On Friday I asked wedding invitation designers from all over the UK to share their best bright and summery invites with English Wedding blog. A cold and frosty day turned into a little ray of sunshine for me as lots of talented designers joined in to showcase wedding invitations with a cheerful spring and summer feel to them.

A new feature on English Wedding blog

This will become a regular feature because it gives you lovely readers out there a chance to see lots of new and exciting designs and ideas, all in one place.

(I’m thinking next time I might look for jewellery and accessories on a theme… if you have a theme, season or style in mind, give me a shout and I’ll ask for ideas for your theme!)

Do pop over to the English Wedding Showcase to see the summery wedding invitations in glorious technicolour (by which I mean: bigger. They also have descriptions and more info from the designers over there). In the meantime, here’s a round up of all the designs shared: two wedding inspiration boards with all the supplier information below each one.

Photo and design credits clockwise from top left:

• Beautiful Butterflies invitation by Wendy Bell Designs
• Aqua scroll wedding invite by Julie Boyd at Carol Miller Designs
• “Marie” summery wedding invitation from Cards by Sophie
• another scroll wedding invitation in pink from Carol Miller Designs
• Pretty pink invitation from the Ditsy print range at Knots and Kisses
• Beautiful bright wedding invites from the Enchanted Collection at Pink Sherbet Designs
• The Promenade Range from Invite In The Post is bright and breezy — perfect invitations for a spring or summer wedding!

Photo and design credits from top left (please go by my descriptions):

• Summer tea inspired wedding invitation by Sweet Words
• Bright and cheery stripey wedding invitation from Bonnie Blackbird
• Glorious sunshine invite by Octavia Plum
• Emma & Marc’s summer wedding invitation — photo credit McAvoy Photography
• Creative handmade calendar invitations by Gabby (shared by Ann from Eleventh Heaven)
• Pocketfold wedding invitation for a relaxed summer wedding by Bunny Delicious
• Vintage summer wedding invitation with lace and buttons by Flutterby Couture
• Bright and cheery peacock inspired wedding invitation from Inspired by Lisa
• Lime and charcoal pocketfold invitation by the lovely Millie and Me
• Vibrant orange and yellow bunting invitation by XOXO Stationery
• Cool invitation for a music themed wedding shared by Lynette at BlincPics Photography

So which is your favourite? Do you prefer pastels or bright colours for summer wedding invitations? And do you like the new feature… I hope it helps and inspires some of you

See all the invitations with full descriptions and big pictures on the English Wedding invitations Showcase

Claire xx

Elegance and glamour with a retro twist never looked so good… today I’m sharing Becky and Ben’s gorgeous wedding day from Eshott Hall in Northumberland. Ben is a very cool and dashing groom; I adore Becky’s glamorous style, her hair and make up and the charm and class of the entire wedding day.

The setting is captured just as beautifully by wedding photographer Alison Groves (who I was lucky enough to meet just a few weeks ago: she’s a lovely lady as you’ll see from Becky and Ben’s own testimonial at the end of this wedding blog).

There’s a lot to inspire in this real wedding feature: little details done gracefully, a theme created with style and personality. Watch out for the dancing and singing towards the end, with some of my favourite photos from the day (and unlike any I’ve shared on this wedding blog before, I think!)

I’ll hand over to Becky, who wrote a wedding report and shared her supplier recommendations; and to Alison Groves for the beautiful wedding photography. Enjoy!

Real wedding at Eshott Hall: Becky & Ben

Ben proposed on a surprise trip to New York outside of Tiffany’s.The ring was in a cracker Jack box. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is my favourtite film so we bought boxes of Cracker Jack as the favours for everyone from www.nationwidecandy.com. Our wedding was inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Audrey Hepburn and The Great Gatsby. The retro glamour theme was inspired by Audrey and the film. Even the table plan was New York themed — each table was a different area. We played the Henry Mancini soundtrack throughout the wedding breakfast.

We hired a 60s Jaguar MK2 for the weekend from Cameron’s Classic Cars near Bolton www.cameronsclassiccarhire.com

The bridesmaids

Bridesmaids’ dresses were from Coast — and we had a dressmaker make a separate version of the dress for my 8.75 month pregnant bridesmaid! The bridesmaids wore ivory fascinators from Tie Rack.

Becky’s wedding dress

My wedding dress was Augusta Jones — Ali — bought from Morgan Davies Bridal, Islington, London www.morgandavieslondon.co.uk — a great shop with really helpful staff. I had completely ruled out lace but Michaela at Morgan Davies persuaded me to try this dress and I fell in love straight away — I wanted understated glamour, a timeless piece and I think it was perfect!

I walked down the aisle to a bit of the Sound of Music! Because I secretly love Julie Andrews Nancy the organist learnt the wedding processional from the film just in time!

Ben’s bespoke suit

Ben and his Best Man (his brother Liam) had matching bespoke suits made by Blaqua in Soho, based on the suits worn by Robert Redford in the Great Gatsby. Becky didn’t know anything Ben’s suit til she walked up the aisle. www.blaqua.net

The wedding flowers

www.cinnamonrose.co.uk — Martine was great — as I had chosen an all ivory theme for the dresses I wanted to run a colour scheme just through the flowers and table decorations. I really wanted an English country wedding with a retro glamour twist and the flowers really worked I think. We had Flower types: Cool Water roses, some Ivory roses, muted blue and mid purple and lavender hydrangea and muscari , veronica plus spray stocks and lavender double lysianthus to contrast and add texture. Eucalyptus, salal and rosemary to blend in with gunmetal grey. Pretty, fresh, muted tones with some movement, with a hint of country. Herbs and salal foliage to compliment roses and add scent.

Bridal hair and make up

My hair and make up were by Marie at ND Make up Artists Newcastle — really friendly staff and they did an amazing job on hair and make up– I wish I could use them every day — would definitely recommend. www.ndmakeupartists.co.uk

The wedding rings

Element Jewelry Hebden Bridge -www.elementjewellery.com Ben chose my engagement ring from here and it is a jewellery shop in the small town where we have bought a house and spent the last 6 years so it’s really nice to have that link.

The wedding and reception venues

The service took place at St Michael & All Angels Church, Felton, Northumberland and the reception was at Eshott Hall, Eshott, Northumberland — we actually picked Eshott while it was a building site but fell in love with the place immediately. We wanted a venue that the full wedding party could stay at for the whole weekend. We could tell from what had been completed already that it was going to be stunning when it was finished. Catering was included in the package at Eshott, the food was amazing!

Groomsmen attire

The Groomsmen and the Dads wore grey Moss Bros Sandown lounge suits with matching waistcoats and violet ties/squares. www.moss.co.uk

Wedding day karaoke!

http://www.rockaoke.co.uk — Recommended by our photographer and they were amazing — they even how to play Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” and Warren G’s “Regulate” just so we could do our favourite karaoke songs on the night — real pros and everyone young and old loved them!

The first dance

Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” — a song we love — we knew the words were great and everyone could get up and dance with us. We made it a bit of fun by choreographing a routine with Alan and Ginny from www.danceforfun.me.uk

Recommended wedding suppliers

Alison Groves — www.alisongroves.com — we couldn’t have done it without Ali, from helping us find our entertainment to keeping us both nice and calm on the day — she was great! Her photos are amazing too of course, she’s a legend.

Cakes for U — Horden — 2 layers of fruit cake, one of vanilla sponge and one carrot cake decorated in ivory cing with 2 filagree layers and ivory ribbons, pearls and flowers. I wanted a very classic look and we all know that not everyone is a fruit cake fan! The filagree and pearls went really well with the lace in my dress.

Advice for other brides and grooms:

Be the Bride you want to be and make sure it’s the day you want. Lots of people will give you ideas and opinions but stay true to yourself and the day will be perfect.

See more of Becky and Ben’s wedding day on Alison Grove’s wedding photography blog: Becky and Ben at Eshott Hall

English Wedding inspiration board countryside theme

A final treat from Emma and Will’s gorgeous English countryside wedding and marquee reception featured earlier this week. This wedding inspiration board is for you to cut out and keep (should I say “cut, paste and keep” these days?!) or enjoy and share on Pinterest, facebook or wherever you like!

All the wedding photography is by Tino & Pip — please credit these guys for the lovely images. I made the inspiration board from their beautiful photos.

Have a lovely day!

Claire xx

Wedding and event styling by Niemierko. Image credit: www.alloravisuals.com

Mark Niemierko is the wedding planner who inspires the whole of the UK wedding industry, a hugely talented and creative man who lets his work speak for him. I approached Mark shyly via email for a mini-interview and he very kindly obliged. I almost fell off my chair.

The Elite: Mark Niemierko — a mini-interview

Photo credit: www.segeriusbruceblog.com

Mark, your inspirational wedding planning and design has earned you an unrivalled reputation in the wedding industry. What does it take to be so successful in wedding planning?

“Experience and knowledge. Of all the things that could possibly go wrong, to ensure you avoid them. But a big part is being organised and have great people skills. All couples are different and you’ll need to get along with as well as understand them all.”

You’ve developed a fascinating friendship with top UK wedding blogger Kat from Rock n Roll Bride. Has Kat influenced your wedding planning style?

“I wouldn’t say Kat has influenced my wedding planning or any weddings. What I like and why we have clicked is that we are both honest, passionate and hard working when it comes to anything wedding. She is an inspiration, in how her Blog is now a business and effectively keeps a roof over her head!”

(see the link at the end of this post to read Mark’s exclusive interview with Rock n Roll Bride)

With the Niemierko Academy you’re sharing the secrets of your success with event and wedding planners. Will you share a little secret with brides reading English Wedding too? Just one? Pretty please?

“It’s not really a secret as I’m always saying it. But FUN. One of the first lessons I tell my students at the Academy is that it’s your job to clear away all the stress and paperwork out of a couple’s lives and just ensure they have fun. As much fun during the planning as the day itself. Too many Brides get caught up in little detail – and get themselves in an awful stressed state. Have fun throughout the whole process – it’s a part of your lives you’ll never have again.”

Photo credit: www.xandercasey.co.uk

What does it take to run a luxury wedding planning agency?

“Hard work, effort, lots of time, lots of energy and commitment. Aside from my couples and taking calls or emails from them 24/7 – and managing all the suppliers – I also run a business and everything that goes with that from staff, offices and so on. If you are thinking of going into wedding planning as part time or for a fun change in your career think again. It’s a lot more unglamorous hard work than you think.”

I don’t see the words ‘wedding planner’ on your website. Is the Niemierko luxury brand a step beyond wedding planning?

“Really? I think it’s in the title bar. But I guess we are far more than planners. I think all successful wedding planners are far more than that. You become so much more to your couples, from budgeting, creating, managing and also negotiating. I’ve always said we are glamorised “Wedding PA’s”.

Image credit: www.alloravisuals.com

How do you see the Niemierko developing in the next 5 years? Have you signed the book deal yet?

“Ha, no. Continuing to be the best of the best, never repeating a wedding for another client – I get bored easily of themes and like to try new things each time. But still offering an unrivalled service, continuing to see our couples lives unfold and develop. There really isn’t a more satisfying job.”

Photo credit: applebyphotography.com

Further information: niemierko.com

Niemierko the blog: www.niemierko.blogspot.com

Niemierko has one of the most fascinating Vimeo channels in the wedding industry — another secret to the success of the luxury wedding planning brand? Recommended viewing! and here’s one of my favourites…

NIEMIERKO WEDDING: Art Deco Chic at Claridge’s Hotel, London from Niemierko on Vimeo.

As I type, 10,058 people Like Niemierko on facebook. Wow!

Read all about Mark Niemierko on Rock n Roll Bride wedding blog

Yesterday I think English Springer Spaniel Tess — Emma’s ‘chief bridesmaid’ — stole the show. Today I’ll bring you back down to earth with a wedding blog about Emma and Will’s exquisite marquee reception… I say down to earth, but shall we start with the helicopter?

Or… where yesterday’s wedding blog post ‘left off’?… as Emma and Will walked away from the church, happily married and smiling — to a nearby field where their helicopter was waiting.

Emma and Will: part two — the wedding reception

Will and I walked down the country lane and opposite was the fabulous navy blue helicopter, complete with champagne on ice.

It was really fantastic to see our guests all lined up and waving us off. The flight was fantastic and we had a wonderful view of our beautiful wedding venue as we landed, again with all our guests waiting to welcome us in.

Champagne and canapés were served on the lawn, with wonderful views over the Sussex countryside. We had asked all of our guests to bring a £2 coin with them on the day and this was collected by the best man in his top hat as guests made their way into the marquee to be seated. We spread the speeches out throughout the meal so guests wouldn’t have to endure speech after speech. We started with Will before the food was served; he did the usual thank yous and revealed that the £2 coin collection would be donated to Brain Tumour UK in memory of his dad who had sadly died of a brain tumour 11 years ago.

After the afternoon tea was served and the speeches had all been finished guests were invited back out on to the lawn for G&T as the sun went down.

In the evening we had a live band, who were absolutely fantastic, the dance floor was never empty and even Will’s 90 year old great Aunt was up and dancing. A Hog Roast was served for those who needed something to get them through the night together with our delicious Choccywoccydoodah cake.

We could hardly believe it when the car arrived to pick us up, the day had flown past.

Emma and Will’s wedding advice

Plan, plan, plan and if in doubt plan some more. We definitely did our wedding the hard way, organising every single detail ourselves, it was stressful, but in the end our wedding day was everything we could have hoped for and more, we loved every second of it.

Emma and Will’s recommended wedding suppliers

Stationery – My mum’s friend had just set up her own wedding stationery business and she did all of the stationery for us. The invites were beautiful and unusual and all of the stationery just helped our day come together, starting with the Save the Date cards and ending with the Thank you cards, we couldn’t have hoped for anything better. Kate’s website will be up and running soon (eggseven.com) but in the meantime can be contacted on 07731 467448 (Kate Rees).

The Real Flower Company – they provided really beautiful flowers which helped create our vision for the day. www.realflowers.co.uk

Choocywoccydoodah – Along with having Gina shoes, having a Choccywoccy cake was the one thing I had always dreamed of. It definitely lived up to expectations! www.choccywoccydoodah.com

Embassy – Our band were superb. In fact they were so good that 2 of our friends have since booked them for their weddings next year! We booked them through Like it Live Music http://www.likeitlivemusic.com/bands-view.asp?band=6.

Tino & Pip – of course! They captured the essence of our day with beautiful stylish and emotional photos. www.tinoandpip.co.uk

A reminder to find out more about Tino & Pip! Emma and Will’s Sussex wedding (full blog post) and Tino & Pip on Pinterest too!

… and why not! Ah — I love this wedding for loads of reasons. Emma and Will are both so gorgeous and look the perfect couple. The wedding photography is fabulous. The details are perfect — Emma and Will organised their wedding themselves and did an amzing job of it too.

But this is a wedding with a difference: the adorable springer spaniel Tess — Emma’s ‘chief bridesmaid’ and clearly a character loved by everyone there. I can’t help grinning every time I scan through the photos as Tess goes from happy excitement to flopping lazily onto her side in the middle of the aisle for the beautiful church service.

Emma has written a lovely wedding report and I’ll leave you to enjoy that along with the photos by Tino and Pip — which I love.

Emma and Will’s Sussex marquee wedding: part 1

“It was everything we had ever dreamed of. We wanted a really special magical day, but wanted our guests to feel relaxed. We had all the usual wedding formalities, but the day just had such an easy “flow” about it, which is what we really wanted. My day started very early as I barely slept the night before. My mum and I had a lovely morning with the hairdresser and make up artist and before we knew it Penny had arrived and it was time to get into my dress.

Will started his day with a cut throat shave with his best man and ushers followed by a Full English before heading to the church.

The men all had their suits from Moss Bros; it was easy to use a national shop as the boys were based far and wide across the country. Will gave his best man and ushers a hip flask which he filled with sloe gin to get rid of pre-wedding nerves!

My wedding dress was Landis by Sottero & Midgley, from Proposals in Chichester. Really fantastic wedding dress boutique, fantastic staff and a really warm and welcoming atmosphere. The best dress shop I visited (and there were many!)

The dress had quite a bit of detailing at the top so my accessories were kept to a minimum. I wore a pearl necklace my fiancé had given to me a couple of years before (my something old) and he gave me the matching bracelet on the morning of the wedding. I wore some simple pearl and diamond earrings and I had some faux pearl and diamante slides in my hair to set the whole thing off. My shoes were by Gina (I had always wanted Gina shoes for my wedding day) and I got them in the Harrods sale before I had even chosen my dress!

My bridesmaids and dad then arrived to take me to the church – I was absolutely terrified! I was clutching my dad’s hand very tightly as we walked down the aisle, partly because I was so nervous and partly because I couldn’t see anything! I had the veil over my face and going from the bright sunshine outside into the church meant it was difficult to see. My bridesmaids walked behind me (chief bridesmaid was my “sister” Tess, the beautiful English Springer Spaniel you will see in the photos, and she stood on my veil she was so keen to get down the aisle!

The service was really really special, the vicar had taken a lot of time to get to know us before the day and his sermon was really personal. It was a wonderful service, all the formality you need for a church wedding, but relaxed and full of laughs at the same time.

We left the church to bell ringing and the sound of a helicopter overhead – my step dad (who works with helicopters) had arranged for us to be collected, flown over the south coast and to land in style at our reception venue.…. ”

.… and you’ll have to pop back tomorrow for part two!

Emma and Will’s recommended wedding suppliers

Stationery – My mum’s friend had just set up her own wedding stationery business and she did all of the stationery for us. The invites were beautiful and unusual and all of the stationery just helped our day come together, starting with the Save the Date cards and ending with the Thank you cards, we couldn’t have hoped for anything better. Kate’s website will be up and running soon (eggseven.com) but in the meantime can be contacted on 07731 467448 (Kate Rees).

The Real Flower Company – they provided really beautiful flowers which helped create our vision for the day. www.realflowers.co.uk

Choocywoccydoodah – Along with having Gina shoes, having a Choccywoccy cake was the one thing I had always dreamed of. It definitely lived up to expectations! www.choccywoccydoodah.com

Embassy – Our band were superb. In fact they were so good that 2 of our friends have since booked them for their weddings next year! We booked them through Like it Live Music http://www.likeitlivemusic.com/bands-view.asp?band=6.

Tino & Pip – of course! They captured the essence of our day with beautiful stylish and emotional photos. www.tinoandpip.co.uk

More from Tino and Pip for anyone who can’t wait for tomorrow! Emma and Will’s Sussex wedding (full blog post) and Tino & Pip on Pinterest too!

I could tell that no one believed me when I said that I was going designer wedding dress window shopping in London.  All my friends seemed to think it inevitable that I would come back home with The Dress.

Their reaction was, I confess, understandable.  My lifelong over indulgence in retail therapy is such that I have only myself to blame if it’s impossible for anyone to conceive of my going into a clothes shop — or indeed any shop — and coming away empty handed.

But this was, I protested, different.  The simple fact of the matter was that I couldn’t afford a designer dress.  Even a dress at the lower end of the designer scale would, I insisted, be way beyond our wedding budget. This argument, however, did little to convince anyone.  I could almost hear the sound of stifled laughter at the very thought of my using the word ‘budget’.  It was as if everyone — including H2B — considered the phrase ‘Mrs Moore-to-Be’s wedding dress budget’ to be a contradiction in terms.

Determined to convince the naysayers, I backed up my argument by pointing out that since I hadn’t seen my dream dress in any of the numerous wedding magazines I had devoured over the previous few months, it was highly unlikely that I would find it nestling amongst a rail of dresses in a London shop.

Perhaps you’re wondering what my dream dress looks like. Well it’s soft and it’s floaty as well as structured and elegant. It’s neither too tight nor too volumninous. And whilst it’s very feminine and pretty, it’s not too girlish and youthful for a bride, like me, whose age makes her more likely to be flushing than blushing as she walks down the aisle towards her H2B.

But that’s not all that I demand of my dream dress.  It also has to blend in harmoniously with all the other elements of our wedding so that it reflects something of both the aesthetics of the Victorian gothic church in which we are to marry as well as the pared-down style of our neo-classical wedding breakfast venue.

For those of you who are wondering why I was prepared to incur the expense of a trip to London when I was so adamant that I wasn’t going to find my dream dress, I should explain that my intention was to figure out what suited me and to collect ideas so that I could come back home and have the said dream dress designed specifically for me by Shropshire based Jennifer Bone. More about Jenny and her inspirational Bridgnorth based business My Little Wedding Shop next time.  But if you fancy a sneak preview take a look at www.mylittleweddingshop.co.uk.

In view of this, I’m sure you’ll agree that I wasn’t in the slightest danger of being tempted to purchase any of the wedding dresses I saw in London on that November day. But was my confidence misplaced? Did my friends know me better than I know myself?  Was it inevitable that I would give into temptation?  Or would I keep my credit card in my purse and my feet firmly on the ground?  To find the answer to these knotty questions, hop over to www.awarwickshirewedding.com to read the first of a two-part instalment all about a most memorable day I shared with MoH and Mrs Adams.

Yesterday I shared a ‘berry’ lovely winter wedding inspiration shoot by Hannah from Lifeline Photography. Today’s post is a quickie — something to cut out and keep!

Wedding inspiration: winter berries with images by Lifeline Photography

I made a wedding inspiration board for you with Hannah’s lovely images and all the little accessories and decorations from the day. So if you’re looking to make lots of things for your wedding, and you’ve got a little red riding hood costume knocking around that you don’t really need… this is perfect for you!

 With help from some wonderful wedding suppliers

• Hannah from Lifeline Photography — http://lifelinephotography.co.uk

• Styling & DIY elements: Chloe at Adore By Chloe — www.adorebychloe.co.uk
• Stationery & Fingerprint Tree : Sara Bodinar at Monty Manatee — www.montymanatee.co.uk
• Cake: Danielle Gotheridge at Your Unique Day — www.youruniqueday.com
• Frocks & veils: Grace Couture in West Bridgford, Notts — www.gracecouture.co.uk
• Jewellery & headpieces: Melissa at Pearls For Lily — www.pearlsforlily.com
• Hair: Kelly at KB Wedding Hair Specialist — www.kbweddinghairspecialist.co.uk
• Make-up: Laura Harrison — www.lauraharrisonmakeup.co.uk
• Venue: Thrumpton Hall on the banks of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire — www.thrumptonhall.com