*Ahem* confessions over – let’s talk design…

Two of the most popular emerging design trends in recent years have undoubtedly been typography and illustration. The evidence is all around us – in the media, in our glossy magazines and even lining the streets upon which we walk.

The Not So Olden Days.

A few years ago if a designer had presented a concept for a new billboard campaign that solely relied on a few well chosen fonts with no images at all, they’d be laughed out of the boardroom with a P45 wedged up inside their little beanie hat (all designers wore a little beanie around this time – outdoors, indoors and regardless of season). Likewise, if asked to create some loosely hand drawn imagery for a new brand or product launch, said designer would scratch at head through beanie hat and wonder why you hadn’t gone to talk to an illustrator instead.

Of course the art of typography and indeed the art of illustration are not new ideas – they are art forms from a bygone era, a time of letraset, letterpress and pens, ink and paints – a time long before MacBooks and Adobe Photoshop. But, just like with fashion, trends cycle and what was old becomes new and today’s designer has to be au fait with all of these disciplines to stay on trend, and the wedding stationery business is no exception.

Let’s have a look at how these two very different trends are starting to have a real impact on your W-day design.

1. Typographic Design.

Typography is very much an art from. Font choice, letter spacing, line spacing, colour and placement are key to a successful design and these subtle skills of judgement are not to be sniffed at. If you don’t get it just right, quite frankly it can look rubbish…

copyright Yield Ink.

And this movie inspired typographic design above from Yield Ink is anything but rubbish! The spacing, stripped back colour scheme and the way the various fonts interact all appear effortless – a sure sign of the craftsmanship required to produce a design as clean as this. Yield Ink utilise traditional crafts and even have a vintage letterpress on which they produce much of their work. Snazzy.

copyright RSVP Candy.

In the example above the emphasis of the work is firmly placed upon the text. They say that a picture paints a thousand words, but it’s a shame to miss out if the thousand words are all as pretty as these ones by RSVP Candy.

A real stand out wedding of 2011 for me was the marriage of Ruth and Rob. Both designers at Raw Design Studio, they branded their wedding to perfection. Typography became a theme that ran through the whole event. They even created a little R&R logo. Very sweet, very creative and absolutely bang on trend.

View the whole wedding, shot by Shaw and Shaw, by clicking HERE.

Next up, combining text with a single repeated heart shape in various colours and patterns gave the invitations below, designed by Rose Mountague, a country garden bunting-esque appeal that totally nailed the brief.

In this beautifully decorated wedding that we featured back in August 2011 you can see how typography suits a back garden rustic affair just as much as it does a cool contemporary wedding.

View the whole wedding, shot by Dominique Bader, by clicking HERE.

2. Illustrative Design.

The other design-trend-of-the-moment can be as basic or as intricate as your imagination (or perhaps your designers imagination) will allow.

The great thing with illustration is that we can all have a go at it, and with modern printing and production facilities it may well be the case that, if you posses at least one creative bone in your body, you may well be able to knock up some wedding stationery that is actually pretty good, and of course very, very personal to you. Try it – you might surprise yourself!

View the whole wedding, shot by navyblur, by clicking HERE.

Bryony and Jamie created an illustration that they reproduced throughout their extensive range of home made wedding stationery. Just like Ruth and Rob, they created themselves a little wedding brand. With the right choice of materials, knowing your limits and by playing to your strengths, your home made branding can look absolutely spot on.

We recently shared with you the wedding of Caro and Simon – and they received such a response to their umbrella themed hand finished wedding stationery, that Caro and an illustrator friend, who designed and created the items have decided to start offering the service to others – if you would like more information then you can drop the girls an email at foldedpaperdesigns@yahoo.com.

View the whole wedding, shot by Debs Iveljar, by clicking HERE.

I also love the design below, in a similar vein of illustration – almost a call back to the simple and innocent quality of a school exercise book doodle. This is from another RMW real wedding and the design is by Kate Blake.

View the whole wedding, shot by Joanna Brown Photography, by clicking HERE.

Right, I have one last thing to show you today, and if you are digging the free style, simple and fun illustrative vibe we are on, you are going to LOVE this.

The Little Peach is a brand spanking new wedding stationery designer, specialising in screen-printing. I took to these designs like a designer to a beanie hat – because having done a bit of screen-printing in my time (I went to art college don’t you know ) I truly do understand the time and skill that goes into creating each of these magnificent prints. They are all original little works of art.

copyright The Little Peach.

I love the simple colour schemes, the interesting materials, the witty and fun illustrations and the attention to detail. Everything, and I mean everything is hand finished. I am officially in stationery heaven .

It is easy to think that your wedding stationery starts and stops with save the dates and invitations but that is not necessarily the case. If you wish, you can incorporate a design that touches every single aspect of your wedding day.

I guess this leads me nicely onto a few final thoughts…

How important to you is your wedding stationery? It’s hard coming from a design background for me not to place it RIGHT UP THERE (above the dress maybe…?) I would be interested to hear where it sits with you peeps who are currently in the throws of W-day planning.

And who is thinking about making their own stationery?

Of course I have only shared the tiny body of work that I am currently pouring over, there are loads of styles, designs and great stationers out there, so please share anything you’ve seen that you like. That’s what it’s all about folks.

Adam.

It is undeniable that the last few years have seen Mr Groom grow from a nervous looking chap who’s only weapon was a number for the nearest formal wear hire on speed dial, to a much more confident character who’s paying more attention to his look, learning the importance of accessorising and even appreciating how he ‘fits’ style-wise within the overall theme of a contemporary wedding.

Now, the comment about the local formal wear hire company may be a bit unfair and I appreciate that actually the majority of couples still choose to hire suits… The good news is that the game is changing here too. Mr Groom can now expect more choice, more style and more individuality from his local formal hire company. If it’s worth its salt, said hire company should be able to kit you out with the exact look you want to rock on W-day. Goodbye and good riddance to the days when your only option was the colour of your cravat.

I’m going to take you through four strong and individual looks for Mr Groom, some are well established and some are still emerging, but Mr Groom has been dabbling with them all, and the proof is contained within these very polka dotted pages…

Look 01: James Bond.

This look is very much on the way up methinks – you can go the whole hog with full tux, shiny black dicky bow and if you really want to stand out a good trick is to dress your groomsmen down a bit or put them in a lighter colour. Just because you’re in a tux it doesn’t mean that everyone else has to match your level of formality.

View the full wedding, photographed by M & J Photogrpahy.

The ‘James Bond’ Is a very versatile look and one that you can easily dress down if you want to lose a bit of the formality, below is a tux from Reiss dressed up with a bowtie and dressed down with a bootlace tie – it’s interesting how one small accessory can totally change the feel of the suit.

You could dress this look down even further if you mixed a tux jacket with a contrasting coloured, less formal trouser. Allsaints have started selling tux style blazers that would help you accomplish this look – I’ve yet to see it creep in to groom fashion, but I have a feeling it’s on the way.

And if a tux is too much for you but you want to go ultra smart, a gloss suit with colour pop shirt and metallic bowtie might be a good option, as seen in the ensemble above by Pose London. Again this could really put you in the spotlight if you deliberately contrast with your groomsmen.

Look 2: English Garden.

This has been a very popular look for 2011 and I don’t see it going anywhere soon. It’s a really english preppy look that embraces geek chic and some adventurous colour combinations. Here, anything goes – ditch the suit in favour of a blazer and colour contrast slacks. Go for a knitted or heavily textured tie or dicky bow and essential for this look is a classic pair of brown or ox-blood brogues.

View the full wedding, photographed by Shoot Photography.

The great thing with this look is that you can get it straight off the highstreet (as I am about to prove) and the additional bonus is that you’ll be able to regularly re-wear all of this kit time and time again, making it great value.

Now, personally I can’t fully commit to the liberal colour scheme of the English Garden look, so I have put together a slightly more subdued version.

I would love to see this Allsaints linen jacket (currently under half price by the way) matched with this funky ASOS white shirt. Get preppy geek by adding an Allsaints bowtie and set it off with a simple pair of Chinos from Topman.

Footwear is a crucial part of the English Garden look and I’ve gone for these beautifully detailed paul smith brogues. At £265.00 they are an extravagance, and of course you can get a decent set of brogues for much less than this – but when I saw them I sort of fell in love a bit so they’re staying.

Total price, including the extravagant footwear is £425.00. Throw in say another fiver for a pair of socks and some pants off the market (Calvin Klone anyone?) and you have a WHOLE OUTFIT for a wedding-dress-busting £430.00.

And if I was truly able to commit to a daring colour scheme I would perhaps suggest getting the brogues in blue… If you do, you’ll look sharp and save yourself £20.00

Look 3: Uber Rustic.

Another very popular look this year, it’s casual and it is TWEEDY folks.

Yep, I’m telling you to get some tweed in your life, we want rustic loosely woven fabrics, we want floral shirting and knitted ties and we most definitely want re-enforced fabric elbow patches. Most important of all are the accessories – braces are back big time and for a little bit of rock star glamour, why not throw on a pair of shades (maybe not for the ceremony though eh?)

View the full wedding, photographed by Dominique Bader.

And if you want to see tweed done as well as it can be then you should check out Holland Esquire, I am seriously considering purchasing this little tweedy number… the multi-coloured buttons are to die for (did I just say that?) Oh well, it’s true.

Look 4: Quirky Classic.

This is an emerging look and one that I think we are going to see more and more of this year because it is both highly accessible and highly adaptable. It’s a slightly more formal look than the last two – but the possibilities for tailoring and tweaking it are almost endless.

The Quirky Classic look relies on a classic two or three piece suit as a base, then it’s all about what you decide to add or takeaway. Maybe lose the Jacket and go for the shirt and waistcoat look or maybe add a hat to give your classic suit a retro and informal twist?

View the full wedding, photographed by Brett Symes.

It’s the accessories that will really make this look your own. I’m loving the pocket watch thing that that I have been spotting recently – it’s a very formal accessory but when mixed with an open shirt and scarf suddenly its not formal but it certainly isn’t casual either, it’s a smart look that sits somewhere in the middle. It’s Quirky Classic and it’s ACE, that’s what it is!

View the full wedding, photographed by Asassynation.

Your quirk maybe something as simple as a fun patterned tie, obviously we love polka dots at RMW so when I caught site of this classic suit combined with a quirky polka dot tie I literally had to catch my breath.

View the full wedding, photographed by My Big Day Photos.

I bang on about Reiss a lot, I promise I don’t work for them or anything like that, but they are doing the classic look with utter, utter class at the moment, check out this grey two piece with optional waistcoat – it’s just the perfect balance of classic elegant tailoring with a modern slim cut. I am also very much admiring the quirky classic, suit, shirt, tie and stripy handkerchief combo from POSE London. Both provide the perfect basis on which to build your Quirky Classic look.

So four distinct looks, and I have to say if I had to pick one, I’d be Quirky Classic at the moment – and it’s my hot tip for 2012. In fact, if I don’t see more of this look I’m going to be one seriously disappointed blogger.

I will leave you now with one last thought – this year we were supposed to be seeing double breasted suits slip back into the mainstream (particularly after the Moss/Hince wedding) and I must admit, I was rather hoping they were never going to arrive. I just can’t see myself lusting after the double-breasted look…

That was until I caught a few images in the New York Times Style Magazine report the other day that anticipates the double breasted suits imminent arrival.

View the full article here.

I must admit, I think my mind is already changing… and I almost hate to admit that!

What do you people think – It looks like they are firmly on their way from the catwalk to the high street, but is it time for double-breasted suits to re-enter the wedding arena?

Adam.

Who am I trying to kid? Today I’m talking about male skincare and cosmetics!

From hydrating to cleansing and moisturising, I’m even going to touch on makeup for men (shock, horror).

Rockstars Probably Do It.

I’m 33 years old next year. I remember when I was a young lad it was ace at the start of a new year as you could say “next year I will be…” and you could add two numbers onto your age (because you hadn’t had this years birthday yet) to make yourself seem extra old. It’s not so good to do that now. In fact it’s scary.

Even though I’m 33 next year (currently 31 thank you very much) I still get spots regularly… I have been waiting for ooh about 14 years now for clear skin – but it has never arrived. My skin is better now than it ever has been, but I rarely get a day when I don’t have a few visible skin issues, be it a big ole spot, a few red blemishes or some other dermatological nightmare. I don’t think I have had a single day of 100% clear skin since I was about 15 years old. FACT.

So, you’re probably thinking I’m not the best person to offer up my knowledge of male grooming – Don’t listen to spotty Crohill’s skin advice – look at his face for god’s sake! Well, I’m not offering up miracle cures, quite the opposite if anything. What I am suggesting is a routine and a few tricks that work for me and minimise the appearance of bad skin and also keep some of the more serious outbreaks at bay. As I said my skin is better now than it has been since I can remember, so I must be doing a few things right.

First thing is – it’s ok to use products! as the title to this section suggests – Rockstars probably do, and they’re doing alright… that’s how I reassure myself anyway.

The Products.

Moisturiser.
Having listened to a some of our real brides having a chin wag on facebook I learnt that a few of their H2B’s skin would benefit from being in better general condition, particularly in these winter months.

I’ve used a few moisturisers in my time and generally I hate them, I don’t like the feeling of having a layer of slippy grease sat on top of my face – it’s bad enough when I have to use suncream on holiday – why subject yourself to this on a daily basis? Persistence has paid off though and I have found a moisturiser that seems to do the job. I use Jean Paul Gaultier Energising Face Care. It feels bearable during application and literally in 10 seconds it’s like it’s not there at all. It is quite expensive at over £25.00 a time but I have also used L’Oreal Hydra-Energetic lotion which is a fraction of the price, still pretty good and can often be found in “2 for 1″ type deals in supermarkets. If it is on “2 for 1″ I wouldn’t really bother with any of their other male focussed products – just double up on the face cream.

Also my hands get really bad in the winter months – although this last mild winter has saved me a fortune in hand cream, usually by mid November my hands are so dry that a walk to the shops can result in bleeding knuckles – that Nutragena Hand Cream stuff usually sorts ‘em out.

Cleansing.
Exfoliation is key in keeping your pores clear – the girls know this – and just look at their lovely soft skin. The trouble is – it’s really boring. I hate those scratchy exfoliation pastes and face washes you get, they take so long to rinse off. Maybe I’m lazy but if its not a quick process I’m inclined to skip it… and then ultimately my skin suffers.

What I have found to be good are the slightly abrasive cleansing wipes you can get now. A good mannish scrub with these seems to do the trick pretty well, then I use Clinique scruffing lotion (which is actual sold as a pre-shave prep) for after I’ve given my face a scub and cleared out those pores. You can get a scruffing lotion to suit your skin type which is a bonus, and also its got quite a blokey name so you can keep it on the window sill in the bathroom and not be ashamed of it.

Vinny Jones don’t use cleanser… he bloody well uses scruffing location, Alright? (said in best cockney gangster voice). Anyway, the combination of scrubby wipe thing followed by scruffing lotion makes my skin feel really clean and clear. End of.

Concealing.
There is an opinion that men should be “men”… but does that mean we have to walk around with a spot on our face? Everyone is ok with men using hair products to enhance our appearance, so what about a bit of make up? What’s the difference? The question is then – to conceal or not to conceal?

Personally I do, on occasion… Not every day but I will consider it, particularly if there is any danger of a camera being in the room. I think if you’ve got a full blown MAHOOSIVE spot on your face somewhere, just live with it – trying to conceal that bad boy is only going to lead to trouble. However, say you’ve got some inflamed skin, maybe a spot is on the way – it’s gone a bit angry but the skin hasn’t actually broken yet. It’s at this point where a little dab of concealer can reduce the red effect dramatically, and boost your confidence at the same time. Most concealers have ingredients in them to fight off the spot too, so if caught early it may never even arrive.

If you do apply concealer – check yourself in a brightly lit room, or a bathroom mirror. If you look alright close up in bright lighting you’ll be fine – no ones going to catch you wearing make up in public, which let’s face it has to be the only reason for not wearing concealer. Unless you are a particular fan the bright red angry skin look. You can get Clinique Anti Blemish Concealer from mankind for £11.50 and it will last forever! Or if you are feeling flush you can go for Jean Paul Gautier Monsieur Concealer which comes in at around £18.00.

Secret Weapon.
Probably the cheapest thing on the block… brought to us seemingly from the same marketing team that branded “Lard” back in 1973, we have sudocrem. Forget the packaging, forget that it advertises that it’s for bed sores and nappy rash… dab a bit on an area of bad skin, be it a dry patch or a spot and leave on for as long as you can. This is particularly tricky if the blob of sudocrem is in your peripheral vision, but seriously if you prevail you’ll discover that this stuff is good. You can pick it up anywhere for little more than a quid. Bargain.

Of course the ideas I present here are simply what seems to work for me, I’m not even using some of these products for their correct purpose (especially not the lard) but hopefully you might feel like going out and trying a few for yourself.

You Get What You Pay For?

A high price tag of course does not necessarily mean quality and won’t intrinsically lead to success. The key is to try a range of products and find which works best for you, from a success point of view and as a routine. There is no point having products that work if the application takes 20 minutes out of your day meaning you skip the routine half the time because you’re running late.

I have my own tale about a high price not leading to success… A few years back I paid a massive amount of money for a sk:n consultation and subsequent arsenal of lotions and potions they suggested that I needed. Although I would never say blankly “IT DOESN’T WORK” sk:n didn’t work for me. I remember I was given a hydrochloric acid face wash that was designed to burn off dead skin cells… (scary) In fact what it did do was make my hands feel all slippy and smooth after a few weeks of applying it every day in the shower – it was as if the cream was slowly removing my finger prints or something…

I did actually consider doing a bank robbery, it would have been the perfect crime with no prints left and I needed a sharp influx of cash from somewhere if I was going to be able to afford another shopping trip to sk:n… In the ended I decided to stay inside the law and instead changed my routine for a more wallet friendly (and fingerprint friendly) option.

Well, that’s about it folks – hopefully there might be some useful bits of info here, and maybe a few products for H2B to try. And just for the sake of starting a nice Friday afternoon debate – Girls, what is your opinion of a man who conceals? Are you all for it, do you see it as part of modern mans routine, you know – scrub face, brush the old toothy pegs, put clean pants on, splash a bit of aftershave about, mess up hair… conceal the spots?…

…or is that one step too far?

And of course, also please share any wonder potions that you may know of too.

Adam.

The chances are that if you are reading this, you’re getting married.

I’ll go one step further – The chances are that if you are reading this, you’re getting married and you are going to be the bride.

How’s the planning going? Is he getting involved much? Would you like him to be more involved? Why is he not as keen to get involved as you are?

These of course are fairly loaded questions – it is a traditional stereotype that the groom is, shall we say, a little more blasé than the bride is about the whole “getting married” thing. But surely it’s the most important day of his life as well? I think that when asked the vast majority of grooms-to-be would answer a definite ‘yes’ to this question.

Also, times are a changing, here on Rock My Wedding we have had fair few real weddings where the groom has got completely stuck in. One of my personal favourites being Dan The Man, check it out if you’re a newbie or if you just want quick a reminder of a beyond dreamy destination wedding… The report was written entirely by the groom.

Anyway, back to the topic in hand. Part of the grooms reluctance to embrace W-day planning may well boil down to bravado – it’s odd that one of the least “blokey” things you can do as a man is actually marry a woman! But apparently thems the rules.

Another reason that I have been considering recently could be that from the word go (or, more aptly “Yes I will….”) the groom it seems, gets a little bit left out. Brides get’s whisked off with their maids, Mothers and Mother-in-laws-to-be to make decisions about the big day that don’t concern the groom, and just when the groom is starting to feel left in the dark he is told that he can’t even see the dress… In fact if he does catch a glimpse then it’s terribly bad luck so it’s best he just keeps out the way…

Of course I’m well aware that I am painting a very extreme version of events here, but the feeling that the wedding is more for the bride than the groom is a preconception that I am campaigning to change. The groom not seeing the dress until the big day is a piece of tradition that in my mind doesn’t automatically have a place in a ‘modern’ wedding. This is controversial I know, so I would love to know what you think.

And So here Is The Big Question.

Are you keeping your dress as a surprise for the big day?

If so why? How important is it to you? Is it a tradition, a superstition, or simply that you want to knock the socks off your groom when you are “revealed”?

If your man really wanted to see the dress, or even help you choose it, would you entertain that notion?

Now, don’t get me wrong – when I’m the groom I’m not going to DEMAND to choose the dress and throw my toys out of the pram if I’m not allowed to, I just think that the secrecy puts a barrier up that doesn’t need to be there.

P.S Secretly I just want to go on “Don’t Tell The Bride” and make all the decisions myself. But maybe that is the topic of a post for another day…

Take care peeps, and have a great weekend.

Adam.

It’s Sunday, so if you are visiting us today you’re probably catching up on stuff you missed during the week. Maybe it’s been busy at work and you didn’t manage to check these blue polka dotted pages as religiously as you would through choice, or maybe your boss has been breathing down your neck meaning that a quick sneak onto RMW during work time has been trickier than usual. Or maybe you are the boss and you’ve actually had some work to do this week for a change.

Or, maybe you visit especially for the Sunday Post?… In which case you are one of our hard-core followers… one of the Elite shall we say?

So, for all you die-hard members of the RMW community, today I (Adam) and going to tell you a story about how I got to be in the glorious position of writing this here post to you that there reader! I’ll keep it short because it’s Sunday and no one wants to have to concentrate for too long on a Sunday…

I’ll start by saying this – everyone at team RMW has “proper” jobs, maybe not for too much longer(!) But currently we balance blogging with a 9 to 5. I happen to work with a certain plucky little blonde who one day in 2009 came up to me and said something along the lines of,

“Hi Adam… you’re good at websites and design and marketing and stuff aren’t you?…

…Well I have a bit of an idea…”

Since that day my life has somewhat changed. I’m still doing websites and design and marketing and stuff, but I’m balancing that with blogging and writing – something I have always wanted to do. I have just written my first piece for a magazine – It’s very small but it STILL COUNTS! It’s something I never thought I would get the chance to do and I’m really proud of it.

Also, for the record, I’m properly into weddings, which I know is rare for a chap (although I think Dan, one of our grooms from last week may well be a like minded spirit).

My day job focuses on detail, the look, the feel, the design, the appeal – and how those elements pull together when it matters most. You can see how transferable that is to your wedding day. I love seeing how a photographer captures a feeling, how stationery reflects a personality, how a venue sets the mood for an occasion. Maybe I didn’t see it until Charlotte hustled me onboard the RMW train, but I haven’t looked back since.

So where am I going with this? Well, nowhere really… I just thought that the hard-core Rock My Wedding Sunday readership might appreciate a little insight into what’s happening on planet Adam.

I’m pleased to be here, and I’m proud to be a part of the RMW community – it’s a very nice place to be.

Thanks for having me, and happy Sunday.

Adam.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

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

It’s a bit geek, it’s a whole lot of chic, and hopefully there is something of interest in it for everyone. And don’t despair if you really aren’t into man fashion, most of the items I’m presenting for your consideration today are unisex… Back of the net!

Top Half

This T from Obey was a total impulse buy – I have a thing for t-shirts that are really soft with a sort of fleck in the colour (does anyone know a better way to describe this?) So this retro T was sold before I even tried it on.

I love the record label inspired design – 10 geek points there! I got the redish orangey one as I have too many grey T’s already. Obey do loads of really funky designs – I’d not encountered them before but I think I will be adding some more Obey to the t-shirt collection before too long.

Bottom Half

Volcom are a strange brand – some of their stuff is too skatey for someone who has entered his third decade on the planet. A lot of it is really cool though, and almost borders on the formal side of “smart casual”. All the Volcom stuff I have looked at has been incredibly well made out of good quality fabrics, so I’m a big fan (can you tell?) These shorts are pretty smart with the preppy pin stripe just hinting at the Avril Lavigne-esque skater boy that lurks within us all somewhere .

They are called FRICKIN STRIPE CHINO SHORT which made me smile.

Volcom are really good at adding little details here and there to their clothing designs which make the brand stand apart from the crowd, like that a-symetrical stitching line across the back pocket.

On Yer Feet

Who doesn’t like Converse All Star? Well if you don’t just skip on to the next bit. For the rest of you, have a look at the unisex Chuck Taylor Slim. They are lighter and thinner than standard All Stars with air holes in the side (not visible in these pics.) Perfect for summer sockless shenanigans with minimal pongy foot syndrome. (let’s face it – it happens!) They are available in loads of colours and come in a really skinny shoe box which is just coooool!

On Yer Face

I can not find adequate words to describe how blinking ace these unisex sunnies are. Why has no one made eyewear out of wood before? That is probably what the peeps at Shwood were thinking, and thank the lord they did something about it.

This girl is wearing them and she looks like a hottie, nuff said. I went for the tigerwood finish (lower image) because they are LESS subtle – and I want there to be absolutely no doubt about the fact that I am walking about with LOGS ON MY FACE.

Something to Carry

I have been looking for a replacement matchel (mens satchel for those not in the know!) for a while now. I fell totally in love with the leather one in AllSaints, to the point where I was prepared to file an inch off the side of my 17″ MacBook Pro to get it to fit it. Coming to my senses I scoured the internet and found Scaramanga.

Not only do they sell a host of (girls and boys) satchels to suit a modest 13 right up to a magnificent 17″ Laptop, they also sell a load of other cool reclaimed and retro bits and bobs for the home. I can’t quite bring myself to purchase any of the antique padlocks they have in stock, but for some reason I really want some. Also, the Scaramanga satchel is made of thicker leather than the AllSaints one and was half the price. I dearly love AllSaints but this needed to said!

So ladies, there has to be something in this little lot that you wouldn’t mind seeing on your manfolk, or indeed yourselves.

I think my best find were the shwood sunnies – they are so cool (IMHO) the perfect mix of geek chic with preppy appeal – there is a style to suit every taste too. The only downside is that they take about 4 to 6 weeks to get here as they are hand made in the US.

I only have a few days left to wait for mine – yay! And due to the super duper exchange rate when i purchased, I grabbed myself a total bargain. Double yay!

…What’s the bet that the sun is gone by the time they arrive though?

Adam.

P.S. I have just realised that this post is completely un-wedding related…

*thinks…*

…hmmm… summer wedding… bride and bridesmaids all in matching Shwood sunnies..?

…that’ll do for me!

My summer 2011 fashion Love Lust List….

Obey T-shirts and stuff

Volcom shorts and stuff

Shwood eye wear and that

Scaramanga satchels and ‘ting

Well, ladies, this is a little heads up for you. The online Fashion dynamo retailer we all know and love, Net-a-Porter are soon to launch, Mr Porter, the mens store.

For those of you a little disinterested, (yes we know, this is a wedding blog) the reason we’re telling you is because we think if your future husbands are as stylish and savvy as you beautiful ladies are, there’ll be a literal stampede to find out what’s in vogue for their big day fashion choices.

More and more Grooms are opting to inject a bit of personality into their wedding day outfit and where better to find some sartorial tips and style advice than with those in the fashion-know. AND, no hoards of shoppers to compete with, tricky sales assistants or weekends ruined with shopping. We don’t know a guy who doesn’t love the convenience of online purchasing delivered to his door.

Right now you can sign up to be a Founding member of Mr Porter and get…

Exclusive access to the site before it launches to the public

Complimentary shipping on all purchases made during this period

Seasonal previews and MR PORTER exclusives

Access to a team of Personal Shoppers for expert style advice

Just click the invitation above and sign up… (spaces are limited) and obviously, this is one to forward to all the fashion forward gorgeous grooms you know.

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

I’m guessing there is a wealth of potential princes/best men/ushers out there who love the idea of finding that “perfect suit”, only to loose interest when it turns out that the road to Suitville has a rather long and nasty detour that takes you right through the heart some really dreary places like Burtons, Debenhams and Marks and Spencer…. to name just a few. The chance of a serious breakdown at some point en route is definitely on the cards.

However, I’m here today to tell you about the ring road that takes you straight to Suitville! Think of it as the M6 Toll road…. It’s going to cost you a bit for sure, but if you’re up for it then you’re going to arrive at your destination in record time feeling fresh and completely road rage free. Rather than spending your time trying to find a suit that’s the right colour, the right style and most importantly fits you well (or more than likely, fits you ok’ish but needs a bit of adjustment here or there….) why not just tell someone what you want and get them to go off and make it for you?

Answer: Because it’s going to be bloody expensive that’s why…..

Aha!……not necessarily. Read on peeps…

Go Bespoke.

Like I said during my genius “toll road” analogy, going bespoke is probably going to cost you a bit more than the average suit off the high street will, so this solution is not going to be for everyone. With a wealth of internet based tailors popping up over the last few years though, a tailored suit is a more affordable option now than it has ever been. You just might get that “perfect suit” that fits like a dream for the sort cash that you were intending to spend on the high street, plus that extra bit you were keeping in reserve to pay for a couple of alterations here and there.

A Suit That Fits.

I used the people at “A Suit That Fits” when My Brother got married three years ago, I needed a suit with a red lining to fit his chosen colour scheme and I couldn’t find anything that colour in a style that I liked. Eventually my search took me to www.aSuitThatFits.com a company who at that point had only been running for a few months, but who promised bespoke tailoring for high street prices…. It sounded like a fairytale that was too good to be true, and that almost turned out to be the case!

image courtesy of www.aSuitThatFits.com

How it works.

The concept is brilliant, a very “man based” solution to shopping. You sit at home on the internet and make a list (anyone who has read or seen Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity” knows that men bloody love a list). Two piece or three piece? Slim fit or regular? 1,2,3 or 4 buttons? How many flaps? How many vents? Would you like a working cuff? How many buttons on the cuff? Do you want ticket pockets? It goes on and on. You sit there clicking your mouse and making your list, you choose material, colour and lining. That’s it, job done. Its a long list granted, but it’s going to take even the most indecisive amongst us 20 minutes tops to finish. Then you save your creation and book an appointment to get measured, or if you’re feeling really brave/lazy you can even take your own measurements at home and email them in.

A suit that doesn’t fit.

I feel like I should mention at this point that when my slim fit bootleg suit arrived in the post I discovered that the Jacket hadn’t been made for me, it had been made for James Corden and the (straight cut) trousers were obviously intended to hang in Ronnie Corbetts wardrobe, not mine (and before anyone says anything, I did choose to go in for my measurement appointment, this crazy outfit was not the result of a cack handed session in front of the MacBook, mouse in one hand and tape measure in the other). Not pleased. Three weeks to the wedding. Not pleased at all.

A Happy Ending.

In true “fairytale fortnight” form, there is a happy ending. Hurrah! I phoned A Suit That Fits, and after making some wise crack about the company having a beautifully ironic name, I explained that I wasn’t exactly over the moon with their Corbett & Corden range. To the credit of A Suit That Fits, they were very apologetic, and very brilliant about the whole thing really. Judging by the raft of awards the company has spent the last three years collecting, it would appear that I was the unlucky victim of a company finding it’s feet and working through a few teething problems. They hurriedly arranged another fitting and in a little over two weeks turned around a replacement suit that never fails to provoke a few comments when I wear it out and about, whether it’s the full suit or just the jacket over a geeky T and battered pair of diesels.

…They’re good comments by the way, not comments like,

“hey, Smithy wants his Jacket back…”

or,

“….nice socks lanky”.

Seriously, it’s a great bit of tailoring and three years on I am still chuffed to bits with my hand made suit, a suit that left me with considerable change from 400 quid.

Big “Bespoke” love,

Adam.

However, a lot of what you see on these pages is what we LOVE and we hope you will love it too… so today I’m going to push a bit of fashion forward style for the gents.

The Bow Tie.

Bow Cool

*Image Credits: Erin Hearts Court

We see a lot of Bow Ties on the gentlemen across the pond but somehow it’s just not quite filtering over here. I’m not sure if it’s a serious moment I’m having over Chuck Bass and the return of Gossip Girl to our screens, or the cheeky colourful and strangely relaxed yet stylish vibe they give off, but I am loving the bow tie at a wedding these days.

*Image Credit: Matthew Morgan, via Ruffled.

Lets face it, our men-folk don’t always get the greatest of says in styling your wedding (‘Chair covers? What are they?’) but getting your beloved involved in choosing his own outfit can be a great way of him feeling involved in the planning, comfortable on the day and also getting a little bit of their personalised style into the over all feel of the day.

Guy Glamour

Most importantly, we’re starting to see some seriously sharp grooms style on these here pages and I know that Cool Brittania rules supreme so why do the boys get lumped with tradition, when we’re rocking our fashion forward frocks and dolling up the maids in the chicest creations?

*Image credits: Simon Fazackarley, via Ruffled

The Bow Tie doesn’t need to be all geek-chic, glasses and unique style. It’s just as comfortable in a glamorous setting as per this Brighton (Hurrah for the UK!) wedding.

Sometimes traditional and classic is the way forward, but how to make it modern? Lose the Tux and work a simple well fitted dark suit with a slim fit shirt.

*Image Credits: Braedon Photography via Green Wedding Shoes.

Get me One!

Think you can talk your man into wearing a bow tie? Or is it right up his street in the first place? Well here’s a few tips on where you can pick one up without too much trouble.

Typically, think unique, original, quirky and Etsy comes to mind. Check out Forage from Somethings Hiding in Here, Xoelle and MeandMatilda for a great selection and custom orders.

So what are your thoughts on the bow tie and what look might your man be sporting to make him stand out on the most important day of his life?

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo