Betsy Button competition winner!

FEATURED

Isn’t it cold, and so beautiful today! I hope you’re having a nice day – just a quick little note from me to say congratulations to Louise, who won the Betsy Button competition I ran in November.

Louise was selected at random to win the lovely bracelet and heart ornament from Betsy Button. I shall miss the heart, which has been to my beach and now hangs on my little Christmas tree – but I know Louise will love it – it’s gorgeous 🙂

If you haven’t yet bought your wedding stationery then do check out Betsy Button – I still have samples here and will keep them for a week or so in case anyone would like them. Just let me know!

You can see more from Betsy Button here on English Wedding Blog, or visit http://betsy-button.co.uk/

Focus on… the moments that really make a wedding

FEATURED

Hello. Welcome! Let’s talk about wedding blogs and reality today shall we?! …I thought that might pique your interest. Behind the scenes here at English Wedding Blog I’ve been secretly tormented for months by the way the wedding media focuses on details, losing sight of the fact that weddings are all about the moment you say “I do”. Time to bridge the gap…

The best memories. The best images. What weddings are really all about…

Photo credit UK wedding photographer (12)

Focus on… families. by Sam Clayton Photography. Being married is about family – your parents and friends, your children and all the love that surrounds you as a couple.

Photo credit UK wedding photographer (6)

Focus on… loving looks. by Phil Drinkwater Photography. Knowing you’re made for each other, capturing the pure love and turning it into memories you will never, ever forget. A loving look captured for eternity.

Photo credit UK wedding photographer (2)

Focus on… timeless brides. by Martin Hill Photography. Beauty is all about confidence and style, a glowing happiness and the radiance of being in love. It’s not fashion, trends or details which make the perfect wedding day. See more...

A last minute, romantic gift for Christmas?

FEATURED

Hey everyone, I hope your day is going well. I wanted to share a very quick calligraphy idea with you. I am taking my last few Christmas orders this week, and lots of people are asking for favourite song lyrics – first dances, the songs you fell in love to. Things like this…

Calligraphy song lyrics – Frank Turner

This piece is on my windowsill at home – I love the lyrics and what they mean to me. If you have a favourite song you’d like to share with your other half via the magic of calligraphy, email me! The price for something like this is around £50 and I’m taking Christmas orders until the evening of the 14th of December (Friday).

Claire xxx

www.PoemsWithLove.co.uk
www.Calligraphy-for-Weddings.com

A beautifully traditional London wedding

FEATURED

When I first saw James and Rachel’s London wedding on Neale James’s blog I was taken aback by the elegance of their day. This is a wedding to inspire you quietly: details and styling are classic and understated; Rachel’s bridal style is simply beautiful. Her dress is by Sassi Holford.

I love the images from documentary wedding photographer Neale James too. Neale has an unobtrusive and naturally relaxed photography style, and his images tell a wonderful story. Rachel and James’s day begins with bridal preparations and continues through the marriage ceremony and onto the reception and speeches – for the happy couple, these were the best part of their day.

Don’t miss the first dance towards the end of the blog post, and do click to view Neale’s wedding photofilm after you’ve seen all the images. You’ll love it!

Thank you to James and Rachel for sharing such a lovely wedding report with us all today! Congratulations to you both. Claire xxx

Unique wedding invitations – Artemis Stationery

FEATURED

Hello! Thank you for popping by this morning… I have something rather rare and special to share with you today. Nathan from Artemis Stationery designs the kind of wedding invitations which will make you gasp: they’re exquisitely detailed, beautifully intricate and contemporary.

Artemis Stationery – Photo credit G Lily http://glily.co.uk/

Unique wedding invitations by Artemis Stationery

Nathan and I share a story too… one of my earliest calligraphy-related memories is of writing my homework in my best friend Sarah’s handwriting at school. I got in trouble. On the Artemis Stationery website Nathan mentions getting in trouble “for drawing everyone else’s rabbits after we had to write a short story about rabbits” at school. A man after my own heart! This is how all the best wedding suppliers start out, don’t you know!

So I’ve chosen a few of my favourite designs from Artemis Stationery to show you today. Do click through to the official website where there are many more, as well as insights into the design process and how to order.

Love your curves!

FEATURED

I had heard lovely things about today’s guest writer Debbie before we really started chatting online. Debbie’s passion for her business and her brides is well known in the north west wedding industry – and she’s been kind enough to write a feature for English Wedding Blog today.

This is for brides to be who are looking for dress styles to flatter a curvier figure – from a bridal store expert who not only knows her stuff but also cares deeply about making her brides happy.

Enjoy the images which go along with Debbie’s advice for brides – they’re from the fabulous Vickerstaff Photography. Jamie’s images are always incredible and this shoot has some truly magical images of Debbie’s gorgeous curvy brides – you’ll love it and I hope you’ll find the images inspiring and the advice useful too! With thanks to Glamour Bridal, Bolton.

Love your curves! by Debbie Buck, Glamour Bridal

Quote for the day! Your love…

FEATURED

Let’s end the working week with a quote for the day, shall we? One to share with your other half, on facebook or Pinterest. Go on, spread a little love!

I have an exciting weekend planned – starting with a night out with my two best mates from school. Can’t wait! Hope you have a brilliant weekend and if you’re hitting the Christmas shops I hope you have a lovely time.

This calligraphy quote is an extract from something special I wrote for a lovely lady and friend – for more song lyrics in calligraphy (or to order your own lyrics from just £50) check out my calligraphy facebook page or email hello@calligraphy-for-weddings.com

Claire xxx

Best wedding blogs – catch up

FEATURED

Happy Friday folks! I hope you have exciting plans for the weekend – Christmas shopping perhaps?! Me too – a few little bits and I’m done. I also need to finish off my Christmas cards this weekend! December goes so quickly. But for now, to brighten your Friday let’s revisit some of the best wedding blogs from recent weeks.

This summery, beautiful wedding will make your heart glow. By Simon Biffen Photography – click to see more! See more...

Real weddings

Velvet shoes, a Jenny Packham dress and a beautiful barn wedding
A Soho wedding on the fabulous London Bride blog
An elegant Parisian wedding (LOVE this!)
Something further afield – an Ohio lake wedding
And all the way from Kenya, via Cheshire wedding photographer and all round lovely man Adam Johnson. Pretty damn incredible as a wedding and as a story. Destination Wedding Photography Kenya (Parit + Sonal Teasers) Enashipai Naivasha
Closer to home: this lovely Hackney town hall wedding will make you smile

Wedding memory book idea!

FEATURED

Hello! I want to share something gorgeous and unique with you today – I stumbled across these little beauties on Twitter last week – and I think they’re a brilliant idea for a wedding gift.

Life memories – a unique idea for a wedding keepsake

The Life Memory book is from All About Everybody and has spaces for you to fill in with names and faces, stories and photos from your lives together. What better gift for a couple starting out as husband and wife than a cute-as-buttons book, a blank canvas ready to paint the picture of your new life on the pages?

http://allabouteverybody.com

This is not a sponsored blog post. I found it and loved it! That’s all 🙂

Have a brilliant day everyone! Claire xxx

Through a flower girl’s eyes – London wedding

FEATURED

Hello everyone! I find myself captivated by today’s wedding… as I’ve been scrolling through the beautiful images of Kirsty-Anne and James’s London wedding this morning I’ve welled up a little – this is an incredible story.

But I can’t resist introducing this wedding in a different way: there is a wonderful sequence of images showing Kirsty-Anne’s pretty flower girl whose excitement is the most amazing thing to see!

This of course is a beautiful wedding from beginning to end: Kirsty-Anne and James make a stunning couple; the dress is divine; the venues magnificent. Documentary wedding photographer Martin Beddall captures the emotion of this London wedding and his images have put me in such a romantic mood this morning!

Kirsty-Anne was run over just six months before her wedding day and her recovery gives us real perspective on what’s important here: love, marriage and the celebration of two people committing to sharing a life together. With my thanks to Martin Beddall for the images and to Kirsty-Anne and James for sharing their story. This is beautiful. Enjoy. See more...

How To Choose A Vintage Wedding Theme

FEATURED

FEATURED

Morning everyone! This is one of the best guest articles I’ve ever published on English Wedding Blog – down-to-earth advice about choosing a vintage wedding theme which will genuinely and comfortably fit your personalities. Thanks once again to Queens & Bowl for heartfelt and realistic advice. Enjoy!

1920s Bridal Headpiece by Stephanie Browne

One of the first – and most common – questions a bride planning her big day will be asked by friends, family and colleagues is ‘what’s your theme?’ For some women this is the cue to go off on a 15-minute monologue detailing everything from table decorations to the type of fabric that’ll be on the chairs at the reception, but for others it can be a slightly embarrassing experience.

Picking a wedding theme is just one of the many tasks facing couples planning their wedding and it can be difficult to settle on one overriding theme for the day – after all, it’s not really for just one day as photographs will immortalise the theme forever. What may have seemed like a good idea at the time may be quite cringeworthy in 20 years time! See more...

An intimate and personal Ingatestone Hall wedding

FEATURED

Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a nice morning so far. Whatever you’re up to I hope you’re keeping well wrapped up – I have taken to wearing my biggest scarf for cosy blogging this week! And today’s Ingatestone Hall wedding is one of my star weddings this week – an Ian Stuart dress, gentle pinks and traditional styling for a really classic and gorgeous English wedding day. I hope you love it!

Elizabeth and Paul had an elegant English wedding with a light colour palette, pretty details and some special touches: a horse and carriage, a string quartet and lots of lush pink roses! Elizabeth’s dress is the exquisite Coppelia by Ian Stuart – she’s absolutely stunning. I’ll hand over to Elizabeth for the wedding report and to wedding photographer Gary Roebuck for all the lovely images of their Ingatestone Hall wedding now. Enjoy the pretty! xxx