When we decided to create an on-line boutique we really didn’t know what to expect. As with anything you’ve never done before, it’s a steep learning curve complete with daily challenges and constant surprises.

We wouldn’t have it any other way though, there is never a dull (or even vaguely quiet) day at RMW HQ. “Boredom” doesn’t feature in our vocabulary.

Launching Rock My Boutique was a huge project for us, we hosted our biggest industry event to date and spent a significant amount of time scheming, dreaming and designing our first campaign “Big City Love“.

Those of you that have already seen AW12 will know it was very urban, quite…… edgy.

And so for Spring/Summer (let’s face it – we’ve kind of um…by-passed Spring already (!)) we decided to do something very different. Actually, we decided to create what might be considered the polar opposite of our disused-nightclub based Autumn/Winter shoot complete with a zillion spray-painted tins and break dancers….

Our new campaign is called “Coco” after one of Lolly and I’s favourite icons of all time…..Coco Chanel.

Think super super polished. Think sophisticated and clean and timeless. Think mercuried glass, sequins, feathers and an abundance of beautiful blooms. Think Provence in July with a generous dose of Parisian chic thrown in for good measure.

Think pretty. Really REALLY pretty.

We love the outcome of our latest adventure. And we’ve got everything crossed that you gorgeous lot will feel the same way.

The full shoot will be appearing first thing in the morning along with details of our new product range and the official collection shop launch.

For now we’ll leave you with our campaign film by the very talented Simon Clarke – he did such an awesome job of the last one how could we ask anyone else?

Plus frankly, he might be the only person on earth who could put up with my Miss bossy-boots director ways and verging-on-the- ridiculous requests.

With special thanks to a whole host of unbelievably creative Love Lust List suppliers who made this whole thing possible, you can find links to their websites in the credits below.

Enjoy lovelies.

Videography – Simon Clarke Films
Photography – Anna Clarke
Venue – The Old Chemistry Lab at Nottingham Conference Centre
Styling – Team RMW
Assistant Stylist – Lauren at Fairlylight
Florist – Leafy Couture
Make-up – Jo Leversuch
Hair – Emily Kent founder of The Wedding Hair Company
Headpieces, veils and sequin cuffs – RMW in collaboration with What Katy Did Next
Sequin bouquet Train and sequin badges – RMW in collaboration with What Katy Did Next
Shoes – RMW in collaboration with Harriet Wilde
Bridal Gowns – From a selection at Naomi Neoh
Bridesmaids Dresses – “The Fearne”, RMW in collaboration with Maids To Measure
Artwork – Team RMW for RMB
Vases, Candlesticks and Frames – Team RMW for RMB
The Belle Necklace – RMW in collaboration with Natasha Jane
Ceramic cufflinks, badges and tags – RMW in collaboration with Alice Shields
Giant “Coco” letters – Doris Loves
Stationery – Bonny and Clyde

Did you like it?

Did you see anything you might fancy for W-day?

If you’ve got any questions on any of the products or just want to give us some feedback (we massively appreciate it!) then please leave us a note in the comments box.

Can’t wait for tomorrow!!!!

Big Coco Love

Charlotte xxx

We are really pleased to welcome Blush Floral Design to The Love Lust List. The Rock My Wedding directory with a difference.

Rock My Wedding hand select and verify each of our suppliers, we know for a fact that every member of our directory has the ability to make your wedding day rock!

You can find Blush Floral Design in our South East Florists category.

Check Blush Floral Design out and remember if you are looking for vendors and suppliers with the RMW seal of approval, the Love Lust List is only one click away via the ‘Find A Supplier’ tab in the header section.

Louise Adby is a London based photographer but finds herself travelling all over the UK to cover beautiful weddings.

Combining photojournalism and fine art photography, Louise aims to record an authentic story of your wedding day by unobtrusively capturing candid moments as they unfold without intervening or directing.

This approach allows Louise to reveal some of the unique characters of your guests and your selves. But just as a traditional wedding photographer would, Louise will also take some time to do a series of fun and informal posed portraits in and around your venue, creating romantic images of just the two of you that you would be proud to display on the walls of your home.

Visit louiseadbyphoto.com for more information.

You may be aware that Madame Becky is due to have a teeny tiny person any time like…..NOW. And this means she will be off enjoying motherhood for a while whilst we miss her loads and bombard her with requests for cute baby pictures.

Covering Becky’s maternity break is a little lady called Fern whom we were formally introduced to at The National Wedding Show after she sent us her CV (and witty covering email) some months before.

Fern has previously assisted us backstage at Pretty Naughty (you can spot her in the pretty black and white frock dressing one of the models) and we have sporadically kept in touch since. When we needed a new member of the team it made perfect sense for her to climb aboard this high speed blogging train.

If you’ve got a few minutes to say “Hello” lovelies then please leave a little bit of community spirit welcome-ness in the comments box below.

Fern: Good Morning Rock My Wedding readers!

I’m extremely excited to be joining team RMW while Becky is on maternity leave….I probably shouldn’t admit this – I’m not actually getting married anytime soon, nor am I engaged (although I’m sure there are numerous readers out there who are in the same camp!!) I do have a lovely boyfriend though and hopefully one day he will get my very unsubtle hints…then maybe I can attend Wedding Fayres with organising a wedding in mind, rather than hunting down Charlotte and Adam and asking them for a job.

Ever since I was tiny I have dreamed of getting married, I love the romance of finding your soul mate and forming a team – you and your partner against the world for ever and ever.

I used to waitress at weddings and have been known to sit in the kitchen tent on a crate behind the marquee listening to the wedding speeches of total strangers with tears in my eyes – I know, I’m a hopeless romantic.

On a more shallow note, I am a true girl’s girl and love pretty things. I could gaze at images of flowers, shoes, dresses and accessories for hours on end. I’m definitely in the right place!

My dream wedding used to be Coleen and Wayne Rooney’s – I’m not even joking – she definitely led the way with two dresses! (Don’t worry, my tastes have definitely matured since then). Today, it would involve a slinky bohemian dress, bare feet and a beautiful deserted beach in South West France. Tomorrow it will probably be a Vera Wang dress with Louboutins in an English stately home. But it always involves flowers in my hair, lots and lots of candle light and my beautiful sisters as bridesmaids. Oh, and my lovely boy waiting at the end of the aisle.

Looking forward to getting stuck into the crazy world of weddings.

Lots and lots of love,

Fern x

Just before I announce the winners team RMW just want to thank all you lovely folks who voted in what has been the most popular (and manic) real bride competition ever. EVER.

The votes are counted requiring all of our fingers and toes to be on display and we have our five new real brides (and grooms)… Would you like to meet them?

Sarah & Callum

You can read Sarah & Callums full story here.

Carly & Mikey

You can read Carly & Mikeys full story here.

Sophie & Simon

You can read Sophie & Simons full story here.

Stef & Ciaran

You can read Stef & Ciarans full story here.

Jackie & Paul

You can read Jackie & Pauls full story here.

Congratulations peeps… But that is not all. We are a little bit sneaky here at RMW Towers. There will in fact be six real brides sharing their stories with you gorgeous lot. Out of all of fantastic fifteen finalists team RMW have selected a wild card. A wedding that really appealed to our collective inner stylist. We are currently all loving Sparkle. We love blush, gold and glitter and we LOVE France… And having read their story about planning a wedding in France from Sydney Australia I just have to see how this one is going to play out. So, our sixth real bride 2013/14 is…

Nicola & Jack

You can read Nicola & Jacks full story here.

There you have it peeps, six fresh faced lovelies about to embark on the ride of their lives and they will be sharing the the ups, the downs, the tears and the triumphs right here with you gorgeous lot.

Say hello then…

Adam.

We are really pleased to welcome Rebecca Douglas Photography to The Love Lust List. The Rock My Wedding directory with a difference.

Rock My Wedding hand select and verify each of our suppliers, we know for a fact that every member of our directory has the ability to make your wedding day rock!

You can find Rebecca Douglas Photography in our South East Photographers category.

Check Rebecca Douglas Photography out and remember if you are looking for vendors and suppliers with the RMW seal of approval, the Love Lust List is only one click away via the ‘Find A Supplier’ tab in the header section.

You know the whole “Shall I wear my hair up or down?!” debate for W-day? well, you could always do exactly what Amy-Jean did and have the best of both worlds….I like this idea VERY much….especially when it involves an over-sized floral accessory.

I also like the “After Eight face climb challenge” (no idea what I’m on about? well you’ll just have to take a peek at the images then…) and the obvious good time all of the guests had on the dance floor.

There is also cake. Lots and LOTS of cake.

The Angel Cave

The Bride Amy-Jean: My dream location would have been New York! We are such a ‘city’ couple, but unfortunately NYC was soon crossed off the list. It was important to us that everyone we loved was with us and this wouldn’t have been possible if we’d have gone stateside! My parents live in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Dave’s immediate family live in The Canary Islands, the rest live in Liverpool and we live in London, so Skipton seemed as good a place as any, and it’s a beautiful part of the world. So with that decided, the search began.

Our ceremony was held at The Wine Cave at The Angel in Hetton. We wanted a place that was small, cosy and romantic, a perfect venue if that’s what you are looking for, it was absolutely stunning. The ceremony was beautiful and intimate and we really couldn’t have asked for anything more! We then moved on to eat, drink and party the night away at Utopia, in the grounds of Broughton Hall. With its huge glass facades and wooden structure, this award winning building is a stark contrast to The Wine Cave. This building looks even more impressive at night, so by the time our guests arrived it looked awesome. We loved walking together up the candle lit pathway to our waiting guests, which was one of our most cherished memories from the day.

Envy

The whole look came together quite organically really, I didn’t really know what ‘look’ I was going for. I was very conscious to make sure I still felt like me and looked like me. I like to stay up to date with the latest trends, so having a classic look just wouldn’t have been right. My make-up was done by one of my good friends Jess who, lucky for me, was a make-up artist in her previous job! We spent a bit of time searching for products and make-up that I liked. One of my favourite finds was Airbrush by Dior, an amazing foundation and a must for every bride!! We practiced a few times over a bottle of wine to create the look I wanted. I’m not shy when applying my make-up, but I didn’t want it to look like it was caked on. I went for a more evening look as we got married quite late in the day.

My hair was done by Curtis & Bell in Bingley. They were my previous local hairdressers before I moved to London . I’ve know them for years so was very comfortable when telling them what I liked etc. I found taking pictures was the best way of showing them my favourite styles. My hair was created on the morning of the wedding, I did have a trial but decided I wanted something else In the end. I was very happy with the results!

As for fragrance, I choose to wear an old favourite, Gucci Envy. It was the perfume I used to wear when I first met Dave, it had actually been discontinued, but I’d worn it for 10 years so trawled the Internet until I found it.

Luckily for me my friend Sam has a beauty salon in Yeadon. I was very fortunate to have her do my nails and eyelashes. I had a Jessica manicure with gel polish which I would recommend for any bride, my nails lasted right through my honeymoon!!

Old Hollywood

I think as a bride you always have an idea of what you want your dress to be like, my problem was that I fell in love with a Vera Wang, typical! It goes without saying that it was way out of my budget range. There is no middle ground with me, I am type of girl who knows what she likes, and even more what she doesn’t like. I tried loads of dresses on but I struggled to find the perfect one. I simply could not get the Vera Wang dress out of my head. The more I tried on the more I wanted to take a bit from that dress and a bit from this dress.

One of my friends Gail, who was also a bridesmaid, said from the start that I should have one made for me (she knows what I’m like ha!). So, that’s what I did! I found Scarlet Poppy in Pudsey and made an appointment. When me and my mum arrived we were met by Kate who was so lovely and we started talking ideas straight away! After we’d had a long chat and a glass of champers she knocked up some sketches of our ideas. It was a very collaborative affair. Each appointment we had together we developed the dress more and more. I don’t think she’s ever made one quite like this before.

I guess you could call the style old Hollywood but with a modern twist. It was fitted down to the knee with a sweetheart neckline and was a mixture of tulle and lace, absolutely beautiful!! I think Kate loved it just as much as me and was very sad for it to leave her shop. I felt amazing on my wedding day and loved the fact my dress was one of a kind. I simply couldn’t recommend Kate and her team highly enough, they did a fantastic job and I really could not imagine getting married in anything else and I will cherish the dress forever!

Cute Clutch

Accessories wise, I was hell bent on getting a cute clutch bag to go with my outfit which I got from Coast and I love it. As my dress was strapless I really wanted a statement necklace with a vintage touch, I found mine on a website. It was handmade, and not too expensive, but still absolutely beautiful. I will treasure it forever. We were getting married on a cold November day, so to complete the look I decided on mink coloured feather shrug from Hope and Grace, this rocked my world! I received so many compliments about it on the day!

Very Dapper

If you looked through my wardrobe you would see a sea of creams, pinks and mink colours with a lot of lace thrown in! For me, it had to be light colours for the wedding, even though we were having a winter do. So pale pinks, creams and taupes became my focus. The bridesmaids all wanted long dresses, so we went on the hunt and I have to say it wasn’t easy. Trying to please one woman is difficult, when you’ve got three of them in the changing room it becomes a whole different ball game. It became clear that I was never going to get them to all agree on anything I was suggesting and I the last thing I wanted was for them to feel uncomfortable. After a long search (just Dave and I, easier that way ha!) We managed to find a lovely floor length, one shoulder strap dress in pale pink. The dress came from Miss London on Kensington High St. It looked amazing on all of them. They were extremely happy and looked beautiful.

Dave always wanted to wear a three piece suit. He originally planned to get a bespoke suit made but changed his mind when the tailor measuring him was wearing the worst fitting suit he’d ever seen! After searching around, he fell in love with a blue/grey pick and pick three piece from Duchamp. To finish the look he wore oxblood brogues made by Poste, a blue knitted tie from Ted Baker and a white silk pocket square from Reiss. He never really liked the traditional hat and tales look, it just didn’t suit our wedding, too old fashioned. He decided on simple blue suits for his guys with a light plain waistcoat and tie. They complemented his suit really well and I have to say they all looked very dapper, especially the groom!!

Rustic Romance

I guess our theme could be described as Rustic/Romantic. I was very keen to make sure the day felt very romantic. It sounds odd to say given the occasion, but a lot of weddings I have been to didn’t feel romantic at all! We really wanted light colours, creams, pinks, taupes with lace mixed in. We spent many hours scrolling through wedding blogs for inspiration and saved literally thousands of imagines that we liked. We eventually decided on a style, or language for the wedding and I think it came across with the end result. Attention to detail was key, we put a lot of effort into making things ourselves and trawling car boot sales and the Internet to find things we were after. I wanted the wedding to have a very relaxed atmosphere but still have an air of sophistication. I absolutely loved planning the wedding, I want to do it again ha!

David Austin

We are not very flowery people and for a bride I wasn’t too fussed at first. But as I started looking into flowers I fell in love with Peonies. I was heartbroken to find out I couldn’t get them in November. I researched the next best thing and ended up going for David Austin Roses which are very similar. We had a centre piece for each table, the flowers were arranged in rustic wooden boxes. Myself and the 3 bridesmaids had a bouquet and the groom and his men had button holes.

The Cherry On Top

The ceremony was so much better than we had thought possible. The venue was so much more intimate and romantic then we ever planned for. As the bride, walking into the room was one of my favourite memories. The room was so small that we had people standing at the back and it was just the best feeling in the world to have all your favourite people in one place. The room was candle lit and cosy, right up our street! I didn’t feel nervous at all, I remember talking to the registrar before the ceremony started and she couldn’t believe how calm I was but I was just so excited to do it. My friend also sang a beautiful song with the best man (Dave’s brother) playing the guitar which was the cherry on top!

On The Rocks

The entertainment was very important to us, by the time the food and speeches are done, it’s the only thing left. It had to be good and memorable, not easy when a large portion of your guest list is made up of professional musicians and West End performers! So, trying to find a band that could make an impression on such a crowd was always going to be a challenge. After trawling through endless sound clips on the internet, we had not found a band that even came close. Then one click later, the voice of Cherie Gears somehow managed to fill the room, even through the tiny speakers of our laptop. So, ‘Func On The Rocks’ became our band of choice. So good they had the dance floor full on their sound check! They also DJ after the live music, and bring all equipment and lights, so it’s one price for all of your wedding entertainment, we couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

We didn’t want a first dance, not really our style. We went to great lengths to find ‘our’ song, which proved way harder than we ever thought. In the end we arrived at the conclusion that we simply didn’t have a special song! Being together as long as we have we don’t have a certain song, it’s more like whole albums. What happened instead was wholly unexpected. Our first dance turned into an unplanned flash mob dancing to Tina Turner, everyone joined in, it was hilarious. This was definitely one of my favourite memories of all time, it was amazing!!

You know it’s been a good party when the dance floor is still packed when the lights are turned on. A friend of ours said “it went off like a frog in a sock”, what a testimonial.

A Good Burger

Dave always comments on my very basic food tastes, all I can say is I like what I like! Ha! I love a good Burger, who doesn’t? So that’s what we had! The day we got engaged we went to a fancy restaurant to celebrate. I ended up ordering a burger from their lunch menu, classy girl huh? I couldn’t think of anything better to have on our wedding day. Unconventional, but delicious.

As we live in London and I’m a massive fan of cake, we decided to get our wedding cake from my favourite cake shop, Hummingbirds. I’d always planned to do a sweet table, basically all my favourite things on one table! It went down a treat and I think I spent most of the evening stood by it talking and nibbling ha!

You Only Get One

I think the biggest advice I can offer is to be true to yourself, cheesy as it sounds! It’s your day and you really have to do it your way. So many people offer advice and opinion which is lovely but in the end if you want burger and chips for the meal, you have it regardless of what other people say (and they said a lot in my case ha!) We heard this a lot ‘oh you can’t do that’ or ‘you have to do that it’s a wedding’, yeah well it’s my wedding so I’ll do it how I want should be your reply! Ha!

Just enjoy the day, don’t get stressed, so what if your flowers aren’t right on the day or someone has the wrong size suit. At the end of the day it won’t change how amazing the day is, you only get one!

Click here & view all images from this wedding

Ceremony Venue – Angel Hetton
Reception Venue – Utopia at Broughton Hall
Brides Gown – Scarlett Poppy
Brides Shrug – Hope And Grace
Grooms Suit – Duchamp
Grooms Shoes – Office
Cake – The Hummingbird Bakery
Entertainment – Func On The Rocks
Photography – Paul Joseph Photography

Did you like the bed-bouncing portrait?! that was my favourite I think – definitely one for the wall.

Big Old Hollywood Love

Charlotte xxx

I’m willing to hedge my bets that the vast majority of you reading this post are not only planning to get hitched this year but are also attending the nuptials of another couple too.

I’m attending three this year, a considerable reduction from the seven I attended in 2012, but I’m still experiencing the sartorial struggles that come with being a guest at a wedding.

Since many of my friends are marrying their other halves within months of each other it’s inevitable that I’ll be drinking, dining and dancing the night away with the same familiar faces at each of these weddings.

Call me vain, hell call me spoilt, but I just can’t bring myself to turn up to each of these special days in the same outfit. These girls (and boys) are important to me so I want to make a real effort for them and this includes dressing up for the occasion especially if there’s a theme for the day too.

So the task of finding something to wear begins…and folks I’m in a bit of a pickle.

You see the high street is awash with frocks, suits and skirts in ivory shades. Milky whites, soft creams, the crispest of alabasters – you can blame fashion forward folks such as Ms McCartney, Mr A Wang and The Row for the popularity of these hues for Spring/Summer 2013 – literally everything leans towards the neutral end of the spectrum. So after hours of traipsing through the shops – both online and in person I’ve found my outfit of choice.

And it’s white.

And lovelies therein lies the rub.

Top Row Left: Image via Reiss. Top Row Right: Image via Lauren Conrad. Second Row Left: Image via Refined Style. Second Row Right: Image via http://www.shop.shoplawrence.net/. Third Row Left: Image via Three Little Ducks. Third Row Right: Image via Style Tracker. Fourth Row Left: Image via Lolobu. Fourth Row Right: Image via French Connection.

Because you’re not supposed to wear white to a wedding are you. For this colour palette is the preserve of the bride and hers alone. Or is it?

K-Mid and Pippa demonstrated just how beautiful and unifying an all-white entire wedding party looks. After all utilising neutral shades is not only incredibly flattering but is a surefire way to imbue your day with a distinctly modern edge too. So could this colour palette be extended to guests too?

Should we frown upon guests who wear white? Ivory and cream colour palettes are clean and contemporary and perfect for summer so you can’t help but see how some folks might want to wear them to a special occasion. Just how likely is it that a guest in a pale frock will overshadow the belle of the ball anyway? And who decided that guests – namely of the female variety – shouldn’t wear ivories and creams anyway since the ‘white’ wedding dress is a fairly modern concept.

It’s not just white that gets the short end of the stick either. The wearing of any shade of black is generally frowned upon too because of the connotations it has with funerals, death and grief.

Personally I think this is a shame. We’re no longer a nation of Victorians devoted to demonstrative displays of mourning and thus I don’t think that the same associations should be made. In fact, I remember attending one wedding of a friend of mine where a guest wore a jet black silk shift and thinking how chic she looked.

It was a lightbulb moment for me. A moment of dawning realisation that actually I didn’t have to compromise on my personal style when attending a wedding. That it was actually ok to wear what you wanted to wear…within reason.

With coloured wedding gowns – such as blush pink, baby blues and the mellowest of yellows – gaining popularity would it be/ is it deemed acceptable to wear white because the bride is sporting a candy hue. Consequently, does the shade that the bride is wearing then become taboo, off limits?

Top Row Left: Image via We Own The Sky. Top Row Right: Image via J.Crew. Second Row Left: Image via Fendi. Second Row Right: Image via Style Bistro. Third Row Left: Image via Handcrafted In Virginia. Third Row Right: Image via Astore. Fourth Row Left: Image via Konjo-ness. Fourth Row Right: Image via Jessica Choay. Fifth Row Left: Image via The Violent Femme. Fifth Row Right: Image via Dreams For Weary Sailors.

In the end I decided not to go for the white dress that I fell in love with. Instead I’ve opted for a blocky number a la Audrey Hepburn because I don’t want to risk upsetting my friend nor do I want to be subject to ominous stares from those guests who don’t approve.

How do you feel about the wearing of white to a wedding when you’re not the bride?

Would it bother you if a guest turned up to your big day dressed in an ivory get-up or would you be unfazed – you’re the bride after all.

Would you encourage your guests to dress monochromatically to tie in perfectly with your wider colour theme?

Have you worn black to a wedding? Were you subject to ‘what was she thinking’ stares from across the dancefloor?

I want to know all about it…

All my love Lolly xxx

We are really pleased to welcome Corrado Chiozzi to The Love Lust List. The Rock My Wedding directory with a difference.

Rock My Wedding hand select and verify each of our suppliers, we know for a fact that every member of our directory has the ability to make your wedding day rock!

You can find Corrado Chiozzi in our Central London Photographers category.

Check Corrado Chiozzi out and remember if you are looking for vendors and suppliers with the RMW seal of approval, the Love Lust List is only one click away via the ‘Find A Supplier’ tab in the header section.

By gosh, have we got a sartorial treat for you lovelies this morning.

The beautiful Helen chose to channel a bit of Audrey in her vintage inspired wedding to the dashing James last year. Think catflick eyes, a slick of scarlet lippy and one of the most beautiful veils I’ve ever seen.

Honestly when you’ll see it, you’ll go green with envy.

I also have to say that serious style points have to go to James who looks achingly hip – especially given that he only managed to find the suit of his dreams a week before the wedding. I know!

And that’s not all. There’s a beautiful cake, a wedding breakfast bbq, the sweetest dessert table and some exquisite florals.

Come and take a look!

A Rather Grand House Party

Helen The Bride:The venue for our perfect wedding day was Didsbury House Hotel in Didsbury, Manchester which is part of the Eclectic Hotels Group. We wanted our wedding to be intimate and relaxed and for the whole day to feel like a rather grand house party. Didsbury House Hotel was the perfect size and has an extremely relaxed atmosphere which made it perfect for the kind of vibe that we were hoping to achieve. We also wanted somewhere which had character and had the kind of interior styling that we liked, it was important to us to have this and not just a function room in a large hotel.

Channelling Audrey

I love the classic looks of years gone by, in particular the 1940’s and early 1950’s and looked to this era for the inspiration for the beauty styling. Not wanting to go for traditional wedding make up with neutral lips, I opted for a classic flick on the eyes, Audrey Hepburn style and a bright Chanel lipstick with matching nails. The bridesmaids opted for pale pink hues to compliment their dresses. The make up was done by Lauren Coombes at Cheshire Make up, who is absolutely amazing, all of us absolutely loved our make up on the day, I only wish I could have Lauren come and do my makeup every day of the year!

The hair on the day was also in a classic 1940’s finger wave style. The look was achieved using curling tongues from the root and the hair was pinned up and under to achieve a classic shape. Hair was styled by Paul Quinn from Harper and Quinn in Wilmslow www.harperandquinn.co.uk and we worked on it for months with lots of trial sessions to get exactly what we wanted. I think we were both very pleased with the end result.

Vintage With A Modern Twist

The dress was a vintage inspired Lusan Mandongus Gown. Lusan Mandongus are fabulous at creating a vintage look with a modern twist – perfect for the look that I wanted. The dress had a combination of lace, satin and tulle and created a classic and soft sillouhette.

I had in my head exactly what I wanted and as soon as I walked into the bridal shop that day I saw it. I tried lots of other dresses on first and saved that one until last and then as soon as I put it on, both me and my mum were like ‘yes, this is it!’.

The inspiration for my styling and accessories came from an old wedding photograph of my grandparents which was taken in the 1940’s. My grandmother wore a bridal cap for her wedding and had her hair exactly how I wanted mine in finger curls. I absolutely love the picture and decided I should try and create a modern take on her look. And so the hunt started for the perfect bridal cap which was a bit of a mission as I knew exactly what I wanted in my head and wanted it to be exactly right. I also wanted to wear a veil so searched hard to find a combination of the two that matched. Both were purchased from the Etsy website, which is a vintage magpie’s heaven! I wore a soft cuff bracelet embellished with pearls and diamantes also purchased from Etsy. Underwear was from Agent Provocateur; I love AP so I knew that my trusted wedding undies had to come from there!

I also wore a fabulous pearl garter with a satin bow from a lovely lady at Britten Weddings; they have some really unusual bridal accessories.

My shoes were from Dune and were gold with silver sequin detail and peep toe. I didn’t want to go for a traditional plain bridal shoe, I wanted something fun which I could wear again and these were the perfect pair.

Pretty In Pink

I had three bridesmaids who are my closest friends. The bridesmaids wore pale pink lace knee length dresses from French Connection with belts which I made using lace and Cameo Brooches. In their hair the bridesmaids wore birdcage veils also made by myself after the ones I had ordered online got stuck in customs! The shoes were from the Jenny Packham range from Debenhams and were pale pink with diamante detail and peep toe.

James had a complete nightmare finding a suit that he liked for himself, the best man and my Dad. He looked for months on end and we only got the suits for the best man and my Dad literally the week before the wedding!

In the end, James wore a custom made navy suit from Reiss with a white shirt, pink pocket square, blue braces, neck scarf and brown brogues. He looked very good on the day, a real gentleman. The best man and father of the bride wore William Hunt suits in navy.

Floral Fancies

The main colour featuring throughout was a very pale pink but because we wanted to achieve an eclectic mix of colours we also mixed in creams, pale greens and blues and silvers which also complemented the décor in the venue.

The fabulous flowers were provided by Sian at The Flower Lounge in Didsbury.

I wanted the flowers to be soft and pretty in colour and with the flowers used and opted for pastel colours throughout. I wanted neat looking bouquets without lots of foliage. The main flowers used were Roses of all varieties and Hydrangeas.

I carried a large hand tied bouquet bound with lace and a pink cameo brooch to match the belt of the bridesmaids and the bridesmaids carried smaller versions of the hand tieds. James wore an ivory Rose, and the best man and father of the bride wore pale pink roses with a sprig of Rosemary bound in lace to match the bridal party.

The flowers throughout the venue were kept informal with a collection of vintage vases filled with hand tied arrangements on the ceremony table and then smaller arrangements were scattered around the venue in vintage tea cups and saucers which I had been collecting for months from various places. Tall floor standing candelabras were also decorated with flowers.

From This Moment On

We opted for a civil ceremony which we felt helped to create the relaxed and informal mood tone for the day.I walked down the aisle to our favourite classical song Clair De Lune and we stood to be married in the most beautiful bay window in the hotel with the fabulous October sunshine flooding through. We both beamed and smiled throughout the whole service, we also did lots of giggling and laughing especially when I kissed James and covered him in bright red lipstick! Our dear friend Beki read a piece of text from the book Captain Corelli’s Mandolin which is one of my favourites. Once we were married and had signed the register we left the room to ‘From this Moment on’ sung by Ella Fitzgerald who we both absolutely love!

We are both massive fans of music and we spent goodness knows how many hours on the run up to the wedding putting together a playlist of music which was carefully selected to create the mood that we wanted for different times throughout the day. The music was played throughout the reception during the day whilst everyone chatted and those that hadn’t met before got to know one another. Late afternoon we had an acoustic set from Tom Jarvis; Tom sang a variety of songs including some Ben Howard as well as some other favourites including ‘Your love gets sweeter every day’ by Finlay Quaye, which was dedicated to me by my lovely husband.

Our first dance was to yet another Ella number, I love you madly, which we always dance around the kitchen to at home at any given opportunity. We didn’t really practice our wedding dance but I think we just about pulled it off in the end.

The music in the evening was a set by a brilliant Manchester DJ and friend, Peter Jay and my only complaint would be that it all went far too quickly!

Something For Everyone

The catering for the day was provided by the hotel with canapés early doors including mini steak and Guinness pies and other tasty morsels washed down a glass of prosecco. We then opted for a BBQ which had just about every kind of meat and fish you can possibly think of; it really was a treat and something for everyone’s tastes.

The cakes and cookies were a real talking point of the day and were that beautiful to look at, everyone was scared to eat them! They were made by the beautiful Jane at Cookie Couture who did such a fantastic job. The Vanilla cookies looked like vintage brooches with exquisite detail. They were decorated with pearls, lace, cameos, roses and hydrangeas. The cake was two tier with champagne buttercream and again featured lace and a beautiful pink rose and green hydrangeas to match the bouquets. There were also mini cupcakes which went down a treat!

There was also a fruit cake lovingly made by my mum to finish off the cake table. Because I also love my sweeties, there was another table filled with vintage sweeties including bon bons and love hearts.

Heaven Scent

Since there wasn’t a sit down meal, as we opted for the BBQ, we didn’t have formal favours. However next to the signing register, I left a treat for the ladies, a large jar of perfume samples in little vintage boxes including Vivienne Westwood and Agent Provocatuer.

The invites were important to us and we wanted them to reflect the informality of the day. I made the invites myself which featured pink roses, pink ribbon and cameo brooches on each. Everything was purchased from Imagine DIY.

Love

Our wedding day was all about celebrating our love with our closest friends and family and having a day which totally reflected our personalities and everything that our relationship symbolises. Everything that is important to us we wanted to feature and we tried to reflect this in the detail. We wanted the day to be fun and more than anything we wanted ourselves and our guests to laugh and have lots of happy memories.

I wrote a poem for my husband which was a surprise and I read this to him on the day. I was really pleased that I did that, I think it’s nice for the bride to be able to share her feelings too and of course it was great to almost reduce him to tears

We Did It Our Way

The other thing we did on the day which I would recommend to any bride and groom was to go off for an hour and have some photographs taken on our own. The whole day flies by so quickly and you barely get the opportunity to speak to each other and just reflect on everything. It was important to us to just have that alone time together to say all of the things that we couldn’t with everyone else around us. We went to a local village green for our photographs in Chorlton and got lots of cheers from everyone sat outside the local pub when we rocked up in our wedding gear!

I would urge any bride and groom to be sure of the style of wedding photographer that you like and be 100% happy with your choice. We didn’t put enough emphasis on our photography in the beginning and were trying to do things on a shoe string and then changed our minds completely and I am so pleased that we did that. Sam Clayton did such an amazing job of the pictures and they are exactly what we wanted – a relaxed editorial style. Sam and her assistant made everyone feel so comfortable on the day and I have to say I love the final result. Everyone who has seen them has commented on just how fabulous the photographs are and we are both over the moon with them.

We ran out of time on the day and threw our confetti at night which I think was a first for our photographer Sam! I was glad we did that too as it was a bit different and we got some brilliant shots.

Finally, my advice to any bride and groom is don’t always go for tradition. Think about what makes you a couple and what makes up your personalities and put together a day which depicts that. That way it will be a true reflection of your love for one another and will give you a lot of beautiful memories that you will cherish forever.

Click here & view all images from this wedding

Venue – Didsbury House Hotel
Dress – Lusan Mandongus
Hair – Harper And Quinn
Make-up – Cheshire Make-Up
Groom Reiss
Florals – The Flower Lounge
Cakes – Cookie Couture
Entertainment – Tom Jarvis
DJ – Peter J
Photography – Sam Clayton Photography

Confetti throwing at night? Ummm hell to the yes.

Which of you will be trying this new tradition then?

All my love Lolly xxx