Maybe it’s something about Christmas fading into a distant memory, or the hint of the days getting longer and the mornings that bit lighter, but I’m itching for Spring to come.

And who doesn’t love a spring Wedding?

Inspiration comes from the funniest places and I clocked these super cute fondant cakes decorated with cherry blossom and instantly thought of Spring, the blossom, and my Birthday month of April. I actually considered having a cherry blossom themed wedding, but at the end of May, I would have been pushing things a little. Instead, I thought I’d play out my fantasies with this little mood boeard and see if I can inspire you guys to pick up the trend and run with it.

Image credits: Mini Cherry Blossom Cakes by Peggy Porschen featured in Wedding Magazine. Tiered Cake and Bridal Party from The Knot, Table centre from Boston Avenue Photo via SMP. Stationery by Borrowed Blue Press. Cherry Blossom ring from Astley Clarke.

Super pretty, super feminine and a bit of modern chic thrown in.

This theme would look brilliant in a modern gallery type space, light and airy with blush pink tones and a hint of modern grey to bring the look up to date. Have your maids in mix and match pinks, use oriental style parasols for the formal photos, branches of cherry blossom as your center pieces with dangling crystals and fat pink Peonies wired to them, and a oriental inspired dress with a big obi reminiscent bow at the back. Then funk up your look with this cherry blossom ring. I so want it! (Or how lucky would your maids be to receive a gift like this?)

And where did I find this particular piece of inspiration? Cake Chic by Peggy Porschen.

Yours Truly,

Rebecca.
xoxo

One of the things we saw and absolutely loved at the recent Designer Wedding Show (which you can see our film of,) was the BoothNation photobooths.

The very nice man there was more than happy for us to jump in the booth and get some pics to show you guys just how very cool it is. With professional lighting, a wind machine and top quality digital photography equipment the BoothNation booth erases any worries you may have about how you will look – all you have to take care of is the expresion on your face! (- Note to self Rebecca!)

As you can see for yourself if you check out the site and blog, BoothNation is a genius idea started by Seamus Ryan – and already well respected photographer who started up the Sunday Shoots project and went on to develop that into the BoothNation concept. Already gracing a whole host of celebrity and corporate parties with more big names than you can shake a stick at, now you can have BoothNation at your wedding!

There are several different booths to hire and all come with unlimited photos throughout the hire period. At weddings you can have them customised to suit your style or theme and lend a little bit of informality to proceedings. Aside from having the photos that the guests take, (Erm, cool guest book idea anyone?!) you can pay to have double copies of each shot too.

All the images taken at your wedding are then posted online for guests to purchase should they wish. Even better, if you’re a bit stuck for ideas the in house design team will supply the booth with a selection of props and customise the images so you have for example your wedding date of monogram to personalise the end result.

And if you’re wondering what ours looked like… Here it is!

I sooooo want one!

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

And it’s straight back to Josie from Savoir Weddings to carry on telling us all about the top Wedding trends for 2010… I can’t wait to see what’s in store after yesterdays treats!

Centrepieces Get Exciting…

Well, in the sense we see a bit of variety. In contrast with the fussy, often extortionate floral centrepieces of the past we’ve had wildflowers plucked from nature and put into milk bottles, pint glasses, mismatched vases and so on.

*Images from Eat Drink Chic and Rachel Ray Mag

And this year we see more of the same and it goes one step further. Books, props, herbs, potted plants, old typewriters, origami figures, globes. Anything goes for 2010 really. If you like the look of something or it has some sentimental value, whatever your reasons you can incorporate it into your table plan.

*Images from Classic Bride and Ruffled.

Attention for the Men Please

Grooms seem to be getting more stylish and playful in their wedding attire these days and I think it’s going to become more ‘acceptable’ for men to take an active role in their wedding. From the planning to the colour palette to what they wear we’re going to be seeing and hearing more from the men. I am Staggered is a great blog for grooms-to-be and I wouldn’t be surprised if in 5 years instead of programmes like Bridezillas we’ll be watching Groomzillas. Although maybe that’s pushing it a little far?!

Anyway here’s some fabulous groom style of which grey seems to dominate…

*Images from OnceWed.

Non-White wedding dresses

I’m been silently waiting for this to catch on for a while now. Whilst I love white wedding dresses as much as the next girl I have much respect for the bride that bucks this in favour of something a little different. (Cheating a little here as the dress is white but points for the yellow Japanese Obi.)

*Images from Ruffled, Green Wedding Shoes and SMP.

This is but a handful of wedding trends, if I could, I’d waffle on about them forever. One thing’s for sure in 2010 it’s all about doing it your way. And if blogs are anything to go by couples are getting more creative and open to new ideas. And as the industry catches on there’s just going to be more and more options.

When it comes to wedding trends like any fashion, it’s not about working out what’s cool and doing it, it’s about finding out what you like and doing it. Oh and having fun along the way.

Wise words Josie! Thank you so much for stopping by to share your finds with us. make sure you head on over to Savoir Weddings to check out if Josie can help you to plan your dream day, or pop into the blog for a little more Savoir inspiration!

Yours Truly,

Contra
xoxo

At Rock My Wedding we like nothing more than a trend and so I was blown away to find a super cool review of upcoming trends for 2010 on Josie Hendricks Blog, the mastermind behind Savoir Weddings.

I hoped that you guys would love it as much as I did so I asked Josie to do a guest post for us and fill you all in on her top trends for 2010. I challenge all of you not to find at least one bit of take- away advice to inspire your wedding to be on-trend and super cool, not to mention all about YOU. So here’s Josie to spill the beans!

I‘m delighted to be asked to write a guest post for Rock My Wedding. Not only do they feature fab weddings but it’s well written and interesting. And based in the UK! Hurrah! We’ve looked a little deeper into some of the trends for I touched on in my blog so without further ado here’s a little selection of what we’ve seen cropping up in the world of weddings and proving to be pretty popular.

Oh and all the photos are from real weddings.

Wedding Receptions at Home or The Rise of the Backyard wedding.

There are so many ways to do it – here’s a few examples…

*Images from GreenWeddingShoes andRuffled.

Love the mismatched vintage chairs, it’s a great look if you’ve got a huge garden.

Perhaps booming because of the recession, weddings at home are increasing in popularity – less showy and extravagant, they can be extra intimate and personal. Think picnic tables with finger food,BBQs and buffets; your mates DJing and dancing to your fave tunes til the early hours (no curfew in your own home); friends camping out in the garden at night so you can carry on the party; when you do it at home you can control all the elements that are tricky when using a venue.

*Images from Erin.Ever.After and Savoir.

The above left photo is actually from a home wedding we planned last year. In addition to a marquee in the garden there was a fire with benches surrounding it, hula hoops , a flame thrower and the squiggles at the back of the shot spelt out the bride and groom’s names and were lit in a special little ceremony.

There are different challenges however, and if you’re not careful it can end up costing more. The wedding from the last photo was at the bride’s family home and lots of family and friends pitched in to help in different ways such as running the bar, helping keep the buffet stocked up and so on. It needs to be particularly well planned or can be particularly stressful but if the enquiries we get are anything to go by weddings at home are going to be more and more likely in 2010 – 2011.

Mismatched Bridesmaids dresses and Bouquets

Perfect for brides wanting to do things a little bit differently without going crazy, mismatched bridesmaids outfits and flowers is the way forward. Less formal, looks great in photos, perfect for accommodating different shapes/sizes/styles of bridesmaid and with plenty of different options this is a trend I think we’re going to see a lot of.

You can do this lots of ways. Different colours same style like this Mexican inspired wedding. And what is not to love about this bride and her gals?

*Images from Ruffled and 100 Layer Cake.

Mismatched dresses? Check.
Mismatched colourful bouquets? Check.
Fabulous style? Yep, definitely.

Or you can do it similar colours different style… This bride picked the apricot/peach/coral colours from a paint chart and let her bridesmaids choose their dresses. Or pink and red works well in nature and just as well with bridesmaids.

*Images from Green Wedding Shoes and Our Labour of Love.

Photography with a Sense of Humour

There’s always going to be the die hard fans of traditional photography but across blogs and confirmed by photographers we know there’s a massive increase of ‘fun’ injected into wedding photography. We’ve seen the reportage style become increasingly popular and maybe this is a progression of that.

*Images from 100 Layer Cake and The Brides Cafe.

Think photo booths at receptions, balloons, silly glasses, shots of people laughing and ‘unposed’. People still obviously want romantic photos they’ll look back on when they’re 85 but we’re going to see an increase relaxed, fun shots for 2010.

I’m loving this. Like, REALLY loving it.

Fabulous ideas that will help you cut costs (high street mix and match dresses anyone?) throw out the rule book and generally get fabulous.

Pop back tomorrow to see the rest of Josies style predictions for 2010.

Yours Truly,

Contra
xoxo

Cox and Cox is a Brides dream come true for finding those finishing touches that help to make your wedding day Chic and Unique. Full of humorous tweeks and fun finds along with some cute as a button heart themed items, there is sure to be something for every Bride looking to put a little bit of personality into her day.

Best of all, the Cox and Cox sale is coming to an end. Act now and get up to 75% off items in the sale bagging yourself a bargain in the process. I’ve chosen a selection of my top sale finds and a few more that I think will help put the finishing touches on your wedding in a Rock My Wedding kinda stylish way.

If you are having a Spring or Easter wedding, just how cute would these little tiny egg soaps be as favours for the ladies? Pale blue and speckled, split the box to make them go further and tie each one with a sweet little ribbon. Placed on a napkin, maybe with a name tag tied in too, they will look as good as they smell.

If you’re feeling crafty, why not try making your own favours? These tiny chocolate moulds should do the trick and best of all won’t go stale like biscuits, thereby saving you time in the busy last few days. Presented in a cute DIY box or wrapped in a little grease proof paper lined circle of co-ordinating cloth and tied with some string or raffia your guests will love their sweet treats.

If you’re planning a wedding with a bit of glamour then look twice at Christmas decorations left over in the shops right now. A wishes tree adorned with crystals and silvered hanging decorations can bring a bit of sparkle to a dark corner of even double up in the middle of an escort card table.

Even better use a collection of larger ornaments and crystals hung on string or ribbon at varying lengths to create a back drop to your civil ceremony, hanging behind the registrars table or around the edges of a canopy, the glimmering effect with create a stunning focal point with candle or sunlight bouncing off them.

Planning a jewel toned exotic wedding? Then look no further than Cox and Cox for these bright and shiny place card holder baubles, (children’s handwriting optional!) Doubling up as favours for your guests to take home and adding colour to a summer night these holders are at a bargain price right now too, in sets of ten.

Outdoor space to decorate? If you are having a summer affair with garden paths or terraces for your guests to step out on light the way with these pretty paper lanterns. Especially effective in late August and early September when the nights draw in earlier but we can still hope for some balmy weather, combined with some hanging lights in the tress these will create a fairy tale atmosphere for your first dance.

And lastly a couple of non-sale items. Cox and Cox do a fabulous selection of signs suitable for weddings, including ones saying ‘Party’ and if you are holding your wedding in a field or at home, ‘To the loo’ and ‘Parking’.

I really heart this set of rubber stamps which Cox and Cox has a huge selection of. Although mostly words or letters, this set of bird stamps would be perfectly sweet done in 2 or 3 colours to adorn your menus, orders of service and place names or escort cards. They could even be used to mark your invites using a different design for the invitation itself, the rsvp card and the information sheets. With a little creativity and some fancy fonts they could look just as good and save you money for a little (really easy) DIY effort.

Let us know if you make any Cox and Cox purchases – even better if they’re in the sale!!

Yours Truly,

Contra
xoxo

In light of our Real Wedding posted earlier today we have a little piece of floral fancy courtesy of Lorna Pugh at Pod for all you Autumn brides out there.

We figured now may be the time you are considering what blooms might work for your October/November Big Days so we hope this post gives you some much needed inspiration.

Of course there are no rules – you can have whatever the hell you like frankly….and actually we would love to hear from brides who are having more “traditional/seasonal” flowers and of course those that certainly are not

Over to the lovely Madam Pugh with some gorgeous unique pieces of pretty “she made earlier” :

Rich reds, burnt oranges, golden yellows …

Delightful Physalis aka ‘Chinese Lanterns’, ‘Cherry Brandy’ roses (a pod fave), Gerberas and Geminis in bold “look at me” oranges and elegant flame coloured Mango Calla Lilies are all great examples of flowers currently available in rich oranges and warm yellows. I used this combination to create a bold dramatic design for a client, accompanied by glossy Monstera leaves, green Hypericum berries and Kniphofia aka Red Hot Pokers !

This was certainly quite a statement piece, however here are a couple of examples of really simple, minimalist ideas being wonderfully effective too. A Cherry Brandy rose has been cut very short and is in a gorgeous zingy green Moroccan bowl, lovely on a bedside table and a series of Chincherinchees (fab name) in small single stem vases running along a table length add subtle style.

Lastly elegant exotic Mango Calla Lilies, as used here to create a truly stunning bridal bouquet, are available all year round and just two or three in a slim vase can look very chic.

(Top tip, to enjoy your Callas for as long as possible, avoid putting their stems in deep water as this will cause them to deteriorate quickly, just a couple of inches of water will suffice, as they are not thirsty flowers.)

Get cosy, enjoy autumn, outside and in.

pod

Now of course I am a weeny bit biased ( Lorna was the magic florist that designed the blooms for my own Big Day) but some of these arrangements are really really lovely.

And for a big show of style with a minimal budget you can’t beat a colourful single stem in a bud vase.

Love those Chincherinchees ( even if I can’t actually say the name)…..

Big Rich Burnt and Golden Love

Charlotte xxx