on another note

I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to nice greetings cards. I can easily spend days searching for that perfect elusive birthday, wedding or thank you card and have been known to spend over £5 for the privilege. I know it's a bit crazy but it's a small obsession, which I apologise for! And if you're anyone who's ever bought me a nice one, then rest assured it stays on my sideboard for months. These cards therefore are somewhat floating my boat! They are from the Vera Wang Bridal Greeting Cards range, available from Magenta Ink.  Whether it's an engagement card or  something to give the bride {from mum or maid perhaps?} then these are an adorable choice.

 

  

  

  

 

mr & mrs {amy & jody}

I've been so eager to share this post! Just how killer is this couple? This is Jody and Amy shot by the awesome David McNeil who is a London {Chiswick to be exact} based contemporary wedding photographer.  I love this wedding and portrait shoot  for a number of reasons....

Firstly, because it's a stones throw away from me, with the ceremony taking place at Islington Town Hall and the portrait shots out and about in Smithfields.  Secondly, I really like how Jody and Amy had the wedding their way and have echoed it with their unique style.  I think it's so important to stay true to your own unique style and not be pressured into doing something that isn't you.  As difficult as it is to deal with families and friends input {believe me, I know!} ultimately you need to be 100% happy on your day and this comes from sticking to your guns!

Jody and Amy had a small ceremony with just a few guests followed by a family lunch.  I love this idea as sometimes family can feel a bit neglected and this way you get to spend quality time after the service with those closest to you and best of all over some good food!  They then had a mega portrait session ~ which of course I'm a huuge fan of as these are the shots that you'll treasure forever ~ followed by a great party afterwards.

I think David has captured the day so nicely.  I'm loving Amy's cute n quirky look {that fascinator!!} oh and Jody's pretty much one of the best dressed grooms I've seen so ten out of ten to the boy!  A

If you happen to have spotted the horse's head and thought 'what the...?', it's because they nipped into a fancy dress shop near to where they were shooting ~ gotta love that spontaneity!

  

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

  

  

  

 

  

David says, "Amy and Jody are exactly the kind of couple I love shooting.  They had everything they wanted on their wedding day - from the intimate ceremony at Islington Town Hall, to Jody’s funky trainers (yay, I have two sets of shoes to shoot!), to the Cuban band that played during their evening reception.  We had loads of fun - during the portrait session Jody put on a horses mask, and there was the biggest queue for the photo booth I’d ever seen!" 

Congratulations Amy and Jody, and thanks to you both and to David for letting me feature  the shots. Now I seriously recommend you head over to David's blog to see more of his fabulous photography work. 

raise a glass

How sad am I? I'm literally in love with this glassware. These divine designs are by Watts London. They are cool, they are classy and and and they do pink ones. Definitely one for the gift list, but if not, treat yourselves and get some goblets for quaffing your shampers in at the top table to then take home with you to celebrate with forever. I would even drink tap water out of these at home just to show them off.

a-head of the game

Twinkle twinkle little star! How I wonder... when I can get my hands on one! These fabulous and striking designer headpieces are from designer and milliner extrodinaire, Louis Mariette.  I love the idea of a coloured headpiece, especially the azzure blue one - what a beauty! I'm also very partial to a bow, so for me the Pearl is the ultimate.  As for the Bird of Paradise, well, you'd have to be no shrinking violet but I would sooo love to see a brave bride wear this as think it would look just awesome.

 

 {Jardin}

  

{Shalamar}

  

{Azzure}

  

{Athena}

  

{Pearl}

 

 {Bird of Paradise}

Maybe I'm slow on the old uptake but Louis has designed pieces worn by the likes of Jodie Kidd, Jerry Hall and Sophie Dahl. You may also know him from Britains Next Top Model where he judges {ah, that's where I've seen him she says}.  He also offers a custom design service for Brides to create just the piece they are after to match their outfit. Book me in.  For a personal appointment call 020 7730 3050.

All images © Louis Mariette Ltd 

focus {charlotte balbier}

I've been quite a fan {ok, h.u.g.e} for some time now of Charlotte Balbier's beautiful dresses, and so I'm very excited to show you some of my favourites from her new 2010 boutique collection! Her designs are always stylish and elegant but are just right for the modern bride wanting fashion teamed with feminity and her love of lace and all things feminine (bows, ruffles and roses a-plenty!) are apparent throughout her designs.

 

I love these short styles; Ruby and Noelle for quirky cute vintage style and Fay and Agnes for knock out sassiness.

Charlotte's signature feminine styles are for girls to feel like princesses; pastel pink Fifi is  gorgeously girly, Tasia has the beautiful strap detail on the back, modern Ella has the elegant one shoulder style and Camilla with the oversize corsages for striking detail.

 

Exuding glamour and style these vintage inspired gowns are timeless and with fabrics like lace they are modern luxury for brides.

Thank you Charlotte for the letting me feature your beautiful designs! For more collections visit her website Charlotte Balbier. 

paper mache {jessie chorley}

I have the wonderful Charlotte Balbier to thank for this find, and my goodness am I glad I did! Just how adorable are these items?  These delicate handmade trinkets are the works of Jessie Chorley ~ a talented lass in East London who creates bespoke and unique wedding paper works and gifts, 'Mon Mariage'.

 

{wedding day album}

  

{silk corsage gift for bridesmaid}

  

{paper mache table numbers with vintage pearl border}

  

{wedding invite with old book pages & hand stamp lettering}

  

{wedding invite with old book pages & hand stamp lettering}

{paper mache seating plan with vintage velvets, buttons & roses}

Jessie's creations are inspired by and made with old books with the recycling process at the heart of her designs, she uses papier mache from pages of books combined with stitching and embroidery of vintage jewellery and fabrics to create these unique looking paper works.  Next time you visit Columbia Road stop by her cute shop, I'm soooo gonna and I have a feeling I won't come away empty handed!

engaged {Nicola & Chris}

London's Southbank is one of my most favourite places to meander and soak up some culture in London. I used to work nearby {in the huuuge itv building} and loved the buzz of the promenade with the culture, the bars, the river, the activity and of course the silhouette of the city on the other side.  

These adorable shots of the lovely Nicola and Chris captured by the fantastic Jodie Chapman really highlight this with the fun skate park graffiti shots, the red phone boxes and buses  in the backgrounds and the browsing shots of them at the book market under the bridge.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

{images via Jodie Chapman} 

Jodie says "I had a wander along the Embankment and South Bank with Nicola and Chris to capture some relaxed portraits of them both before their wedding in March.  As creative types {Nicola is a picture editor and Chris is a toy designer ~ how cool!} they thought some pictures by the Tate Modern gallery would work well, so we headed in that direction.  They also love the Victorian elements along the South Bank, such as the gorgeous ornate lamp-posts, so we incorporated those into the pictures too.  Despite the grey and chilly weather, we had fun roaming around the South Bank book market and in the skater park, where walls of bright colour gave great picture opportunities along with gorgeous natural light."

Big thanks to Jodie, Nicola & Chris for letting me share these images, and guys we hope you have a fantastic wedding in March!

{Mmm}

Maybe it's cos of the appropriate weather, or maybe it's cos it looks pretty. I'm not sure, all I know is I like this picture. A lot. 

{via Aesthetic Bent}

be my valentine

Through the wonders of modern technology ~ namely twitter, I heard that London wedding photographer Emily Quinton was to give up a day of her time to do portrait shots for couples on Valentines day with all donations going to Haiti. An amazing idea, a great cause and an opportunity I  just couldn't resist. I broached the subject with The Boy and surprisingly he was up for it.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that after over seven years together we didn't actually have a decent photo of us together which believe it or not is actually quite common for couples.  So on Sunday we set off to Brick Lane in East London, on a grey drizzly and frrrrreezing Valentines morning to meet up with Emily.  

    

   

Brick lane was a fabulous location, and we couldn't believe our luck with the colour and love themed graffiti! The place was bustling with people setting up stalls ready for the day, and we had so much fun that we didn't even mind the fact it was a typical grey London day.

  

To be honest I don't know how Emily did it ~ rushing around East to West London, but she managed to shoot seven couples including us and here are a few shots from the other lovely couples.

 

 

I just have to add a very big thank you to Emily for her work and letting me share it! I hope all the other couples enjoyed it as much as we did! For more info on the day and more fabulous shots check out Emily Quinton's blog.