Anyone wonder if the show is actually representative of the traditional Gypsy culture and W-day styling?

I have. And so did Rock My Wedding sponsors Christian and Erica from Christian Ward Photography. So much so in fact that they researched the subject to create a beautiful inspiration shoot based around original Romany traditions and recommendations from real-life travellers themselves.

This is truly a fascinating read as well as a deliciously whimsical dose of pretty, not to mention offering a plethora of ideas for your own Big Day. These are without doubt some of the most delectable vintage-inspired accessories and gowns I have ever seen. And it makes a nice change to feature some gorgeous ideas for your Groom too.

You may have seen a selection of these images in a recent edition of YAYW magazine, congratulations to the team behind the shoot for going all out glossy – you deserve it.

Enjoy lovelies.

Christian and Erica: We’d been looking to carry out a creative shoot for some time, though we were wanting to create something based on an original theme where there would be a story. We admit to having watched a few episodes of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and for me that was the spark that set light to the idea of a creative shoot inspired by a gypsy theme.

I had always thought that the picture painted by the TV show was most likely far-fetched and not representative of the gypsy culture, and so I began to research gypsy weddings not of the Big Fat type but of times gone by. The idea for the shoot for me always centred on being able to find an original Romany gypsy wagon, and this proved difficult as did finding much information about old-fashioned gypsy weddings.

Eventually we managed to locate 2 or 3 wagons across the UK, but in each case there was something that wasn’t ideal about each of them and didn’t quite match up to the picture I had in my mind. By chance I stumbled across a website for a gypsy wagon restorer, and I sent them a quick email to see if they could help us, not really expecting to hear back. A week passed and I had given up on that avenue when an email came through late one Saturday night just saying that they could help and to give them a call. I called them back straight away, and the following morning we were setting off at 8am for the 2 hour drive to Blackpool to see Walter – the real, bone fide gypsy- and the 2 wagons he had in mind.

It transpired that Walter and his family are the most revered restorers of Romany wagons internationally, and as we sat over a cup of tea in their kitchen we looked through photos of him with Ronnie Wood (who is actually descended from Romany blood) who had just bought a restored wagon from him.

We also took the opportunity to talk to Walter and his wife Mary about traditional gypsy weddings, and within minutes they’d found a fascinating old leather-bound album full of black and white family photos from gypsy weddings, and so we began to form a picture of what a REAL gypsy wedding would’ve looked like. Walter took us though to his barn, and it was an exciting moment to come face to face with what would become the centrepiece of our shoot- a gorgeous, original ‘Doors & Windows’ Romany caravan, hand-carved and covered in gold leaf.

We finished the day by strolling across the land that Walter and his family owned, as he had agreed that when the time was right for us we could carry the shoot out anywhere on his land and they would set us up with everything we needed. A special mention must go to Walter and Mary for being so welcoming and helpful, despite their initial reservations given the perception of gypsy weddings created by the TV show.

With the main ‘prop’ arranged, we then set about properly forming the theme. Gypsy, Romantic, Country, Folk, and Whimsical were at the top of our list of what wanted to achieve with our styling. The next few weeks were spent researching and liaising with suppliers across the UK who we felt fitted with our theme and who we would be interested in working with on the shoot.

I have to say that without fail all the suppliers we worked with were absolutely brilliant and we feel really lucky that we managed to assemble such a great list of suppliers who fitted so well with what we wanted to achieve, and who trusted us to look after their valuable stock (and in some cases one-off, irreplaceable pieces) and to create something worthwhile. We would happily recommend any of them to brides and grooms planning their wedding.

While bringing together the many different articles of original vintage clothing and props, we also had to set about finding 2 models. For us, despite many creative shoots being only ‘bridal’, we knew we always wanted to go the ‘whole hog’ and have both a model bride and groom to complete our picture. For the bride to be in-keeping with the Romany look we needed somebody with dark hair and a light complexion, whilst for the groom, our main criterion was for hair not cropped too short. This actually proved quite difficult as the majority of male models we came across had short hair cropped in a very modern style that would’ve been difficult to create something convincing with on the day.

We eventually found two amazing models who were perfect for our theme. The only problem we came across was trying to find vintage clothing to fit a male model standing 6ft 3″ tall…most vintage clothing is of fairly small proportions, but Denise at Vintage Whistles was great at finding what we needed!

Flo and Percy designed and created original pieces to match the vintage dresses that Helena from Heavenly Vintage Brides had kindly agreed to supply us with, and once our shoot team was complete with make-up and hair stylists, we set about a styling session to bring together every item and decide on the final ‘looks’ that we’d be using on the day.

The day of the shoot finally came and we could not have asked for better weather. It was a pretty cold day in March but with gorgeous early Spring light and we all worked together brilliantly as a team…definitely a day to remember!

And if you lovelies have been admiring the Flo and Percy headpieces here are the finer details should you fancy making a purchase for W-day:

Authentic gypsy wagon – adzlee@btinternet.com

Vintage Wedding Dresses – Heavenly Vintage Brides

Vintage Headpieces – Flo and Percy

Crockery – Felicity’s Vintage Tea Party

Blooms – The Blossom Tree

Make-up Artist – Gemma Lees

Hair Stylist - Emma Buck

Boutonnieres – D C Bouquets

Cakes – Rachel Edwards

Vintage Suitcases – Fountain Pen Emporium

Bridal Knitwear – Makepiece at Evangeline Rose

Groom’s Vintage Suits - Vintage Whistles

Stationery – Tim Ward Design

Wedding Favours – Vintage Twee

Models – Cirila Zorenc and Charles Durnian at Model Mayhem

Photography and Styling – Christian and Erica at Christian Ward Photography

That lace and pearl headband rocks my world…. and the knitwear? so delicate and feminine.

This is a truly beautifully styled shoot and I would love to see a W-day with similar design aspects and muted colour scheme grace these pages one day.

So if you’re planning on a gypsy-esque affair make sure you send it in ok?

Big Romany Love

Charlotte xxx

P.S I know I’m married and all but I’m allowed to say how much the groom has (ahem) brightened up my Monday afternoon right?

Lucy and Michael are ridiculously cute, she all big eyes and shiny beehive, he curly mop, rolled up denim and braces ( at this point I am *waving* to you all in a semi frantic manner as I am so having a moment over braces right now!)

Ahem.

And their engagement story? Well. Let me tell you lovelies, Michael put a message in a bottle on the beach and then got down on one knee. And the message? MARRY ME.

I know. One of the most romantic proposals I’ve ever heard of.

For their pre-wed shoot Michael and Lucy went back to the locations where it all happened with photographer Shell De Mar including the eclectic and delicious Belvidere place… which makes me want to completely re-decorate my entire home.

Who knew a basket full of satsuma’s could look so cool?

Lucy: Michael proposed on the beach on a weekend away at the seaside in Broadstairs with a message in a bottle which read “Marry me”. He distracted me by pointing out something in the distance while he hid the bottle in the sand, and as I read the message he got down on one knee. We drew quite a crowd!

We went away and thought about our favourite moments together, and came up with props and settings we could use to reference each of them, such as a Narnia book to represent the night we met when Michael DJ’d at my Narnia themed college ball, and pin wheels and sweets as a sneak peek of our wedding day.

Shell De Mar: Lucy & Michael met at a Narnia-themed prom, Lucy was the belle of the ball and Michael was the DJ. To illustrate this they bought a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and we had fun shooting around Belvidere Place where they were staying (also where they stayed last year when Michael proposed, but more about that later…) – the B&B is so quirky and eclectic I absolutely loved it!

Lucy and Michael told me when they first started going out music played a big part and a lot of their early dates were gigs. They also loved playing connect 4 and went to many quirky places. So we went to the beach and enjoyed some sun, bringing along their retro radio, as well as some old-fashioned fun at the local diner/ice cream parlour.

Michael proposed to Lucy pretty much exactly a year before this shoot at this beach with a (wait for it…) “‘marry me” message in a bottle! He even used tea to stain the paper to make it look aged. We tried to loosely re-enact the moment and attracted quite a bit of crowd thinking it was the real thing!

What comes after the proposal? Why the wedding of course! Lucy & Michael would like to give their guests a teeny taster of what their wedding will be like (without giving away too much!).

Photography - Shell de Mar

I really would like to have enough style and creativity to pull together such random pieces of furniture and for it to just work. Think I might have to get me to Belvidere Place for a nosey.

Can’t wait to see Lucy and Michael’s W-day.

Big Romantic Love

Charlotte xxx

I’m guessing the vast majority of you must come under at least one of the above. And that would also mean that the vast majority of you are wondering what to do next, right?

Are you thinking of selling it? Having it professionally dry-cleaned and put in a pretty box so you can admire it on your anniversary/pass it on to future generations?

Well then. How about trashing it/rocking it/having some lovely pictures of yourself looking truly fabulous in various guises and locations?

Yup. I’m talking about the ever popular “Rock The Frock” which up until this afternoon, we haven’t really touched on (and certainly not featured) before. And who better to demonstrate a Rock My Wedding first than a true RMW bride? Victoria’s beautiful Old School Glamour inspired Big Day was featured way back when in 2009 and now she’s back, just as witty and equally as gorgeous (if not more so to be honest – check out the movie goddess-esque black and white images….)

All of the “make you look utterly lovely” photography is courtesy of Jasmine Jade Photography.

Victoria: So, 18 months after my wedding day I put The Dress back on again… and I trashed it.

We discussed some ideas, I thought about camping it up Lady Gaga styley. Jasmine thought I’d look a bit of a wally: wedding dress + turquoise wig x gaga-esque make up = Less “Trash the Dress” and more “Tim Burton film extra”. Cool for about twenty minutes and then essentially you’ll want those pictures consigned to a drawer, forever. So we kept it simple, just funked up the hair, accessorised a little and made sure it was mainly about The Dress, rather than my face.

In terms of the location, we thought about the woods, a local manor house, a lorry park, we did some mild breaking-and-entering to scope out a derelict factory in the middle of nowhere. We then got the heebie jeebies when we saw one of the boards on the windows had been pulled off. Wild animals gnaw and tear and bite – they don’t lever nails out of hardboard with tools. Or cut the CCTV wires. Or collect shopping trolleys. So we started imagining The Hills Have Eyes-type scenarios and our families finding our (funnily enough, identical) cars parked by the side of the road weeks later…. Yeah, so, we didn’t bother with that one. We went for some familiar ground and decided on London.

I’m not going to lie, I felt like a complete turnip and very, VERY self conscious to start with, standing on the tube/waiting at a zebra crossing/popping in to Boots for a bottle of water in my less-than-pristine wedding dress, slightly-ripped cathedral-length veil, a pair of well-worn converse, carrying a bouquet, a bright green golf umbrella and a spare pair of shoes. But after a while I got used to it and kind of forgot I was wearing it. A few tourists stopped me to have their photo with me. Random passers-by called out their congratulations or jumped out in front of me and pretended to propose (that started to wear a bit thin after a few hours), or just tried to take sneaky photos of a crazy bride chick just walking down the street. I had to explain that I wasn’t actually a bride – and that left them even more confused than before. So I decided to just go with it. An American couple stopped me on the escalators at Bank to ask me “honey, are you the Bride?” and I just couldn’t help myself.

Me (acting really surprised and shocked to have been approached by a stranger): “uh. No…?”

*long confused pause*

Me: “no, sorry, I’m only messing with you. Yes, I am, well was the bride”

Them: “oh, so you’re not on the way to your wedding? Are you just coming from your wedding?” (like most brides hustle to their weddings looking like a drag queen, on public transport, in trainers…)

Me: “no no, I got married aaaaaaages ago”

Them: (looking a bit worried that they might have just stopped a London-crazy to ask about a non-existent wedding): “oh, errr, congratulations”

Me: “thanks, today I’m Trashing my Dress!”

Them (thinking that I’m now defo crazy): “oh dear, did it not go well?”

(it was a very long escalator)

Me: “no it was amazing… hence why I’ve never taken my dress off, that’s why it’s a bit dirty and why I’m Trashing it before I have it properly cleaned”

(I start to remember that after a year at a US investment bank – RIP Lehman – the Americans I worked with still didn’t get my sense of humour, so I had to put these ones out of their misery)

Me: “sorry – it went great, this is a novelty thing, this is my husband (cringing with embarrassment), I just wanted some fun mementoes of the greatest dress I’ll ever own so we’re doing a bit of a location photo shoot”

Them: “oh we get it, we think, that’s so cool, can we have a picture with you?”

And that same conversation happened about once every ten minutes for the whole day.

But in the end it was great. I trashed my dress, rocked my frock and truly got down in the gown – waiting for the right coloured light combination in the tunnel under the IMAX (and thus holding up all passing pedestrian traffic), flinging myself all over a small park in Waterloo (much to the amusement of a few locals, who watched me try to climb in to a bin), laying on my back with my legs in the air in a recess at The Royal Exchange (much to the surprise of a passing security guard), being chased away from the Lloyd’s Building (by a slightly less surprised security guard), hanging around outside a cake shop and trying to look normal when bumping in to a colleague from work, posing in pools of light at Leadenhall Market (a group of amateur photographers on a course couldn’t have been happier to see me), rolling around on the floor in the churchyard at St Pauls (and being slightly embarrassed when coming across an actual wedding party. Cue lots of blushing and mumbled apologies as we tried to flee in the least conspicuous manner possible – not easy in the afore mentioned get up) and pleading ignorance on the Tube when being told off by the platform guard for using flash photography. “oh – are we not supposed to?” cue sweet smiles and a quick hop and a skip on to the next train.

Is my dress completely trashed? I think it’s salvageable so when I have a spare hundred quid (not any time soon then) I’ll get it cleaned and boxed so it can stay in the loft until I have daughters/nieces/granddaughters and they can dress up in it, rip bits off it to incorporate in to their own dresses or re-fashion it in to something they want to wear – either on their own big days or just flouncing around in the garden… hey, who am I to judge? I’m so sentimental about things that some part of me can’t bear to sell it, but the other part of me feels ridiculous that I spent so much money on a single item that I’ll wear once. So this somehow helped alleviate the guilt slightly and it upped the “pound per wear” factor. So now it’s actually a bargain when you think about it… well that’s what I told the boy, anyway!

Bouquet – Karen at The Flower Mill

Hair Styling – Claire Wacey

Photography – Jasmine Jade

Maybe it’s just me but I all of a sudden have a desperate urge to go put on some bold lippy, don a fancy frock and walk the streets of London town.

Anyone else considering a Rock The Frock type shoot after W-day?

Do tell.

You can read Victoria’s own personal blog at Sugar Plum Slipper.

Big Glamorous Love

Charlotte xxx

Sometimes lovelies your wedding day will not go exactly as you anticipated. That’s not to say you will regret at any point saying “I Do”, just that for some there will be certain aspects that you don’t look back on with complete affection.

Rock My Wedding reader Ariel doesn’t look back on her W-day photo’s with complete affection, and I know if you’re anything like me, reading that is pretty heart-breaking.

However this is not a sad story, this is a brave, honest and beautifully written account of finding peace with the past and heading towards a bright and optimistic future with the one you love.

All of the gorgeous images are courtesy of Love Lust List member Dasha from Exhibit Emotions.

Reflecting The Compromise

Ariel: Over the past year I tried, numerous times, to look back at our wedding with a wistful sigh. These attempts usually left me in tears. Not the good kind. Most of what I remember from our wedding is jet lag and stress. As our first wedding anniversary approached, Pete and I began to get a bit testy about how we should celebrate. Our friends started making and broadcasting their plans for first anniversary celebrations and we extended congratulations and looked in dread at the calendar as our anniversary crept closer and closer. Not because we were dreading the occasion, but because we knew we would feel pressure to go back and reminisce over our wedding photos and video and eat that top layer of cake, etc.

We haven’t looked at our wedding photos and video for about 10 months. Our wedding was beautiful, but it wasn’t really wonderful. In the photos we are fully smiling, eye crinkle and all, but if you look a little closer, they are a reflection of all the compromises we made and the pressure we gave into which resulted in a wedding that I barely remember and photos of people we don’t recognise.

Finally Getting There

We decided that on our first anniversary we were going to do exactly what we wanted and not what we thought we should do or what everyone expected us to do. We also decided to celebrate our marriage instead of our wedding. The wedding reflected where we came from and our journey together to that point. And it was a long one involving four continents, countless international flights, 18 months apart, at least three visas, two job changes and flats, and an advanced degree. The wedding had a lot of references to our individual and family histories but not so much to our joint present.

And, if I’m totally honest, I really wanted some pretty pictures of us, that could stand in for wedding photos.

A Special Surprise

Again, if I’m being honest. The photo shoot was my idea and a surprise for my husband. We did celebrate our anniversary in a way that was uniquely us, but this was something a little extra. We picked out our favourite bits of our wedding costumes (minus my fabulous fascinator which is still back in the US and Pete’s pocket watch which is still in NZ) and a blanket from our time in Africa (where we met) and headed out to meet our photographer in downtown Greenwich.

It was one of the hottest days of the summer thus far and Greenwich was teeming with people. We headed down to the river first to avoid the crowds and catch low tide. Walking along the Thames is a recently new activity for us and increasingly one of our favourites. We went about as far as we could before the tide cut us off from returning. From there we wandered through the place we continually wish we had gotten married. We wandered and enjoyed the place we have been building our little family and reminding ourselves why we joined together in the first place.

Better Together

For me, the shoot was still like the wedding shoot in some ways; I was constantly concerned that my fringe had gone stringy and greasy, that my make-up (which I did myself *risky*) was sliding off my face, that my dress kept shifting (note, fabric tape doesn’t hold when your bra is sweat-soaked) and I wasn’t sure what my face was actually doing when I was attempting to make it serene and blissful. But this day, unlike the entire wedding experience, really brought home some lessons of the year for me.

We are better individuals, together. We make each other the best versions of ourselves and that is what we should aim for daily. If you are uncomfortable on the inside, it will show on the outside, no matter how well cut the trousers. It is not possible to do everything we want right now, but it is a long life, there is time and instant gratification is frequently teamed with buyer’s remorse. We can prepare and plan but that will only take us so far and the best moments are unplanned, unscripted and unforgettable.

In the latter half of our first married year we have begun to have the confidence to focus more on our family expectations, putting our extended families desires on a shelf for a bit. These photos and this anniversary weekend were about setting the tone for the years to come and celebrating this shift in our focus. The people in these photos may not look so different to those in the wedding photos, but to us, they look a lot happier and even more in love, if that’s possible.

Doing It The Right Way

It took a few days to fall upon Dasha’s website Exhibit Emotions. As soon as I read her story about how she met her husband, I knew she would understand our international wedding plight. Plus her photos were beautiful and she had done an Art Deco-inspired shoot I could stare at for hours. When I contacted her and presented my idea, she immediately responded that she would love to do an “I do, re-do” shoot. I loved that. It was exactly what we were thinking, without the actual “I do” renewal (or the big white dress). She went out of her way to meet with me a few days before the shoot and spent, like, five hours in the blazing sun with us, waiting for the light to get ‘just right.’ Obviously, she nailed it! She made us feel very comfortable, although we don’t have too much trouble hamming it up. And to top it off, she saved the day. When I realized I was too late to buy a bouquet and a bit upset, she spotted a gorgeous lavender bush and, after taking some great shots with it in the foreground, picked a bunch of it for me. Perfect.

When we got the photos from her (an unbelievable week later) she had managed to make it look like we had Greenwich all to ourselves. There were hundreds of people roaming the streets and green spaces but in these photos it is just us two celebrating each other and our marriage. In that way, I guess it was an “I do” renewal, or maybe just a reminder.

Contagious Enthusiasm

Dasha From Exhibit Emotions: When Ariel got in touch with me about her idea of wedding anniversary shoot, I jumped at the chance! First, she found me through Rock My Wedding, so I knew in advance they would be a great couple. Second, she was so enthusiastic about it, it was contagious! Ariel also wrote the story about how she and Pete met, and it was in many ways similar to how I met my husband. I instantly felt the connection and took on the shoot, despite the busy season. Doing this shoot for Ariel and Pete made me want to have one with my hubby, maybe for our 5th anniversary.

Photography – Dasha at Exhibit Emotions

I just wanted to say a personal thanks to Ariel, my circumstances are not similar with regards to my own wedding day memories but I have always shied away from any kind of anniversary shoot, although a lovely idea, I just didn’t think it was important enough.

And now I want to capture every moment. A year on, two years on, when we are eighty-five and probably have no teeth…..

So. That’s what I am going to do.

Ariel, you are an inspiration.

Big Doing It The Right Way Love

Charlotte xxx

This post is inspired by comments on the RMW Facebook page (are you not a member yet? come join in!) and a discussion we held on what you lovelies would like to see posted over the coming months.

More than a few of you mentioned “wedding day nightmares” and by this I mean in the literal sense, as in, you go to bed expecting to enjoy lovely dreams about chiffon and cupcakes and instead wake up in a cold sweat because your sleep was plagued with what I refer to as “The Fear”.

Now, this can be basically anything that you worry about when it comes to the Big Day, from forgetting your fancy underwear to being presented with a wilted bunch of blooms to carry down the aisle.

I used to have a few re-occurring ones, my photographer not being able to make it resulting in my un-artistic father getting snap-happy with the point and click, losing my make-up bag (can you imagine?!) and the worst one of all, that our venue was double booked. We turn up only to find an entirely different wedding party already there and we are duly turned away – unable to get married at all. I used to open my eyes and be unable to breathe after a night of that particular horror.

As with any major event there are so many variables and you are simply unable to preempt the outcome. Unfortunatley I don’t have the answers on worry prevention, what I can tell you is that it’s completely normal to feel completely and utterly out of your control comfort-zone.

However, one thing I would recommend is W-day insurance, we personally didn’t need to claim anything as it happens but for what little it costs, the ability to remove the stress associated with any potential investment loss as a result was totally worth it.

Oh and confirmation. Make sure you have everything confirmed in writing, this may sound obvious but what I mean is ensure your suppliers confirm your wedding date back to you on their correspondence. All it takes is a one teenyy weeny digit to be misread or misheard and on the eve of your perfectly planned soiree your DJ could be sunning himself in Spain basking in the ignorant bliss of his mixing skills not being required until the following weekend…

And you know what? something is bound to go array. Because that’s real life I’m afraid folks. But it will be fine. In fact it will be better than fine, it will be great, and as you radiate that newly-wed glow of together foreverness all those nasty nightmares will seem like a long, distant and pointless memory.

But.

It would be interesting (and I’m sure amusing) to hear what your “fear” has been, so if you’re just sat at your computer this Sunday then why not drop us a comment? Adam and I are working on a few new RMW projects together all day so it would certainly make things more entertaining.

Big Fearless Love

Charlotte xxx

For me the one not-so-nice thing about W-day planning was the guilt.

And I don’t mean the “shall I invite them/shall I not invite them” guilt. I mean the “this is the most expensive thing I have ever bought” type guilt.

Regardless of what your actual budget is for your wedding, it is really easy to get swept away by all the pretty (hey I should know – I’m showing it to you all day every day..) that sometimes you can’t but help let your heart rule your head. And there is nothing wrong with this of course, it is after all one of the most important days of your lives.

It’s just well…

(says in quiet whisper) Sometimes I would feel so guilty about what I was about to spend on what is essentially one day I felt physically sick.

Especially when I did that thing us girls do when faced with a particularly extravagant purchase like “I could buy FIVE pairs of shoes for what this one pair costs!” or “I could buy an entire NEW WARDROBE for what this one (albeit very lovely) gown is going to set me back!”

You get the picture?

And of course I realise it’s not all about the comparisons of the fancy and the frippery. It’s the fact that you could, certainly in some cases, pay off a pretty decent chunk of your mortgage/buy a new car/generally do something that could be considered a wee bit life changing.

So I just wanted to say (small *cough* clears throat and takes deep breath)… that it is perfectly normal to feel guilty. Sick to your stomach guilty. It is also perfectly normal to decide that actually you are going to say no to that beautiful but waaaaay out of your comfort zone tiara because actually? you really need a new vacuum cleaner. Or a new tyre. Or as much as you love it frankly, the guilt you would feel afterwards just isn’t worth it.

We’re here to inspire you and help you have the best big day your heart desires, big budget, small budget, those inclined to think-with-your-heart or indeed those that think-with-your-head.

Please do let me know what it is that you have felt most guilty about spend-wise whilst planning so far and the RMW community will no doubt join forces and give honest and experienced advice.

Big Feeling Guilty Right Now After That Recent Delicious Frock Purchase Love

Charlotte xxx

Anna and Tony who say “I Do” in just a few weeks time are not only ridiculously gorgeous, they are deliciously, hopelessly and unequivocally in love. Their Scarborough shoot captured by Love Lust List member Jon at S6 Photography encapsulates everything that I look for in a RMW worthy engagement feature. And that folks is exactly that – everything. The emotion, the location, that pure unadulterated magic between two soon-to-be newly weds.

So, without further ado, I’ll let you sit back, enjoy and make plans to go hold hands in the sea with your favourite boy whilst fully clothed…..

I know I sure as hell am.

Anna: Being a born and bred south Yorkshire lass I always wanted to get married in my home city Sheffield. So when our search for a photographer started we headed online and very happily came across Jon from S6 Photography, we both loved his pictures and his relaxed yet intimate style.

Having stalked Jon’s blog for the past 6 months we noticed he was starting to do engagement shoots or pre-wedding shoots. We really liked the idea of doing a shoot not just for the photo’s but to get used to having our picture taken and to try and relax us on the day so we knew what was coming. (Hopefully not more water!)

Tony and I live in Scarborough and as we are getting married in the steel city we thought it might be a lovely idea to have some pictures where we live by the sea. Having grown up here Tony also really liked the idea of including Scarborough somewhere in the wedding.

Scarborough is a lovely little seaside town and on the right day, in the sun, looks picture postcard. Luckily for us the day we had the shoot was the perfect day, sun shining and brilliant blue sky and sea. Although I didn’t think we would be taking a dip! Even though we were totally soaked with sand everywhere it was so much fun and looking at the pictures I am so happy we decided to do it.

The wedding in only 2 and half weeks away, final details and table plans are ruling our lives but we are so excited about the whole day and what Jon will capture for us!

Photography - Love Lust List Member Jon at S6 Photography

Was I right?

Do you now have an unprecedented desire to go jump bare foot in the waves?

All I’ll say is this: I can’t wait to see the ruddy wedding.

Big If I was Anna and Tony ALL these images would go on my wall Love

Charlotte xxx

Helen and Stuart work and live on a farm so instead of getting all dressed up, they had their engagement shoot on the farm, where their real life love story plays out every day. And aside from the romance of that, they got some absolutely belting (Do I sound suitably ‘Northern’ right now?) images, with more than a little farm yard fun thrown in!

Andy Wardle: Helen and Stuart live and work on a lovely farm out in the cheshire sticks and are getting hitched in July. Such a great couple and are as salty as salt of the earth folk get . So the obvious choice for their E-shoot was to get down and dirty on the farm!

Now most guys are a bit camera shy so I thought guy + farmer…mmmm. However by the end of the shoot even a burly, no nonsense norther farmer really enjoyed himself…Result!

There’s nothing frilly or fancy about this E-shoot, just two people who are in love and getting married. Just like all of us really, except I wish I lived on a farm.

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

You can find Andy Wardle on The Love Lust List, however, all features are chosen on individual merit and no part of this post is sponsored.

I asked Gemma, (who’s Hobart wedding you’ll remember from recent weeks) to write about her honeymoon when she mentioned that instead of having a traditional get-away, she and her husband had decided to do aid work. It’s something I have contemplated and so suitably impressed, I asked more about it. Aside from the volunteering, it was fascinating, although not entirely surprising to hear her take on how it affected their relationship, the lessons they learned and how it made them stronger as a couple.

I hope you enjoy reading about their first 90 days as much as I did and thank you Gemma for sharing it with us.

It has to be said from the outset that I love a bit of luxury, me. Pretty hotels make me happy. If we book somewhere lovely for a night, I take a photo of the room before we touch anything and ‘mess it all up.’ Had I ever really thought about a honeymoon before I was engaged, I’d probably have envisioned it taking place somewhere a bit plush, a little polished. Maybe a tropical resort, or maybe somewhere swish in a city. I certainly would have imagined running water and electricity! However what we actually did turned out to be truly rewarding and inspiring in a way that a posh room can never be.

Not long after this, unfortunately, our visas were up and we had to leave. There was a lot that we did and saw that isn’t in this report, partly because it’s long enough as it is, and partly because it’s not a great idea to be too specific and people and places in Burma due to government censorship and control. At one stage when we were on the bus it was raided by Burmese military police and each person’s luggage was checked for ‘contraband’ like mobile phones, laptops or incendiary literature. At one stage R is pretty sure we were followed by ‘reporters’ which is apparently the norm – the government likes to know what foreigners are doing and where they are going. We tried to do what we could to help but really it was drop in the ocean. Our trip was challenging, tiring, and at times distressing. We were often really quite filthy, occasionally ill from the food or the water, and sometimes overwhelmed at the notion that we have everything while some people have nothing. And yet it was the best thing we’ve ever done. It showed us sides of each other, and ourselves, that we’d not seen – we impressed each other, and we were 100% together, as a unit, the whole time. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise. And at the end of the day, I think that the ‘being a unit’ is what the honeymoon is meant to be all about.

It might not be everybody’s first thought of what a honeymoon is all about, but I couldn’t have put the sentiment better myself. Anything that has such a thought provoking and positive effect on your relationship can’t be a bad thing and how amazing to know that you have helped other people when we all live our lives in such relatively absolute luxury.

I hope this has given you all a thought provoking story for your Sunday and acts as a fitting end to Wifey week.

May all of you yet to experience them, have a happy and fulfilling first 90 days of building your very own family unit.

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

PS You are going to L-O-V-E next week as we unveil the new Real bride contenders day by day. Each morning or afternoon we will be posting a selected entry each hour, then opening the voting. We have six categories and posting will continue right up to and including Sunday. Every individual vote counts! (Friends and family may vote too!) Voting will be open until the friday after next, (Friday 1st July.)

After the rings have been exchanged and the cake has been eaten and you have both had the time of your life….. what are you left with?

A Marriage. A Happy Ever After. A Love story.

And as much as we adore pouring over every last detail of your W-day we also like to hear about how it all began, how you first met, what happened at the proposal, how much you are looking forward to spending the rest of your lives together.

RMW reader, founder of stationery design company Pocket Typewriter, Love Lust List member AND general uber stylish lady Leckie (so many attributes!) and her fiance John are sharing their love story with you gorgeous lot today. Oh, and their engagement shoot is based on the film “The Notebook”.

I know. I die.

These images are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

And that’s all I have to say.

Leckie from Pocket Typewriter: Well it all started with a resignation and the drive of our life, East coast to West coast America! I was hoping that there may be a chance of a proposal but to my disappointment there was no sign, no hidden ring (I checked the bag!) and on the night we reached the Californian coast and he said that we had to get up and watch the sunrise I thought “this is it, my time has come!”

I got up that little bit earlier and popped on a bit of lippy (I had to look half decent if I was getting engaged today). So we snuggled on the edge of a rock looking out at the rising sun on the horizon, I felt so in love and had butterflies fluttering overtime in my tummy. So the sun rise came and went and still we were snuggling (What was going on??!). Next thing I know John is saying “we should get some rest as we have a drive ahead of us in the morning”.

I guess it was not meant to be, oh well at least we have had an amazing holiday. I kept that thought for the remaining few days of our trip as we had San Francisco as our grand finale!

Then came the penultimate day to our holiday and John wanted to catch the morning sun on the Golden Gate Bridge for ‘the shot of the holiday’, he had been snapping away at every given opportunity so this was nothing suspicious. Anyway, we walked to the bridge where we sat with it in full view, no fog (which is unusual for San Fran) and John handed me a folded piece of paper, on which he had written some beautiful words; describing the moment his mind was made up, how he had gone to see my dad to ask his permission and the very place we were now occupying (by this point I was crying, the soppy woman that I am!) John then proceeded to get down on one knee and ask the words I had been dying to hear “Leckie, will you marry me”. I couldn’t speak, I was so happy, all I could do was nod my head manically. “you have to answer in words Leckie”………… I was able to final muster a massive “yes, yes, yes!”

We arrived home, only to be met by our parents at the airport with flowers, flash photography and a million and one kisses, even with mega jet lag (after 3 changes and nearly missing the final flight home!) it was the best feeling ever. We were home and the planning began!

Then came the time to find the wedding photographer! We wanted to have an engagement shoot (that I only discovered actually existed through trawling the wedding blogs and magazines) that told our love story through the setting, styling and theme and so when we met Jade Alana and Michele Gledhill and they suggested we base the engagement shoot on “The Notebook” I was over the moon as this is the ultimate love story! (I weep every time, that’s my soppy side rearing its little head again!)

Well we had the perfect setting, it meant so much to us to have the shoot in a place that was close to our hearts, so we were thrilled to be able to able to use John’s family home…. So, here is what the marvellous Jade and Michele came up with……..

Jade requested a vintage bike with a basket (I started liking Jade even more, we are definitely on the same wave length; John had bought me one the last Christmas). Michele put together a beautiful bunch of flowers, new romantic with a vintage twist, this is the theme for our wedding in July…..

John and I were very enthusiastic about the images that Jade wanted to capture, as I have already mentioned we were on the same wave length so I trusted her, I think trust is key with the person who is capturing your very own personal love story. So when she asked if we could get the horse out (John’s sister’s (Jody) horse Megan) we went for it!

Megan did tread on John’s toes and refused to move, I think it was her way of saying she had had enough!

While we were trying to get Megan off John’s foot, Michele had created an amazing scene with vintage lace and gorgeous little bottles hanging from the tree with those lovely flowers again. It looked magical and really reflected our personalities, which shows with the stationery we have chosen (designed by my brother which has since launched our creative stationery business- had to get the little advert in there!) All I can say is that Michele really is a styling guru!

Then came the real Notebook part of the shoot…..THE BOAT SCENE! It was great fun, John’s dad (also John, yes it gets very confusing!) cleaned out their little wooden boat and pushed us onto the pond, which although looked perfect did smell like a sewage works, the things you do to look good eh!

And so concludes our engagement shoot (and John thinking it would only take half an hour!). Well it was a fab experience that even John relaxed into, but I think that was down to Jade, photographer extraordinaire!

Photography – Jade Webb

Stylist - Michele Gledhil

Stationery – Leckie at Pocket Typewriter

Ok so I have a bit more to say.

I realise that engagement shoots are not as popular as they are across the pond. And I can appreciate that some couples would feel uncomfortable posing in front of a camera (even on W-day, let alone just for “fun”)

However, when it’s this pretty and when everything that is included in terms of styling is 100% a representation of the couples’s relationship?

I think it’s magical.

Big will someone have this bouquet on their wedding day please? Love

Charlotte xxx