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Let There Be Love.

January 5th, 2012

It is simply incredible to hear that the vast majority of the planning for Ben and Nienke’s wedding was achieved in two weeks flat.

Getting married on the other side of the world to where you live is always going to present the odd logistical issue (understatement) and you have to admire this couples determination and trust that everything would be alright on the night.

Photography today is by the incredibly talented Anna Clarke of Anna Clarke Photography fame. She was assisted by her husband Simon, they certainly are a photographic team to be reckoned with.

Home Is Where The Heart Is.

We got married on 25th June 2011 in Leek Wootton in Warwickshire. It’s the village where I grew up and where my parents still live. We were married in the lovely old village church and then everyone walked down the road to my parents house where we had our drinks reception. We were very lucky that our lovely neighbours who live opposite my parents allowed us to use their garden to put up a big marquee, and so we headed over there for the wedding breakfast, meaning no driving had to be done at all during the day! That being said, another of the wonderful village neighbours drove me and my father to church (a grand 200m or so journey), and afterwards whisked Ben and I away in his amazing vintage Rolls Royce – he even dressed up as a chauffeur and surprised us with a bottle of champagne at the church!

Down Under.

We have been living in New Zealand for the past two years and that was where Ben proposed, during a skiing trip in the beautiful Remarkables of the South Island. Of course I said yes, we got incredibly excited, then almost immediately decided that we couldn’t possibly get married over here. And so began the trans-world wedding planning! Fortunately we were actually due to head back to the UK a few weeks after our engagement, so we managed to get most things sorted out during a quick fortnight back home (also, my mother is an organisation demon!). For that reason, we didn’t really have the option of looking around lots of places and sourcing different suppliers, we just had to get on with it! So….

Chapel Length Veil.

My dress was from Quello, a lovely little bridal shop in Kenilworth ten minutes from my parents house, and was by the Spanish designer, Rosa Clara. I think it was the second dress I tried on, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t that excited by it at the time, probably because it was 8 sizes too big for me and looked ridiculous! However, my thoughts kept coming back to that dress, and with good reason. The lovely ladies at Quello ordered me a dress in the right size, and managed to do pretty much all the alterations in the five days before our wedding when we were next back in the UK. Terrifying! They were amazing though, and I couldn’t have been more delighted when I finally got into my dress on the day. I had a little matching off the shoulder lace jacket which I wore during the ceremony and drinks reception, and a chapel length veil (because if you don’t wear a veil at your wedding, when else could you possibly wear one?).

Killer Heels.

My jewellery was very simple, a pearl and diamond earring and necklace set given to me by my mother, which had been given to her by my Dad’s mother, and a pearl bracelet. My shoes were tall! Ben is a lot taller than me (most people are) so I tottered around on killer heels for most of the day. I got the perfect pair in light ivory on a whim from Mi Piaci in New Zealand a few months before the wedding. The men hired their suits from Parkes in Royal Leamington Spa, and they all looked fantastic. My bridesmaids wore charcoal and ivory dresses from Forever Yours and managed to get them from local bridal shops scattered around the UK.

The Beauty Box.

Hair and makeup was a bit of a case of “who’s free on the day and is nearby” – being so far away I didn’t really have the opportunity to try out lots of places. I had been recommended The Beauty Box in Hampton Magna by a neighbour, and when I met Jacquie there I knew she would be great. She came over to my parents house on the day and did the makeup for myself and my mother, leaving us with a swag bag of all her makeup to return the following week so we could do touchups through the day as we wanted. I zoomed off to Classics hairdressers in Kenilworth first thing in the morning for a bit of time on my own, and they put my hair up in a loose chignon. I knew I couldn’t wear my hair down as I’m a terrible fiddler and would have had it in knots before the ceremony!

Champagne Picnic.

Getting our flowers done was again a bit of a guessing game, as we weren’t able to meet any florists in person. My mother’s a whiz with flowers, and so we decided that we would do all the decorations for the church, house and marquee. We ordered a massive pile of flowers from our local wholesaler, and with the help of a near army of women from the village (who were all amazing), and my mother and sister-in-law, we transformed the church on the Wednesday before the wedding. It was a brilliant day, all helping out and with a little champagne picnic in the church gardens to break up the work, we were laughing the whole day long. The church looked fantastic, but with all the flowers for the house and marquee to be done the day before the wedding we worried if we’d bitten off more than we could chew. The garage was full to bursting with roses, alstromeria, freesia, stock, lisianthus, ferns and tens of buckets! On Friday afternoon my maid of honour, mother and I made all the table decorations whilst chatting away and sipping wine, and it really set the scene for a wonderful weekend. As we knew the wedding day itself would be busy, we handed over responsibility for the bouquets and button holes to Fiona of Inspired Elegance, who matched the flowers beautifully with those that we had already prepared.

Divide And Conquer.

Our photographer was the wonderful Anna of Anna Clarke Photography. We met her only 4 days before the wedding when we had our “engagement” shoot. She instantly put us at ease, and we knew that we’d have a great time with her on the day. She came with her lovely husband Simon who shoots with her, and the two of them divided and conquered to capture the day in beautiful relaxed photographs. As this was going to be the first time we’d seen many of our friends since moving to New Zealand we didn’t want to spend half the reception having photos taken, and Anna and Simon were great in understanding that. We decided to have a relaxed lunch with the entire bridal party together before the ceremony and Anna and Simon used that time to make sure we got all the slightly more formal photographs that we might want.

Attack Of The Munchies.

We decided against a traditional cake as neither of us are that fussed about them, and felt that they often don’t even get eaten at weddings. Instead, we opted for some tiered cheeses, which we served as an extra cheese course half way through dancing later in the evening. It went down incredibly well, was completely devoured, and certainly settled some late night munchies! It was all organised by our fabulous caterers, The Chopping Block, who provided absolutely fantastic food, drink and service throughout the entire weekend.

Let There Be Love.

We knew early on that we wanted a live band, and listening to The Fabulations on their online jukebox knew that they’d be perfect for us. They got everyone up and dancing, including my octagenarian grandparents, with a brilliant mix of motown, funk and soul. Our first dance song was chosen the day before our wedding! We’d actually chosen something different quite some time before, but the band contacted us nearer the time saying that they didn’t think they could do it justice and were wondering if there was something else that we’d like instead. We forgot to reply, and suddenly realised with 24 hours to go that we didn’t have a first dance song. We quickly chose Let There Be Love, not for any particular reason other than us both liking the song!

Miniature Favours.

For favours we wanted something that our guests could enjoy on the night. We ordered lots of miniature glass bottles and my father spent a day decanting port from our two university colleges into them. They went down a treat with the cheese later in the night.

No Theme As Such.

Our decorations were all pretty simple – white flowers, candles and a simple thistle and ribbon on the napkins. We didn’t really have a colour theme as such, but if I had to describe it, it was probably ivory, charcoal and sage. Four our table plan I collected photographs of our parents and all our grandparents and arranged them amongst the table plan on a large board as our guests entered the marquee. Our grandparents absolutely loved it and it was a nice reminder of those grandparents who couldn’t be with us on the day.

Party On.

To make the most of our time back in the UK we organised a more relaxed hog roast and bar the following day, again in the marquee. The sun shone on one of summer’s warmest days, and it was great to relax with all our guests and some extra friends recounting tales of our wedding day before we left for our honeymoon that evening.

Forget About The Hiccups.

We had the most amazing day and will always remember it as such. It doesn’t matter that the toilets broke, and that a stranger parked in the space we’d set aside for the wedding car! Don’t get too hung up on all the little details and stay calm if things don’t work out quite as you’d planned. In all probability no-one will even notice anyway, they’ll be too busy looking at the two of you. and having a brilliant time.

Boutique Quello

Dress Rosa Clara

Shoes Mi Piaci

Maids Forever Yours

Hair Inspired Elegance

Make-up The Beauty Box

Bouquets and button holes Inspired Elegance

Photography Anna Clarke Photography

Catering The Chopping Block

The Fabulations The Fabulations

I think Nienke showed tremendous vision (and nerves of steal) to go for a dress that she only tried on once and was 8 sizes to big. I think we can safely say that gamble paid off though.

I love the table plan, I love the car – it reminds me of Gumdrop – anyone remember Gumdrop? Just me then….

If they managed all this in two weeks, I imagine that Ben and Nienke could probably organise world peace in a little over 3 months… anyone got a contact number for NATO?

Adam.

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East Meets West.

December 5th, 2011

Chris Barber told me that this wedding was one of the most fun weddings he’s ever shot! The Barbers like a bit of insanity, so I guess if there was ever going to be a wedding where the boys had to complete a series of crazy challenges before the girls would let them into the house before the ceremony could take place, you’d fancy that The Barbers would be the photographers to choose.

These challenges, by the way, included having to eat what appears to be a mountain of rice out of a massive metal pan and having a nose hair removed in the most painful way imaginable…

We have already shared the immense engagement shoot that Ann and Phil had (check it out if you haven’t already), and so let’s hand back to them for the follow up.

We are Ann and Phil and we were married on 28th June 2011. Our outdoor wedding ceremony and evening party took place at Moxhull Hall Hotel and the reception was at China Court Restaurant, Birmingham.

Three Dresses.

I had three dresses throughout the day (It may seem a lot but that is the bare minimum for Chinese brides). I started off with the traditional red Chinese dress, known as a ‘qwa’. It’s a vintage piece as it was borrowed from my aunt who wore it over 30 years ago for her wedding. Others in the family, including my two sisters have worn it since so there’s a lot of history with it.

For my main wedding dress I had no real idea what I wanted but after only visiting a few bridal shops and finding nothing that I even wanted to try on. In the end I decided to get one custom made which was a saga in itself but worth it in the end and I couldn’t have done it with out my handy designer friends Sing Yee and Grace. It was a silk bandeau dress with French lace bodice.

For my evening gown I had been looking around and couldn’t find anything suitable within my non existent budget. I ended up having to make a last minute decision to have a custom made ivory coloured ‘qi pao’ which was literally done two weeks before the wedding by giving my measurements to my cousin in Hong Kong. It turned up on my doorstep in the suitcase of my Aunt the week before the wedding! Luckily I only had to have minor alterations done on it.

Traditional Bangles.

As part of customary Chinese tradition, we both received lots of gold jewellery such as ‘dragon and phoenix’ inscribed bangles, gold chain and pendants and rings from close family members. They were given to us on the day, during the tea ceremony and I wore it with my traditional red Chinese dress.

I had a red hair piece to go with the red Chinese dress and a gold hair piece with the evening gown. With the wedding dress, I wore a long veil which was borrowed from my sister and I only got the chance to try it on the night before the wedding! My pearl necklace was a surprise gift from my two darling younger cousins who knew it was the final touch that I had been looking for.

So High It Hurts.

I think I may have spent more time looking for my shoes than anything else. I drove everyone around me insane and gave a brief of what I wanted to bridesmaids and friends from America to Hong Kong looking for me. I knew I didn’t want anything white/ivory and wanted to add a bit of edge to my look.

My problem seemed to be that anything I did like was way too high for my comfort. In the end after 10 months of looking, I found a pair of black suede peep toes with a bow detail by Peter Kaiser a month before the wedding. I don’t know if I chose them because I was panicking but in the end I really liked the overall effect and the bonus is I’ve worn the shoes again.

A Family Affair.

My hair was done by my cousin Eva at Mak Hair. I had one trial and was keen on two different styles but actually only made my mind up on the morning! I guess I was relaxed about it because I knew both styles would have worked fine and Eva is a real pro.

My make-up was done by my sister and as she flew in from New York a couple of days before we didn’t get to trial it but I just wanted to keep it natural so completely trusted her to do her thing.

Yellow Theme.

Our flowers were by Andi and Wendy at Floral Decorations. I’m not much of a flower person so didn’t really have any specific ideas or requests so I just looked around on wedding blogs and found that Craspedias (Billy Buttons) really struck us, and fitted with our yellow theme too.

Other than that, we weren’t too particular so just showed Andi and Wendy some Craspedia based bouquets and buttonholes that we liked and let our florists decide. They produced a gorgeous mix of Peony, Craspedia, Eustoma, Viburnum and Eucalyptus which worked so well together.

Nothing Girly.

Our five bridesmaids’ dresses were from J.Crew Neither my bridesmaids nor I wanted anything that was really girly or ‘bridesmaidsey’ so we went for charcoal grey in silk chiffon which I find much cooler and less traditional than satin. The groomsmen were just asked to wear their own grey suits and their ties were from Tie Rack. Phil and the groomsmen’s ties were grey/silver to tie in the bridesmaids dresses. Our three nieces wore white pouf dresses with yellow sashes from J.Crew and our two little nephews wore waistcoats and a bowtie.

Three Changes.

Phil always said he didn’t want to wear anything traditional. He had three outfits for the day to complement my dress changes. He wore a black tux with a bow tie and a red checked shirt for a splash of colour to tie in with my traditional Chinese dress. For the ceremony he wore a fitted two buttoned grey suit and stood out a little from the groomsmen by adding a white waistcoat. He also refined his look with some classic gents accessories, a tie bar, tie-clip and cufflinks from Agnes B.

To complement my ‘qi pao’ he wore a classic tux and bow tie. Both the grey suit and the tux are bespoke as Phil has monkey arms and finds it difficult to get high street suits to fit well. I thought he looked very ‘dapper’ and on the day he still felt completely relaxed and comfortable and didn’t feel like he was in a ‘costume’.

Fetch Me A Barber.

The Barbers – Dani and Chris Barber were our photographers. They were exactly what we were looking for and our engagement shoot photos proved that we had made the right choice. We completely trusted them to do what they had to do to work down our endless list of traditional shots with family and relatives. The thing with Dani and Chris is that they’re great at communicating with you in the run up to the wedding and really take the time to get to know you and vice versa so you can just see their amazing work ethic and quite naturally they become friends you can trust.

Thankfully we still managed to spare a little bit of time for The Barbers to exert their creative flair with some fun bridesmaids and groomsmen shots. We still feel guilty for not affording more time to them though.

Sweet Treats Times Two.

We had two lots of cakes, a three tier Chinese fresh fruit cream cake at the reception and then the fun and tasty cupcakes by Dali and Maz from Kiss Me Cupcakes. We decorated the vanilla and mint choc cupcakes with different handmade DIY toppers which were designed by our good friend and bridesmaid Eve from Dunbyme, the creative genius and graphics whiz who also designed our invites and other stationary.

Dancing On A School Night.

We used Sonic Light and Sound a DJ recommended by the venue, having realised that a band was out of our budget and really not worth it as our wedding fell on a week night so we expected that many of guests wouldn’t stay on too late. We didn’t have a first dance but walking back up the aisle together, we used Amos Lee’s ‘Sweet Pea’ as it was playing in a shop we were in in New York, shortly after Phil proposed.

Silly Spaces and Sweet Shops.

The highlight was a ‘silly space’ booth that our Photographer’s set up. Our guests had a laugh taking photos using random props that were supplied. Nothing but silliness, just the way we like it. We didn’t have favours as such but we did have a yellow themed ‘Sweet Shop’ with plenty for guests to take away along with the cupcakes.

East Meets West.

We loved that our wedding entailed aspects of our Chinese culture with the Western touches and the whole day was just like a big family and friends get together.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help as involving loved ones is great for bonding and making everyone feel part of the day. It also helps with control freak brides, like me to be able to delegate everything to people who know what’s going on.

Set a realistic budget (with a contingency) and don’t deviate from it at every opportunity with the saying ‘you only do it once’. At the end of the day, it is being married that is most important; not the fifty details that people may not even appreciate. Remember, you two are the ones who have to live with the costs and although weddings as expensive, they are only as expensive as you allow them to be.

No Time For Myths.

I think it’s a myth when people tell you have to plan your wedding years in advance. I think it works two ways; the more time you have, the more you dwell on things.

Lastly just have a good time and try not to sweat the small stuff!

Venue Moxhull Hall Hotel

Reception China Court Restaurant

Shoes Peter Kaiser

Hair Mak Hair

Bridesmaids J.Crew

Grooms Accessories Agnes B

Photographers The Barbers

Cupcakes Kiss Me Cupcakes

Entertainment Sonic Light and Sound

My eyes are still watering, partly from laughing out loud at what looks to be a wedding with one soul purpose – to have fun fun fun… but mainly from that nose hair tweaser shot. OUCH!

I’m loving the yellow colour scheme, and the simple touches like the buttonholes and the chair bow really tie everything together in such a simple and effective way.

Right, I’m off to see if I can perfect the split-legged groom leap. All I need is a big box and a camera and a sunset. Oh, and the St. Johns ambulance team on standby.

Adam.

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A Sprig Of Somerset Sage.

December 2nd, 2011

Rachael and Jamie took 12 months to plan their wedding. They were both very heavily involved at all stages and in all decisions. It was a real team effort which, let’s face it, is what marriage is all about!

Amy Murrell from Especially Amy is responsible for today’s eye candy. Oh, and look out for the Mother of the Bride badge. It’s genius.

Frome Somerset With Love.

Our wedding took place on Sunday the 4th September 2011 at St Mary’s Church and Orchardleigh House both of which are part of the Orchaleigh Estate, in Frome, Somerset.

Modern Twist.

My dress was from Maggie Sottero and the model is called Karena Royale. The design really is quite classic with a few modern twists; After looking at dresses in magazines and trying on a few I knew that I wanted a lace dress but had no idea about the style and cut, I wasn’t in a rush to buy a dress as we had a long engagement so tried on a fair few in order to differentiate between styles and cuts and just because I could :) .

From trying on numerous dresses and striking off many because of the weight, poofyness and never ending layers I decided I wanted something elegant and that I would be comfortable wearing throughout the day as well as a dress that wasn’t too heavy and restricting. The reason I knew it was “the one” was because of how it looked and felt on. The lace gave it the classic bridal look but the additions of the sash and the small diamante flecks throughout the dress tied the whole look together and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Discreet Studs.

As the dress did have the sparkly detail throughout and the broach detail on the sash I didn’t want to wear anything that took away from the dress and make everything look a bit too bling! So discreet and understated small diamante and pearl studs were my earring choice, with a very small diamante floral tiara both of which were sourced from a local boutique.

Look Him In The Eyes.

Knowing that brilliant blue skies are not always guaranteed for every wedding day I didn’t want to splurge on shoes that potentially would get wrecked before arriving at the church. Luckily I found some Ivory, peep toed high heels in Nine West that didn’t break the bank and went really well with my dress. Not only were they comfortable they gave me the much needed extra height to help elevate me so that I could look my 6”4 husband in the eyes rather than his chest!!

A Considered Decision.

I am not a big make up wearer so didn’t want to turn up at the church and have Jamie not recognize me! I went with a very natural look but with a bit more definition in the eyes and cheeks. A very light heather eye liner and eye shadow was used, with the addition of a few false eye lashes to help give me fuller lashes and more definition. My hair choice was difficult and I found this really hard to decide, I knew I wanted something quite classic and not too fussy but beside that had no idea. I had one trial with Alexis 7 months before the wedding with no concluding decision so decided to have another trial closer to the wedding along with the veil and tiara which really helped to make the decision and be able to gage the final look.

A Pamper Party.

All the hair and make up for both me and the girls was provided by Alexis Daly from Big Day Beauty. It was a pleasure to see the girls looking so great as well as being a little bit pampered along with myself. I was so pleased with all the hair and make up for the entire bridal party, Alexis delivered exactly the look we were all after and took a lot of time and effort to ensure that everyone was comfortable and happy with their finished looks. The good news was that Jamie did recognize me and I received many compliments regarding both my hair and makeup choices for the day!

Natural Beauty.

As we were having a country wedding we didn’t want anything looking too manicured and precise. After seeing the house and the church we wanted the beauty of these to stand out and our ideas and themes to blend in. We opted for white flowers with lots of green foliage, and went with simple and slightly rustic as the brief. Our florist Jackie from Neston flowers in Bradford upon Avon was brilliant and grasped exactly what we wanted and delivered beyond our expectations and helped make our day. When we first visited Jackie and started to discuss the wedding we took along the wicker hearts that were used for the pews and the bridge and the theme of the flowers started from here. The bouquets were a mix of white roses, freshias, gyp, stephanotis, ivy, eucalyptus with lots of green foliage. This was mirrored throughout in all of the flowers from button holes to the amazing candelabras that were used in both the church and as our table centre pieces.

A Sage Suggestion.

The colour theme was a slightly dark sage green and this was mirrored in the groomsmen’s party ties also. Actually the green theme was discreetly carried on throughout the wedding and featured on the wedding cake too. The bridesmaid dresses I had made after finding a design I liked from Priscilla of Boston and the groomsmen’s suits were provided by Marc Wallace.

Bespoke Tailoring.

Jamie wore a suit by Marc Wallace, he wanted to have the experience of having a suit tailored for him not only just because of his height and finding the right trouser length but he had the very valid point of wanting to feel special for the day in his suit also. Seeing Jamie for the first time when I walked down the aisle is something that I will never forget.

In Amongst The Action.

Amy Murrell from Especially Amy was our photographer and we couldn’t have wished for a better photographer. Laid back, patient and extremely professional and unobtrusive throughout the day, she helped us feel relaxed and comfortable when we knew we were being photographed. We were very lucky as Amy is actually a family friend and came very highly recommend, we took a look at her work had a meeting and the decision was made. Her pictures are fantastic and she captured the day perfectly and really went above and beyond her photographic duties on the day as she actually helped get me into my dress and secure all the corset lacing.

Cake Evolution.

Jamie’s mum Pennie made our cake for us which really made the whole experience special. We had many a discussion on the design, taste and final finish of the cake before production and this really added to the personal touch which was fantastic. Originally I liked the idea of cupcakes but this idea evolved after having looked at many magazines, books and websites. we finally decided on a white chocolate and vanilla mix for all the small drum cakes, but upheld tradition with the top tier being a fruit cake (which is actually Jamies favourite). The cakes were decorated with small flowers and butterflies and a very discreet light scattering of edible glitter along with the sage ribbon. The week before the wedding both Jamie and I were very hands on helping to stick on all the flowers and butterflies so on the wedding day it was a great feeling for us all seeing how beautiful the cake looked on show.

A Song And Dance.

We went for a live band and DJ. The band is called Wired4sound and were absolutely brilliant. They played a very good range of music which catered for all ages and music tastes which ensured the band had everybody on the floor dancing all night. The band also provided a DJ that filled in whilst the band took a break and played some last minute gems at the end of the night also! We also hired a Groovy Booth for the evening which was one of the best choices we made, the guests loved it and it kept all entertained and very amused until early hours! We actually opted for the Groovy Booth to print two picture copies so that guests could put one in our guest book and leave a message and could have a copy for themselves to keep. This enabled us to have an excellent and very comical account of the wedding and covered the favours too. The booth went down a treat with all the guests and would highly recommend this for any future weddings.

Crisp White.

Our general décor for the wedding breakfast room was crisp white linens and matching chair covers. The main features were the candelabras and the wicker hearts that were also used in the church.
For the evening we bought lanterns for the balcony areas outside the house which helped to create a lovely ambience outside and tie in the outside areas to the inside.

12 Months In The Making.

Having been bridesmaid a few times and having the bonus of advice from married friends there are snippets that you take away and implement from each of your experiences to help plan your day. Lots of chats and advice are given on the run up to the wedding but the most valuable advice I found was to relax and enjoy the day and not worry about the minor details. You do not realize how quickly the day passes so enjoy every minute and hour of the day and just go with the flow! To us our day was special because we had the opportunity to have all our friends, family and loved ones under the same roof for one whole day to celebrate along with us. It brought great pleasure to both Jamie and I seeing everyone having fun and letting their hair down which was exactly what we aimed to achieve.

Having spent a good 12 months planning the wedding and then seeing it all come to life was a great experience and something that we will never forget. The colour themes, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flowers, cake and the fantastic efforts of both mums with their outfits and input gave us a great feeling of pride on the day. I was very fortunate in having a groom whom was very interested and involved in the whole planning and organizing process. It was a fabulous feeling knowing that every step towards the wedding had been a joint decision and the day was very much about both of us and learning to cope with compromise!

Venue Orchaleigh Estate

Dress Maggie Sottero

Shoes Nine West

Hair and Make-up Big Day Beauty

Tailor Marc Wallace

Photographer Especially Amy

Music Wired4sound

Entertainment Groovy Booth

Planning an event of such scale is obviously no picnic, but as Rachael describes, the feeling of accomplishment and the sense of achievemnet is something that you’ll keep forever.

And a great team effort has to be the best start in preparing you both for married life.

Adam.

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Absolute Beginners.

November 21st, 2011

Right, where do I Start? I’ve said this before but One thing I like to do when I’m popping a wedding together for you lovely folk is to reach for the headphones and ‘spotify’ the first dance song. It helps me get a vibe for the day whilst I’m selecting the images I’m going to use and more importantly I get a feel for the newly weds as people. When it’s a song I love, so much the better.

I’m a big David Bowie fan but I would never have thought of Absolute beginners as a first dance song, yet it’s perfect. That mix of drama, big sound, flamboyence and genius Bowie lyrics. It’s an “all out” love song that is steeped with sincerity, without the slightest hint of cheese.

Ok, next thing – this wedding is immense! I love Emilia and Christian’s style. Emilia didn’t want to be too classically “bridey” and she achieves that look perfectly. She wanted to do the “Jack Rabbit Slim” dance with her dad (with shoes off and everything) so she did that too. These guys did exactly what they wanted and it just worked. I feel as if they could have decided on something really crazy like, I dunno “Let’s have a stuffed crocodile head on the top table…” and they’d manage to pull it off… But that would be madness right?

Enjoy this one peeps, the day was captured perfectly by Especially Amy…

Not A Girly Girl.

We were married on July 9th, 2011 at the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich. I went home to the US to see family just after we got engaged and my Mom strong-armed me into going dress shopping with her. I was never very girly and actually don’t really like wedding dresses that much, so I was not optimistic at all about finding anything that I liked. We went to a couple of shops and I have to say that on the whole I hated all the dresses that I saw. I wanted something that didn’t scream ‘wedding dress’ and more like a red carpet gown; sleek with a unique twist to it. The dress was the final one that was brought out to me and at first glance I wasn’t that blown over by it; however once I tried it on I knew that it was the one. I knew I wanted a strapless dress and I thought the back was so different than any of the other dresses that I had seen. It is a Nicole Miller dress and it was from Bridal Garden in New Jersey, US.

Vintage Style.

I didn’t want a veil or tiara – again trying to look as least bridal as possible. I decided on a vintage style, crystal hair comb from etsy that added sparkle for some glamour. I love love love big statement earrings and like the look of having one piece of jewellery really stand out. I always stopped to drool at the jewellery in the window of Hirst Antiques, in Notting Hill and I knew they would have a pair of earrings that would be perfect. The ones I chose are a pair of 1940’s Czechoslovakian cut crystal earrings. I thought the amber crystal colour was so beautiful.

Something Blue.

I liked the idea of not wearing white shoes-when would you wear those again anyway? So I went for a pair of Ted Baker, peep toe, royal blue, and 3.5 inch heels. They had a black structural bow on the toe that complimented the bows on the back of my dress.

I Want To Look Like Me.

Alexis Daly did my make-up and hair. She was recommended by my photographer and she was so incredibly great. I told her that I wanted to look like me, i.e. natural, but more enhanced and she completely understood what I wanted. She did a pretty, twisted side knot for my hair. She was also totally great on the day and made everything relaxed and fun while we were getting ready.

Gothic Vibe.

I really love black dahlias and black calla lilies. I wanted a wild, Victorian garden, Gothic vibe to the flowers. I also love mixing textures and foliage with flowers. Rachel Morgan did the flowers and they were even more beautiful than I expected. She added unripe blackberries and wild meadow flowers to the mix that worked perfectly.

Slightly British.

We didn’t have a colour scheme or a theme because our bridesmaids and groomsmen were just my sister and Christian’s brother. We wanted them to feel comfortable in what they were wearing so we let them wear what they wanted-with our input of course! Christian bought his brother a Liberty tie and pocket square, along with black Barbour cufflinks. So I guess there was a slight British theme!

Suits You.

Christian had a bespoke suit made by Max Hence in Spitalfields. It fit him so perfectly and it had wonderful details like turn-ups on the trousers. His shoes were Loake oxblood brogues, and he let me pick out his tie from Liberty. I chose one with rich burgundy colours that would complement the black calla lily he wore for his buttonhole.

Documentary Style.

Amy Murrell from Especially Amy was our photographer and we made our decision to choose her based on some of her other work that we had seen. We knew we wanted a more documentary style to our photographs and Amy’s photographs were exactly that. She was able to capture so many special moments between our friends and family. And even though we hate to pose for photographs, Amy made that totally bearable and some of them turned out to be the best ones!

French Flavours.

We knew we didn’t want a traditional wedding cake because we both don’t like fruit cake and at every wedding we have been to, the cake is always left in the corner and no one eats it. We toyed with the idea of cutting it during the wedding breakfast and serving it for our desert course but that didn’t really work with our caterers. Christian was doing some research on types of cakes and he came across the Croquembouche, a traditional French wedding cake. It is a tower of choux buns filled with different types of flavoured cream fillings and then held together with spun sugar. We went to go taste some at the patisserie, Boulangerie Jade in Blackheath and were hooked. We couldn’t decide on one filling so we convinced them to include all the flavours and to mix them up so that each bun would be a surprise. The flavours were vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, rum, whiskey, cognac, and Armagnac. This way guest could take small buns off the tower themselves throughout the evening to keep them going!

Genius Playlist.

We love music and didn’t want to hand over control to a DJ so we did our own ipod playlists. It was great because we got to hear all our favourite songs without any duds in-between.

I Absolutely Love You.

We danced to Absolute beginners from David Bowie. Bowie is a fav of ours and we had a particularly fun evening early in our relationship that included lots of wine and listening to this song in my garden.

Everybody Be Cool…

I also had a Father/daughter dance with my Dad. It is a tradition for weddings in the US, and being American I couldn’t pass it up. My Dad and I did the Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest dance from the movie Pulp Fiction. We even took our shoes off before the dance like in the movie. When I was 15 he took me to see it in the theatres and it has been a favourite movie of mine ever since.

A Sweet Idea.

We had an arrangement of sweets for the guests. Half were old-style sweets from the US like Mary Jane, Bit o’ Honey, and Squirrel Nut Zippers and the other half were English gummies like foam shrimps. The space at the venue was so beautiful and grand that we really didn’t want to detract from the architectural features of the room. One whole wall was windows and a balcony that overlooked the Thames and we felt it was stunning enough and didn’t need dressing up. We did have a little nod to where we met though. We met while working at a museum with a natural history collection so we decided to have a few bell jars with antlers, fossils, etc..that was reminiscent of a Victorian cabinet of curiosities. We also had a taxidermy crocodile head and a deer skull mixed into the top table flowers.

Make Some Time.

It was so wonderful to me that my family and friends could make it over from the US for my wedding and that really made the wedding the best it could be. The advice I would give to other brides is something that Alexis, my hair and makeup stylist told me while she was getting me ready. She said to make sure that you get a chance to spend some private time with your husband because the whole day will be a blur of activity and you will find that people will be lining up to talk to you. You don’t want to get to the end of the evening and realise that you barely saw your husband! I followed her advice and it really made all the difference for the day-thank you Alexis!

Dress Nicole Miller

Earrings Hirst Antiques

Shoes Ted Baker

Hair and Make-up Alexis Daly

Tailor Max Hence

Flowers Rachel Morgan

Cake Boulangerie Jade

Photographer Especially Amy

Ok, so I’m guessing the croc was still a suprise for a lot of you… what a cool idea though and certainly a very original one. The dress is very individual too, I’m definately a fan… and the groom looks equally stylish – I love that Christian specified turn ups… I thought I was the only one rocking turn ups on suit trousers :)

Adam.

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A Wye Valley Wedding.

November 17th, 2011

Steve and Vicky married on 30th April 2011 in the church of St Cynog’s with a reception afterwards in the 16th Century Llangoed Hall – the site of the first Welsh Parliament. Both are nestled on the floor of the Wye Valley at the foot of the Brecon Beacons National Park in the heart of beautiful and rugged Powys. Photography is courtesy of The Barbers. We don’t need to tell you how much we like The Barbers… and by the end of this report you’re certain to like them too…

A Nod Towards tradition.

My Dress was called ‘Georgia’ by Pronovias – traditional strapless ivory full gown with crumb-catcher top, button-up back and a beautiful 5-foot train.

I’d been looking for about 12 months and just couldn’t find any dresses I honestly liked, let alone loved, and was beginning to panic. I did all the usual things – hunted through magazines, trawled through the internet and wandered around bridal shops. At one appointment (with my mum in tow) I visited a shop that was truly horrible – the staff were disinterested, the shop itself was very busy and hot and the dresses were grubby and stained. My mum was shocked by the service and took an immediate disinterest in any of the dresses – but there was one that caught my eye – ‘Georgia’ by Pronovias.

The following day I got on the internet and found it was stocked at Harrods, London; a quick phone call and we arranged an appointment for that afternoon. The bridal department was quiet, cool and relaxing, the staff brought us champagne and didn’t rush us, and we immediately felt at ease – the service was exemplary. I tried on the dress that I’d seen the previous day and fell in love with it. Trembling in trepidation, I asked the price, expecting a significant premium associated with buying in Harrods and had the most wonderful surprise – the dress was no dearer than any other stockist. I was amazed – and delighted!

Bargain Hunting.

Having hunted for suitable jewellery, I was really struggling to find something pretty enough to complement my plain dress whilst not being too ‘showy’. I found Lori through Etsy and fired off a request to her, describing (poorly!) what I hoped to find – and was gobsmacked when I received an email back with a photograph showing a sample design – it was exactly as I’d imagined it to be! I was nervous with ordering from a woman in Texas whom I’d never met but was reassured by the feedback of others, as well as the speed with which she replied to my enquiry. I decide to place a small test order and this was fulfilled perfectly; I ended up ordering a necklace, bracelet, earrings and hair clip for myself, along with matching necklaces for all the bridesmaids, all at a significant saving over the cost of buying a simple necklace alone in a Jeweller’s in the UK. Beautiful, bespoke and a bargain – I was thrilled!!

Choosing my veil took me far longer than I’d expected. Although I’d tried a number of places, I had my heart set on a veil from Pronovias I’d tried on when choosing my dress. The price was the issue, however – I decided that it just wasn’t worth paying £380 for something so plain and simple. My initial plan was to set about making my own. After many hours work, I decided the hassle just wasn’t worth it, and the finish just wasn’t acceptable – I’d have needed access to an overlocker machine which I didn’t have. So… eBay! I found a veil originally purchased from Harrods and for the grand sum of £55.00 it was mine!! It was absolutely perfectly – over 5 foot long, wide and ribbon edged – and oh! how I loved it!

The Very Latest Style.

I’m 5ft 11 and, with Steve being an inch or two shorter, neither of us were particularly keen for me to tower over him in our photographs, but Steve was equally adamant I should have my bridal heels! I met Rachel Simpson at a wedding fare where she was previewing her new collection and immediately fell in love with an ivory pearlescent leather design called ‘Violet’ with a low heel. Not even released, the pair on display were simply a mock-up but I pre-ordered them there and then and, 6 months later, was absolutely delighted when the shoes arrived. They were absolutely perfect!

Supermodels, Celebrities And Film Stars.

One of my best friends and chief bridesmaid, Lara-Zee also happens to a hairdresser – not that you’d necessary believe that when you see the photos of her at the wedding with her wild mop of hair! Lara’s not your regular work-in-a-salon hairdresser, mind you (she doesn’t do things by halves!) but is a groomer and hair stylist to the great and good, having styled everyone from supermodels, celebrity film stars, the Prime Minister and a certain very-famous British Prince! Following the announcement of our engagement, Lara quickly laid down the ‘hair law’ – she, and no-one else would be doing my hair! Lara turned up the night before the big day armed curling tongs and a mountain of hairspray and, after a 30 minute blitz, I found myself with a head full of hair extensions.

On the morn of the wedding, Lara set to work at ‘doing my do’; after some time, she released me to Sascha (my make-up artist) whilst she then attacked the mums and other bridesmaids, hair product filling the air. It was a joy to see her at work, and I chuckled as I thought to myself that the room felt more like backstage at a Vogue shoot than a preparation for my wedding, a fevered calm! Lara soon had everyone sorted and she and Sascha soon had a production line of sorts set up. Having completed her work, Lara set about the groomsmen and pageboys, gelling and styling, before her final act, heading off to Steve’s room with a tub of matt powder in her hand to attack any shaved shiny head in sight! She was determined my groom and his best man would look their best – but I’m not sure how happy they’ll be when they see that I have shared their secret with the wedding world!

Regarding my makeup, I’d spent quite a lot of time trying to find a makeup artist whose images didn’t look like an 80’s throwback and which fitted in with the image I hoped to achieve on the day – one of understatement and simple elegance. Sascha was recommended in an online forum and, having reviewed her website and chatted via email, I arranged for a trial at her studio. The trial did not go well – I don’t wear makeup very often and wasn’t confident in explaining what I wanted and so, when Sascha asked “how do you like this”, I simply nodded meekly in agreement. It was not till I got home and spoke to Steve that I realised how unhappy I was with the look, which was very sculptured and defined, like something from a catwalk, and not at all what I wanted. Steve insisted I speak with her and tell her honestly what I thought – and Sascha was amazing. She immediately arranged a second trial and, this time, I went accompanied with a number of cuttings from wedding magazines that reflected the look I was after. Sascha absolutely nailed it and I came out of the second trial beaming with happiness. Sascha replicated the look again perfectly on the day, the make-up was exactly as I hoped it would be, lasting through to the very end of the night, and I was delighted I’d finally plucked up the confidence to tell her what I wanted.

Keeping The Budget Down.

We really struggled with this; where with other suppliers we knew what we were getting for any particular price, we felt uneasy picking and negotiating with a florist as it’s not something that you get to see until the big day itself. We met with a few different florists but all were either out of our price range or felt a little unprofessional, slap dash or cheap. I saw an advert for Alison in a magazine and, having seen examples of her work both on her website and at other weddings that we’d attended, we decided to meet with her and so set up an appointment. On arriving at her wonderful home I was struck by how professional, open and helpful she was; we were working to a very tight budget and Alison worked tirelessly to accommodate our requests.

My bouquet was something that I was really unsure about, and I found it really difficult to imagine how it should be; size, weight, shape. I’d originally decided on a loose hand tied bouquet but after showing Alison my dress she suggested that a teardrop would suit my height and the dress far better. Along with an example of the table centres, Alison offered to mock up two bouquet samples which made the world of difference. Actually holding them gave me a real idea for how each would appear on the day, and I was surprised to find I far preferred the teardrop arrangement. Actually seeing a sample of my bouquet and the table centres made such a difference and that, along with the stunning beauty in her arrangements, makes Alison worthy of the highest of recommendations.

To keep costs down, I decided against hiring vases for the tables and decided, instead, to try and source them myself (with the intention of selling them afterwards). I’d found some 12” high cast-iron urns on eBay and thought they would make the basis of some wonderful table centres. We ordered two as samples and, when they arrived, we both loved them – they were absolutely ideal. There were, however, two issues – the weight (they weighed a few kilos each, and we needed 16!) and the colour – they were powder-coated black. Undeterred, we ordered another 15 and decided to go and collect them directly from the merchant. Steve and my father spray-painted them in ‘Ice Cream ivory’ and the cost of each came in at less than half the cost of hiring a vase. We showed them to Alison and she immediately started suggesting ideas for them; as we had a few spare, Alison even created a few additional displays for the venue for the day. Four of the urns were used in the church on the window sills and Steve’s groomsmen collected these after the wedding and took them to venue as further decoration. The flowers were far better than I had hoped they could be; pale pastel lilacs that complimented the venue, dress and the all-important urns! Alison is a wonderful florist and, since booking, has been voted as one of the Top 50 florists in the UK. A well-deserved accolade, I’d say!

Local Produce.

I actually picked the bridesmaids dresses before my wedding dress! Having dragged Steve around many fabric shops and wedding fairs, we eventually settled on a beautiful dusky lilac satin, and I spotted a design I liked in a magazine. I met Brenda at a tiny wedding fair – picture five people exhibiting in a small room – in the Welsh valleys. A little nervous about using a lady who made dresses in her home in her spare time, my fears proved unfounded. Brenda was simply superb – the dresses cost less than half of what an off-the-peg gown would have cost, and were truly bespoke, made to measure for each of my bridesmaids. My flower girls wore contrasting ivory dresses with a lilac sash, and all looked truly beautiful.

Ironing Out The Creases.

We hired suits from Austin Reed for Steve’s Best Man and three ushers, all four of our brothers, both of our respective fathers, our four nephews and Steve himself. We’d decided against hired cravats, instead purchasing traditional formal ties to match the material of the Bridesmaids dresses; we thought it a nice idea if the groomsmen were able to keep these as a little memento of their involvement in our day. We were badly let down by the hire company, however; Austin Reed got nearly every order of the 15 suits wrong; wrong size, wrong waste-coats etc, and we ended up having to make multiple trips to a tailor ourselves to get them altered right up to the day prior to leaving for the wedding. Despite fully acknowledging their fault, the company were most unapologetic and offered no discount despite a hire bill in excess of £1,000. We’d not recommend them but, having said that, when we did finally sort out all of the problems, the groomsmen and page boys all looked absolutely stunning on the day.

Keeping An Eye On The Time.

We decided to hire traditional black tail coats, pin stripe grey trousers and ivory waistcoats from Austin Reed; as we’ve already mentioned, the hire company let us down badly and caused us a great deal of stress in the two weeks prior to the wedding but on the day Steve looked absolutely dashing in his black tail coat, grey pin-stripe trousers and plain ivory waistcoat. Steve decided all groomsmen (himself included), should use their own shirts and shoes as he felt that was something quite personal and would be the most comfortable option for the wearer. To differentiate himself from his groomsmen, Steve chose a patterned lilac parsley tie and a white shirt with a discrete pattern within the material. As I arrived at the aisle and Steve turned to face me, my heart skipped a beat – he looked absolutely dashing. He grinned – and pulled his sleeve cuff back a little, revealing a little something for which I’d been saving fervently since we got engaged – a Breitling watch that I’d had delivered to his room that morning as a surprise! It was a perfect moment, one in which all of our preparation came together.

More Than Photographers.

Photography was absolutely key to our day – we’re both hugely keen amateurs who are rarely seen without a camera to hand. We knew that we wanted a mix of old and new, traditional and contemporary, but equally wanted someone who we could have fun with, and who wasn’t afraid to take risks. Having travelled the UK (including a road trip to Glasgow!) to meet with various candidates, those few photographers that we liked were hugely outside our budget. It was then that we met The Barbers, and the second love affair of our marriage began..!

We absolutely, truly, adore their work, and they’ve become good friends – even prior to the wedding they’d come on holiday with us, and we’d both been to visit each other for fun (and alcohol-) fuelled weekends! A young husband and wife team, their pricing was keen and their work wonderful. Most importantly of all, we liked them and felt relaxed in their company. That would be our golden rule – if you don’t like your photographers on a personal level, keep looking. An engagement shoot served to reinforce how much we loved what they did and how they worked and, having now seen the final shots, we’re absolutely thrilled in our choice. We could have chosen no better!

Welsh Cakes.

We found a local lady who made cakes professionally and, having met with her on a few occasions and having described what we’d like, we had some idea of what to expect… but the cake that greeted us left us as we arrived at the venue after our wedding rendered us speechless. A four tier traditional fruit cake with a cascade of sugar flowers from top to bottom, it dominated the table in the middle of the huge sitting room. The standard of the work was absolutely incredible – it was everything that I had hoped for and more. To this day, I still cannot cut the top two tiers, such is the beauty of Janet’s work. We intend saving the top two tiers, the second for our first wedding anniversary, whilst the topmost will be saved for… well, everyone knows what you save the topmost tier for, don’t they?!

Get Into The Groove.

We used a local DJ recommended by the venue, having decided that a band would be too overpowering in the small, cosy rooms of our 17th century country house. Pete Stead was excellent – he allowed our guests to pre-submit requests via his website from what seemed like an endless selection of songs. Our friends had great pleasure in selecting memorable tunes from our youth, and the evening entertainment proved an absolute hit.

The highlight was a ‘silly space’ booth that our Photographer’s set up, whereby our guests could wear various props and masks. With the Royal Wedding just the day before, Kate and Wills featured in a number of shots!

I’ll Stand By You.

When I first moved to London, a friend of a work colleague was trying to make it as a professional artist, and I went along to the odd gig – the chap in question was Tom Baxter. When Steve and I got together, I played Tom’s debut album to Steve and he loved it, particularly the song ‘Better’. The lyrics sum up our relationship perfectly, and captured how we felt on the day at aisle; “I’ll stand by you, If you stand by me…”

Commemorative Tea Towel.

Steve was initially against the idea of favours – “I’m not buying someone a gift to say thank you for letting me buy you dinner!” he exclaimed. However, we found beautiful glass tea-light / candle holders for 39p each in Ikea. With a candle lit at each place setting, the effect was truly magical, each throwing a circle of light onto the table. We encouraged our guests to take these away -both a favour and cheap – but beautiful – way of decorating our tables! In addition, although we had no intention of doing anything else, when the Royal Wedding was announced for the day before our big day, we both agreed that we couldn’t let the occasion pass without paying homage to such a big event. I suggested we produce a novelty souvenir from our day, in the same style as a Royal Wedding souvenir. My best friend Oliver is a graphic designer and produced a suitable ‘cheesy’ design for a tea-towel which we had professionally screen- printed, with one for each couple attending. The towels were incredibly well received and we hope our guests enjoy using them. Who knows, maybe they’ll be worth something on eBay one day!

Some Advice.

Before The Day:

  • Make sure you properly compare the prices of different venues. Llangoed Hall seemed very expensive on paper but, when we took into consideration the price of the evening buffet, the terms and conditions (some venues insisted we took a certain number of buffets in the evening – Llangoed did not) and so forth, Llangoed Hall actually worked out no more expensive than many other ‘cheaper’ venues.
  • Check the terms and conditions! Some of the venues we looked at had the most horrific Terms & Conditions in relation to minimum bar spend, numbers or cancellation policies.
  • Ask for a discount! Virtually without fail, we never paid more than 90% of the quoted price of anything. We often offered a larger deposit or to pay in cash and this worked wonders. If you can’t afford something but really want it, offer what you can afford – you’ve nothing to lose. Most suppliers are keen to do business and, if you treat people with honesty, openness and integrity, it can pay dividends.

On the Day:

  • Everyone says it flies by, and it does. The best thing we did was disappear straight after the church to spend what turned into nearly two hours with our photographers. It was fantastic to have that time away with each other, and it’s one of the most memorable parts of the day. Also – we’re so glad we got the day professionally filmed. We very nearly didn’t, but now we know we’ll be able to recapture the magic of our day over and over again – we’re waiting with baited breath to see the results.
  • Having worked so hard on making our day perfect for our guests, we knew how much we’d value the chance to see all of the photographs that they’d take, all of those magical moments that our wedding photographers couldn’t cover. Having attended previous weddings, we were aware of how hard it was to effectively share such photographs and hence Steve came up with a cunning idea…

    Register a Flickr account. We printed cards with the username and password to the account and left these at each place setting. Our guests were encouraged to upload their photographs and it worked a treat – we had literally hundreds of snaps uploaded, some the very next day after the wedding. It was absolutely wonderful to be able to so quickly see photographs of our special day and, more importantly perhaps, to be able to share them with both our guests and those unable to attend.

Venue Llangoed Hall

Photographer The Barbers

Dress Pronovias

Boutique Harrods

Shoes Rachel Simpson

Florist Alison Bentley

Cake Designer Cakes By Janet

DJ Pete Stead

Wedding Car “The Old Girl” of Hereford

All good advice, but that Flickr gem is a little tidbit of genius for you lucky peeps this morning.

Who would have thought it eh? – Two days in a row two Pronovias dresses. Just shows how different and diverse a designer can be.

This is a no holds barred account of Steve and Vicky’s day and as you will have read sometimes things can go wrong. On this occasion it was issues with the suit hire – by the sounds of it they had a fair bit of grief along the way but it turned out alright on the day its self.

Hang on a minute… Who’s to blame for Steve’s “wardrobe malfunction” then eh?

Adam.

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The Bordeaux Bride.

November 16th, 2011

The official touristy website thing for Bordeaux sports the very french tag line “Des vins, un style.”

“Our wine, your style”… and that is a philosophy that Natacha and Philippe adopted perfectly for the duration of their visit to this fabulous city.

They had their wedding at Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion, a working vineyard, so of course it would have been an opportunity missed if they had not relied upon the local produce to provide for their reception based frivolities.

The style of their day was truly their own. A diverse mix of culture, heritage and form that extended across fashion, food, decor and even the transportation.

I have some amazingly big images to share with you lucky folks today, courtesy of M & J Photography.

Euro Style.

Pronovias is a Spanish designer from Barcelona who have a store in Bordeaux. I fell in love with the dress as soon as I put it on. I really wanted something simple and elegant that wasn’t too over the top. I think the fine detailing and the long trail really made up for simplicity of the cut. As it turned out our wedding day was on the weekend of a crazy heat wave, I’m really glad I chose something lightweight and off the shoulder!

Big Fat Greek Bracelet…

I wore a traditional Greek bracelet (I have Greek heritage) and a single diamond necklace. Again, I wanted to keep things simple as I felt too much jewellery wouldn’t have gone with the dress.

Shoe Blue Baby I Love You.

My shoes covered the ‘something blue’ aspect of the wedding. They are made by Ba&sh who I just love! Of course they were hidden under my dress most of the day anyway!

With A Little Help From My Friends.

I had my friends help out with my hair and make-up at home before leaving for the city hall. It was really nice just to be around my close friends and my mum at home for the last few hours of singledom. They certainly helped to keep me relaxed and stress free.

French Florals.

The flowers were all done by Histoire de Fleurs in Bordeaux.
I chose to mostly use Lilys and white Roses, but in my own Bouquet were also Orchids. These worked nicely with the green and white theme of the day that extended right from the bridesmaids dresses to the car we traveled in.

A Touch Of Colour.

My mum took care of the bridesmaids outfits. She bought simple dresses and then adapted them to fit the colour scheme. All four girls looked so cute and I think quite timeless.

Shaken, Not Stirred.

Philippe wore an entirely Dolce & Gabbana outfit. I’m not sure how he survived the heat wearing a full suit with dinner shirt and bow-tie for the entire day but it certainly paid off. There were a lot of comments about James Bond from the guests and I have to agree he looked rather dashing!

Taking The Heat Off.

M & J Photography took all the photos. We were so fortunate to find them after we decided we were not happy with the photographer we had originally booked. A friend recommended Morgane and Jonny so we jumped at the opportunity quite late in the date. We felt very relaxed with their approach and at times forgot they were even there. When it came taking the key shots of us as a couple, they were really efficient and managed to get some great shots. You’d never guess from the photos quite how unbearably hot it was!

French Fancies.

We decided on a Pièce montée (choux pastry stuffed with vanilla and chocolate cream in the shape of a pyramid). I suppose this is traditionally what’s on offer at a French wedding and we loved it! This was made by the caterers Humblot Traiteur along with all the other food.

An Opulent Affair.

Basque brass band, Band’aqui played at the cocktail reception amongst the pine trees in the grounds of the Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion. This created a wonderful atmosphere and kept everyone entertained while they sipped away at Champagne and tasty white wine made by that very Chateau and ate canape’s of sushi, freshly carved Bayonne ham and Oysters. After dinner inside the chateau, there was a DJ with disco lights playing party tunes into the night.

A Perfect Blend.

Our first dance was to Suavemente so as you can imagine we spent quite a lot of time practicing our dance routine!

We arranged for the huge terrace overlooking the surrounding vineyards to be lit by 100 candles, each in their own sweet little holder decorated according to the natural colour scheme. The pale blues and greens blended perfectly with the colours of the Bordeaux countryside as the sun was setting.

Tantalising Transport.

One of the most memorable aspects of the wedding, for us and a lot of the guests, was the convoy of classic cars arriving and departing from the hill top church at Bouliac. Philippe’s father and uncle own some incredible old cars that they had cleaned up especially for our wedding. The official wedding car was a green 1930’s Chrysler Royal. In the wedding convoy there was also a Bugatti and an ancient Renault amongst others. I think it is these kind of extra special touches that make the day even more memorable and can make for a very unique wedding and some cool photos. Of course it’s the guests that really make the day perfect and we were fortunate enough to have a church and reception venue that could cater for quite large numbers.

Venue Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion

Dress Pronovias

Shoes Ba&sh

Groom Dolce & Gabbana

Photographer M & J Photography

(covering both France and the UK)

Florals Histoire de Fleurs

Cake/Catering Humblot Traiteur

Entertainment Band’aqui

Yes, I do believe that bride might be crowd surfing…

Current trends tend to be favouring smaller intimate weddings at the moment, so it’s really refreshing to see such a massive church full to the brim with people, although how “refreshing” it was on the day in mid August is another matter! The 007 monotone suit is super swank and the bow tie a perfect touch…. how do you match that?

Oh yeah, with that dress…

Adam.

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