Rock My Wedding » Contemporary Cool http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:30:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Love Is The Light That Guides Us……part 2 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/love-is-the-light-that-guides-us-part-2/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/love-is-the-light-that-guides-us-part-2/#comments Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:00:04 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=17720 Now I know we don’t feature a whole lot of “film” on Rock My Wedding and actually that’s a shame. Especially when they are as brilliant and as moving as Vicky and Jeff’s highlights clip as created by Jeff Wood Visuals . If you can’t view it because you are at work/shopping and on an iphone… then please please if there is one thing you do when you get home SEE IT.

It will make all the stress and uncertainty of planning your Big Day fade away into the distance as you remember the real reason behind this whole she-bang…..

The Love.

Enjoy.

All images courtesy of Say Fromage Photo Booths.

Keeping It Real

I think it’s the little details that make a wedding and ok, if something goes wrong and the sweetie jars don’t have the correct shade of sage ribbon around them no-one will pull you up on it but when all the little details come together, it is so worth the effort.

I really enjoyed spending Sundays with my mum making little bits and bobs such as the name “plaques” for mine and Mr C’s chairs at our sweetheart table (now this sounds very contrived and dare I say it American but the sweetheart table only came about because we both have divorced and remarried parents and so couldn’t have a top table and so it made sense to sit a la deux…

And it was one of the best decisions we made as we were able to discuss the ceremony and how it was going, critique our menu and generally giggle for a while before we got lifted up again in the whirlwind which was our wedding).

My mum and I also made the table plans for both the day and night, the day one being a gilt edge frame with ribbons tied to the table plans hanging from the top and little crystal accessories acting as weights. I even surprised myself with that bit of DIY!

Also, one of the main focuses of our wedding was to provide a memorable experience for ourselves but also our guests, many of whom would buy us gorgeous presents and so we wanted to do as much as we can to ensure they had a good time. So, as well as the band and photo booth we also added some little surprise extras that even my chief wedding partner in crime (my mum) didn’t know about!

We offered ice cold mojitos (our hen weekend drink du jour!) or bottled beers for the post ceremony drinks instead of Champagne, had a popcorn and candy floss machine at the evening reception (more popular with the drunken adults than the small number of children!) and had the Ice Angels complete with vintage 50’s style dresses come out with mini ice creams later in the evening which went down a storm.

Similarly, the processional music was something that we decided on literally three days before the wedding as neither of us could agree on a song that wasn’t too cheesy (just not us) or wasn’t romantic enough (I wanted the movie theme tune to Sex and the City but Mr C vetoed it!). Luckily we had a brainwave and asked a good friend of ours who happens to be a completely amazing and talented video producer to put together a little montage of audio clips that would open to the song, lighten the atmosphere and set the scene and the end result was fabulous.

As I stood outside I could just about hear it but could mainly hear people laughing which was amazing. Then the music kicked in to our chosen song, The Smiths “There is a Light” but instead an instrumental Vitamin String Quartet version of it which is beautiful. We also chose MGMT’s “Electric Feel”, Elbows “One Day Like Thi”s and The Cure’s “Friday I’m in love” for the signing of the registar and recessional, songs that when I hear now just make me warm inside and remind me of my special day.

Also, I could not leave this without mentioning without doubt the best RMW find of the wedding and that is my amazing, beautiful wedding co-ordinator Julie Dawson. I booked Julie about 3 or 4 months before the wedding when it occurred to me that I would not be able to oversee to venues on the day, or at least I would but I would be a nervous wreck!

So I spoke to Julie and quickly brought her on board, she sounded like everything I needed, cool, calm and completely organised and I am so glad she was there for me, words cannot express how much of a difference she made to our day.

In some ways I felt like a guest at my wedding if that makes sense, in that I was able to completely relax and enjoy the day without worrying about what to do with the band when we ran over time (Julie sorted it), about getting the flowers from venue one over to venue two (Julie took them) to ensuring over 200+ people were seated at our evening reception before we arrived (Julie herded them in!). If anyone is considering this little extravagance I would without a doubt say go for it, I can honestly say our day went without a hitch thanks to The Wedding Genie.

My advice to brides-to-be is to don’t feel like you have to conform to the traditional image of “a wedding”, if you don’t want a long dress and a chignon, don’t have one or if you’d rather not have great aunty Beryl’s neighbour there, don’t invite them. It took me a while to get my head in to this mind set, I was always so concerned about what others might think but I am so glad we did it our way.

To be honest I was most worried about was the ceremony. We had no readings and a relatively short ceremony and I was worried people would think it was odd (what? No-one reading The Art of Marriage? What kind of a wedding is this?!) but in the end we stuck to our guns and I have to say that the ceremony was the highlight of my day. It was everything I could have wished for, intimate, happy, loving and surrounded by a small number of people who knew that we wanted each and every one of them there to share our moment with us.

Are you ready? Well get comfortable folks and prepare for some serious tears. With HUGE thanks to Jeff (Mr C!), Vicky ( Bride and Chic!) and Jeff Wood Visuals.

Big THIS IS WHY I”M A WEDDING BLOGGER Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/love-is-the-light-that-guides-us-part-2/feed/ 34 Love Is The Light That Guides Us…..part 1 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/love-is-the-light-that-guides-us-part-1/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/love-is-the-light-that-guides-us-part-1/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:24:08 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=17650 The way I am putting together the intimate real wedding of Vicky and Jeff is slightly different to the Rock My Wedding norm. For one their photographer was the uber talented and internationally acclaimed Jeff Ascough and this guy captures moments like you wouldn’t believe, pure unadulterated magic….. so there will be more of those than the abundance of detail shots we regularly post.

Two: there are a lot of black and white, again we tend to sway towards colour the majority of the time but some of my favourite images are definitely in the monochrome category.

Three: Vicky is a long-term RMW bride and part of our community, you may recognise her as “Bride and Chic” from our comments section. Vicky has written a particularly brilliant account which is detailed, witty and informative and is well worth a butchers.

Four: Part two is in fact a film, a beautiful, tear-jerking, moving and delicious film.

This whole chic and contemporary affair was about family, intimacy and the parts of a wedding that really REALLY matter – the people, the love, the hope and the joy.

Prepare to be enthralled lovelies.

The Beginning

Jeff (Mr C!) and I were married in June 2010 at the beautiful Great John Street Hotel, Manchester in an intimate ceremony with 56 guests followed by an evening reception for 200 at the equally stunning Radisson Edwardian Hotel. We had been together for 15 years (childhood sweethearts!) and have a gorgeous 3 year old little boy and so wanted something low key and small for the day but the big wow factor party for the evening.

We set the scene from the start with our informal save the dates, then on to our beautiful stationery from Emily & Jo and Hello!Lucky, complete with informal wording and rsvp’s with a twist!

Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

I Dream In Tulle

Dress shopping…eeek! I have to say this is what I was most looking forward too and I booked my appointments weeks in advance. I devoured the style pages of every wedding magazine cutting out shapes and styles that I could see myself in so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted when I set out on the hunt. I went to a shop in my local village which stocked Pronovias and Charlotte Balbier, two designers I wanted to look at more closely and managed to pick out about 15 dresses on my first visit. It was quickly decided by all however that I didn’t suit the big dresses, I looked like a little girl let loose in a dressing up box, and I have to say I was a little disheartened..

However, before we left I saw a dress on the mannequin that was simply gorgeous. Antique gold colour lace with a subtle scattering of beads throughout the fabric, shoulder straps (something I had requested) a sexy low cut front and an amazing ability to give you the most curvaceous figure. It was Charlotte Balbiers Tabitha and I loved it. But there was something niggling me, something stopping me from handing over the credit card. I felt like looked nice in it and it suited my figure perfectly but it didn’t suit my wedding. Was this a reason not to buy a gorgeous wedding dress? Well it was for me and after a brief WAG-ish moment of considering getting two dresses I walked away from the dress that is now known as the “if-I was-having-a-country-house-or-marquee-wedding” dress.


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

So the hunt continued. Another designer that I’d always been drawn to in magazines is Jenny Packham as for me her design-led dresses were truly the non-bridal bridal gowns I lusted after, just enough ivory or sparkle to make them perfect for a wedding but at the same time not frightened to embrace the trends.

At the same time I was acutely aware that I was not a flat chested six foot supermodel without a drop of fat on her, something which seemed to be a pre-requisite for JP designs. So, without much hope really I trotted off to a JP stockist Aphrodite Bridal in Knutsford and excitedly ooh and ahh’d over the beautiful gowns in this French boudoir style shop.

My dress Lida is actually not typically JP in style but I loved the tulle and bead detail and for the first time I actually had butterflies when I went to try her on. I knew even before I looked in the mirror that this was the dress for my wedding, it felt right, it had straps, it was cupped and it was corseted. I walked out of the fitting room and instantly felt like a bride. The staff coo’d, my mum gazed and I danced around the shop swooshing my full tulle skirt. Hurrah, I’d found my dress, that wasn’t too hard was it?!

Furthermore, a few days later after I’d had a minor dress wobble (it’s the law to have a dress wobble) I began flicking through my dress scrapbook to try to verify my decision and there it was, in all its glory! Little did I know that I’d actually cut out the dress very early on in my search, it must be love!


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Accessories Rock My World

I love accessories, they are my life (quite literally, I am an accessory buyer, its my job!) and so I spent a lot of time deciding what was going to have the privilege of sitting alongside my dress on my big day. Early on I pretty much decided that I was going to bypass the traditional wedding tiara and so kept my eye out for any unusual designs that could work. I checked out magazines, websites and trawled the shops but nothing was jumping out… but then came X-Factor. Sat watching it one Saturday evening I think I quite literally jumped out of my seat upon seeing a gorgeous headpiece worn by Cheryl Cole with a particularly bridal looking dress, it was perfect.

The next day a quick bit of googling advised me that this too was a Jenny Packham piece, Acacia III to be precise but it unfortunately for me, it had star like quality but also a stellar price. Back to the drawing board then. Nah, who am I trying to kid, I was always going to get it, it was just a case of juggling the finances to ensure that it sneaked through on to the wedding budget under miscellaneous.

On a fab weekend in London with my mum I popped in to the JP boutique to try it on but horror of horrors, it was too dark, too vintagey for my sparkley dress! But no! It was ok as the assistant told me they had just begun to produce this piece in crystal and that they also did it in a slightly smaller size (Acacia II) which looked better on my little head and also on my budget spreadsheet, double hurrah!


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

The Oscars is always a good place to find inspiration for accessories and looks and I found mine strangely in Hannah Montana. Ok so it was Miley Cyrus looking particularly glam and grown up in Jenny Packham and sporting a cool sparkly gold cuff which looked great with her blush coloured dress. I set about sourcing a silver version and found a great style in House of Fraser (Aftershock).

For the day I intended on keeping it plain since I was wearing such a glitzy headpiece. However I received a gorgeous simple diamond Tiffany necklace from my mother in law to be as a gift for the big day and so just had to wear it. I then received a call from my step-mother-in-law-to-be to say that her jewellers said I could borrow a pair of earrings as well (talk about Oscars style although they’d obviously not seen me out on a normal drunken night as they would most certainly have declined to offer!) and so I picked out some amazing round art deco style bobby dazzlers! That just left my handbag which was a cute little taupe coloured hard clutch with a little diamante clasp, again from Aftershock in House of Fraser.

I am what most people would consider vertically challenged although I prefer short-ass. At just about 5ft 3” it was a no brainer that my shoes would be high and most certainly not bridal as then I could justify spending a little more on some skyscrapers so off I trotted to London. Using my tried and tested cost per wear theory I managed to convince Mr C that Christian Louboutin’s Yolanda’s in silver pewter were not a ridiculously expensive pair of shoes as it might seem but actually a bargain in waiting if I wore them every day for the next two years. So they were bought and I was what you might call a happy bunny.



Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Nailing It With Chanel

I am completely useless at hair and make up, fact.

I never had any intentions of doing my own and immediately booked my hairdresser for the day. I also spoke to a make up artist Michelle Cannon who I’d worked with before and she happily agreed to do me and the girls. I decided on smoky eyes with nude-y, glossy hint of peach lips to give an edgier look and finished it off with a classic rouge noir on the nails (much to the dismay of many around me, “you can’t have black nails!”…) I am so glad I stuck to my guns though, I loved them on the day.

My hair is quite fine and there is not a lot of it and so up do’s are quite the anticlimax on me, the bun I create looks more like a grape in reality! So, off to the salon for some hair extensions to add that necessary volume, I was really chuffed with them and have unwittingly now officially become a high maintenance wife. On the day my hairdresser created exactly the look I was after, the brief was a nice up do but then as though I’d been dragged through a bush and I think he got it just right.



Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Possibly The Loveliest Maids Dresses In The World

For my “small and intimate” wedding I ended up with an inordinate amount of bridesmaids, flowergirls, page boys and ushers who almost made up half of the wedding party. We’d already decided on black suits and black ties for the men so most already had these and the little boys had cute little suits from Next. The two flower girls wore Monsoon dresses which weren’t dissimilar to my own and finished them off with boho headbands and satin pumps.

For my bridesmaids, I knew we would be going high street, there didn’t seem to be much point in spending a lot of money on a dress that realistically (as much as you say you would wear it to a ball or a cocktail party) would only be worn once.

Out shopping one Saturday I spotted an ivory dress that I already had in black from French Connection and thought it would make a really cute city wedding bridesmaid dress so got the girls together for a little try on. There were thumbs up all round (what was there not to like, it was uber-flattering, cute and very wearable) so four were bought and off we skipped…


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

A few days later though I did have a little wobble (probably after reading too many bridal magazines and seeing heaps of traditional taffeta bridesmaids dresses) and thought that I’d been too hasty, a short chiffon cap sleeved dress was not really a bridesmaid dress. Luckily for me however, before I marched back down to the shop for a refund I stumbled across a stunning wedding report on YAYW that had rocked the same dresses and they looked A.Mazing. Fab, wobble over!

A couple of weeks later one of my bridesmaids quite selfishly went and got herself pregnant (joke?) and so we took back her dress (a heavily pregnant bridesmaid in a short ivory dress would probably not be a good look!). She was reluctant to wear ivory so we hunted down something gorgeous but that would fit in with our “look” and found that in a lovely soft grey chiffon knee length tea dress from ASOS maternity. Although I didn’t really have a colour theme for the wedding, we had stuck to neutrals and the day invitations were grey and white so the dress would suit it perfectly. Then for the shoes, a shopping trip resulted in the purchase of four pairs of grey suede hidden platform high heels from Dune, perfect colour co-ordination.


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Get Thee To Saville Row

Mr C had said from the start that he wanted a bespoke suit for the big day and so it felt only right to go with a classic black 3 piece suit with waistcoat. We made a date with Kilgour on Saville Row who created the most gorgeous suit I have ever seen (ok, so it nearly cost as much as my dress but as he quite rightly pointed out that he’d probably get a whole lot more wear out of his suit than I would my dress!).

He finished it off with a Thomas Pink plain white shirt and Nicole Farhi black shoes and when I saw him waiting for me at the ceremony I was so proud that the handsome dapper man in front of me would be my husband.



Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Capturing The Memories

Photography is really important to me and I knew this would use up a chunk of the budget. I really didn’t want the usual wedding photography, cloned images from wedding days, brides with face ache from spending hours grinning at the camera. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted as many images from my day as I could and I always have my camera with me on a night out and, particularly after a few drinks, like to get my own pose on. But I wanted the photographer to capture the memories, real ones of nervousness, trepidation, happiness, excitement and relief.

So I set about with this in mind and started looking for a reportage photographer who shared this vision and was stopped in my tracks by one particular image whilst flicking through a bridal magazine. At first I hadn’t realised it was an advert for a photographer I was just stunned by the image. I quickly noticed it was an advert though and immediately went about googling him which resulted in more spectacular images and more excitement within. Needless to say he was quickly contacted (he was free and he was local, hurrah!) and so he was booked, Jeff Ascough, one of if not the pioneer of photo journalistic wedding photography.

Today when I look at all the fabulous images from the day, I am easily transported back there, that is what Jeff excels in, story telling and vision and he captured every emotion I remember from the day.


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Fantastic Florals

I am not a big flower person, so much so that when I did find a centre piece I liked, I emailed it to flower obsessed bridesmaid to show her the lovely roses for her opinion and she replied that the peonies were gorgeous.

Anyway, I completely left it up to the professionals, Blossom in Chorlton, and gave them a few ideas on colour etc and left it that. I remember walking in to the ceremony room and after clocking my gorgeous husband, the second thing I noticed were the beautiful flower arrangements around the room. Small posies in vintage style vases were scattered around and candles flickered next to them. In the Oyster bar downstairs Blossom had done an amazing job, I had calla lilies and foliage in long vases which worked brilliantly with the high ceilings and then in the adjoining library we had round fishbowl versions which were lovely. These were finished off with vintage cracked votives and tea lights scattered on each table. Magical.

For the evening my wonderful wedding co-ordinator Julie Dawson ferried all the tall arrangements over to the Radisson to add them to what was already displayed there and again the effect was spectacular.

Originally I wasn’t going to have a bouquet but that was until I spotted an amazing creation by Mat Hepplestone of Red Floral Architecture that appealed to my inner magpie. It was faux silk roses (this time they were roses!) intertwined with lace, tulle, chiffon, pearls and with diamante brooches pinned on for an amazingly vintage look and better still, it would last forever. I went to visit him and discussed my requirements and he also created matching corsages for my bridesmaids.



Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Make A Wish

I love macaroons and so it seemed like an obvious choice for a favour but struggled to find a supplier in the north west. However, about a month before the wedding I stumbled across a company Forman and Field that made and delivered them in ice packs and so quickly arranged delivery of vanilla flavoured beauties. These were boxed in to mini bird cage boxes from Confetti and offered as favours at the day.

I also wanted to give another separate gift to the ladies and in one of my many Etsy browsing sessions little wish bracelets jumped out at me, perfect. I redesigned the cards myself to match our stationery and attached the little hemp and bead wish bracelets to them and as I type, I’m still wearing mine, my wish yet to come true (although I can’t remember now what I wished for!). I love seeing friends and family still wearing theirs as well, it’s like a little reminder of the day.

For the evening guests we kept it a bit lighter and put some comedy props on each table ranging from glo sticks to googly eyes and of course every guest got to take home their photobooth picture as a keep sake.



Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

The Big Party

After the venue and photographer were booked we looked in to the next main thing, the entertainment. For us this wedding was to be an intimate ceremony followed a huge big party to celebrate us finally making it down the aisle and so we wanted to make the evening reception extra special.

The first thing we looked in to was the band which was probably the most difficult part of the organising since we’d both seen many a band make or break a wedding reception. What we were looking for was a band who would appeal to all ages but who would not just play the usual cheesy wedding songs that get a few old aunties up. No Abba, No Robbie Williams and certainly no “Build me up Buttercup”.

We set about googling and came across ReelDeal, an 8pc band made up of session musicians and singers who seemed perfect. Their set list was varied from new to old stuff, rock to pop and so we booked them (at a not cheap price!) with some trepidation as we had not had chance to witness them live. However, we needn’t have had any concerns as they were out of this world, absolutely by far the best band I have ever seen play a wedding. From the second they came on blasting out Stevie Wonder to the minute they finished they had everyone up and dancing, young and old with an amazing collection of motown, pop, rock and soul hits. I had so many people come up to me and say how amazing they were and I’ve never seen a dance floor so full.


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

We also booked a DJ Matt Maurice to finish the night off until the early hours and he managed somehow to keep the atmosphere alight following Reeldeals performance by playing a great set until the early hours, the final song being a very drunken free-for-all-storm-the-stage- karaoke style sing song of Take That’s Never Forget.

However, the master stroke of the entertainment was to book a photo booth. I had dillied and dallied over this for months after having first contacted a company called SayFromage the year before but Mr C wasn’t bowled over saying you can book it if you want but it will stand empty (you don’t know my friends Mr C!). Well they would be what you call “famous last words” as I went ahead and booked our uber-cool photobooth and it was for most people the highlight of the evening with a queue for it all night. Not only did each picture get projected on to the hotels big screen that dropped neatly from the ceiling but you were also able to quickly print out the photos there and then, one going in our guest book and the other to keep. I put some props by the booth (we love a good prop!) which resulted in some amazing/ funny/ downright weird photos!


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

A Dramatic Ambience

The room where we had our wedding breakfast at the Great John Street Hotel is spectacular, from the second I walked through the door I knew it was right. You enter through heavy tied back curtains to see flickering candelabras a high ceiling from where a vintage art deco chandelier hangs, luxurious velvet baroque style furniture and opulent gilt edge mirrors adorn the walls. I felt like I’d walked in to a secret gentlemen’s club (not of the spearmint rhino variety) and if someone had offered me a Cuban cigar and glass of whiskey I think I would have sat down and puffed the afternoon away.

So for the actual day I wanted to keep hold of this vibe and although we had to lose the furniture I ordered in some silver colour chairs and asked the hotel to put as many candles around the room as possible. Apart from adding the flowers to the tables we could not have made it look more inviting.

At the Radisson we requested the black out blinds be pulled down and tea lights to again be scattered around the room and on the tables and I also booked some small up lights for a bit of mood lighting throughout the room. Again however we were very lucky in that the room in this listed building sold itself, the high ceilings and original arched windows looked so dramatic.


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Cheese Cake

I am not a huge fan of wedding cake and I think it’s quite an expense for something that nobody really eats so we decided on layers of cheese instead which we thought would be great for the midnight munchies. I know this is not really a novel idea nowadays but I was surprised at how many people were gobsmacked it was cheese!

We chose some fab local cheeses from our village deli and they decorated them with some fresh white flowers, sparkly brooches and ribbons that I had supplied. I also sourced some rather cute bird toppers from the fabulous cottonbird designs on Etsy which she turned into mini me’s by adding a little sparkley headband to mine and little black suit to Mr C’s.




Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

We decided that since we both have two left feet (unless we are drunk and then we think we are Diversity!) we would not have first dance as such, we just requested a big opening number from the band which they said they would surprise us with. Well, surprised we were when we were invited on to the dancefloor to sing Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder with the band! Ok, we can safely say that we won’t be giving up our day jobs but it was so funny and we had all our friends and family up clapping and singing along with us.


Rock My Wedding UK Wedding Blog, all images copyright @ Jeff Ascough

Were you a little bit astonished by the amazing photography? there were just so many “blow up on your wall and keep forever” images.

The gorgeous video and photo booth hilarity is coming right up in part 2

With HUGE thanks to Jeff Ascough for letting Rock My Wedding feature his work, you’re a legend.

Big Guiding Light Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/love-is-the-light-that-guides-us-part-1/feed/ 46 Beauty And The Beach……part 2 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beach-part-2/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beach-part-2/#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2010 09:14:28 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=17049 I hear many a married say “If I could do it again I would just go barefoot on the beach, boho dress, no fuss” and very recently a Bridal Glossy magazine editor ( who must have seen/have access to EVERYTHING imaginable) emailed me something fairly similar recently when asked on her style plans for her forthcoming nuptials….. ” Actually I think we might just run away abroad and I’ll wear flip flops and something floaty”

And if this wedding is anything to go by they certainly have a point. One things for sure – everything was beautiful and everyone seemed to be having a brilliant time.

And really well……that is the point.

All of the stunning images are courtesy of Sergerius Bruce Photography.

Picture Perfect

We had been referred to Chanelle and Craig by an Amazing South African photographer Jean-Pierre Uys who was unfortunately unavailable but luckily put us in contact with Chanelle in the UK as he knew they were planning on coming to SA for another wedding.

Everything ended up working our perfectly, we started communicating while they were still in London preparing for their trip and instantly knew that they were friendly and like-minded and would fit in perfectly with our intimate and relaxed family weekend.


Luscious Florals

We went with all white roses for flowers, we felt the contrast to the lush green of the nature reserve and the beach cliffs would be perfect. Okasie Hermanus put our flowers together.

Informal Entertainment

My husband is a DJ and producer so we made a radical decision to not have any formal entertainment at our reception instead we made a playlist with our favourite tunes and pressed play we had a great time and ended up dancing anyway. But I also want to mention the most amazing marimba band at our rehearsal dinner, it was in a Milkwood forest with a barbeque, cocktails and a bonfire so the setting was magical.

Simple Moments

“The Korgies- Everybody’s Gotta Learn Some Time” was our first dance tune, we didn’t pick it for any specific reason it simply was the song that was playing at the stage of the evening that Dino and I wanted to get up from the table and have a moment together, it ended up being perfect.

Cake For Breakfast

A chocolate ganache, baked by the amazing team at Grootbos Lodge. It was so delicious we all had it for breakfast the next day. The general decor for the evening was lots of lanterns, white roses, candles and a family atmosphere.

Sharing The Magic

Family and a relaxed atmosphere made our wedding what it was. Although I’m not against big weddings at all, with the advice we had from friends who had walked down the aisle before us I knew that I didn’t want the day to be a blur or to not have enough time to speak to everyone or share the moment completely with Dino with little distraction.

We have beautiful memories of laughter and fun, lying by the pool on the morning of our wedding soaking in the sun and all talking excitedly about the afternoon’s events, with NO stress. We didn’t have to bend over backwards to have magic moments, they happen naturally.

Honestly? I think all the fancy florals in the world don’t quite have the impact or romance of flickering candles, glowing lanterns and a whole lot of love.

With HUGE Thanks to Tara, Dino and Chanelle from Sergerius-Bruce photography for sharing the beach beauty.

Big Romantic Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beach-part-2/feed/ 11 Beauty And The Beach……part 1 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beach-part-1/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beach-part-1/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:31:08 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=17032 I could wax lyrical for hours about the reasons behind why I am head over heels in love with this wedding. The relaxed feel, the breathtaking sea views, the cool casual colour palette…..

But really for me the South African Big Day of Tara and Dino was all about the photography.

Never have I been moved quite so much as I was by some of the black and white shots we have featured at the end of this post. If the look on the couples faces doesn’t bring you to tears then frankly folks – I don’t know what will.

Sergerius Bruce Photography – We salute you.

Fresh Faced

For make-up and hair I went natural, as simple and fresh as possible for the beach!

Silver Steps

I chose sequined flats perfect for the beach and the 189 steps we had to climb down to the beach and had to climb back up again after a glass of champagne….!

Short And Floral

I have short hair so I couldn’t do much with it, I’m not one for tiaras but felt that the flower was the perfect touch!

A Family Affair

We had a family only wedding, small and simple my sister was my bridesmaid and wore a beautiful pink cocktail dress made by the same designer as my bridal gown, we chose it because it looked great on her. Dino’s best man was his cousin Mike who wore a suit he felt comfortable in.

Local Sparkle

Hendrik Vermeulen designed by gown -a Local Cape Town designer, the perfect flowing dress for a beach wedding. Both my husband and I are slightly unconventional but to the surprise of most have very traditional beliefs when it comes to our marriage and we both decided to be more formal than expected when it came to our wedding attire. When it comes to that specific dress I loved the length and the jewel detail, every girl really loves a little sparkle.

He Doesn’t Even Know It

Dino wore the first suit I’ve ever seen him in, I don’t even think he knows who it was by but he looked so dashing…. and the thing that made me swoon when I saw him was the smile on his face.


See?

I wasn’t kidding.

There were tears and everything.

Part 2 of breezy beachy lovely coming up tomorrow people.

Big South African Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beach-part-1/feed/ 13 Enduring Love….part 2 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/enduring-love-part-2/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/enduring-love-part-2/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:34:40 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=15965 I have to say I don’t think I ever seen any florals quite as striking as used at the wedding of Sarah and Shaun, seriously AMAZING brights.

Pair that with a home spun bridal gown, the prettiest maids and spectacular photography by Binky Nixon and what do you get?

A Rock My Wedding type W-day that’s what :)

A South African Flavour

We wanted to incorporate flowers from South Africa so we had lots of bright blooms which contrasted with the black bridesmaid dresses. Our florist was a friend, who was just excellent and we spent time coming up with the colour scheme. . So many people commented on the flowers and they looked fantastic on the day.



The flowers in the church were arranged by the ladies from the local WI (I was brought up in the village and my parents are still residents there) the large arrangement that you saw as you walked in included strelitzia and protea, the national flower of South Africa.


An Eye For Detail

Our photographer was Binky Nixon, she had photographed a friends wedding and I not only loved her pictures but really liked the way she went about taking photos, she is so friendly and approachable on such a personal day she just fitted in perfectly and has such a great eye for detail we are so pleased with the photos – nothing too formal but some great pictures of all our family and friends that really capture the mood of the day.



Friendship Baking

We had Individual cup cakes in a range of different colours in black cases instead of a traditional cake – made by a family friend.



Pearls Of Wisdom

Use the internet!! We found so much there – the name tags on the tables were luggage tags that we got from www.notonthehighstreet.com we also managed to track down a vintage morris minor as our wedding car.

Delegate! People were so willing to help – bridesmaids, friends etc we really had fun with some of the preparations. I gave all the girls little personal presents and then a pashmina each in one of the colours with a thank you message stitched onto it.

Anyone else fancy running around in some hay bale type fields with your boy after that?

I so do.

With thanks to Sarah, Shaun and Binky Nixon for sharing this striking soiree with Rock My Wedding.

Big Bright Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/enduring-love-part-2/feed/ 12 Enduring Love…….part 1 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/enduring-love-part-1/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/enduring-love-part-1/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:15:26 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=15931 The more and more weddings we post the less “never seen before” original ideas and decor we come across – that’s a given.

And do you know what? actually it really doesn’t matter – every gorgeous bride puts their own unique spin on their Big Day in some way or other.

It is especially lovely though when we receive a submission that literally has the whole RMW Team going “Goodness Lordy that is TOTALLY DIFFERENT”

And the wedding of Shaun and Sarah captured by the uber talented Binky Nixon did exactly that – the boldest brightest florals we have ever seen anywhere.

Not to mention a completely dreamy and unusual backdrop for the love/couple images.

I like this folks. A lot.


A Magenta Moment

My shoes were very exciting – I wore a pair of magenta jimmy choos which I absolutely love and have been able to wear since.



Enduring Love

My dress was made by my mum. I described what I wanted it to look like and she put it together. It had a black ribbon round the waist and she embroidered swallow motifs up the back of the dress. Shaun is from South Africa and the swallow, a symbol of enduring love, migrates the 6,000 miles between there and the UK each year. So it was really special to have something so personal handmade by my mum.

For accessories I just wore black pearl drop earrings and a bracelet that Shaun bought for me that morning as a surprise gift.

A MAC Spree

My hair was done by Barnets Hair Company, Castle Road Bedford – they made the morning there so special for me and all the bridesmaids (I had 5 – so they were kept busy!) I did my make up myself after a little spree at MAC.


The Perfect Venue

We were married at the beautiful St Mary’s Church Felmersham followed by reception at Mill House Hotel, Sharnbrook, North Bedfordshire.



Something For The Boys

Shaun wore a lovely suit with an ivory cravat and gloriosa lily button hole. It was fantastic to see him there at the end of the aisle.

We hired the wedding party attire from McBride and Groom in Bedford



A Glorious Bouquet

My bouquet was made up of solely gloriosa lily and looked really striking!


Have you ever seen a bouquet like it?

I haven’t.

So much more bright bold statement florals on the way in part 2.

Big Something Different Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/enduring-love-part-1/feed/ 10 Pale and Oh So Interesting… Part 2 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/pale-and-oh-so-interesting-part-2/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/pale-and-oh-so-interesting-part-2/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:45:07 +0000 Rebecca@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=15329 Hooray!!!

It’s Part 2 and a total detail-fest, never mind being the prettiest modern wedding I’ve seen in a long time. If you haven’t got time to read it properly now, make sure you come back later with a coffee or a glass of wine and just drink it all in. All images by Lillian and Leonard.

So Beautiful.

Fresh From the Garden

We wanted the flowers to look like someone had just been out and picked them all (a bit messy). We didn’t really have a colour scheme so there were pink, purple, blue, yellow – pretty much everything. Margaret Soudan did the flowers and she was amazing. We were not sure we had described what we wanted very well but somehow she got it absolutely perfect!

Photography beyond words…

Lillian and Leonard (Cara and Nye) were our photographers. I have no words to describe how amazing they were. Their photos are the most perfect reminder of the day and everyone who has seen them has commented on how fantastic they are.

Cake of all kinds…

I am totally addicted to cheese and so I wanted one cake to be a cheese cake. This was basically 4 wheels of cheese on top of each other and came from the Bath Fine Cheese Company. And yes, they delivered it all the way to Scotland. I ended up having 4 pieces of incredibly posh cheese on toast at the end of the night.

My sister, Sarah Kelt, made the sweet cake. It was a top tier of fruit cake and three lower tiers of individual sponges, iced in white and decorated with small white icing flowers. She made it at the venue on the Thursday before the wedding, it was stunning and delicious – what more could you want!

A Unique Space

To be honest, Crear is pretty visually stunning anyway, and the view is probably decoration enough. As below we used some of the favours to decorate the tables and people then took them away at the end of the evening, we also had some lovely “Hearts and Ribbon” bunting also from Cox and Cox. Aside from that it was just flowers.

We made the seating plan ourselves (the night before the wedding). We bought Harebell paper, pearl headed pins and a board from Hobbycraft. Names were written on small pieces of the paper and then pinned on to the board. The beauty of it was that we could move people around as we were working it out and we could make last minute adjustments for anyone who couldn’t come.

For favours we had Cox and Cox heart shaped candles, wedding matches and small slate name plates. We also bought glassine bags and put in two heart shaped chocolates. These were then machined closed with a zigzag stitch, together with a card with our names and the date.

Ceilidh dancing

We had Archie McAllister and band. They did a caleigh for a couple of hours and then played some more modern music for the remainder of the night. They were fabulous (although I think they got a bit frustrated at times due to everyone’s complete inability to follow the dance instructions).

The song was “They can’t take that away from me” sung by Frank Sinatra. I would like to say we had a romantic reason for choosing it, but it was actually because we were learning how to dance (with The First Dance Company) and the track was very short! We were really nervous so knowing we only had to be out there for a couple of minutes was somehow reassuring!

Advice from a Bride

Our wedding was special because it was ours! I could not have wished for a more perfect day. As with all occasions, the company was what counted. Everyone we wanted to be there made it (including my 89 year old Grandad), and as far as I know everyone had a wonderful time.

Arjen and I were really flexible about how the day would be, as long as we were both there and had our friends and family around us we were not really that bothered about the rest. I think if you are too fixed in terms of what you want you risk disappointment whereas if you are open to ideas you may find things that you had never really thought about that end up being your ‘best bits’.

For us though I think the venue was really what made the day, we actually stayed there with our wedding party for 3 days prior to the wedding, this made the whole experience feel much more of an ‘event’ than just a day. I couldn’t believe it when we had to leave as it had begun to feel like home (although slightly larger and with more spectacular views than our actual home!)

If it was possible I would suggest you hire my mum – she was incredible, especially with all the little details that I probably wouldn’t have thought of.

I would also say, remember that your friends and family are (generally) adults and therefore capable of sorting themselves out – don’t feel you have to sort out everyone’s travel accommodation etc, remind them of the existence of Google.

Most of all though, take it in. The day will go past so quickly and there are so many different things going on, try to stand still every so often and take a mental picture. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I wouldn’t change a minute of it.

And Sigh.

I might just cry now this is over, truly.

Thank you so much to Cara at Lillian and Leonard for making this so easy to post and so enjoyable! And thank you to Naomi and Arjen for their oodles of inspiration!

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/pale-and-oh-so-interesting-part-2/feed/ 12 Pale and Oh So Interesting… Part 1 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/pale-and-oh-so-interesting-part-1/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/pale-and-oh-so-interesting-part-1/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:15:35 +0000 Rebecca@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=15229 I’m more than a little bit excited about this wedding. With a modern Bride totally rocking her very stylish and grown up look, it’s a total fashion fest. That, plus a pale but pretty palette and some out of this world photography by the wonderful Cara and Nye at Lillian and Leonard, and you’re all going to love it too.

We are Naomi and Arjen and our wedding was on March 27th 2010 at Crear, near Kilberry in Argyll.

Luscious Liberty

My Dress was by a designer called Jesus del Pozo bought from Liberty in London. It was only the second place I went to try on dresses and I literally could have bought every single one but when I tried this one on I knew it was the one. I wanted something swooshy and not too formal (I never wear long dresses). It was quite Grecian and incredibly comfortable – which was important to me. It was also something that I knew Arjen would love (which he did).

Keeping it Simple

I had earrings from The Earring Boutique online (cheap but beautiful). No other jewellery (my engagement and wedding rings were enough). I had bought a comb to go in my hair but on the day decided on a few Lilly of the valley and roses from my bouquet instead.

I wanted to look like me but better (not a different person, wanted my husband to recognise me)!
My hair was in a side bun and was done by Vicki from Heaven (a local hairdresser in Lochgilphead) she came to the venue and was amazing. She did exactly what I wanted.

I did my own make up and discovered the wonder of mineral makeup (bare minerals) I bought everything else from SpaceNK, spent a great afternoon having a makeover to try everything out!

Salavtore Shoes

Very high, dusky rose in colour with metallic spiky heels from Salvatore Ferragamo. They were hand made and had petals on the back of the heels. I wanted shoes I could wear again so cream was out. I wear them all the time now with jeans.

Luschious Lily of the Valley

The bouquets and button holes were all different. My bouquet was lilly of the valley which looked and smelled beautiful.

Chic and Stylish in Navy

We didn’t have a colour scheme but I wanted the bridesmaids to have something they could wear again. We got navy blue knee length dresses from LK Bennett and I know they have all worn them since. They wore their own shoes (from flats to 5 inch heels).

A Stylish Groom

He wore a Hugo Boss suit and a Liberty print shirt – he doesn’t like ties so he didn’t wear one. He didn’t look at me as I walked down the aisle because someone told him it is not the done thing but he teared up when I got to him and so did I – so I think that was a good reaction! Saying our vows it felt like we were the only people in the room and was quite a surreal experience but an amazing one.

The Best Men wore their own suits and looked fantastic in them.

Seriously? How Bea.Utiful is this Bride? Super stylish and with a Groom to match!

I could literally cry tomorrows post is so good, so beautiful, so clean. The decor, the details, the images. Pure Brilliant white and lots of love, you will not be disappointed.

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/pale-and-oh-so-interesting-part-1/feed/ 16 A Dorset Sunset…..part 2 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/a-dorset-sunset-part-2/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/a-dorset-sunset-part-2/#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:28:21 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=14539 I love a happy smiley day me.

And just how very smiley are bride and groom Kim and Andy?

VERY.

All images courtesy of Sergerius-Bruce Photography.…enjoy part 2 folks.

Natural Blooms

The bouquets for the bride & bridesmaids had burnt orange and ivory roses, with hypericum berries which are a dark reddish brown. The groom’s button hole had an ivory and a burnt orange rose.

The venue was so beautiful we didn’t need to add much, we only got centre pieces for each table which we kept fairly simple consisting of 3 roses the same colour as the bouquets – burnt orange and two different shades of ivory, with some bear grass and twisted willow. We went for a natural style with the flowers, nothing too structured or manufactured looking.


Friendship Blossoms

We met around 2000 when we both worked in a bar in Bournemouth. We were friends for over a year before we finally got our act together and started dating. I had to wait another 6 years before Andy proposed whilst on safari in the Serengeti!

It was later on this holiday, in Zanzibar, that we met Chanelle and Craig our photographers who were enjoying their honeymoon out there!


I See Sea Shells

All the tables were named after surf breaks / locations around the world. For place settings we got some scallop shells from a local fisherman and put our guest’s names on these. We collected some shells and pebbles from our local beaches and scattered a handful on each table.

Our florist made a beautiful display using a large fish bowl vase, some play sand and some shells that we’d provided. On the tables we had tea-light holders with a layer of sand in the bottom and the candle sat on top to add to the beach feel.

Meaningful Music

The ceremony was beautiful. We had Adele’s cover of Feel My Love as I walked down the aisle, amazingly we both managed to hold back the tears, its such a beautiful song. And our friend Sally did a wonderful reading of Love, by Roy Croft. For the signing of the register we had Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, another cover with a funky Hawaiian twist.

Finally as the resessional music we had, You Give Me Something by Jamiroquai, which got everyone in the mood for a great day.

A Fruity Little Number

I decided early on I didn’t want a traditional wedding cake, I personally don’t like it, and they are so expensive. My favourite dessert is pavlova. I found a picture of a three tiered one on the internet and took it to show the caterers. For £50 a fraction of the cost of a wedding cake, they made the most amazing pavlova I have ever tasted!

It had different fruit on the tiers, one had strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, another had mango. We cut this as you would a traditional cake, then had it served up as dessert. Delicious!!


Better Together

Our first dance was to Jack Johnson, Better Together. It was the longest 2 and a half minutes of the day! All our friends were given instructions to get up there and dance soon after we’d started so we weren’t on our own, but they were all far too busy taking photographs!!

The Most Important Advice

Get a good photographer, the wedding is just one day, the pictures are going to be your memories forever! And most importantly when the day arrives, remember there’s nothing more you can do, just enjoy it!!

Anyone else lending a coastal feel to W-day?

It simple, chic and oh-so-cool.

With huge thanks to Kim, Andy and Chanelle for sharing the images.

Big Sunset Love

Charlotte xxx

]]> http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/a-dorset-sunset-part-2/feed/ 11 A Dorset Sunset …..part 1 http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/a-dorset-sunset-part-1/ http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/a-dorset-sunset-part-1/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:07:38 +0000 Charlotte@rockmywedding http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/?p=14395 Following on with our unique wedding fashion flavour this week is this beautiful Big Day courtesy of Sergerius Bruce Photography.

With a surfy beachy theme, Kim and Andy chose a fun sunny colour palette which perfectly complimented their choice of cool casual attire and the days relaxed and informal feel.

This is one W-day that I would have LOVED to have been a guest at.

We think you lovelies will think the same ;-)

Fashion Maids

We had 3 bridesmaids, a flower girl, 2 ushers and the Best Man. We wanted a relaxed feel to the day and didn’t want to tell them what to wear so asked the bridesmaids to choose their own outfits along a colour scheme of browns, creams & gold.

We hadn’t seen all the dresses together until the day and were thrilled when we saw how well they went together. My friend Caz wore a brown taffeta dress from a catalogue, Andy’s sister Shari wore a cream and gold strapless dress by JJ Park also from Polito’s & Lucie, also Andy’s sister, wore a stunning cream dress from Topshop. Abi my flowergirl, wore a gorgeous dress from Monsoon.

Retro V-Dub Love

I travelled to the venue in a fantastic white convertible beetle & the bridesmaids went in a matching VW combi van!



Subtle Pretty

I wore an ivory, strapless Benjamin Roberts dress. The shoes were simple, ivory coloured, of course. Open toed with a small diamante detail to one side. I wore a stunning matching set of pearls, necklace, bracelet and earrings. They are totally unique, one of a kind. Made for me by jewellery designer Min Fletcher-Jones. I love the subtle colours of the pearls and the heart clasp on both the necklace and the bracelet.


A Family Suit

Andy didn’t want to wear a morning suit or tie so wore a dark brown pin striped suit by Steel & Jelly from Polito’s an independent shop in Pwllheli, North Wales owned by his parents. His shirt was patterned with an embroidered design to add some detail and was by Guide of London. He wore brown shoes from Office.



Whatever The Weather

We had looked at every other place in the south of England, it probably took a couple of months and we were beginning to lose hope of finding anything we liked. Parley Manor was the last one on our list (and ironically the closest to where we live). As soon as we pulled into the drive we got a feeling about the place and that just grew as we were looking around the venue.

The day we went to visit Parley the weather was terrible, windy and torrential rain – we decided if we loved the place with that weather, it would be fantastic on a beautiful summer’s day!


One Step At A Time

We didn’t set a budget early on like all the book and magazines tell you and to list everything that you need etc. We just took one item at a time. First we had to find a venue. Once we had that we had to set a date, book the registrar, think about photographer, etc.

As soon as one thing was booked there was the next thing to think about. It wasn’t till a few months later we decided to think about how much this was going to cost and making a plan of what needed to be done.


You Like?

We LOVE.

Come back tomorrow for lots of breezy beachy details and some stunning sunset couple shots. ‘Tis dreamy.

Big Surfy Love

Charlotte xxx

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