Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year

I hope you all have a wonderful festive time full of love, happiness and much New Year wedding excitement!

The start of 2010 is an ideal time to kick start your wedding preparations, please do get in touch with any wedding related subjects you would like to see featured in SugarBlossom’s blog.

Email info@sugarblossom.co.uk with any questions you want answered, or suggestions if you want to see more fashion topics, hairstyle ideas, real wedding or advice on planning?

Please let me know and we shall do our very best to cover them for you xx

Real Wedding: Simon & Lisa at The Elvetham

Simon and Lisa had a beautiful winter wedding at the Elvetham. Lisa looked absolutely stunning in her detailed lace dress and every bit the glowing bride. The venue was built in the late 1900’s and had the original ornate fireplaces lit all day to keep everyone warm, creating a cosy setting combined with the lighting from the scattered candles and candelabra. Lisa has spent two years planning her day and we developed a strong relationship ensuring everything ran smoothly. On the day we worked closely with the suppliers to meet timings and displayed all of her carefully considered details- from the seating chart for the ceremony, homemade cracker favours (instructions to make them here), gift wishing well, festive music in each room and much more leaving them to relax and have a fabulous day.

Photo credits:

1. SugarBlossom

2.www.theelvetham.co.uk

DIY: Vintage Style Flower Cans

I’ve found finding these vintage style tins can be incredibly difficult and once you do the cost soon adds up. An alternative to hunting flea markets is using this free Flickr set of images to print straight on to large stickers and use on any tins or cans you have. I found via iDIY who have a whole host of goodies on their blog. A tutorial on making cans vintage pretty is also available via iDIY by clicking here

Photo credit: http://www.marthastewart.com/

Trunkwell House Wedding Fair, Beech Hill, Reading - Sunday 18th October 2009

We will be at the Trunkwell House wedding fair this weekend providing free wedding advice and have our portfolio of images to inspire you.

Do pop in and say hello if you are in the area.

Venue: Trunkwell House, Beech Hill Rd, Reading, RG7 2AT

Date: Sunday 18th October 2009

Time: 11:00am – 4:00pm

Website: http://www.trunkwell.com/wedding-fayre/

Photo credit: www.trunkwell.com

Star in Romeo & Juliet!

This would make such a sweet wedding gift for your husband to be! For only £19.95 you can personalise this classic romantic story with your details and have Romeo and Juliet’s names replaced with yours! Click here to visit the website.

Found via Springwise.com

Photo credit: All images from www.gettingpersonal.co.uk

DIY: Sparklers, Straw and Matchbox Wedding Projects

Are you getting married close to Guy Fawkes night and looking for some final DIY projects to personalise your evening celebrations? Or you may not be celebrating on Bonfire night, but you are having fireworks and would love to add some more fun into the mix? I saw these 4th July pieces a couple of months ago and have been saving them to share for the approaching Autumn brides. Click here to visit the post from Twig and Thistle with instructions and a pdf to download- they are so simple and cheap to make, but brilliantly effective.

Twig and Thistle Via Wedding Caberat

Picture credit: All images from www.twigandthistle.com

Colour Schemes and Details of Your Wedding

We recently stumbled upon http://www.tiethatbindsweddings.com/ and loved the way they share our passion for a consistent beautiful theme featuring in lots of unique ways throughout your wedding. All the images in this blog entry are from the delightfully talented Mekala from Tie That Binds, for this wedding they produced a range of stunning blue and yellow co-ordinated pieces. Firstly picking your theme and planning your wedding starts with the colours. Your colour scheme says a lot about you as a couple and gives you the chance to make a statement. However, as Mekala comments, don't be closed-minded about where to find your colour scheme. You can find inspiration in anything- from the location of your first date, to your great grandfathers favorite vintage tie. The biggest fad of the season is to skip a colour theme and go with an overall look instead! This look can be inspired by fashion, an era of time, a childhood story, or even a piece of fabric. These invitations were inspired by fabric purchased at £1 a metre! Dig around in your and your groom's history to find a theme that works best for you. In this wedding the colours were inspired by the groom's formal military uniform. The story of the couple surviving 4 years of being apart while he attended West Point Military Academy was a huge part of bringing the wedding together. This brings me to the next big part of planning a wedding: the details. As a frequent attendee of weddings, it's easy for them to blur together. White dress, flower girls, a big kiss, a dance, the end. Tie That Binds strive to find ways to make the wedding unique. For this wedding, the love story of the bride and groom was so significant that they crafted two books - one at each table.

The first book had his version of their love story, and another with hers. These books not only caused the tables to talk amongst themselves and trade books, but also gave those out-of-towners an inside view into how their romance came to be. These types of details were used throughout the rest of the wedding- on the napkins, sweet bags, a vintage pin, handcrafted jewelry gifts- each detail made the wedding unique to the couple and their love. Thank you Mekala for sharing these gorgeous images and the couples story with us. If you are looking for ideas on how to use your theme across your wedding day visit http://www.tiethatbindsweddings.com/ for some fantastic ideas- and the most important and best bit is that the Tie that Binds ship to the UK!

Picture credit: All images from the Tie That Binds, http://www.tiethatbindsweddings.com/

Spring 2010 Colour Palette

The 2010 Spring colours are here!

Direct from the New York fashion week is a selection of colours put together by top designers that would work perfectly for weddings- mix and match the vibrant brights with classy neutrals to find your colour scheme.

My favourite is the fusion coral with the eucalyptus- such delicate colours. Click here for more details.

Picture credits: http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20694&ca=4

Top 10 Wedding Day Trends

I was recently asked what 10 wedding trends SugarBlossom was seeing, below is a summary of my reply, although narrowing it down to just ten was a challenge!...

1. Role Reversals where new style wedding parties can feature a Man of Honour or a Best Woman.

2. Cigar bars and candy bars arranging different types of cigars on a table with personalised matchboxes or paper bags with retro style sweets.

3. Fun colour combinations like lemon and grey and poppy teamed with aqua.

4. Humanist ceremonies allowing couples the flexibility over locations and greater outdoor options.

5. Photos before the ceremony giving the bride and groom more time to enjoy celebrating after the ceremony with guests.

6. Alternative wedding breakfasts from afternoon tea parties or BBQs to evening ceremonies with black tie receptions.

7. Decorating the outside as well as the inside, such as hanging lights in trees or reindeers hired to pose for winter weddings!

8. Eco Chic Weddings, from earth friendly invites to nature loving honeymoons, going green no longer means a compromise on the style of the big day.

9. Hiring wedding items saving on the cost of buying, but adding style with a range of options such as vintage crockery, garden games or chairs (rather than covers).

10. Making it your day by putting a unique mark on all the design elements like quotes in the wedding programmes or pictures as name settings.

Photo credit: pinkfrosting.com.au

Grovefield House Wedding Fair - Sunday 13th September 2009

We will be at The Grovefield House wedding fair this weekend providing free wedding advice and have our portfolio of images to inspire you. Do pop in and say hello if you are in the area.

Venue: Grovefield House, Taplow Common Road, Burnham, Buckinghamshire, SL1 8LP
Date: Sunday, 13th September 2009
Time: 11:00am – 4:00pm
Website: http://grovefieldhouse.classiclodges.co.uk/

Photo credit: www.classiclodges.co.uk

Small & Sweet Wedding Gift

I was hunting for something small, but personal to put in Neil's wedding day goodie bag and was delighted to find the seller accessoryalamode on Etsy who could make me a custom made key ring!

I opted for a simple statement with our wedding date and the infinity symbol in cooper and sterling silver- it is so cute and manly too!

Click here to see the listing where Deb is now selling the same design if you are looking for a small, but sweet wedding gift

DIY: Bridal Party Invites

Anna of Rifle Design has created a fantastically simple step-by-step DIY guide on Oncewed.com, it is such a fun and special way to ask your bridesmaids- click here to view. Enjoy! x

Photo credit: Anna @ www.rifledesign.com for www.oncewed.com

The Wedding Photographer's 10 Best Trends

Recently we teamed up to write an article with wedding photographer Ian McGraw at ‘Veil & Train’ to share trends we are seeing in today’s Wedding Photography & Planning industries.

Over to Ian for his great tips for your wedding photography:

Contemporary Vintage - give your wedding a real vintage look with meaning and a modern twist by using a photographer who specialises in this specific style. Fine art tones and colour shifts – and don’t forget, dogs at weddings are so cool right now.

Photo Booth - A fun idea is to rent a photo booth for the reception so guests can make their own memories for you. Look out for retro booths and ‘blinged up’ versions that stand out to attract guests.

Pre-Wedding Shoots - not only a great fun way to get to know your photographer before the big day but also excellent feature images to show off at your reception. Posed, relaxed, fun portraits in an interesting location.

Reception prints - put your pre-wedding images in a mount & frame or in a guest album. Upon arrival at the reception guests have the opportunity to sign and leave their best wishes in the book or on the mount itself.

Parents Gifts - instead of giving flowers to parents at your reception why not get your pre-wedding images put into a mini albums or coffee table books as lasting keepsake gifts.

Fine Art Photography - Brides love this style because it reminds them of a fashion spread in a magazine. The photographer directs this style to fulfill a specific artistic vision with a view toproducing a final piece art.

Boudoir - designed as a gift for your fiancé. Boudoir photography is becoming increasingly popular. These are basically sexy pictures taken of you, in your own home or hotel room usually in lingerie or even as a nude or as an illusion of nudity.

Proposal Photography - this is an idea where the Groom to be (or sometimes the Bride)arranges with a photographer to photograph the moment of marriage proposal. More akin to the Paparazzi style of photography, where at least one half of the couple are completely unaware of what will happen.

Trash the Dress - some brides choose to vacuum wrap their dress once the vows have been taken and pack them away on top of the wardrobe. How about this option instead? Imagine a photo shoot where your beautiful dress gets completely destroyed, with you in it! The images are a real talking point.

Cherish the Dress - really the complete opposite of Trash the Dress. This is a dedicated fashion shoot designed to show off your beautiful dress in the most elegant way possible.These shoots are pure indulgence, get your hair and make-up done and get photographed in a fabulous location.

Be Inspired:

• John Michael Cooper - Trash The Dress

• Faye & Trevor Yerbury - Boudoir

• Chris Hanley - Cherish The Dress

• Jose Villa, Jesh De Rox - Fine Art & Contemporary with a vintage feel

• Booth Nation - Seamus Ryan's original photo booth

Photo credit: Veil and Train

It's official: I’m married!

After being with Neil for twelve years it was finally my turn to be the bride, an exciting change from being at the wedding as a co-ordinator! We had a wonderful day, the months of meticulous planning paid off and everything was perfect- except the only thing I knew I could not control, the British weather! The morning featured heavy rain and the rolls of thunder added drama to the ceremony, but as soon as we stepped outside as husband and wife the sun started shining for us. It was fantastic to be able to have a team of reliable and talented suppliers, they all did such an amazing job and helped to make our special day so perfect. A huge thank you to you all:

• Venue: Englemere, Ascot http://www.englemere.co.uk/
• Photography: Breathe Pictures, http://www.breathepictures.com/
• Stationary: SGPD, http://www.stephengreendesign.co.uk/
• Music: Euphonic and Straight Eight, http://www.straighteight.co.uk/
• Videographer: Shaun Folds, http://www.beautifullifeuk.com/
• Menswear: http://www.stress3hire.com/
• Flowers: Longacres nursery, Bagshot
• Hair: Natalie Layhe
• Cake: Patricia Cox

Photo credits: All images from Neale James from Breathe Pictures. Make sure you get an amazing photographer. Neale is so talented! His work is original and creative, we don’t have enough nice things to say about him. He made us look our best and, even more importantly, he made us feel comfortable.

5 Ways to Make Your Wedding Individual

Almost every element of your wedding day can be personalised to suit you as a couple, but below are my favourite five ideas that are all easy and inexpensive too:

1. Creative cakes
From colourful cupcakes to towering tiered cakes there is so much choice to pick from that can reflect your style.

2. Artistic table plans
Using escort cards instead can provide so many more interesting display options and help build a theme, from hanging them on branches to writing on pebbles. Click here to take a look at our blog entry dedicated to this.

3. Serve a signature cocktail
Giving guests something unique to sip on is far more memorable than the standard drink list, design your own cocktail that is in your colour scheme and give it a fun name!

4. Bridal Thrones
Well maybe not quite thrones, but dressing the bride and groom’s chair up to stand out from the rest with real flower decorations, sashes embroidered with your initials or hire two unique style chairs.

5. Wedding programmes
You can fill your programme with lots of interesting details for guests to read as they await your arrival. Feature your favourite love quotes, include Martha Stweart's "What Tree Did You Fall From?" page or have a timeline with key dates and events through your relationship

Photo credits:

Cake by www.ericaobrien.com

Programme from www.marthastewartweddings.com

'Every Day I Love You'

This would make such a cute and unique wedding gift to your husband or wife to be. £230 from Rockett St George

Bridal Style From Around the World

I love seeing marriage traditions from different countries and backgrounds incorporated into a wedding, so finding this article in the blogosphere was a real treat!

Click here to view how alternative cultures style from bellasugar.

An abundance of great DIY tasks...

If you haven't already, pop over to Once Wed's new look website to see some fantastic DIY projects amongst other great wedding features...

www.oncewed.com

DIY: Cupcake Flags

Over at Une Deux Senses there is a simple tutorial on how to make these, click here to read the steps.

They are such a cute and easy DIY piece to make. Get creative and use various wedding messages and your names/wedding date and stick them in your canapés, starters, evening buffet, wherever you fancy for a pretty touch...

Graze on healthy nibbles delivered to your desk

My first box from Graze has just arrived- there is some very tasty looking fresh pineapple, unusual fire nuts and healthy dried cranberries to pick at. You can personalise the box to your taste for guilt free snacking that will help you pick at the right things to look great in your wedding dress!

Try a free graze box and another half price simply by using this free box code: QPGNGCJC

Real Wedding- Liz & Jack

We met Ed Clayton, www.edclaytonphotography.co.uk, last autumn at the wonderful L'Ortolan Wedding Fair and have been looking forward since then to sharing his work. It was certainly worth the wait and today we are pleased to showcase Liz and Jacks stunning wedding held in Godalming, Surrey. Although Ed also took these photos in colour, I particularly love the depth and beauty of these black and white shots:

Wedding Ceremony: All Saints Church, Witley, Godalming, Surrey

Reception Location: A marquee in the garden of the Bride's Parent's in Godalming, Surrey

Flowers: flowers at the reception arranged by Bride's Mother

Bride's Dress: Jenny Packham

Shoes: Prada

Groom's suit: Mohair suit from Richard James, Saville Row.

Bed of Roses

I am having a lazy afternoon browsing the internet and feasting on chocolate (all guilt free after this morning's half marathon, whoop!) and have come across this great website I've not seen before- www.heylandandwhittle.co.uk, I particularly love these rose bed shaped cocoa butter soaps that would be just perfect as favours. xox

Unique & Wonderful Wedding Dresses

Liv Lundelius has given us a sneak preview of her Fall 2009 collection. Her label, Blushless, has the most contemporary styles leading the direction of bridal wear, better still they are all made of the finest eco-friendly materials. For all you discerning style-led individuals this is the link to to browse more of the fantastic collection.

Venue Spotlight- Cliveden House

Once the exclusive haunt of the rich and famous, Cliveden House is now available as an impressive and romantic setting for your wedding.

We approached the 19th-century house along the half-mile-long drive through spectacular parkland and were shown into the ornate Great Hall, immediately greeted by an abundance of photo opportunities that continued throughout the house with a sweeping oak staircase, classic art, antiques and vast fireplaces.

As well as the beauty of the house, the history and intrigue adds to its appeal- it was the dazzling hub of high society, home to the ‘Astors' and notoriously linked to the 'Profumo Affair'. In the elaborate setting your guests certainly will feel like the movie stars and politicians that had celebrated there in the past (Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt and George Bernard Shaw were all guests).

Their welcoming and flexible team showed us around the house explaining how each room can be transformed to suit each wedding parties needs. We then had the opportunity to explore some of the 376 acre estate, the magnificent formal gardens overlook the River Thames, and discovered romantic hideaways including the Fountain of Love and the Secret Garden.

The Events Coordinator comments; “We can work very closely with wedding planners to create the day the couple are dreaming about- whether that involves arriving by limousine, a helicopter or even a private jet; we can cater for every demand and wish.” There are a range of options within the house for your ceremony or reception; including Spring Cottage, a secluded retreat of next to the Thames, the exclusive use of the house or a reception in any of the private dining rooms.

Click here for more information. Cliveden, Taplow, Berkshire, SL6 0JF Pictures all provided by Cliveden House.