Elegant and minimal wedding inspiration board

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For those who’d rather keep things simple, elegant and fuss-free on your wedding day, I have some lovely ideas to share this morning. Sourced from my favourite places: Etsy, Olivia Samuel, and previous features on the English Wedding Blog! Enjoy.

minimalist wedding ideas

Designer wedding dress by Andrea Hawkes Bridal – see her graceful and elegant gowns
Sweet and simple white heart earrings by Piggle and Pop on Etsy
White and ivory brush embroidery wedding cake by Caroline’s Cakes (more on the English Wedding Blog)
Verona cream wedding menu by Olivia Samuel wedding stationery – from a full collection with many colour options: www.oliviasamuel.co.uk
Handmade anemone fabric bouquet by The Sunny Bee on Etsy

If you’ve found a wedding supplier you’d like to see featured here please let me know! I’m always looking out for new talent to share with the English Wedding Blog readers 🙂

Matt and Jo’s outdoor wedding at Storrs Hall, Lake Windermere, with David Stubbs Photography

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Matt and Jo were the first couple to be married outdoors at one of the Lake District’s loveliest venues, Storrs Hall on the shores of Lake Windermere. They couldn’t have chosen a more perfect location: England’s largest lake is the backdrop to their ceremony photographs.

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Jo’s dress is beautiful, although she did have some dress worries before the big day it suits her so perfectly and she’s one of the most beautiful brides I’ve seen. The back of the dress is spectacular and she needed little in the way of jewellery. Matt is such a handsome groom in traditional tails, and they’re a gorgeous couple.

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The flowers are the highlight of their day – luscious arrangements by the amazing Brackens of Bowness. I love the combination of lily of the valley and sweet peas in whites for the bouquets (which Jo says smelt beautiful). Florist Kevin’s combinations of shades of pink to decorate the garden pavilion is more than fabulous.

Storrs Hall wedding blog (2) See more...

My diaries: how LUSH is your wedding business?

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My current daily shower routine begins with Trichomania, then a dash of Miranda and Jungle. It’s the only way I can wake up, and when I don’t have Lush I pine for it… I’m hooked. And as I have some of my best ideas in the shower too, I realised that Lush is one of the only majorly successful businesses I genuinely admire. Now brand loyalty for me has always seemed like a total myth. I’m not loyal to my bank, my supermarket or any other big corporation – despite the cards in my purse which suggest otherwise. And yet as a business owner, loyalty is something I’d love to inspire from my customers. So I began to wonder if I could make my wedding business a little more, you know, Lush.

Pinned by Lush Cosmetics www.pinterest.com/lushcosmetics – my favourites here are Rock Star, Honey I Washed The Kids, Karma soap, Miranda, Bohemian? and the fig one… delish!

A classic humanist wedding at Orchardleigh House, with Frank Wood Photography

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I love a wedding which surprises me… and today’s was pretty amazing in that respect! The look of the day is classic and elegant, but there’s an occasional treat which will make you smile – like the way Dave made his entrance on a segway. One of my favourite images from Jo and Dave’s wedding is the groom’s expression as he realises he’ll be 1) learning to ride one and 2) rocking up on it to the wedding at Orchardleigh House. No pressure then!

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Jo and Dave are gorgeous, generous and devoted to their friends and family. The beautiful bride told me, “It is the personal touches which make a wedding… We wanted to make our guests feel that they were there because they were such an important part of our lives… An example is that we wrote individual messages on each of our guests’ placemats thanking them for the support they had given us over the years and quoting memories or funny stories about them.” Isn’t that just wonderful?

humanist wedding blog Orchardleigh (27) See more...

A celebration of locally grown British wedding flowers – Flowers @ Oxford

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Morning everyone! I have a special feature today for brides and grooms who haven’t quite sorted out wedding flowers… and if you’re wondering whether to DIY your flowers or book a professional florist, then this will be right up your street!

Creative wedding flowers with wool in spring greens – image credit the Judith Blacklock flower school

All of your wedding flower questions answered!

Flowers @ Oxford has just unveiled information about its wedding marquee – they call it “THE destination for any bride-to-be looking for floral inspiration for her big day“. It’s also a celebration of British blooms, flower seasonality, scent and variety. Visit this exciting floral event on the weekend of 22 August to learn about the latest trends, seek out the perfect flowers and colours for your special day and have all of your questions about wedding flowers answered by experts! See more...

English Wedding introducing… Oyster & Pearl Design

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Today’s blog feature is basically a snapshot of me tumbling head over heels in love with the beautiful wedding stationery I’ve discovered at Oyster & Pearl Design. Join me?

Designer Casey told me, “Oyster and Pearl is essentially me working from my studio in the heart of the Devon countryside. My passion is creating beautiful stationery, this is the reason I decided to start Oyster & Pearl Design. The opportunity to do something I absolutely love, every single day!”

Casey’s designs are understated and simple. She knows how to work fonts into a truly elegant space for invitations, orders of service and every last little bit of your wedding stationery. The presentation on Oyster & Pearl’s website is just delicious… the colours are contemporary, the graphics a delight. Love. And what a story behind the shop! (Read my post about crafting an ‘about’ story to sell your wedding business) See more...

Turkey Mill wedding of the lovely Kathryn and Phil, by Howling Basset Photography

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Kathryn and Phil’s big day at Turkey Mill

Turkey Mill, Maidstone was the setting for Kathryn and Phil’s Kent wedding. Turkey Mill is a wedding photographer’s dream to shoot and one of the most stunning wedding venues in Kent with a waterfall, lake, bridge, gazebo etc etc.

They were married at Hoo St Werburgh Church, Rochester which is their local church and literally at the bottom of their hill.

For more examples of our Kent wedding photography at Turkey Mill click here.

Howling Basset Photography

http://www.howlingbasset.com
https://www.facebook.com/howlingbassetphotography

A rainbow of colour for Mahdieh and Joshua’s Liverpool wedding, by Lisa Howard Photography

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Proof that you don’t need to style your day around a restrictive ‘theme’ – Mahdieh and Joshua’s wedding is full of bright colours, and definitely has tons of character. Today’s gorgeous couple fell in love at first sight when they met as students and after getting engaged they spent just over a year planning their big day.

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Their venue is contemporary and deliciously different: the Isla Gladstone, a converted Victorian conservatory set amidst picture-perfect rose gardens and lakes, surrounded by historic stone pavilions.

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Images are by lovely Liverpool wedding photographer Lisa Howard, who covers the whole of the North West. Find out more about Lisa here:

This is a wonderfully colourful wedding with lots of character and some brilliant advice from the happy couple at the end of the feature. If things go wrong, smile and carry on – Mahdieh told me, “We were too busy enjoying ourselves to get stressed out about anything… the little hiccups were mostly just funny!” She’s most definitely my kind of bride… and I hope you enjoy their wedding as much as I did!
See more...

My diaries: Freedom

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When you’ve spent a couple of years running your own creative business you reach a point where you can’t ever imagine a different way of life.

Of course it’s tough being self-employed. It’s scary being so utterly in control of your financial future. But the freedom of making a living doing something you love is worth more than anything.

I don’t miss the routine of my old daily commute into Manchester before 6am. I don’t miss the pressure. It’s amazing knowing I’ll never set foot inside my office again! I love being able to change my days when it’s sunny, or when there’s a concert and I want to finish early.

Photo credit Matthew Bishop Photography | Styling by Petra Opperman – click to see this styled shoot

The delights of being your own boss

I love being part of a creative community most of all. People say it can be lonely working for yourself and from home, but there’s a craft revolution happening and the likes of Mollie Makes and Etsy are taking over the internet. Communities and forums for designers and creatives are all over Facebook, not to mention the wedding forums and fan sites we all know and love. Lonely is the last thing I feel. See more...

A secret peek into the life and story behind Bridal Designs

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What makes a wedding craft business successful? Every time, it comes down to the personality behind the name. The best wedding suppliers are dedicated, inspiring and entertaining. It’s no secret that we usually follow a different path in life: it takes courage as much as craftsmanship to bring a wedding craft business to life. I asked Tracey Phillips at Bridal Designs to share her personal story. Tracey’s business began with her sister’s wedding 8 years ago, and she’s now a multiple award-winning wedding business owner.

“I live in beautiful North Devon, minutes from the seaside and a short distance from some of England’s most charming wedding venues. Northcote Manor is just around the corner – and I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to get married.

A seaside wedding in Devon, by Taylor Barnes Photography www.taylorbarnesphotography.co.uk See more...

An elegant English wedding blog from Buxted Park, with Victoria Lamburn Photography

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Edward and Kelly’s Buxted Park wedding is typically English: with a church cermony and elegant, beautifully decorated hotel reception. It struck me from the very moment I saw the images – by Worthing based wedding photographer Victoria JK Lamburn. There’s a wonderfully light quality to the images, and an atmosphere of romance which I think some female wedding photographers capture exceptionally well. Oh, and a stunning bride. A handsome groom. The cutest bridesmaids! You’ll adore this wedding feature!

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Buxted Park is owned and managed by the Handpicked Hotels group, who are known for wonderful country house hotels and for their classic British hospitality. Edward and Kelly made use of the grounds around the wedding venue for some fabulous portrait photography, which I think you’re going to love.

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With thanks to Vicky Lamburn for sharing her images with us all today. I’m going to cheekily share a quote from one of Vicky’s emails: “It was such a memorable day for me even as just the photographer so it’s so lovely to know that the special day everyone had is now in lasting photo memories. Makes it so worthwhile!” Isn’t that just the loveliest thing to say? See more...

New sponsor welcome! Howling Basset Wedding Photography, Kent

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Good morning everyone! I hope you’re having the loveliest of weeks so far. We’ve all been a little spoilt with some fabulous real weddings and inspiration shoots on the English Wedding Blog this week so I wanted to take time this morning to introduce you to someone I think you’ll love. You will probably recognise some faces!

Andy Stonier is the photographer at Howling Basset wedding photography, based in Kent. After featuring two of his real weddings on the English Wedding Blog, I’m delighted to say that Andy has joined my little team of awesome sponsors and we’ll be seeing more beautiful weddings over the summer!

wedding photography

Let’s explain the name first of all, shall we? Howling Basset is named for Andy’s two adorable basset hounds, who feature in his business logo! Andy started Howling Basset back in 2004 and in 10 years has become one of Kent’s leading wedding photographers, shooting nearly 700 weddings. This level of wedding experience means he’s calm, professional and unobtrusive, helping him to best capture the full story on your biggest day. See more...

Tamzin & Martin’s jewel-coloured wedding at Larmer Tree Gardens, with Oobaloos Photography

Kate & Aiden’s breathtaking Blenheim Palace wedding, with Julie Michaelsen Photography

Steph & Rob’s flower-filled Yorkshire wedding, with Photography by Kathryn

Sophie and Loz’s colourful festival wedding, with Simon Withyman Photography

Hannah and Mark’s beautiful London wedding, with Danielle Smith Photography

Andreia & Antonio’s romantic garden party wedding at The Shuttleworth, with Lorna Newman Weddings

Eleni & Shane’s beautiful Belair House London wedding, with Emily Black Photography

Elegant and minimal wedding inspiration board

Matt and Jo’s outdoor wedding at Storrs Hall, Lake Windermere, with David Stubbs Photography

My diaries: how LUSH is your wedding business?

A classic humanist wedding at Orchardleigh House, with Frank Wood Photography

A celebration of locally grown British wedding flowers – Flowers @ Oxford

All of your wedding flower questions answered!

English Wedding introducing… Oyster & Pearl Design

Turkey Mill wedding of the lovely Kathryn and Phil, by Howling Basset Photography

Kathryn and Phil’s big day at Turkey Mill

A rainbow of colour for Mahdieh and Joshua’s Liverpool wedding, by Lisa Howard Photography

My diaries: Freedom

The delights of being your own boss

A secret peek into the life and story behind Bridal Designs

An elegant English wedding blog from Buxted Park, with Victoria Lamburn Photography

New sponsor welcome! Howling Basset Wedding Photography, Kent

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

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updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?

All of your wedding flower questions answered!

Kathryn and Phil’s big day at Turkey Mill

The delights of being your own boss

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting
updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?