Hyacinths and if your having a Spring/Summer wedding why not give Strawberry Seeds or my (and Jenny’s) absolute FAVOURITE… Sunflower seeds??

For this example I have used Tulips but you can get some great deals on other bulbs this time of year from your local garden store.

You will need:

A small or medium sized bucket ( I used Medium) 85p or a small plan pot 59p both from HobbyCraft
Some bulbs – mine were £3.99 from Homebase for 10 bulbs
Card / luggage tags – available from craft stores
Some fabric and/or paper napkins
Some ribbon / String
Some transfer letters – available from craft stores

Step 1.

Make a label. I used simple brown card and cut out a heart shape (we have a downloadble template available at the end of the post if you like this idea) I then used letter transfers to write my words, you could use these as name places instead if you prefer to – use a hole punch for the ribbon to loop through.

Step 2.

Wrap a bulb or two depending on the size of your bucket in either some fabric or a napkin, the GB ones here are from tesco and they were really cheap for lots of them! You could use News print which would look great for a more rustic look.

Step 3.

Tie the ribbon around the bulbs and loop the tag in, then tie a bow.

Step 4.

Place the bundle into your chosen vessle and mess about with it to create the right height/ width that you require.

There you go! once your guests have sown and grown your bulb they will think of you and your special day every year when the flower appears and they can use the pot to plant it for an indoor bulb. There are loads of ways you could use this idea, think of where you are from, eg Wales – Daffodills perhaps? England – the great British Strawberry etc!

What do you think???

Much love

Vix

Oh, and click the pdf image to get a heart shaped template, complete with the words Sow Me Grow Me Love Me…

I’m In Heaven.

Charlotte@rockmywedding — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 07:00:05 +0000

I don’t pretend to know the sheer amount of time it must take, the type of dedication and the kind of organisational skills that go into planning and executing a luxe wedding, but I can imagine. And someone who definitely would know is Mark Niemierko, named Britain’s top luxury wedding planner by Elle Magazine and renowned UK wide for designing and styling truly beautiful events.

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…

The couple and their children lived all over the world, from Windsor, Santa Fa and most regularly spending their time in Singapore due to work commitments. Although the Bride was English and the Groom Swedish So I had a lot of cultures and styles to merge into one day!

The ceremony was held at a small village church across the Road from the couple’s home in Binfield. This couple had been together for well over 10 years, and already had 2 children who happened to be Christened in this church so it had real personal meaning to them.

With the church we wanted to keep the country, rustic feel and add some colour and polish to it. I’m so use to keeping ceremonies white and fancied a change! The Mulberry ad campaign from earlier in the year inspired me to go a little OTT with colourful hydrangeas, pink, green and lilac. We installed them everywhere, from the back of the church by the alter railings to an oversized arch outside. We hired McQueen’s flowers for the church as the Bride and I felt they understood our brief the most. The scent in the church came from the pew-ends as tied to each pew were stocks in pale lilac and cream, bound with natural seagrass.

When the guests arrived at Cliveden the drinks reception commenced on the front drive. Waiting for the Bride and Groom to arrive. The guests weren’t aware the couple were arriving by Horse and Carriage.

Then onto the West Wing terrace for the remainder of the drinks reception. Ruinart champagne was served along with canapés. Whilst the Urban Soul Orchestra entertained the guests, florist Rob Van Helden was my choice as the reception venue floral designer.

We’d gone for a more contemporary outdoor feel for the drinks reception. With white furniture and vases. We installed a stone like bar to fit with the exterior of Cliveden. The columns along the Pagoda had wonderful ivy garlands going up them, with a mixture of white peonies, hydrangeas, lilies as well as clusters of fresh granny smith apples! The white flowers and vases were a perfect contrast to the gardens and view that people were looking out onto.

A 3 course Dinner was served in the Terrace Dining Room. With a combination of 3 different table centres to create varied heights on the tables. Including a tall lantern tree stand placed in the centre of 4 of the tables, clad with glossy dark green foliages, interspersed with clusters of all white Peonies and all white Avalanche Spray Roses. The three branches at top suspended a hanging glass lantern. As it got darker these looked especially romantic.

The other table centres included a silver candelabra and a silver sundial dish, filled with water and white floating candles. Really beautiful. Dinner was perhaps the most traditional part of the day.

The menus were cut circular to fit into the charge plates perfectly. These doubled up as a place card as they included the individual guest’s names on them. We also arranged for Ladies and Gentlemen’s napkin rings. The gents had a silver flower pot napkin ring and sprig of flowering mint whilst the Ladies had the same but with a white rose added.

There were a large number of children at this wedding so they all dined in the french dining room at Cliveden. The three flower girls hosted their own table. They each had a different coloured sash on their dress, ice blue, duck egg and candy pink so we incorporated those colours subtly onto each table with ribbon napkin rings. The room is very ornate and grand so we kept to gold candelabra’s. We arranged for each child’s place setting to have a slate tile and chalk bucket which works perfectly for children to keep them entertained during dinner.

After dessert the guests were asked to make their way back out to the Front of Cliveden House for the cutting of the cake. However when they reached outside there was no cake, just an empty plinth. This was the part of the day were I incorporated Singapore and that influence on the couple, I was inspired by 1940’s Shanghai and also Colonel Singapor – think Raffles Hotel. Once all guests were outside authentic Chinese music started playing and Shaolin Monks appeared from both sides of the drive. Arriving in front of the guests to perform. A lion dance also came across the lawn – with live music behind it. The monks went to the side as the Lion Dance continued. From the side the Monks reappear carrying a large Art-Deco style cake, designed and created by Peggy Porschen, including hanging Crystals -Six tiers in total. This was Niemierko’s grandest and detailed cake ever. The cake reached the Bride and Groom and one of the Monks handed the couple a Sword…..As they cut BANG, a four minute firework display began, synchronised to Black Eyed Peas “I’ve Got a Feeling” and U2’s “Beautiful Day”. WOW.

Now we had to top this amazing act and firework display off and keep the momentum going, the guests made their way back into the House and into the Great Hall which had been turned into a Nightclub. Palms were installed around the room, a large square dance floor, the couples monogram had even been given an Asian makeover. There was a chrome topped bar with aubergine velvet along it, black poser tables with mirrored tops and ambient lighting all around the room. The first act when the guests entered was female strings group Bond. The guests enjoyed the 10 minute performance whilst perched on low seating sofa areas, upholstered in aubergine ribbed silk.

After Bond’s performance, the Rockabellas came on. A 1940’s female trio act singing everything from Candy Man to Beyonce’s Crazy In Love. Without doubt they were the highlight of the night.

After their 20 minute set the main and final act of the evening The All Stars came on to entertain the guests until the very end.

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

D.I.Y Friday… Mix C.D. Place Settings

Adam@rockmywedding — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:00:52 +0000

Music is such a big part of your wedding day, and many of you are spending more and more time deciding what live music you’ll have, and also what your wedding playlist will be.

It’s common now to ask your guests for suggestions for the playlist on your Save The Dates. It’s a great idea as it makes your guests feel like part of the celebration from the word go and it helps to ensure a jam packed dance floor on the big day its self.

A nice touch for your favours would be to give guests a selection of tunes from your playlist on a home made mix cd… so why not build the whole thing into your table decor?

Today I am going to show you how to make places settings that double as a cd holder and all you need is one sheet of A4 paper for each place setting… you don’t even need a pair of scissors!

Here Is One I made Earlier…

First of all, to make life super easy for you lovely people, I have popped together a Word template for you to download (we love a free download at RMW). In the document you can see where all the text needs to be in order for it to all fold up correctly. Feel free to use my design and of course you can adapt it to suit your own colour scheme or theme.

Click the icon above to download your fully customisable word template.

Colours, fonts, images – even the paper you choose will have a huge impact on the final item. Think shiny elegant paper with a slender font for contemporary chic, or hand made papers and stamps for rustic DIY. Also, consider how you could personalise the place settings to reflect you, or even your guests – it would be immense to totally personalise the text, images and even the playlist on each place setting. How over the moon would your guests be if they each received a totally bespoke item?

How It’s Done.

Right then, I’m going to use a print-out from the free template download in order to show you how all the folding works. You will see that this place setting is for the fictitious marriage of Adam (me) and Kylie (Minogue), and of course a certain blog queen herself has been invited along to celebrate our big day.

I have used brown parcel paper – I love it and it is so cheap, especially if you buy it by the roll. I cut a sheet of A4 from the roll at an angle to get the lines of the paper running diagonally…

Blank side up, place the centre of the cd hole over the centre point of the shorter side of the paper.
Fold the top and bottom in so that the cd is fitted snugly in the centre.
Carefully fold the cd over toward the centre (make sure the cd doesn’t move too much!)
Fold the other side in so it’s snug against the exposed edge of the cd.
Unfold again. (dead simple this stage)
Fold the corners inline with the folds you did in stage 2.
Tuck the folded edge in between the cd and the paper.
Hey presto! 1 down… 124 to go (based on a wedding with 125 guests).

The Finished Article.

As you can see below, the text all lines up on the front and back to show off your wedding branding, the place setting name, and of course the playlist. If you are using our template you may have to tweak the positions of the text boxes a bit as all printers are a little different. Top tip hold down cmd on a mac or (I think) ctrl on a pc when moving text boxes around in Word – you have much more precision over your movements if you do this.

Simple As That.

So that really is all there is to it. Of course there are a million different uses for these cd covers, but If you are looking to engage your guests, if music is important to you and you are stuck on ideas for favours, I may well have just killed three birds with one stone!

Of course if you do decide to make your guests a mix cd, please make sure you pay for all the music you use!

Have a great weekend folks,

Adam.

P.S Vix…. see if you can top this D.I.Y Mother!
P.P.S An extra special post coming up tomorrow people…