Dream dress but dodgy wedding photos?

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Morning everyone! If you’re a regular reader of the blog you’ll know that good photography is really important to me – as with most top UK wedding blog editors. I see all kinds of wedding photos including some fairly dodgy ones with everything from red-eye to weird flash effects and uncomfortable crops. So this survey piqued my interest and I had to share it with you. I’d love to know what you think. Is wedding photography as important as your wedding dress? Claire x

Photo credit Tierney Photography www.tierneyphotography.co.uk

~Only the best photography is used in this blog feature! All images are from weddings published on the English Wedding Blog~

A recent survey* has found that over 51% of brides stated that the most important element of their wedding day was their dress – showing that how a girl looks on her special day is her number one priority.

However, are brides at risk of looking great on the day but stowing their dodgy wedding album away with the Christmas decorations or under the bed? See more...

Begin your Wedding Celebration with a Distinctive Touch of Tradition - luxury wedding invitations

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Morning everyone! Regular blog readers will know I a) love stationery b) have a passion for calligraphy and c) am fascinated by traditions in paper and invitations and printing. So today is a eureka moment for me… as I introduce you to Prantl, Europe‘s oldest bespoke printer of luxury wedding invitations and stationery. Do visit their website and blog – and if you are looking for timeless wedding invitations with pure class then you’ll be happy to hear you can order online! Prantl’s pedigree is second to none with London office owners Michael and Anthony having worked for Smythson (on the royal account!) and The Wren Press – you’ll be in the very best of hands if you choose luxury wedding invitations from Prantl. I’ll hand over to Prantl to tell you more. Enjoy! Claire x

Luxury wedding invitations by Prantl in London See more...

The happiest day ever - a Dodford Manor wedding blog

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I can’t really beat Kayleigh’s quote as an introduction to today’s real wedding blog! The happiest day ever is just what everyone dreams their wedding will be – and honestly, from all the comments I hear from you lovely blog readers, it usually turns out to be pretty damn perfect!

Kayleigh and Will were married at Dodford Manor in March. They had an intimate wedding with a relaxed and natural atmosphere. Dodford Manor is a converted barn (in Northamptonshire) which needs little decoration, and is one of those enchanting English wedding venues you can fall in love with from the photographs alone!

Kayleigh, Will – thank you ever so much for sharing, and huge congratulations to you both. You’re a gorgeous couple and just look so happy together you had me smiling all the way through your wedding images! Credit for those goes to the lovely Aaron Collett Photography. You’ll love them, so grab a cuppa and dive in! Enjoy. Claire xxx

Dance like a maniac! Kirsten and Neal’s fabulously vintage Cambridgeshire wedding

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Hi again lovely people! I have a treat in store for you all this morning – a 1950s inspired Cambridgeshire wedding with VW Campervan, wildflowers, cupcakes and 7 tiers of cheese, awesome dance moves and the proudest dad… you’re going to love this!

Kirsten and Neal were inspired to create a vintage wedding with pale pink and blue details. Kirsten’s ankle length Ian Stuart gown (is there nothing this man can’t do to perfection, I ask you?!) is divine! And Neal looks pretty damn good in his tailor made suit by A Suit That Fits – let’s just say the pair of them are amazing together!

The wedding was at Madingley Hall, just four miles from the centre of Cambridge and a magnificent venue – Wikipedia tells me it’s a former royal residence and dates back to the 16th century – the photographs are fabulous and will show you so much more of this impressive English wedding venue. Huge thanks go to London wedding photographer Paul Rogers for submitting such a brilliant wedding to share with us all today! I hope you love it as much as I do. Everyone – enjoy. Claire x See more...

Do we really need yet another wedding industry awards?

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Nope. It’s not just me, is it? There are so many wedding industry awards going on that it all gets a bit… meh. It started with the Wrapit awards (that ended well, didn’t it – when the organisers went bust in 2008 leaving thousands of couples heartbroken). Then we had glitzy wedding magazine awards ceremonies and everyone jumped on the bandwagon. Along came more ethical awards, but then we all had to pay for them so they weren’t as ethical after all. Now it’s the turn of big events companies to branch out and try and send us to sleep a wee bit more. Marvellous.

I’ve had a couple of emails now from a business called Creative Oceanic, who are the organisers of The English Wedding Awards (no relation, I promise!). They specialise in event production and are behind lots of other awards events including the Scottish Wedding Awards and What’s On Awards across the UK. See more...

Melissa and Richard’s vintage wedding at Hodsock Priory in Nottinghamshire

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Morning everyone! Are you having a lovely morning so far? I just love today’s wedding – however your day is going, this will put a smile on your face. Melissa and Richard had a handmade / vintage wedding at Hodsock Priory and it is simply gorgeous!

Melissa looks amazing in her Benjamin Roberts dress, Richard is rocking a suit from Next (only about a million miles better than Moss Bros, by the way!) and special credit goes to Melissa’s mum for all the handmade touches from bunting to fabric hearts and pocket squares – she even crafted the wedding invitations!

Little details include gourmet popcorn (I can almost taste it! And as I type it’s barely past breakfast time… not a good sign!), lovebirds on the cake and gorgeous gypsophila – my favourite. Huge thanks to Tierney Photography for the beautiful images – watch out for the portrait shots with snowflakes and stunning images of Hodsock Priory. Congratulations Melissa and Richard, and to every one of you lovely readers – enjoy! Claire xxx See more...

A Midsomer Murders wedding in Norfolk at Lenwade House

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It tickles me that today’s fab couple Sam and Hannah used Midsomer Murders as inspiration for their wedding in Norfolk. I love that little step further from vintage they’ve taken to create a beautifully styled and very English wedding. It really fires my imagination as well… how many TV-themed weddings can you imagine? Poirot? Blue Peter? I think it’s a great idea!

Lenwade House was the setting for what turned out to be a wonderful wedding day with lovely styling and some beautiful moments. Both bride and groom look gorgeous and I know you’ll adore today’s real wedding on the blog. Thanks to Lifeline Photography – the very amazing Hannah Webster – for sharing images with us all today. (You absolutely have to check out lifelinephotography.co.uk where you’ll see Hannah change into a peacock!)

There are tons of ideas in today’s real wedding for you to take home and use as inspiration for your own wedding. Looking for a John Cleese impersonator? (Of course you were!) You’ll find him in the list of recommended wedding suppliers Hannah and Sam have included in their wedding report at the end of the blog! Enjoy. Claire xxx See more...

Glitz and elegance for a traditional wedding blog from Cain Manor in Hampshire

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Hi everyone! How are you today? It’s been ever such a busy week for me this week, I don’t know where the time has gone! So many of my wedding industry friends are saying the same thing… the wedding season has most definitely landed! I guess this means all of you lovely brides and grooms are even busier making plans in the run up to your weddings – hats off to you! Well – relax and take five minutes to enjoy today’s feature wedding – I have a traditional wedding blog to share with you, and I think you’ll love it!

Henry and Claire were married at Cain Manor in Hampshire, and my friend and sponsor Martin Price Photography has submitted their wedding to share with us all today. The beautiful bride and gorgeous groom have written a wedding report which is at the end of the feature – a must-read for all brides and grooms in the Hampshire area. See more...

Kwan and Shawn: Beautiful Beach Wedding in Bournemouth, Dorset

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Hello everyone! I have a treat for us all today… it’s such a lovely week, we’re blessed with sunshine and I hope plenty of us will have a chance to visit the seaside this weekend. For once I’m heading away from the sea for a bit of a treat… but I’ll tell you more about that soon! It’s no secret that I love my home by the beach though, and a beach wedding always captures my heart. Shawn and Kwan’s wedding is one of those with lovely images and gorgeous details which I think you will love as much as I do!

My lovely friend and sponsor Kasia from Peppermint Love Photography has written this feature to share with you – there are links to lots more lovely pictures at the end of the post! Enjoy. And have an amazing weekend! Claire x

Photography: Peppermint Love Photography
Venue: Bournemouth Beach Weddings

Aren’t they the most adorable couple? I love how light and summery their photos are.

Relaxed rustic wedding ideas in many teacups

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I remember a year or so ago on the blog one of the brides whose vintage wedding featured on the blog told me about a cupboard under the stairs which was full to bursting with a secret stash of cups and saucers she’d been collecting. Today’s blog post has as many ideas for a relaxed rustic wedding as that bride had teacups in her cupboard. Fact.

This is part two in a trilogy of inspirational wedding shoots from my lovely friend and sponsor Alix from Lumiere Photography, and Val from Benessamy Events. Together with some talented wedding suppliers they’ve created three styled shoots to inspire you with ideas for our most popular wedding themes. Last time it was country elegance, and today we have relaxed rustic wedding style ideas. Val can tell you more. Enjoy! Claire x

Relaxed rustic wedding inspiration shoot

Laura and Joe’s beautiful marquee wedding in Essex

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Hello! I have a very quick wedding post to share with you this afternoon – my friend and sponsor Andrew from Lightworks Photography in Cambridge shared this beautiful wedding on his blog and I just had to show you! Laura is the most beautiful bride – this is my favourite image but there are many more you should see right here: Laura and Joe’s Essex wedding

Essex wedding blog by Lightworks Photography

Laura and Joe’s Essex wedding blog Photo credit Lightworks Photography www.photographyatlightworks.co.uk

The happy couple didn’t let rain spoil their wedding day, which was in a marquee at Laura’s parents. Instead they celebrated in style and there are smiles everywhere you look at this wedding… it’s beautiful. Read more…

Enjoy! Claire x

Gareth and Jenny’s beautiful Botleys Mansion wedding blog

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Gareth and Jenny’s lovely wedding reads like a who’s who of some of my favourite UK wedding suppliers and designers! Today’s gorgeous couple chose Cardlab for their invitations, Jenny wore a Sassi Holford wedding dress, photography was by Martin Price. Wedding blog favourite Emma Lappin did their flowers, and the ceremony was at Botley’s Mansion in Surrey.

Congratulations to a fantastic couple – have a wonderful married life! Thank you Gareth and Jenny for sharing your wedding story with us today. Thanks also to lovely Martin Price for permission to share the lovely images of this Botley’s Mansion wedding. Everyone – enjoy! Claire x

Jenny and Gareth – a beautiful Botley’s Mansion wedding

Wedding venue

Botleys Mansion in Chertsey, Surrey www.botleys-mansion.co.uk

Wedding photographer

Berkshire and Surrey wedding photographer Martin Price www.martinpricephotography.co.uk

Wedding stationery

Invitations and save the dates were from Cardlab Modern Letterpress Stationery. All stationery on the day – table plan, place names, table names and menus were all hand made by myself. See more...