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Lomography Love in London.

April 4th, 2012

As part of Rock My Wedding Retro Week we teamed up with Lomography.com and provided them with a competition prize.

Three lucky people would have the chance of winning a couples/engagement/friends photoshoot to take place in London, organised by Rock My Wedding. The shoot would be a challenge as all the photographs would be taken using Lomography camera’s and film.

So, a few weeks ago RMW set off down south to that London town to meet up with the winners. And we took with us a make-up artist, a stylist and some of the best wedding photographers in the business.


Photography – From Top: Anna Clarke | Emma Case | Anna Clarke

What is Lomography?

Lomography is a photographic movement centred around the retro, plastic or toy cameras that you used to be able to buy in the 60′s and 70′s. They provide very stylised and interesting photographs.

They may not be to everyone’s taste – think of Lomography as the marmite of the photography world! But if you do like the style – it may be something you wish to discuss with your own photographer if you are planning an engagement of couples shoot yourself.


Photography – From Top: Emma Case | Steve Gerrard | Emma Case | Steve Gerrard

Lomograph

A lomography photograph is often referred to as a “lomograph”.

A Lomograph holds a charm all of its own. Somehow, everything is amplified, making ordinary objects stand out, enhancing details that would normally go unnoticed. Characterised by ever-changing variables such as the mysterious vignettes that frame the shot, light leaks, lo-fi grain, beautiful blurs, the magical balance of contrast and saturation … just to name a few.


Photography: Anna Clarke

A combination these factors and a healthy touch of the unexpected go into making each Lomograph unique. Essentially, Lomography embraces the element of surprise that only analogue film photography can bring and wholeheartedly celebrates the outcome.
Excerpt from Lomography.com


Photography – From Top: Emma Case | Steve Gerrard | Emma Case | Steve Gerrard

From Carnaby Street to China Town

The shoot kicked off in the Lomography.com HQ – just off Carnaby street. Retro hair and make-up ideas where discussed with our lucky winners and then created by Love Lust List member Melissa Greening.

Fashion, clothing, accessories and general retro styling (including some fantastical props) where provided by Lauren from Grace And Gable.


Photography: Ann-Kathrin Koch

Before long our photographers Emma Case, Anna Clarke, Ann-Kathrin Koch and Steve Gerrard where all on the scene and picking out their favoured Lomography camera from the selection we had been given to play with.

There are loads of different lomography cameras and they all have different effects and produce different results. Our videographer for the day, Simon Clarke, was familiarising himself with one of Lomography’s latest offerings – the Lomo Kino.


Photography – From Top: Emma Case | Steve Gerrard | Emma Case | Steve Gerrard

The Lomo Kino is a clever contraption. It’s essentially a film based videocamera that you can load with normal 35mm camera film and it shoots frames as you turn the handle. It works a bit like a mechanical flick book – You can check out Simon’s results at the end of the post.


Photography – From Top: Emma Case| Anna Clarke | Emma Case

With our winners now sporting their chosen retro looks we left Lomography.com HQ and the snapping began. It was a relaxed and informal shoot. Our photographers swapped cameras, swapped models and generally experimented with the environment they found themselves in.

As we walked through Soho to China Town it was great to see how relaxed and playful our competition winners had become. We had dressed them up, put silly hats on them, even coaxed one or two of them into roller boots – but they took everything we threw at them in their stride.


Photography – From Top: Ann-Kathrin Koch | Anna Clarke | Emma Case

Fans Of Film

It was quite a different experience for our photographers – who all love film photography, but are much more familiar with shooting in digital. There would be no previews of this shoot. No checking shots on the camera back. Instead of having a digital storage allowing thousands of images to be fired off with the intention of selecting the “perfect one” each photographer had just two rolls of film. 72 shots. Every one of them was going to have to count.


Photography: Emma Case

London provides the perfect backdrop for this type of shoot. I love the city dearly and on that particular day I experienced a side of it that I had not seen before. Every nook and cranny became a potential shoot location. Little alleyways that would normally go unnoticed were explored and documented.


Photography – From Top: Emma Case | Emma Case | Ann-Kathrin Koch

We managed to persuade Shop keepers to allow us to film in their doorways, we interrupted a wholesale market and provided the stall owners with a bit of entertainment and nearly scared an old chinese man to death. I don’t think he was expecting to find a film crew skulking around his wheelie bins!


Photography: Emma Case

The Results

So, with shooting on film and with the unpredictable nature of Lomography, there was a fantastic element of surprise built into this shoot – No one would know if it had been a success until those films came back from the lab.

It was a nail biting week or so before I got to see the results, but I must say – I was totally blown away with what I saw. Some of these photographs look like album covers from 70′s prog rock bands… Others are like a psychedelic trip through a crazy warped London from another time. I want them printed HUGE… and I want them on my wall!


Photography – From Top: Steve Gerrard | Emma Case | Steve Gerrard | Emma Case

Thanks to all of our brilliant Photographers – Emma Case, Anna Clarke, Ann-Kathrin Koch and Steve Gerrard. It is amazing to see the variety of styles, effects and ‘happy accidents’ that occur when you push great photographers together and throw a bunch of unpredictable retro cameras into the mix.

And of course we can’t forget our video man Simon Clarke. Making his debut with the Lomo Kino. Here it is folks – A retro ‘flick book’ of a film.

We would love to know what you think of the Lomography style. Would any of you consider having a lomography element to your engagement shoot – or even as part of your wedding day photography? It would certainly give an alternative and unique angle to your albums.

Also, we’d love to know if you have a favourite image from the shoot – drop us a comment and share the Lomography love!

Adam.

23 comments »

Posted in Love Stories

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Ask Jenny – How far is too far…?

March 30th, 2012

Hi Jenny,

I’m having a big wobble about reception venues, and how far it is acceptable to ask guests to travel, and I’m hoping you might be able to offer some advice..

The background – my fiancé’s family will be coming from Ireland, and most of my family will be coming from up north (Lancashire way). In addition, we will also have guests coming from America (we hope!) and Switzerland. So a lot of people already coming a long way to be at our wedding.

The wedding – the Church we want to get married in is the Parish Church where I grew up, and where my parents still attend, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. It means an awful lot to me, and my parents, that this is where we’ve decided to get married.

And now for the ‘but’ – all of the reception venue’s I’ve seen that I’ve fallen in love with are all about 30-45 minutes drive (or more) from the Church. I’ve always dreamed of getting married in a barn, or possibly a marquee decked out to look like a barn (!!), and I haven’t found any which are closer to Amersham that’s not ridiculously out of our budget (like, double than what we can afford!)

So this has thrown up a real question for me – how far is acceptable to ask guests to travel between wedding and reception? I’ve thought about putting on transport from the Church to the reception, such as a coach or bus, but then how do guests get back to their cars afterwards? (and there’s nowhere for them to leave their cars at the Church) Plus there’s then the added issue that many barns don’t have accommodation on site – so I’d be asking guests to travel again from the reception to their rooms for the night, although I’m hoping that might be solved by persuading them to all stay in the same hotel and then providing taxis/mini-buses at the end of the night!

Please help me, Jenny, can you suggest what you think is acceptable? For me, it will be having all of our family and friends at our big day that will make the perfect day, over the ‘perfect’ reception, but I’m still struggling to make that compromise!

Thanks for your help!!

Julia Kirkup

Dear Lovely Venue Wobbly Julia,

You sound as though you are in such a pickle, why do we do it to ourselves?!

First off, let me offer you some reassurance. I drove an hour from a Cathedral wedding to the reception venue for a very close friends wedding, which was also in a different village to that of the hotel I was staying in for the night, and it wasn’t an issue for me. It was a case of having to be organised. Oh, and it took me almost three hours to get to the Cathedral in the first place from where I lived too. And I had to get into my dress in the passenger seat of the car (this was very poor time management on my part! We got stuck on the motorway in traffic).

So from the ceremony itself we drove an hour to the Hotel to check in, drop our bags off and freshen up, then had a taxi pre booked to drive us to the reception venue. It honestly wasn’t any hassle at all, when we arrived at the venue everyone else arrived at pretty much the same time, and we had some champagne and canapés to relax, quench our thirst, and catch up with old friends. The bride and groom planned the timing perfectly, and it was one of the best weddings I have ever been to. They did it exactly as they wanted.

When you splurge such a huge amount of money on a wedding, and invest so much time into planning, isn’t it best to remain true to your dreams and have the day you really want to have? Why compromise, unless you really really have to?

I’m going to open this up to our community because you won’t be alone in feeling a bit stressed about this, it was something that was important to me in my planning too, but I shouldn’t have wasted my energy worrying, your loved ones will be there come hell or highwater!

Has this helped at all?

Love,

Jenny x

37 comments »

Posted in Ask Jenny

Group Shots And How To Make Them Awesome.

March 30th, 2012

Morning lovelies.

I thought we would start today with a discussion on “group” images for W-day. For starters you wouldn’t believe the amount of emails we receive regarding them i.e. how to make them non line-up or awkward. I was your classic no-group-shot-please bride as it happens – as in, please please don’t make us all stand together and say cheese. I had spent such a long time at other weddings doing exactly that and the experience had put me off forever.

Instead I wanted natural in-the-moment images of everyone having a great time. All well and good of course until you realise this was maybe a mistake, and actually there was certain people that due to being at the bar, powdering their nose in the ladies or dancing bare foot on the lawn were missed. And with the photographer not being advised who, what and when at least in some capacity (or in my case – just completely ignoring every request from said photographer in the hope it would all “be alright on the night” as it were) then you may have some small niggling regrets.

I wouldn’t want any of you gorgeous lot to miss out on any amazing images of your entire wedding party, at the same time I don’t expect everyone to jump up and down at the prospect of spending hours posing in front of a camera on W-day either. So I actually called my own big day moment-capturer Jordan Banks of Source Images to give his expert advice on how to achieve some (genuinely lovely) everyone-together type imagery.

Jordan Banks: I often read articles about wedding photographers; what they should and shouldn’t do and what should be asked of them on the day. Sometimes these articles contain useful information but more often than not it’s a lot of uninformed and outdated twaddle to fill column space in ‘specialist’ magazines. Photography, especially wedding photography, has come a long way in the last decade and what was true in the late nineties is not necessarily true now.

Having discussed and moaned about this with Charlotte on more than one occasion it was suggested that it may be an area of interest where a working photographer could talk candidly about what you should really be thinking about at any stage of the relationship with your chosen photographer. I think you would all agree that photography is a fairly important aspect of your big day although not one that you want to necessarily dictate your day.

To start we are going to be discussing the topic of group shots – you know the ones, everyone in a line staring reluctantly at the camera smiling, looking a little awkward or clinging on to their drink………

Well it doesn’t have to be that way!

Photography courtesy of Source Images

One of the few things that bored me about my job was taking and editing line-ups; they were always lacking in emotion and creativity and generally didn’t interest me. At first I thought I was alone which of course I wasn’t. Slowly but surely I realised my peers and clients all felt the same way; something had to be done.

I recognised the need to approach these images differently and started viewing my surroundings from a fresh perspective. How could I use each location to its best effect without producing yet another set of clichéd, generic images? It turned out this was easier and far more achievable than I had first imagined. It was as simple as approaching the group in front of me as individuals and capturing that personality. I started to seat and stagger the groups to give the images more depth, getting them to interact amongst themselves thus stimulating emotion and character; props were introduced to create some fun – all simple things yet very effective.

Photography courtesy of Source Images

So where does the above begin? Usually in our studio with the couple asking questions….

Should we have group shots?

If so, how many?

Who do we include?

Where can we take them?

These are all reasonable and logical questions that we as photographers are commonly asked and whilst there is no right or wrong answer, it is something that if discussed and thoughtfully executed can produce some of your most memorable images. A group shot that reflects each individual personality will be something treasured forever by all included – yes, it is possible; group shots don’t have to be boring.

Photography courtesy of Source Images

My personal approach is to produce a set of images that captures the story of the ‘big’ day. For want of a better word I would describe my style as photo journalistic. To some this may be interpreted as ‘you can’t take group shots’ but I’ve never been one to pigeon hole myself and besides, I don’t have the balls or guts to tell a proud Mum that she can’t have her ‘minds eye’ images of her with her beautiful daughter and family……. nor should I! All weddings are as individual as the couples themselves and in my opinion, should be approached accordingly.


Photography courtesy of Source Images

Some couples will prefer the more ‘classic’ images and others, more natural and fun; that is exactly why prior to any wedding, I spend time with the couple reviewing and absorbing their ideas/plan/theme for the day. One of the many things we always discuss is the group shots. If the couple decides that this is what they want, I would normally suggest keeping to a minimum (4-8 combinations) so that the whole reception doesn’t feel like one large photo shoot – no-one wants that. This will also allow me to spend a little more time making each shot on the couples list that bit more creative and special; something as simple as a change of location will often result in a set of far more meaningful images of and for everyone involved.

Photography courtesy of Source Images

When discussing the couples ‘wish’ list, I will put it together in order of the most essential combinations, firstly so that if ‘shooting’ does take longer than planned and you want to call it a day (it does happen and more regularly than you might imagine) and just get on with having fun, you will have the most important images captured. That way no one is going to be upset that they were missed. To keep things moving and speed things up a little, I find it effective to enlist a friend/usher/family member who knows the majority of guests, thus enabling the relevant people to be found quickly and without having to go around shouting names. No one likes an intrusive photographer and I actually just don’t have the voice for it. With guests identified and located, I am then able to focus on the location and feasibility of each shot e.g. some ‘whole party’ group shots aren’t always easy to achieve so it is worth weighing up the time spent trying to gather everyone together in the same place against the quality of the final image. I ask the question, is it really worth spending 15 minutes of your reception for an ‘average’ shot of everyone as against 15 minutes for substantially more shots of you and your guests enjoying the day? Having said that, there are some locations that do lend themselves so perfectly to certain shots that it immediately makes them worth suggesting- location research is always advantageous.

In the end, whatever a couple decides is fine with me, they are after all the client. If they want more or less combinations than I have suggested, that’s not a problem. At least I can be confident that I have made them aware of the reality of the situation and possible limitations. They have employed me as a professional and from there; they are able to make an informed decision.


Photography courtesy of Source Images

Once we have established a ‘wish’ list that everyone is happy with, I can concentrate on the ‘feel’ you are seeking and what can be done to achieve it. This is where a good and creative photographer will be worth their fee, as it will be mainly up to them and the flexibility of the venue, to achieve the desired end result. Never be afraid to ask or make suggestions – remember group shots don’t need to be stiff and boring!!

Photography courtesy of Shell De Mar

For this post I invited another photographer to come and share their thoughts on the given subject so Shell de Mar please take centre stage!

Shell De Mar: “I have a two pronged approach to group shots, I do the safe/expected shots (look at the camera and smile!) to make sure the parents (and/or clients) are happy, and then I always suggest doing some fun/creative ones with the bridal party (or anyone else who’s up for it, really!). 

When I do something in my photography I try to put myself in my clients’ shoes – what would I like to see on my walls, and for me at least the answer is always the fun photos as they evoke memories of the day, and the creative ones because they just look cool on the wall! So those are what I try to shoot and create.”

Photography courtesy of Shell De Mar

If anyone has any questions about anything featured in this post please feel free to ask.

Until next time,

Jordan

P.s – Charlotte again *waves*, feel free to tell us your scariest photographer-at-a-wedding stories in the comments box below – I have a few!

42 comments »

Posted in Planning The RMW Way

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Ask The Experts – Bridesmaids Fashion.

March 23rd, 2012

Morning Lovelies! Michelle from Twobirds Bridesmaids is here all day today to answer all of your best girl fashion questions….so please leave your queries in the comments sections and Michelle will shower you with her expert knowledge.

Michelle: So you’ve asked your closest girls to stand by your side on your big day and after gracious acceptance (perhaps accompanied by squeals of excitement and discussions on hen locations), the next big question is “What will we wear??” And then the penny drops.

It’s your job to make sure these ladies look and feel gorgeous, with their varying shapes, size and personalities.

First things first, where will you find inspiration?

  • Magazines have great spreads on suggestions for bridesmaids and the March/April issues for each of the big magazines always contains a bridesmaid special so make sure you grab that.
  • Blogs are a great (and free up-to-the-minute) source and you can often search inspiration boards for colour ideas.
  • The boutiques you visit for bridal gowns will also often have a selection of bridesmaids dresses to try and if not, ask them for recommendations.
  • Pinterest is also a great place to look for inspiration and makes it very easy to share images/links with your bridesmaids.

So what are the key considerations?

Budget:

If you’re hoping for help from your girls on the cost it’s important to have these conversations early on rather than in a busy shop trying on dresses. Many brides cover the cost of the dresses but ask that the bridesmaids choose and pay for their own shoes and accessories, something they would use again. (A lot of bridesmaids have been happy to contribute to their two birds dresses as they know it’s something they will wear again afterwards.)

Set your price point and be prepared to stick to (or around) this. Don’t consume yours and your maids time visiting boutiques that it’s unlikely you will be able to buy from and check prices on the website before you make appointments to try.

Colour and Length:

Ask your bridesmaids to have a look at inspiration areas themselves too and get together to share ideas over a few cocktails before you shop. Try and have an idea of colours and lengths you are looking for before start trying on so that you have some focus to the day, especially if you have lots of bridesmaids. You may end up with something completely different, coral when it was navy you had in mind but it’s good to go having narrowed down the rainbow a little!

Also think about skin tones and hair colours, there are a lot of colours that suit all girls; navy is a real crowd pleaser, olive green is amazing on blondes and very sexy on brunettes too, aubergine can be worn by pretty much every person on the planet and looks great. And try red, you’d be amazed how many people it suits that have never worn it and makes for very striking photos. Vintage nude tones can be tricky so be prepared to thing outside of the box to complement your theme rather than match if it doesn’t suit all of your girls.

Think outside the box:

We all have very set colours and shapes that we wear for everyday clothes because that’s what we wear. A bridesmaid boutique that stocks a good range of colours is a great way to try something new and leave the dress on a few minutes if it’s not something you are used to. Ater you get over the initial shock of change, some colours are real growers and I personally love it when girls leave our boutique exclaiming, “I can’t believe I’m going to wear peacock blue, I never wear any kind of turquoise colour!’

Shapes:

if you’re looking at dresses on the high street, try lots of different necklines! Here at twobirds, we love working to find the best style to suit the body shape and that’s the genius of having one dress that wraps so many ways, you can have all your bridesmaids with some uniformity in the colour and length but then rocking their own shape.

A sweetheart neckline is great for showing off a good bust and teemed with a capped sleeve can cover up the tops of the arms should you wish. A one-shoulder style suits lots of shapes and works well to detract from broad shoulders. Petite figures suit a cross over style either twisted or flat. For those who would like a little extra something in the bust, a dropped waist works well to create a shape illusion and if all else fails, stick on silicone cups are a genius invention! We all have parts of our body we’d like to improve, try rather to focus on the bits you do like and show them off as much as possible – good legs, go short! If you’re blessed with a bust, a nice open neckline while still being ladylike will look fantastic, show off what you have with style!

Support:

The one thing we talk about most in our Notting Hill flagship boutique is boobs – all day long! Of course we all wear a bra every day but when it comes to evening wear, sometimes you can get creative and still look and feel great. Girls are amazed at how supportive our dresses are once they let us guide them to the best shape for them. The people serving you should be experienced, passionate and knowledgeable in what will suit each bridesmaid so let them guide you.

Timings:

Try and get all of your bridesmaids together at the same time to try on dresses and bear in mind a lot of boutiques require an appointment. Weekends between January and April fill up fast so book early to avoid disappointment. If you have the luxury of time before your wedding, shop out of bridal season during the summer. If you’re going for the high street, there will be a lot more choice in the summer for dresses too. Also bear in mind that if you are going for a bespoke dress or a classic bridesmaid dress there will likely be a lead time for the dresses to be made which is almost as long as your wedding dress – order early to avoid disappointment or rush fees.

Pre and Post Natal:

Don’t get scared if one of your bridesmaids suddenly announces the joyous news that she has a little one on the way. In this day and age, it’s common to see a gorgeous bump coming down the aisle and we go gooey when we see pregnant women in our dresses. Be mindful of the time restrictions your maids will have if they are giving birth a short time before the wedding and go for an option that is going to be simple. Avoid time-consuming fittings and give them the support and coverage they need; use cups etc if they need to. Our dresses with a bandeau are a great option so consider something with an undergarment if possible.

Please leave your questions ladies and I will answer them as best I can!

Love Michelle x

21 comments »

Posted in Ask The Experts

Ask Jenny – Open Bar Drama.

March 16th, 2012

Hi Jenny,

My fiancé & I are getting married this September & all our plans are going well & we’re very, very excited. However, I am prone to flapping & this week I’m mostly worrying about drinks. Our package at our reception venue includes 4 drinks for each day time guest & I thought this would be fine, but I saw an article on theknot.com that suggested guests would be peeved if there wasn’t an open bar. Is this just an American expectation or should we be doing it too? I can’t bear to cost it- I’d probably faint in horror- & I just don’t think we could stretch to it, but I don’t want to be a bad hostess!

What do you think? Are we being stingy by just having a cash bar for the rest of the day? Getting sozzled is a given at a party, but I don’t want to have to compromise on everything else to facilitate it. Your advice would be greatly appreciated!

Jenn x

Hello Jenn,

Cor I remember the drinks/open bar stress. Mr O was intent on having an open bar, as was Mr O the Senior. I however have been to many events with open bars, and ended up absolutely sozzled beyond belief (because it’s rude not to, right?)

Let me share my experience of having an open bar wedding. My concern was that people would take the mickey and order double whiskeys and champagne. So after much debate we finally agreed on an open bar set at a limit of a certain amount of money, say £700, and guests were offered beer, wine, and single spirits. This is as well as the four glasses of wine and glass of Prosecco they were offered at their tables. There were guests who of course wanted to drink something different and they were happy to pay for that out of their own pockets.

This set limit lasted until about 6 or 7pm. We were asked if we would like to close the open bar or increase the limit. So we increased the limit. An hour later we were asked the same question. And we increased again. This continued until at 10pm my drunk husband just signed off an open bar for the rest of the night (I believe the night ended at about 3am).

I can’t say whether it made a difference to the party atmosphere, there were a few people who shall remain anonymous who like a drink and ended up completely rat ar$ed – but then it’s a wedding, you will always end up with a few who enjoy a higher state of refreshment! …..As long as there are no fights then you’re all good.

Settling the bill the next day was a little bit of a shock. However we felt immense pride that we had thrown a really good reception, our guests gave us brilliant feedback they had all had a really bloody good time, and the pictures from the fully packed dancefloor speak for themselves. It was worth every penny and I felt that somehow it was a small thank you to our gorgeous family and friends for being so generous, supportive, and loving of us.

Do I always take a fully stocked purse with me to weddings? Yes of course I do, it’s not good etiquette to presume an open bar. Am I offended when there isn’t an open bar? No way! Would you be?

You could always have an open bar for close family and friends, set at an amount you are comfortable with, a few hundred quid maybe? Give the bar staff a code word for them to use like ‘massive wangers’ or something…

“Ahem yes I would like two pints of Carlsberg and three glasses of dry white wine please-massive-wangers”.

You just gotta hope the barmaid hasn’t been blessed in the chest department otherwise that could be awkward.

This means you won’t break the bank with an uncontrollable bar bill, you are keeping those close to you looked after – which will be a lovely surprise for them, and your other guests still have the table drinks to kick start their evening. Everyone’s a winner!

It’s something to think about, and if you opt out of an open bar that is your choice and anyone who judges or complains about it needs to order themselves a double and loosen the heck up! It’s a celebration!

Good luck Jenn, make sure you let us know how your big day went.

I’d love to hear other experiences of open bars, did you have to sell a kidney on the blackmarket to cover the cost? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Craving wine but can’t touch a drop because I’m pregnant again love,

Jen xx

49 comments »

Posted in Ask Jenny

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The Gift Of Um…Gifts.

March 13th, 2012

I see this quandry a lot – on our Facebook page, in our community comments section…..you lovelies wondering a) which members of the wedding party to buy gifts for if any and b) what to actually purchase.

Personally I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer, if you want to say a huge “Thanks” to your Mum, or your Father-in-Law or your best girls for helping out with W-day/just being them then go ahead, it is a generous and thoughtful gesture.

Ahem. Don’t feel you have to though – it’s not customary and along with everything else that goes into making your celebration everything you want it to be, it is yet another expense and consideration.

And if you do want to give something tangible as a way of showing your appreciation it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact some of the most impressive presents I have seen have been reasonably priced but personal or 100% hand-made.

So to take a little bit of the thinking out of it team RMW thought we might put together a little series of gift ideas starting with your maids.

Jewellery

This is what I opted for – I figured everyone loves a delicate piece of pretty and your favourite ladies can opt to wear said item actually on the day. I bought earrings from Coast – a high street store that I still really rate for costume pieces and evening accessories.

From top left: Cindy earrings, Fiesta earrings and Samantha earrings all £15 each. The Tallulah cuff is £35 and looks amazing on – seriously, the picture doesn’t do it justice.

If you are looking for something a little more quirky then take a butchers at the jewellery section on Ruby and Diva, these are four of my favourites:

The handmade porcelain poem pendant makes a lovely literary gift for readers and writers, hand-cut from wet clay the pendant is hand-inscribed with a quote from Sylvia Plath’s poem “The Moon and the Yew Tree” £34. And in a similar literary vein The antique gold “Alice” key necklace is ideal for those who adore Lewis Carol or want to get lost in Wonderland £20.

A little more kitsch is the scrabble “Love” brooch which is just £10 and at the other end of the price scale is the Votre Amie Pendant in sterling silver that reads “Votre amie qui vous amie toujours” – your friend who loves you always, not cheap at £90 but so damn lovely.

Maybe I am being a little bit behind the times but I only just realised Cath Kitson does jewellery, this Make-Do-And-Mend bracelet is particularly cute especially for a best girl who is assisting you in your quest to be the Queen of D.I.Y.

And if you haven’t had a look see at Etsy yet you REALLY need to, so many beautiful (and inexpensive) maids gifts to choose from. I stumbled across Anatoliantale Design which not only offer a wide range of gorgeous items using semi-precious stones but you can also save significant $$$$$ if you order more than one – a great option if you have a couple of ladies to buy for.

The monogrammed necklaces in Aqua are $32 each and the pink opal earrings are just $21 each plus postage – either would be perfect with your best girls birth stones.

And my absolute favourite idea of all? This embroidered initial pendant from Merriweather Council, just $35 plus $3 shipping each (about £25) that come in a myriad of shades from teal to eggshell. You could match them up to your W-day colour scheme or just find out what each of your friends favourite hue is.

Chanel

This is my fail-safe giftage should I be temporarily void of inspiration. Never underestimate the power of the black and white gift bag – no woman can resist. And what’s inside doesn’t have to cost the earth either, nail polishes (I rate both the coral “Distraction” and the biscuit nude “Particuliere”) and the compact mirror are just £17 and £23 respectively. And if you want the whole Chanel gift wrap and ribbon experience I would highly recommend John Lewis – they always seem to go the extra mile in terms of cosmetics customer service.

Just For You

One of the coolest bridesmaid gift ideas I have ever seen on these pages was bride Dawn’s framed cartoon strip, she had one made for each of her best girls:

You can see the rest of Dawn and Alex’s wedding day here.

The “Adventures Of” are by No-Me illustrations.

Another thoughtful idea is to make a photo book of all of your time together – holidays, celebrations ….. embarrassing outfits you used to wear (!) that type of thing. My girls all got together and made me one of “The Glamorous Tour” – i.e. my 2009 hen party that my sister presented me with whilst I was getting ready on the morning of W-day, I was needless to say more than a little bit touched. They used Photobox which was quick, easy and pretty cheap (oh and they currently have photo books at 40% off.)

And if you want to go the whole really make something from scratch route then this is perhaps one of the most creative (and greatest) concepts I have seen in a long time:

Bethany of Rinse.Repeat blog made each one of her favourite ladies a personalised box all about choosing them as a bridesmaid and the wedding plans. The attention to detail and sentiment were outstanding and although not everyone would have the time or indeed the inclination you should go check out the post “Askin’My Maids” regardless as it really is a beautiful piece on friendship.

So then you gorgeous lot, are you buying your best girls something special? Or do you think it is yet another unnecessary expense?

And if you have already bought something/have something in mind do let us know in the comments section below.

Big Giftage Love

Charlotte xxx

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