Morning lovelies!! I just got back from Venice - and I've had the most wonderful adventure of a lifetime over there. Also - a huge eye-opener of a holiday with the flooding and danger to the city and its inhabitants as well…
If you could elope to anywhere in the world, where would you go? For me, Iceland… although I’d be following in the footsteps of soooo many couples right now! Perhaps the Italian mountains, or the Pyrenees – or ooh, maybe Japan? And of course – of course: wouldn’t it be amazing to elope to New York? What a dream come true that would be…
… and so it turned out for today’s brilliant couple. Hailing from London, our handsome grooms Michael and Keith eloped to New York at Christmas, grabbing some ‘wow’ photos through the city streets as they celebrated together and let it all sink in. I just adore the photos – and I hope you will too!
Thanks to Jocelyn at Everly Studios for submitting this elopement to the blog! I adore elopements and would love to hear your elopement stories and feature more like this on English Wedding! Get in touch with your submissions here. 
New sponsor welcome – Richard Skins
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I hope you’re having the loveliest week! I’d like to introduce you to someone who is a definite favourite amongst wedding bloggers – and who has joined English Wedding this month as one of our handpicked and wholeheartedly recommended wedding photographers! Richard Skins is a Dorset wedding photographer whose recent weddings have taken him to some enchanting and exciting destination weddings in Europe, as well as around the UK! Just stepping across to Richard’s website is like being in France in the summer – it’s a magical and romantic world of beautiful in his little corner of the internet!
From Bournemouth to the South of France via weddings in Slovenia, Italy and the Swiss Alps, Richard’s weddings are always beautifully, thoughtfully, brilliantly captured. Richard’s focus on happiness at weddings shines from each image in a seamless combination of modern and documentary wedding photography. If you’re planning a destination wedding, it’s good to know Richard Skins most definitely knows his way around a few chateaux – and has the spirit of adventure to discover many more!
Happy Tuesday, lovelies! I’m still away from my desk on a Big Adventure – but of COURSE I’d never leave you without something beautiful to feast your eyes on. Today’s Parley Manor wedding is full of glorious sunflowers, with stunning bride Carley rocking an unusual and beautiful Maggie Sottero gown. She and handsome hubby Dan describe their wedding as a “relaxed cocktail fuelled sunny garden party in the perfect setting” – which is everything I think a wedding should be!
The day was styled around summer colours and sunflowers, with red accents (and the bridesmaids look fabulous in gorgeous red Watters Wtoo dresses to suit the theme). Carley and Dan found their suppliers via their venue, and then did their own research online to put together their perfect team of creatives to make their dream day come true!
Their images are by lovely Rachel Elizabeth Photography, who gets a glowing review from the happy couple!
Wedding photographer’s website:
This. This is one of the loveliest shoots I’ve seen in my EXACTLY 10 years of being a wedding blogger. (Because yes, I’ve just realised English Wedding was born on November 16th, 2009 and it’s our birthday week!) It seems the perfect opportunity to share something very special with you all.
The location is The Railway Barn at New Hall Vineyards. The concepts and styling are by lovely Hayley Jayne Weddings & Events, and images were captured so beautifully by Terri and Lori. I adore Jess’s dress – a stunning design from the inimitable St Patrick brand, loaned from Turner & Pennell in Rayleigh.
Petal and Wild‘s flowers make this shoot exceptional. The breathtaking structures, the cool and breezy palette, the blooms nestled amongst the balloons… and oh, while we’re on THAT subject will you just look at this beauty?! It’s by the spectacularly creative Fable & Moon. (You’re going to want to check out Sophie’s insta! – she’s all kinds of amazing!)
Words by Hayley Jayne Weddings & Events
One of the big wedding trends for 2020 is illustrated wedding stationery, so its no surprise that custom designed illustrations are gaining much more popularity.
Amanda Williams, owner at Love Invited, a small independent wedding stationer has seen a distinct rise in orders of this style over the past six months.
Amanda says “Commissioning a custom designed illustration not only gives a very personal touch, but also gives the couple control over exactly how this will come to life on paper.
One of the best ways couples can set the tone of their big day is with their wedding invites, which offer the chance to communicate specific themes to their guests from the very beginning. The theme can then be carried right through to on the day stationery, such as table plans and name cards.”
Some examples of custom illustrations that Amanda has produced include…
Today is just the most amazing treat for me. Not only am I setting off on a Big Adventure later on (it’ll be on my insta in a few days I’m sure!) but I have this STUNNING wedding to share with you before I go. It’s everything: it’s pure love, it’s magical photography, it’s beautiful, dazzling and different. And I’ve been SO excited to share Lizzie and Faz’s Fennes wedding with you lovely lot!
If you don’t already follow Grace Elizabeth on instagram, please do. She’s one of my favourite UK wedding photographers and happens to be an English Wedding member as well (‘scuse me while I break off for a little happy dance in the corner! Woohoo!) – and her words are inspiring, heartfelt and as wonderful as her images… which brings me to today’s amazing couple Lizzie and Faz, and their brilliant wedding planning story and supplier reviews and recommendations.
“Our wedding was relaxed and inclusive: a fusion with Pakistani and English elements. Our colour palette was green and gold; we wanted a natural greenery feel and something that would blend with the Asian wedding vibe for the second ceremony too.
Good morning lovely, and welcome to today’s pretty, sunlit, beautifully-dressed summer wedding! Gorgeous couple Carly and Steve tied the knot in August, choosing our fabulous friend and Thornbury Castle wedding photographer Martin Dabek to capture their day. Carly is breathtaking in a stunning embroidered gown from The Dressing Rooms in Halesowen – if anyone knows the designer of this dress, do give us a shout because we LOVE it! The florals are divine, and Claire from The Wilde Bunch (who Martin recommended to Carly and Steve) gets the loveliest review from our happy couple.
Do read Carly’s English Wedding interview after the images. Her story is beautifully told, and she gives us glowing reviews for some brilliant wedding vendors (listed at the end of the feature for your convenience!)
So snuggle up with a cuppa, get your scrolling digits ready and GO! You will LOVE this wedding!
Wedding photographer’s website:
Martin was highly recommended by our venue.
This fabulous shoot struck me for its uniqueness: for the subtle shift in roles, as well as for the breathtaking styling elements and artisan detailing. Those of you looking for a sustainable wedding with luxury touches need look no further. The shoot was conceived and styled by lovely Nikki at The Toast, and captured so beautifully by OliveJoy Photography. The setting at Bignor Park is enchanting: upturned chairs and trailing, tumbling tablescapes set the scene for a very different wedding style. Florals are fabulously wild and organic, with dried elements and the most wonderful velvet ribbons. The stationery by In The Detail fills a table with beauty which is minimal, elegant and raw.
I love the non-traditional look of this shoot which is somehow still reminiscent of historical romance: the groom with the bouquet; the bride standing above him (not submissive but equal: fiercely proud of her femininity) and the beautiful bridesmaid (who I see in the context of this shoot as a bride, and I hope those of you planning a wedding with something other than a bride + groom dynamic will adore this shoot for its varied perspectives as I do!)
If this isn’t the loveliest thing – glamorous and romantic wedding styling ideas by the dozen, set in a 700 year old country house and with plush fabrics, gold accents, breathtaking florals – I was blown away when I first set eyes on this editorial, and I just know you will be too!
Heidi from Simply Irresistible Cakes London organised and submitted this special photoshoot, which brought together some of Kent’s finest wedding suppliers at Nurstead Court. The look was vintage, romantic and with a glam and luxurious atmosphere. The palette of navy, burgundy and magenta is timeless and that little bit different from the pastels we see so much of – and it’s gloriously dramatic. The cake, obviously – a true showstopper!
Danny Inwood Photography‘s images capture the opulent and luxurious vibe of the day, with the most stunning images of bride Ellie’s hair and makeup (by Kirsten hair and make up) and capturing the elegant detailing and sparkle on Eliza Jane Howell‘s fabulous bridal gown (which we LOVE for a winter wedding).
The English Wedding Directory is our curated list of brilliant wedding vendors. Our Insta and Facebook are updated with new vendors when they join us, and the Directory is full of brilliant photographers, stationers, florists, stylists… everything you might need for the wedding of your dreams!
These lovely people have joined the English Wedding Directory in the last couple of weeks – and we have more coming up to share with you soon! Do take a moment to discover them, and if you like what you see why not get in touch and even book this weekend?
Bands for Hire
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Richard Skins Photography
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Wetherall Photography
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Bands For Hire are a leading entertainment agency offering only the best wedding bands and musicians available to hire across the UK with an exclusive range of live wedding bands, performers, singers and musicians to make your wedding day even more memorable.
Bands For Hire represent over 400 live acts based in every corner of the UK, so whether it’s a wedding band in London you’re after or a string quartet in the North East, we’ve got you covered.
Sometimes I see a wedding and it looks the most fun a couple has ever had in their lives. Sometimes the joy and excitement spills through in every beautiful detail, and I spend ages just gazing at all the gorgeous photos to see little details and love and laughter and grinning back at my screen. Mike and Kelly are one of those amazing couples you can just see loved every moment of their best day ever, and I’m so happy they chose our fabulous friend and exceptional documentary wedding photographer Linus Moran to capture their wedding.
This truly is a wedding with everything: a boat covered in flowers, glorious sunshine and face glitter. A stunning bride beaming with joy, and her groom glowing with pride and happiness. The emotion of the day is pure magic – the love between this amazing couple is just magical to see.
