A Jewish wedding and a cruise down the Thames

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Reportage wedding photographer Mark Carey has shared some lovely weddings with us recently, and Becky and Joel’s day is one of his best: the atmosphere of this wedding really comes across in the pictures. From the excited chaos of the bridal preparations to the solemnity and grace of the orthodox Jewish ceremony and then onto the boat trip down the Thames… it’s a really memorable, individual and fun way to celebrate a marriage.

Becky is a really, really beautiful bride. Becky’s shared her story of the day – and there are some brilliant tips in there for all you brides- and grooms-to-be. So I’ll hand over to Becky to tell you about the day, and to reportage wedding photographer Mark Carey to share the wonderful pictures.

Enjoy. xx

“My wedding dress was a Dizzie Lizzie, style – BIG! Ivory, full skirt with flower detail and train. From The Wedding Dress Shop, Colchester. It was the first dress I tried on.

Emma and Hieu’s English Country Garden Wedding

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Emma and Hieu were married in the “Palladian Mansion House” of Combe Bank School in Kent. How exciting does that sound, for starters? Emma chose a purple theme for the wedding day, and her attention to detail with all the decor on the day is so impressive I’m calling this wedding feature ‘Perfect in Purples’!

With lovely images from Eliza Claire Photography, and Emma’s own report of the wedding day, I’ll leave this feature to Emma and Eliza to share with you. You’ll love it!

Perfect in Purples

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I chose a wedding dress by designer Myring Kesterton (MMK), a pure silk traditional lace up corseted gown with layered skirt adorned with pick ups and ivory flowers. The back of the dress had a large bustle that was finished off with the same flowers on the front of the dress. The dress style was ‘Mimi’, bought from Marianne Jessica in Bromley, Kent.

wedding blog (2) See more...

Get the English Wedding FREE eBook here!

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FREE eBook for brides and grooms from English Wedding Blog

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FREE eBook for brides and grooms from English Wedding Blog

I have a little freebie for you: the brand new English Wedding Blog eBook full of gorgeous wedding pics and down-to-earth, useful advice.

Including “You are not a sausage”, “It’s only a wedding” and more tips and thoughts from a top UK wedding blog.

Simply click the links to read online or go to issuu.com/englishweddingblog/docs/ebook to download it as a pdf or embed it in your own wedding website (which you’re very welcome to do!)

Enjoy! xxx

Caroline Castigliano 2012 bridal collection

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Caroline Castigliano 2012 collection photography by Clive Arrowsmith

This little gem landed in my inbox this week, so as a parting note for the week I thought I’d share it with you.

Leading luxury designer Caroline Castigliano today unveiled stunning new photography of her 2012 Bridal collection.

Shot on location at The Dorchester on London’s Park Lane, the new images showcase a range of gowns from the ‘Oscar Collection’, in sumptuous surroundings befitting Caroline Castigliano’s luxurious and elegant designs.

Caroline Castigliano, who celebrates 20 years at the forefront of luxury bridal design this year, enlisted top fashion photographer Clive Arrowsmith to shoot the collection. Arrowsmith has photographed a wealth of celebrities and VIPs throughout his illustrious career.

Brazilian model Janini was styled to reflect a Castigliano bride – a woman with a definite sense of style, who is confident and sexy.

‘Madamoiselle’ can be seen in The Dorchester’s fabulous Crystal Suite. This design, featuring a French Chantilly lace boat neck bodice and circular silk organza skirt, will appeal to brides looking to emulate the understated elegance of Kate Middleton’s wedding gown. See more...

Pretty in Pink! Wedding inspiration board

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Some classic pink wedding inspiration from Suzy and Bruno’s Hengrave Hall wedding…

Pretty in Pink wedding inspiration board. All photos by Chris Hanley Photography

Wedding inspiration – Pretty in Pink

Choose a focus for your wedding decorations – don’t spend a fortune on every detail, but choose something fabulous that will be a real talking point: in Suzy and Bruno’s case, the table centrepieces are statuesque and colourful with roses, feathers and foliage perched on glass pillars.

Keep your details elegant and simple: a wedding table plan focusing on word art is a great idea. Suzy and Bruno chose simple pink flowers for the four edges of their plan and an ornate black frame which I love.

An elegant white wedding cake with minimal detailing will create as much of a talking point as a richly decorated designer cake. Suzy and Bruno’s cake has bright pink ribbons and a fantastic jewel embellishment. The little cluster of roses on top of the cake adds charm to the cake table. See more...

Suzy and Bruno’s spectacular Hengrave Hall wedding 2

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Morning everyone! I hope you slept well last night… or were you, like me, wondering if our lovely groom Bruno would survive yesterday’s flower girl feather stick ambush?! Well I have good news for you… he did! And today I’m delighted to bring you part two of the 200th real wedding on English Wedding Blog.

Thanks again to Chris Hanley Photography for sharing such incredible images for this feature. I am always blown away by the magic inside Chris’s camera. Today we’re back at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk for more from beautiful Suzy and Bruno – who is responsible for my favourite image from this wedding day: the most loving hug you’ll ever see on a wedding blog!

Enjoy. xx

This is a lovely idea: the tiny panels of glass in the windows of Hengrave Hall afford us a private glimpse of Suzy and Bruno together. I love proper panelled glass windows when they sparkle in the sunshine – to see them used so beautifully in a wedding picture is a treat! See more...

English Wedding Blog’s 200th real wedding!

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This one had to be special. When I blog a wedding I look for creativity, for ideas, for beauty. English Wedding blog features are about elegance and quality, about enjoyment, diversion and making our eyes happy. Real wedding number two hundred had to have something more.

I found Suzy and Bruno’s wedding on Chris Hanley‘s blog. It’s packed with wow – so much so, I’m blogging the wedding day in three parts. Today: join me in a virtual stroll around Hengrave Hall wedding venue where we’ll set the scene for the day, meet the beautiful Suzy, her charming new husband Bruno and their pretty bridesmaids all enjoying the luxury of one of Suffolk’s finest stately homes.

Wedding blogs are all about the photography. So English Wedding’s 200th feature had to have the most exquisite photographs – I know it’s what YOU want to see! (I’ve even checked the Love My Dress blog reader survey on this: 33% of blog readers put photography as the most important element of their wedding) See more...

Because shoes are the most important…

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Clare and Jon’s wedding at Leeds Corn Exchange was planned around shoes. Because Clare had her heart set on the most amazing Christian Louboutin hyper prive heels – a special treat for the best day of her life! As Clare told me, “the rest of the wedding had to fit around them!”

This real wedding blog is of course about far more than a pair of Christian Louboutins. It’s a family focused wedding day full of laughter and smiles, with a wedding day story from a bride who has the prettiest giggle and the most sensual smile I’ve seen! Clare and Jon are a perfect match. Their day was a relaxed, fun celebration in an incredible venue, and I have some fabulous photos to share with you today.

The photos are by James P. Lester Photography – husband and wife team James and Lianne met at Leeds Corn Exchange so the wedding venue has a place in their hearts too! I think the romance shows in the pictures. Along with Clare’s words they tell a wonderful story. See more...

Romance, tears, kilts and sunsets

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Neil Wedding Video- Heaton House Farm Cheshire from silk wedding videos on Vimeo.

This gorgeous wedding film by Silk Wedding Videos needs very little introduction. A beautiful bride in a ruffled wedding dress; her gorgeous (and tearful) groom in kilt and sporren; an idyllic Cheshire location and about as loved up as a wedding video can be.

Wedding video highlights:

the adorable bridesmaid watching preparations in the morning
tears from the groom and his heartwarming vows
a lovely Scottish accent and bagpipers to go with it!
dogs in collars made of roses. Eat your heart out Tamara!

Enjoy x

Thanks to Tom Harrington of Silk Wedding Videos for sharing. Here’s the link to his official website at www.silkweddingvideos.co.uk and to the Silk Wedding Videos channel on Vimeo – http://vimeo.com/silkweddingvideo – you’ll love it.

9 best wedding traditions from around the world

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Morning everyone! Today I’ll tease your learning-buds with a list of nine things you probably didn’t know. This is a guest post by John Greed Jewellery, who’ve found the best wedding traditions from around the world. Will you be incorporating any in your day? Or do you think we have any better traditions here in the UK? I’d love to hear what you think!

The bride and groom spending the night apart before the big day is about as traditional as many British weddings get. However, there are plenty of countries with their own wedding day quirks- some of which are quite touching, while some are a little scary! We’ve investigated the best ones from around the globe. Why not take some wedding inspiration and inject a worldly twist into your big day? Or even better, get in to your soon to be mother-in-law’s good books, by embracing the family’s heritage? See more...

Croquet on the lawn? There’s an English Wedding!

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Emma and Richard’s wedding at Homme House is a real treat: it couldn’t be more English Wedding-y if we were all sitting here drinking Earl Grey and munching on scones while reading this blog post and waving union jacks*. I loved it the minute I saw this wedding on Anneli Marinovich’s wedding photography blog. Wedding day croquet on the lawn? Yes please!

Emma is absolutely beautiful, and Anneli captures her radiance so well in these pictures. There are many more I couldn’t fit on the blog post so I’ll urge you all to look at Anneli’s wedding blog post at the end! For now, enjoy my favourite photos from this quintessentially English wedding day.

Claire xxx

I sent Emma and Richard my English Wedding Blog questionnaire to find out a little more about the wedding day. Emma told me about her dress, which is “Pronovias Silaba – I bought it from Teokath in Wimbledon.”

Katie and Steve’s Isle of Wight wedding

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I’ve never been to the Isle of Wight, but Gareth and I recently discovered we have relatives there (long story!) so this wedding day piqued my interest! Katie and Steve were married on the island, at Appuldurcombe House – a partly restored 18th century wedding venue and one of the grandest buildings on the Isle of Wight.

Katie and Steve’s wedding was lovely: a traditional wedding with a pretty white theme, beautiful flowers, a tiered white wedding cake, and lots of fun with children always looking as though they’re just about to jump into the fountain! I didn’t spot my long lost relatives in here, but it’s a gorgeous wedding with lots of ideas to inspire, I hope, brides and grooms who are looking to have an elegant, understated but beautiful wedding day.

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Oh, and there’s a white vintage scooter starring in one of the group photos. I love it! I’m ashamed to say Gareth and I can’t identify even whether it’s a Lambretta or Vespa, but it’s gorgeous! See more...