Love My Dress UK Wedding Blog

Vintage Italian Lace For A Buttercup Yellow, Rustic Countryside Style Wedding

Good morning everyone.  I've such a beautiful wedding to share with you this morning (my wedding anniversary!), one full of buttercup yellow hues and delicate lace detail with a nod to 1970s boho style.

Jen and Paul tied the knot on 4 August last year at Abbeywood Estate in Delamere, and these lovely photographs were taken by the uber-talented Victoria Phipps.  Jen told me more...

"We wanted quite a rustic, English country style, but really we just picked things that we liked and hoped that they went together!

Because I had a very particular idea of what my dress would be like, that guided a lot of the decisions too.  For example, because it was reminiscent of that early 70s, Ossie Clark style, we went for buttercup yellow for the girls and navy blue suits for the boys with brown shoes and quite a relaxed bohemian feel."

Love My Dress Wedding Blog - Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Victoria Phipps

 

"Our florist was called Davenports and was near the venue, we went to them because they were recommended by the venue and they didn’t disappoint. I wanted my flowers to look like I’d just grabbed them from a meadow on the way in! They really did look so natural and lovely."

"I didn’t find anything I liked in the wedding dress shops, so my mum contacted Sylvia Davies in Crosby, Merseyside. She designs and makes wedding dresses and we hit it off instantly! She knew exactly what I wanted and was amazing. She actually worked with Ossie Clark in the 70s and explained that he always said that the most important part of a woman’s dress is the back!

It was a fantastic experience that I would recommend as the dress was completely built around me and was utterly personal, an extension of myself that I just wouldn’t have achieved in a dress built for a model! 

I loved that Sylvia sourced vintage Italian lace to complete my dress, I had a choice of laces but the one we went for was just beautiful.  It felt right because we booked our honeymoon in Florence!"

"I made bunting and we bought candles to dot around. We also printed and framed photographs of our parents’, grandparents’ and Paul’s sister’s wedding days to put on the table with the cake.  It was my mum’s idea and it worked really well as it got people talking and reminiscing, it also allowed us to acknowledge the people who weren’t be there (my grampy and Paul’s nan and granddad) without getting too sad!"

"Myself, my dad and mum and the bridesmaids all travelled together in the Asquith Mascot vintage bus, hired from Heritage Motors in Liverpool. Because it was a 40 min journey, I wanted us all to travel together and we had a really lovely time, gabbing and having a laugh."

"All our stationery was home-made. I made a lino cut to print onto the invitations. My Dad (who’s a joiner) cut luggage labels out of beech wood and put names on them for place cards.  I made the seating plan out of a large picture frame, bunting and that transfer stuff that you can print onto and then transfer onto fabric.

The luggage labels were carved with each guests name and on the back our names and the date of the wedding, they had a sprig of lavender tied to the twine/string so that they acted as place cards and favours to take away too!

"Other than my veil, I just plaited bits of my hair and pinned it up.  I didn't wear a necklace or earrings (thought I’d let the dress do all the talking!) but on my arm I wore a pair of vintage 1920’s Sheffield Silver sugar tongs that had been hammered into a bangle by a little Welsh jewellery company called Jaspersparkle.  Paul had bought them for me for our wedding day (he got it when we went to ‘Woodfest North Wales’ last year)."

"My mum baked the 4 tiers of fruit cake and on the Monday before the wedding I iced them! We asked our florist to knock us up a cake topper and we got the base from (aforementioned) ‘Woodfest’ it was an off-cut from one of the chainsaw tree-trunk sculptures!

"Paul and I went to the same primary school (although different ages) and our siblings were in the same class together (my brother and Paul’s sister) so we had sort of known each other for a long time. Around 8 years ago we bumped into each other; got talking and soon realised we were soul mates! We bought a house together in 2008 and Paul proposed in 2010!"

"Our Photographer was Victoria Phipps - she was fantastic! Victoria went above and beyond, from our pre-wedding shoot to keeping my dress out of the pond! We were just looking for someone who would quietly capture all of those magical moments that nobody notices in a wedding and she was wonderful. 

Victoria got the traditional ones (so the Nans are pleased!) and also managed to inconspicuously weave her way through our family and friends snapping as she went, with some beautiful results. Not only did we get lots of gorgeous photographs but we feel like we've made a friend too. We really can’t recommend her highly enough."

"We booked the Abbeywood Estate in Delamere as our venue because it seemed small and humble and was set in beautiful grounds. When we booked in 2010 the barn was a building site and we took a bit of a chance, but it turned out perfectly!"

"My Dad gave me away.  We hired a string quartet to play during the ceremony and afterwards. They were amazing and even learnt the song I wanted to walk down the aisle to as it wasn’t in their repertoires (Streilitzia string quartet- based in Manchester). I walked down the aisle to the quartet playing ‘Good Riddance’ by Greenday (that sounds bad but the words made sense ‘it’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right, I hope you have the time of your life!)."

"We asked Paul’s cousin (Luke, 12) to read an extract from my mum’s favourite children’s book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, it’s the part where the rabbit is talking to the skin horse about what it is to be real, and how if you’re loved, you become real..."

"Our entertainment was provided by Michael James events. Our DJ was called Mike Scott, he was brilliant He asked us to provide him with a list of songs that we would like to hear and songs that we would not! He then tailored our night to the songs we had already chosen and we were so pleased, everyone was up and dancing and he just helped to make it the best night of our lives!"

"We chose ‘You Send Me’ by Aretha Franklin for our first dance - we like soul and motown music and this song is lovely.  It’s not too slow or too fast and just felt like a gorgeous song to dance our first dance to."

Words of Wedded Wisdom...

"I would say that as long as you’re well prepared and organised, it can be really rewarding to make things yourself like the invitations/place cards etc. My Mum and I made our wedding cake, I’m sure a professional would have said it was wobbly and bumpy but I didn’t care, I loved that we made it ourselves.

My Mum put rum in the fruit cake instead of brandy because rum was my Grampy’s favourite tipple, so we were able to personalise it and we were really proud to say that we’d made it (everyone said that it was delicious too - I was so proud of my Mum!).  I would also advise people to stick to their budgets but then if there’s something that you really would like, then treat yourself!  For instance, we didn’t account for the fairy lights that we had put around the pergola, it cost us £100 and we nearly didn’t get them.  We were so glad that we did in the end as people stayed out there well into the night and it just made it sparkle!"

Such a lovely affair - huge thanks to the very talented Victoria Phipps for sharing this wedding day - Victoria Phipps is an amazing photographer and you can see more of her work on Love My Dress here.

I also love the buttercup yellow hues in this feature - see more yellow weddings here and more 1970's wedding inspiration here.

What do you love about this pretty wedding day?

With much love,

Annabel





Photographer - Victoria Phipps
Venue - Abbeywood Estate in Delamere
Wedding Dress + Veil - bespoke via Sylvia Davies in Crosby, Merseyside
Brides' shoes - Monsoon
Grooms Suit - 'Groom’ in Liverpool
Bridesmaids Dresses - Dessy
Flowers - Davenports
Cake - Brides Mum
Transport - Asquith Mascot vintage bus, hired from Heritage Motors in Liverpool
Entertainment - Michael James Events
Catering - Olive Tree Catering

Giant Balloons, A Temperley Dress and Glorious Statement Vintage Headpiece

Hi there everyone, have you had a lovely weekend? Given it's morning and we all need a lift first thing, I'm treating you to something bright, beautiful and very bold.  I mean, just look at that amazing headpiece below!

Sarah and Trev chose to tie the knot on 2nd February, at Ashton Memorial, Williamsons Park Lancaster, followed by a reception at Holme Village Hall in Cumbria.  I have to tell you, I was sold on featuring this wedding based on the first image below alone!  Sarah wore the Alana headdress, by The House Of Kat Swank. I happen to be a huge huge fan of Kat Swank and discovered Sarah's wedding when Kat proudly posted a photo of Sarah on her Facebook page. And rightly so - all of Kat's designs are made with so much attention to detail and craftsmanship - using, almost exclusively, vintage elements that she sources herself. I know, because I own a Kat Swank headpiece that was especially designed for me to wear at a bit of a wedding soiree that I threw 18 months ago.  Kat told me more about Sarah's headpiece...

"Sarah's piece was made with vintage materials. She gave me complete creative control, and only stipulated "White, ivory, soft grey & pale yellow". She also sent me photos of her gown, but because I've designed for brides in the past with this same gorgeous Temperley gown, I knew exactly what to do!"

Love My Dress Wedding Blog - Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Joe Mathers 

Kate went on...

"The Alana headdress is one of my favorite pieces because I've never done that color scheme before. Currently I'm working on a Bespoke Mini-Alana Headdress (a smaller version of the same) for Sarah in peacock purples and magentas for her to wear to a friend's wedding- it's sublime. 

There's also a 'Tiny Tot' version for your favorite flower girl!"

Sarah's dress was a Temperley design - the Long Jean dress...

"I saw this dress about three years ago and had to have it! The dress is stunning just my style and with it being a feb wedding it was a little bit more covered up..."

"Wendy  a personal friend did our flowers she did an amazing job. We were limited to certain flowers with the time of year but wendy pulled out all the stops sourcing things that I'd requested.  Wendy works at Woodlands Garden Centre."

Looooooove the gold elephant!

"Our first dance was to 'Sexy and I know it! hehe! We’re not a lovey dovey couple this seemed appropriate!..."

"Our wedding photographer was Joe Mathers.  Joe is the best photographer I have ever come across as a hairdresser I’ve been involved In loads of weddings and Joe at no point was annoying in your face his pictures are truly stunning."

David Fielden Lace And 1000 Paper Ducks For A Beautiful Yellow Winter Wedding...

Afternoon lovelies.  Following on from this morning's Spring inspired wedding inspiration boards, this weddding celebrates that fabulous golden shade that is yellow - which has always been a popular colour choice with Love My Dress readers.

These photographs were sent in by photographer Lyndsey Goddard, who was present on 26th January 2013 to capture the wedding day photographs of Lex and Liam.  The couple tied the knot at the Petersham Hotel in Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, followed by a reception at 06 St Chad’s Place at Kings Cross, with 1000 paper ducks!  I love that Lex and Liam's wedding spawned a brand new little business idea too! Having got married, they have gone on to establish How We Got Here - a business specialising in creating illustrated maps etc). But what about that dress...

"My David Fielden wedding dress felt timeless and elegant (and magically winetry!). I knew I wanted some lace, but not all over. I loved the simplicity of the shape and the skirt, but the intricacy of the lace top and back.  My veil and headpiece were by from Gillian Million.

Initially, we didn’t want a ‘theme’. Our wedding was about a journey, from West, to East (Liam is from East London). This inspired us to create a logo/stamp for the wedding stationery that we ended up using everywhere!  The maps, the river and postcard/postage stamp touches came from our mutual love of travelling, and planning a journey together. We both love maps, and felt this would be a good way of illustrating how we got together.

Love My Dress Wedding Blog - Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Lyndsey Goddard Photography

"We used maps for each table, depicting special places we had been/where we came from – they were all Liam’s handiwork!

We opted for a simple colour scheme, yellow, white and green – and wanted to use our favourite flowers, tulips and ranuculus (which remind me of small budding peonies). Gypsophula was added for a wintery, romantic touch. We used straight hurricane vases for the flowers which looked lovely on our long tables, interspersed with pillar candles.

Since our wedding, we have set up a business producing illustrated maps for other couples due to be married!"

"I wore a vintage fur stole and necklace from The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul..."

"Our thousand paper ducks installation was inspired by the Japanese tradition of creating a thousand paper cranes for your wedding day – it’s meant to bring luck and good fortune, and symbolises the patience required to sustain a marriage. We chose to make ducks instead, as Liam’s nick-name is Duck (an old surfing related story!).

Lastly, we knew we needed some colour, and we chose yellow to add some sunshine to our winter wedding."

"Apart from the ducks, we kept it simple with flowers and candles – the venue was beautiful already!  My friend Dani made some bespoke pompom garlands for us to cheer up the outside of the venue, she sells them through Etsy." 

"I grew up in Richmond, and my mum re-married here 5 years ago – so it’s a sentimental place. It also has spectacular views of the River Thames, a special London location for Liam and I.

We met through work, at a schools career fair in March 2012. It was a whirlwind romance, and we were engaged within three months (Liam’s proposal even took him by surprise!). We had six months to plan our wedding!  When you know, you  know! ☺  We got to know each other during a 30 mile walk along the Thames when we first got together.

The ceremony was followed by a reception at 06 St Chad’s Place, Kings Cross, London. We chose the venue because it’s close to where we met (at work), and because the venue was cosy and intimate. The management were also very laid-back, and happy to let us personalise the space how we wanted."

"We designed and made all of the stationary ourselves. We used beautiful paper and envelopes from Inspire Me Papers."

Absolutely loving that pretty birdcage veil - an elegant design created by our sponsor Gillian Million, of London...

"Our cake was made by Liam’s mum, Dorothy. It had fruit cake, madeira, and lemon sponge layers. It was decorated simply with fresh flowers.  We posted slices to our guests after the wedding, and took the top tier away with us on honeymoon, so we could scoff away and remember the big day over a cuppa every afternoon!"

"Our photogarpher was Lyndsey Goddard - was amazing - from our first enquiry, right through to the post-wedding service, she has been a pleasure to work with.

The photos we have just got back from Lyndsey are beautiful, and exactly the type of images we were hoping for. She has really captured the spirit of the day, and we’ll treasure our photos forever."

Bridal Inspiration Board #55 ~ Spring Wedding Yellow

It's Friday again and to kick off your countdown to the weekend we are welcoming back those talented event designers and stylists from Pocketful of Dreams, Michelle and Vicki, to share another set of their beautiful bridal inspiration mood boards. And today it's all about Spring and the colour yellow - a fabulous shade that will be celebrated in the real wedding I've got in store for you this afternoon too!  I also adore Spring weddings - my husband and I acutally chose to get married on the first day of Spring in March 2009 because of the symbolism associated with a new beginning and new chapter in our lives, so, I hope you enjoy these boards...

We're sure you can't help but have noticed that the sun has been shining again this week!  There really is nothing more satisfying than those first few hints that Spring might be on its way - it's as if we all breathe a collective sigh of relief as the sunshine really does seem to put a smile on everyone's faces.  As creative event designers, we are hugely influenced by the changing seasons and there is something particularly satisfying about the positivity, freshness and brightness associated with the transition to Spring.

Love My Dress Wedding Blog - All Boards Copyright (c) 2013, Pocketful of Dreams

Image Credits: 1. Snippet & Ink  2. Dahl NYC  3. Design Is Mine 4. Spoonflower 5. Garden Artistry 6. Hello Naomi 7. L'atelier des garcons

Springtime immediately conjures up images of fresh starts and new beginnings - in that respect it really is the perfect time to get married!  This look therefore is bright, crisp and fun with a healthy dose of sophistication.  Imagine a wedding day full of energy and optimism because this concept is all about capturing that joyous feeling associated with early Spring.

A strong buttercup yellow is perfect for our look and immediately creates a sense of care-free happiness but we know that Love My Dress readers are a sophisticated bunch, so we've also thrown in a soft grey and a dash of bold black to provide an elegant edge.  Use these colours with lots of crisp white to allow the colours to truly pop and with those classic monotone shades shine through, you're bound to create a fun yet timeless look which will make your heart sing.

Image Credits: 1. Kitty & Dulcie 2. Bazaar 3.Vionnet. 4. Spoonflower

 For the bridal look, think fun and flirty!  A short dress in soft fabrics is the perfect choice for a Spring bride - embrace the emerging sun and show off those pins after a few months of hiding them away from the elements.  We adore this Pearly Queen dress from Kitty & Dulcie - the delicate sequin and beaded lace is perfectly complemented by a full circle tulle skirt, making this gown a real head turner.

  Opt for a glowing, natural look with your make up and wear your hair up in a fun yet loose style.  A floral wreath or a few delicate Spring flowers weaved into your locks would be just perfect.

  Have fun with your accessories; this is a great opportunity to add a pop of yellow into your look.  Look beyond more traditional bridal jewellery; we just love this fun and cutesy necklace from Vionnet.  And of course, with a short dress all attention will be on your shoes, so make sure you go fabulous!  Grey heels with a pop of yellow perhaps or how about a monotone stripe for shoes sure to impress!

  Invite your maids to join you in flashing a spot of leg; keep them in knee or midi length dresses to complement your breezy look.  Yellow won't suit all skin tones so instead, look for ways to inject a pop of this joyous colour into their outfits; opt for grey dresses with a yellow sash or why not add a yellow broach or corsage?

Image credits: 1. Aiden Wilson 2. 365 Days of DIY 3. Lore 4. Spoonflower 5. Garden Artistry 6. Andrea Dozier 7. Oh So Beautiful Paper

Really go town with unstructured, natural floral displays; gorgeous yellow flowers such as craspedia will bring an instant smile to yours guests' faces with their vibrant colour and fun shape.  And of course, don't forget to make use of seasonal flowers such as tulips and daffodils for a true Spring celebration which will look gorgeous mixed in with white anenomes for a sophisticated monotone twist.  Think about the vases you display your flowers in as well.  Yellow blooms will really pop in crisp white vases, whilst white blooms would look resplendent in gloss black receptacles.

Opt for crisp white tableware for your wedding breakfast, with colour injections provided by the florals and eye-catching table runners.  A subtle black polka dot would look gorgeous or perhaps a soft grey?  Don't forget, the overall look you are aiming for is bright and fresh so avoid incorporating too much yellow which may become overpowering.  Think pops of bright for a crisp and breezy look.

Inject some monotone glamour into your stationery and paper goods for a timeless edge.  Simple designs with a focus on typography will keep things fresh yet classic.

Think about the furniture you are using throughout the day and how you can really follow your design concept through.  Great Hire has some fabulous white and yellow chairs which would be perfect to hire for the bride and groom on the top table.  Or if your venue has various sofas and armchairs, why not bring your own cushions to dot about the place?  You can even source fabric from suppliers like Spoonflower and make your own cushion covers; look for geometric patterns featuring your colour palette to add a fashion edge to your look.

Opt for a simple, roughly iced white cake, decorated with yellow blooms and hand out bright yellow macarons for tasty wedding favours that your guests will love.

We hope you love these bright and breezy mood boards as much as we do!  Now tell us, are there any colours, concepts or ideas that you'd like to see us incorporate into an upcoming inspiration board?  Do let us know as we'd love to create something specific for one of Annabel and Franky's lovely readers. We look forward to hearing from you!

Michelle & Vicki xx

Creative Event Designers at Pocketful of Dreams

 

Pocketful of Dreams is a duo of creative event designers, passionate about creating beautiful experiences. They design, style and deliver unique weddings tailored to your own personal story.  Email Vicki@pocketfulofdreams.co.uk to find out more.