Post-wedding experience: be Hollywood stars for a day

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So many post wedding shoots are all about the bride – but today I’m sharing a post-wedding treat for you as a couple. An extension of the magic of your wedding day, an experience to share together with pampering and luxury, the chance to dress up for your very own Hollywood Vogue couple’s shoot.

Your own post-wedding glamorous photo shoot

McAvoy Photography have created Hollywood Vogue to be all about glamour, love and romance. After the intensity of wedding planning, the heady excitement of your wedding day, here’s your chance to extend that fabulous euphoric feeling that can deflate quickly once the honeymoon is over. Jenny and Keith McAvoy created Hollywood Vogue shoots as a real treat with champagne, cupcakes, a hotel stay and a fabulous shoot to create lasting memories. See more...

Engagement photography Showcase

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We’ve had such beautiful weather recently, and many of you have had your engagement shoots over recent weeks. Two of my favourites from the English Wedding Showcase are a world of contrasts: from glorious spring sunshine to dramatic twilight…

True love: engagement photography by Martin Beddall on the English Wedding Showcase

Above: Heidi and Toby’s Kent engagement shoot with wedding photographer Martin Beddall – beautifully sunny and light, although Martin introduced it on the English Wedding Blog with the words “probably means more snow soon”. Thanks Martin!

Below: Mark and Erin’s engagement shoot near Warrington – a clear evening with deliciously blue skies. I love their feet in this picture! And the blue is dreamy and so romantic. By McAvoy Photography.

Romance at twilight: engagement photography by McAvoy Photography on the English Wedding Showcase

I don’t feature engagement or pre-wedding photography very often on English Wedding Blog, but there have been some beautiful shoots from my wedding photographer sponsors on the Showcase recently, and I urge you to go and have a look if you’re planning or considering an engagement shoot of your own. English-Wedding-Showcase.com See more...

Vintage hair and styling – meet Bethany Jane Davies

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Vintage Twee and Nia Fiori by Bethany Jane Davies and Neirn Khiamsap

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I had the privilege of watching a very select group of wedding experts at work recently… I still can’t divulge all the cloak-and-dagger details of this amazing shoot but I can’t resist telling you about the fascinatingly talented Bethany Jane Davies.

Bethany Jane Davies joined the team – Chris Hanley Photography, Marry Me Films, Vintage Twee and Nia Fiori – on a two-day creative shoot to create the most wonderfully exciting and glamorous hair for models Jo and Nia.

Without getting in anyone’s way I did my best to peer over her shoulder from time to time each morning and watch her at work. Bethany owns The Vintage Beauty Parlour and she’s an experienced freelance hair and make-up artist with a background in television, fashion and film. She was personally trained by Versace’s head stylist at the prestigious School of Make-Up – and it really was exciting to see her working with Jo and Nia!

Jo and Nia. Styling Bethany Jane Davies and photo credit Chris Hanley Photography See more...

Old, new, borrowed and blue for Claire and Richard’s wedding

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When she told me about her wedding day Claire mentioned how she’d always looked forward to the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue – so I chose the title for this wedding blog post too. Claire and Richard were married at Mallory Court in August. There are some really special little touches in Claire’s wedding report: I love how she kept the dress a shared secret with just her mum, for example – and what a gorgeous dress.

Claire is a stunning bride. Richard looks fantastic in his kilt – this is just a fabulous wedding day with real style and a nice traditional touch. The wedding photography is by Rob and Sarah Gillespie; I’ll leave you with their pictures to tell the story of the day alongside Claire’s own wedding story.

Enjoy! x

Discovering Erica Stacey with Cherish the Dress™

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Stumbling across exciting new designers and breathtaking photography is one of the best bits of being a wedding blogger. Erica Stacey is a bridal designer in Manchester whose first bridalwear collection was launched earlier this year. Erica’s inspiration comes from Art Deco, and her gowns are all made in the UK. Her wedding dresses are simply out of this world.

This is a collection I know you’ll adore. Beautiful bridalwear, beautifully photographed by Chris Hanley Photography. Chris is the creator of Cherish the Dress™, the exclusive fashion shoot where you are the model and your wedding dress is the star.

What better way to showcase such a fabulous bridalwear collection than a Cherish the Dress™ shoot at the Manchester Hilton. Chris Hanley is a master craftsman with lighting, a photographer with an eye for true beauty in photography and design.

Erica Stacey sources the most beautiful fabrics from around the world to create her distinctive and timelessly elegant bridal gowns. Delicate lace, floral patterns, soft silks – these gowns are bound to make any bride feel on top of her world – they’re wedding dresses you’ll truly cherish and enjoy. See more...

A summer house wedding at Wasing Park

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The quaint little summerhouse, all white with blue inside and painted apple blossom… the gorgeous bride (I almost called this wedding blog post “The most beautiful girl in the world“) and a lovely English wedding day unfolds in pictures…

Ruth and Tristan were married at Wasing Park, with their ceremony in the Victorian summer house and a reception in the converted barn. They planned the wedding in just 9 months – and did a wonderful job with it all. Their wedding photographer was Michelle Joubert-Martin.

Enjoy!

The marriage proposal:

Tristan went away on business to the Philippines and on the day he was due to get back into heathrow all the snow hit and the plane was diverted to Manchester. Ruth caught the train to heathrow and waited a few hours before Tristan called from the plane sat on the runway at Manchester and said they were waited for the snow to be cleared and Ruth ought to go home before the snow stopped the trains running. See more...

Wedding planning or work?

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Afternoon everyone, and I hope wherever you are you’re looking forward to the weekend already. Once more, it’s time for a little diversion from the world of wedding blogs. As Davina once used to say, here are your best bits:

Charlotte Balbier bride on Love My Dress wedding blog

Via Love My Dress; Photography credit http://imagenewcastle.co.uk

Real weddings and engagement shoots

a Charlotte Balbier bride and an English Country Wedding…
Beautifully bright engagement shoot flooded with sunshine
Helen and Adrian’s engagement photography
A Modern Music London Wedding – you’ll love the dress!
Cotswold Chic on Rock My Wedding blog
A Relaxed, Rustic, French Barn Style Wedding By The Sea
A Real Summer Picnic Wedding
A romantic twilight engagement shoot
The Soho Hotel Wedding

Romantic twilight engagement shoot by McAvoy Photography See more...

Think creative

Deliciously different Wedding Day Thank You Cards and why you should buy them now, not later!
Springtime Romance Bridal Inspiration Shoot
Some great ideas for you with Jam Jars, Bean Tins and Ice Cream Cones

New sponsor welcome – Yolande De Vries

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It’s time to welcome a brand new wedding photographer to English Wedding blog, and I’m proud to have the fabulous Yolande De Vries as part of the team here at English Wedding.

Wedding photography in London and UK-wide by Yolande De Vries

Yolande’s background is in fashion photography and photojournalism, and her wedding photography style is feminine and exciting – it’s a real pleasure to welcome Yolande to English Wedding blog.

english-wedding-showcase.com/yolande-de-vries-photography-showcase

I was thrilled to feature a bridal inspiration shoot by Yolande on English Wedding blog in 2011 – set in what appeared to be an enchanted forest, the shoot was inspiring, exciting, striking and deliciously different. I’ve followed Yolande’s photography blog ever since!

I’m really looking forward to getting to know Yolande a little better and to sharing her wedding photography with you via the English Wedding Showcase blog. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to English Wedding!

www.yolandedevries.com

Wedding photographer Yolande De Vries on English Wedding blog

The day I killed wedding cupcakes (book review)

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This heartbreaking tale begins with a note in my inbox several weeks ago. Would I like to review a new book for brides and grooms: “Wedding Cupcakes”? Yes I’d love to. I could have a taste test and everything… it’d be so much fun!

So I replied, and within a couple of days this little beauty arrived in the post. I dashed out to Sainsburys with my shopping list ready to get stuck into one of those beautifully inspiring wedding DIY blog posts that all the top bloggers are so good at. I imagined I’d be as good at this as Lou from Whimsical Wonderland Weddings with all her expert tutorials and home made photoshoots.

I couldn’t have been wronger. As wrong as if you’d led me by the hand to the ‘wrong’ department in the wrong shop, tipped me upside down, painted ‘wrong’ on my forehead and dumped me in the wrong basket on the way out, as one of my expert reviewers might say. (but she’s better at this than I am.) Still, at least I was keen. See more...

Is the wedding industry about to wake up to equal marriage?

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On Thursday the 15th of March the government began a consultation into equal civil marriage in England and Wales. It intends to change the current law so that same sex civil marriage on non-religious premises will become legal from 2015. David Cameron beamed and announced, “I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative”. Oh shut up. (But more on that later…)

Reaction in the media has been variously welcoming, critical and outraged. Religious organisations have lashed out. Equal rights campaigners are asking for more. But the wedding industry has been uncomfortably quiet on the subject. Political discussion doesn’t seem to impact on our day-to-day conversation. Why?

The voice of our industry has always been print media: the monthly and bi-monthly wedding magazines. With the huge popularity of wedding blogs, we’re no longer restricted by print lead times: we can discuss the politics affecting marriage as they tangle around us – and by having a conversation, we can make a difference. See more...

Sweet as candy wedding inspiration board

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Sweet candy pink wedding inspiration board

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Get your pink-sunglasses out, quick! Because we’re still in the land of marshmallowy, fluffy, girly, princessy wonderful pink. Today’s wedding blog is an inspiration board – I saved some of my favourite bits from yesterday’s pink wedding inspiration shoot for you and made a wedding inspiration board for all the girly girls out there. And just for today, I’m one of ’em. Join me?

Sweet as Candy - pink wedding inspiration board. Photo credit: Cristina Rossi

Click on the image to see it a little bigger and read all the supplier details without squinting! See more...

Sweet as candy – wedding inspiration & ideas

Feature pieces like pink chandeliers or candelabras draped in pink beads make all the difference – either go for sophisticated pink, or splash out and play with it to great effect! You don’t need to go to town, just pick out key touches and go for quality over and above quantity
Ask the little girl inside you what goes with pink and she’ll tell you: sparkle, diamonds, crystals and glitter. So add a little twinkle here and there with clear beads, silver and shine

Days to Go: 18

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I realise that 18 days to go is an odd number to blog, but we have been so busy recently I haven’t been able to blog!

Time is zooming by and lots of things are falling into place! We had a meeting with a wedding coordinator at our Reception venue and sorted out lots of little twiddly bits.

It was really exciting to talk to the wedding coordinator, we could really picture the day and we were both in such a happy mood!

The picture above is of our wedding venue, I took that photo. I really hope the weather is this beautiful when it’s our wedding. This photo was taking on our wedding date two years ago, and the weather last year was beautiful as well. Fingers are definitely crossed!

My wedding dress is now safely at home ready to be worn and all the gents have been measured with their suits. See more...