I miss Italy. I spent some time working over there as a student, and I remember the sunshine, the beautiful cities and lush, romantic countryside. The long, lazy evenings spent with friends and the adventures I had exploring the countryside at weekends.…
My geography is poor – like, I could reel off a list of florists and bridal boutiques and tell you where they’re based, but ask me to point at them on a map and I’d be grabbing for Google! Is it crazy that I only know UK towns and counties by their wedding suppliers?! One of those I know best of all from wedding blogging is the lovely TDR Bridal in Halesowen, a town I’ve whizzed by on the M5 many times… literally minutes away from TDR Bridal and without ever popping in for a coffee!
In these crazy times me and the girls at TDR thought we’d take you on a virtual road trip around the area – and we’re focusing on some favourite wedding venues around Sutton Coldfield and a little further afield. There are some absolute gems in the area, as recommended by TDR, by their brides and as seen on English Wedding!
Emma & Paul’s Moxhull Hall wedding with Damian Burcher Photography – from the English Wedding archives
Sustainability is an incredible challenge in wedding planning. How, exactly, do you make your Best Day Ever – a single day – sustainable, when you’re likely spending ££££ on entertaining your guests and making it look amazing? When this sustainable vintage garden party wedding inspiration landed in my inbox I was blown away. It’s proof that you can have the wedding of your dreams without harming the environment or breaking the bank.
Lovely English Wedding member Sam from Willow and Rust Weddings sent this our way – it’s already been featured on the fabulous Save the Date blog, and we simply had to give this amazing bunch of suppliers another front page feature! All images are by talented Derbyshire wedding photographer Ellie at EKR Pictures.
Photographer – https://www.ekrpictures.com
Planning, Styling and Props – https://www.willowandrustweddings.com
Floral design – https://www.inspiredfloristry.com
Videography – https://www.maxinefurnessfilms.com
Dress – https://www.ryleyandflynn.co.uk
Hair and Make-up – https://www.mazzloxton.com
Stationery – https://www.tlg-design.co.uk
Hair accessories – https://www.opheliarenbridal.com
Ceremony chairs – https://www.prettyvintagehire.com
Grooms attire – https://www.theweddingboutiqueilkeston.co.uk
Cake – https://www.deliciouslydivine.co.uk
Biscuits – https://www.thebiscuittin1.co.uk
My heart lifts when I see the love and warmth in a beautiful celebration like this one. Our gorgeous couple Nicola & Michael were married at Sherborne Abbey in Dorset in 2019. Their Stockbridge Farm reception is perfect: the florals and styling are exquisite, but the focus of their day is on love, joy and celebration with family and friends. Huge thanks to Sherborne Abbey wedding photographer Robin Goodlad for sharing his images of such a beautiful wedding, and to our stunning couple for allowing us this very special peek into their wedding day! You’ll find their fave suppliers and plenty of top tips below so grab a cuppa and read through as you enjoy the fabulous shots of a very, very special day.
With love,
Inspired by and with all images by London wedding photographer Jordanna Marston
It’s not always easy to love every photo you see of yourself. With a wedding on the horizon, sometimes the pressure can pile on. There’s an expectation to be the very best version of you – and from the wedding mags and websites that appears to mean perfect makeup, perfect hair, perfect tailoring and a perfect figure. (spoiler alert: that’s not it at ALL – but bear with me)
Credit: https://jordannamarston.com
All the pre-wedding build up gets overwhelming. We get that – and we also get that lots of brides AND grooms are going to feel nervous about looking their best on the big day. The worries about looking great in your wedding photos are real. It’s a big deal. They’ll be your forever memories, the day goes by in a blur, you’ll look at and share those photos for the rest of your lives, even your great grandchildren will see them… they’re Big and Important. So if you don’t already love yourself in photos, it can be scary thinking about how you’ll look in your wedding photographs.
Sustainable weddings were the buzz word for 2020. It’s something I’m really keen to push on English Wedding – and with a genuine passion for the reasons behind sustainability as a wedding theme. I watched as ‘vintage’ went from a love of heirloom and upcycled styling touches to something you could grab at Debenhams. I will literally cry if the same happens for sustainability. This needs to be a genuine ethos behind weddings, and not just a ‘look’ you can buy anywhere. As such, I would love to introduce you all to UgandaMade on Etsy, who make fabulous hand woven, sustainable wedding bunting, perfect for festival and woodland celebrations!
Image credit: Emily Ward Photography
Are you considering a wedding with an eco-friendly focus?
Well, you can be kind to the earth and still have the perfect day.
UgandaMade produces beautiful, biodegradable wedding decorations, which are made from sustainably sourced materials and hand made by our lovely group of talented weavers (including our packaging!). A story of passion, impact, and care has been at the heart of each product design and the development process, initiated by UgandaMade founder, Jenny Farmer, hand in hand with our local ladies.
I’m thinking dreamy escapism as we head for the weekend… is that okay with you lovelies? Let’s wish ourselves away from our tiers and our troubles for just a moment and imagine ourselves in the French hills. Although of course – this is English Wedding and our French vibes come all the way from the Cotswolds! Our lovely friend Hannah McClune has shared her beautiful images from a styled editorial shoot at Manor by the Lake. With a team of fabulous suppliers, this really is a dream wedding vibe and I hope you adore dreaming yourselves down those French country lanes with me!
With love,
Planner: Dreams into Plans Weddings & Events, https://www.dreamsintoplansweddings.co.uk
Props & Styling: All Things Pretty Weddings, https://www.allthingsprettyweddings.co.uk
Photographer: Hannah McClune Photography www.hannahmcclunephotography.com
Florist: Wendy House Flowers, www.wendyhouseflowers.co.uk
Dress: Cotswold Bridal Boutique, www.cotswoldbridal.co.uk
Jewellery & Accessories: Olivier Laudus www.olivierlaudus.com
Cake, Cookie Favours, Macarons & Lollipops: April Bakery, www.aprilbakery.co.uk
Stationery: White Olive Design Studio www.whiteolivedesigns.co.uk
Charger Plates & Cutlery Hire: Luxe my Wedding www.luxemywedding.co.uk
Ribbon: @silkandpurl
Venue: Manor by the Lake, www.manorbythelake.co.uk
This inspiring article was written for you by English Wedding member Cynthia Grafton-Holt | Cynthia Grafton-Holt Couture
Hello my lovelies,
I do hope that you are still looking forward to having your big day in whatever shape or format it takes. I want you to know that life is full of ups and downs. But despite what it brings, it cannot and should not cancel out the dreams that you have for your future.
Love is certainly not Cancelled
Shopping for your wedding dress is like no other shopping experience. Frankly and honestly, it is overwhelming! It is a whole new world full of jargon and fabrics that most women have never had to deal with before. Not to mention the bright lighting, lack of consistency in sizing, and the added pressure to look beautiful. So too is the experience itself. It is different for every bride-2-be. Whilst some brides want to turn it into a weekend affair to be shared with their besties sipping champagne in up-market boutiques, others prefer to keep it private and low key visiting a few shops at a time to find the service that is right for them.
Today’s inspiration is fabulous – a cute rowing boat, opulent summer florals and a bridal jumpsuit from KMR Bridal make this the loveliest shoot in my inbox right now! Huge thanks to lovely English Wedding member Sam at Fantail Designer Florist for sharing this with us. Sam worked alongside a wonderfully talented team to bring their ideas to life, and the concept will translate beautifully for those of you planning a micro wedding or elopement in the coming months.
With love,
Photographer – https://www.foxmoonphotography.com/
Florist – https://www.fantaildesignerflorist.co.uk/
Venue – Damflask Reservoir & Fantail – Cut Garden
Bridal / Dress designer https://www.kmrbespokebridal.co.uk/
Stationery – https://www.keetleycreativeweddings.co.uk/
Cake – https://thesnowdropcakery.co.uk/
Make Up Artist & Hair https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaGleedMakeupArtist/
Model – Emma Atherton
We wanted to create a shoot for an elopement or a mini wedding. People are now looking at doing intimate weddings and if possible within their garden. So, we decided to set the scene at Damflask Reservoir with a boat theme showcasing a new short jumpsuit design by KMR Bridal with a small wedding breakfast in Fantail’s own cut garden.
Happy Monday my lovelies! Have you had a nice weekend? It’s wonderfully autumnal out there now… my favourite time of year to be outdoors (and then snuggle inside with a hot chocolate and the fire lit!) To start off the new week we have a gorgeous wedding to share with you today. Stunning couple Lizzie and Eddy’s wedding happened in safer, covid free times and it’s beautiful. Their focus on celebration and family is everything – it reminds me how fabulous those carefree times were, and how special they’ll be when we finally return to normal. For those of you planning your future wedding – this is a beauty, the images by lovely Somerset wedding photographer Simon Biffen are glorious and I hope you love today’s feature!
With love,
https://simonbiffenphotography.co.uk
He is a friend of ours and a brilliant photographer
I promised you a beautiful shoot from our newest #englishweddingmember Gemma Randall Photography – and it’s going to knock your socks off! This stunner of a shoot focuses on neutral tones with accents of deliciously dark navy and gold. Styling is elegant and romantic, the images are simply breathtaking and the details are exquisite. All images are by Gemma, who worked with a team of fabulously creative local wedding suppliers – they’re all listed below.
With love,
Photographer – www.gemmarandallphotography.co.uk
Planning/Coordinating – https://onlydoingitonce.co.uk
Marquee & Stylist – https://www.somethingborrowedeventhire.co.uk
Venue – https://newlodgelawns.co.uk
Dress designer – https://www.watters.com
Bridal boutique – https://www.annawoodbridal.co.uk
Suit designer – https://www.suitors.co.uk
Florist – https://www.floralarch.co.uk
Stationery – https://www.love-paper.co.uk
Welcome sign – @bluebell.lettering
Cake – https://www.instagram.com/jessicakes93/
Videography – https://www.hc-visuals.com
Makeup – https://makeupbylivgs.com
Hair – https://www.rachaelcapocci.com
Hair accessories – https://www.rachaelcapocci.com
Linen – https://www.linenforhire.co.uk
Celebrant – https://www.lizbagleycelebrant.co.uk
Catering – https://www.thebrotherssupper.com
Furniture – https://www.eventsolutionssouth.com
Glassware, crockery and cutlery – https://www.classiccrockery.co.uk
Bride – https://www.marilyncoles.co.uk
Groom – https://www.instagram.com/rlndwlt/
By my lovely friend Sheryl at Oobaloos Photography
When you start to plan your wedding, your first key points are likely to be Venue, Photographer, Florist, Dress, Cake.
Then you start to sort seating plans and timelines. The registrar has you booked for a 12pm wedding. The venue has you booked for a sit down dinner at 4pm… UH OH… that’s a big gap from 12.30pm til at least 3.30pm when the venue starts seating your guests.
There is only so long that your guests will want to chat and nibble at canapes at the drinks reception before the kids are whining they’re BOOOOORED and HUUUUUNGRY because all the canapes were ‘gross’. Sorry, I have a 7 year old boy…anything with vegetables or any colour is now classed as ‘gross’. I’m sure YOUR canapes will be lovely! 😉
On that note..always go for a marinated cocktail sausage. The kids and your photographer will thank you for it!
I am going to take you through wedding entertainment for all seasons and weathers and for kids of all ages, from 1 to 101
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