The Soundtrack to Your Wedding – 4 Brilliant Live Wedding Bands from Earcandy

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Linus Moran Photography at North Cadbury Court, traditional English wedding inspiration (50)

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Cover photo by Linus Moran Photography – full wedding coming on March 9th!

Your wedding day. It’s the end – and the beginning – of the greatest love story you’ve ever told. It deserves an epic soundtrack! And because music makes memories, it’s a soundtrack that will stay with you for the rest of your life. So, you know, no pressure or anything, but you might want to put some effort into getting it right!

You have a variety of options open to you, ranging from an iTunes playlist to a 12-piece orchestra, stopping at DJ and string quartet along the way. It’s a decision that depends on your personal tastes, budget, the style of your wedding and your choice of venue. But, one of the best ways to create ambience, get your guests dancing, and ensure a soundtrack that not only lives up to your expectations but exceeds them, is to hire a live wedding band.

4 Live Wedding Bands to Bring Your Personal Soundtrack to Life

1. Motown Gold

Debbie & Sunil’s elegant and traditional family wedding, with Nicola Norton Photography

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Traditional family wedding with Debbie & Sunil, images by Nicola Norton Photography (24)

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Happy weekend my lovelies!! I hope you’re keeping snug and warm, wherever you are! Boy, is it COLD outside!!! But what better way to spend a chilly old English weekend than indulging in a little wedding pretty! Today’s gorgeous happy couple are Debbie and Sunil, who chose Woburn Sculpture Gallery for their marriage and celebrations. Our lovely friend Nicola Norton was their Woburn wedding photographer for the day. Remember the heatwave last summer? This wedding fell bang in the middle of it all… so let’s transport you back to warm, sunny days for something absolutely stunning!

The venue has more wow factor than most – with impressive pillars and marble sculptures surrounding the space, and a row of windows letting in all the light – it was built as an orangery in the olden days when they didn’t have an inkling of how gorgeous a wedding venue it would make! While hiring Woburn Sculpture Gallery doesn’t come cheap, you will save a fortune on venue decor here! Our happy couple kept things to a minimum by opting for a simple bouquet and some light up letters along the wall, which make a great contrast with the old fashioned portraits on the walls above! See more...

Glorious wedding inspo bursting with colour and details at Kelston Old Barn

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Kelston Old Barn wedding styling with Little Wedding Helper and Sam Gibson Photography (6)

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On such a freeeeezzing cold day I can’t think of anything lovelier than bold and beautiful floral arrangements to fill our screens – can you? These stunning displays were created by Pipley Flowers for a fabulous wedding photoshoot at Kelston Old Barn, which was designed and styled by super lovely Kirsten Butler at The Little Wedding Helper.

The floral displays are delicate yet striking; the tablescape playful and beautiful. I love the fabric hanging seating plan by White Cottage Weddings – this is a real statement piece, and so different! The vintage and charming look incorporates thoughtful little touches: the old ink pots for flowers on the tables are a stroke of genius! And the pretty tapered candles set against the old brick walls of the barn are especially effective.

Gorgeous bride Helen wears vintage gowns from Heartfelt Vintage – a unique little boutique in Bristol, with one the largest collections of authentic vintage wedding dresses in the UK. I just adore the colour of this dress!

Shop with us for wedding invitations – The English Wedding Shop is now OPEN!

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Doesn’t it feel as though the New Year was months ago? I’ve been a busy bee behind the scenes here at English Wedding HQ and I’ thrilled to bring you – at last! – our brand new, shiny, exciting, wedding stationery SHOP!

With rather a lot of help from the very fabulous Etsy, we’ve launched a treasure trove of beautiful, contemporary wedding invitations for you to fall in love with.

Every wedding invitation suite has matching save the date cards, rsvp, menus, place name cards, table plan, and wedding welcome sign. They’re not all listed in the shop yet, but please bear with me as we add them, one by one, through the season!

Today I’m printing samples of some of our favourite designs. I’ll be taking them along to the wedding showcase at Askham Hall on the 10th of February (excited!!) along with some of my own bespoke calligraphy projects (which will appear on the English Wedding Instagram pages very soon).

Kate & Jack’s country chic wedding in Cheshire! With Jess Yarwood Photography

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A gorgeous village hall wedding at Dunham Massey, with Jess Yarwood Photography (31)

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Morning everyone! These two are the most adorable couple – and with an effortlessly beautiful style I adore. Kate’s Pronovias dress – the detail on Jack’s M&S suit – the bouquet, OH the bouquet!! Their day has everything, it’s gorgeous and magical and everything a wedding should be, from the ceremony at St Marks Church in Dunham Massey to the celebrations in the village hall afterwards. There are fabulous photos here to make you swoon, giggle and cry happy tears all at once. Huge thank yous to lovely Jess Yarwood Photography for sharing her images of this stunning September wedding, and massive congrats to gorgeous bride and groom Kate and Jack for being so damn amazing. LOVE this!!

Our wedding was a day of love, fun and our favorite people. The style was ‘Country chic’ (more country, less chic!). We wanted to minimize waste so beg, stole and borrowed all the flowers and foliage from our families’ gardens we could convince them not to prune over the summer. The table decorations were mostly donated from friends, including logs from felled trees and a stump heroically carried home by Jack after a long walk, or sourced from second hand stores and websites. See more...

Gavin and Michelle’s beautiful West Axnoller Farm wedding in Dorset, with Linus Moran Photography

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A beautiful barn wedding space - Axnoller Barn in Dorset, with Linus Moran Photography (44)

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Today’s gorgeous couple chose an outstanding venue for their wedding weekend, styling their day with help from friends and family and choosing their suppliers carefully to create an amazing wedding day. Our lovely friend and Dorset wedding photographer Linus Moran Photography was at West Axnoller Farm to capture the day from beginning to end, and his photos are just wonderful. Michelle’s dress is stunning, and her review of bridal boutique The Wedding Dress Dorset makes me want to sing their praises from the rafters! This is a fabulous, elegant and classic spring wedding and I do hope you love it as much as I do.

Wedding photographer’s website:

www.linusmoranphotography.co.uk

How did you choose your photographer?

We first met Linus at Kingston Mauward wedding fair and then researched his work on his website. We got a range of prices from small independent photographers and larger businesses, but we wanted a photographer with a less formal style who focused more on taking un-posed photos as they happened, as well as having the opportunity to film the day. We also thought his films really captured the emotions of the day and that’s what sealed the deal for us. See more...

Wedding ideas with more roses than you’ve ever seen in your life! At RHS Rosemoor

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English garden wedding inspiration with hundreds of roses, images by Toby Lowe Photography (4)

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Hey there lovely, how was your weekend? I’m sure I’m still covered in paint after a weekend’s decorating – and oh so ready for some wedding pretty on the blog this morning! As always, we have a STUNNING feature to kick off the week. Huge thanks to lovely Toby Lowe Photography for sending us this beautiful editorial shoot for today. I love this – the vibrant colours of the roses are stunning, the sunlight is amazing, the styling and details are gorgeous. Absolutely perfect – and all those roses are very ‘English Wedding’!!!

Toby teamed up with a team of creative wedding suppliers during the summer months at the RHS Rosemoor Gardens in North Devon. They had use of the incredible rose gardens at Rosemoor. On the shoot day they were in absolute full bloom during one of the hottest days of the year. This is one reason it’s worth spending a year or so to plan your wedding – it means you can visit your venue 12 months before your big day and see the natural features which will transform your wedding photos and make a breathtaking natural backdrop for your photographs. The shoot is stunning and we hope it will inspire those of you who are looking for unique and different wedding style ideas – still with a healthy dose of the quintessential English country garden wedding! See more...

Proteas and a riot to Toto’s Africa – Byrne & Fiona’s beautiful summer wedding with Beard + Mane

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Beard & Mane captured this beautiful summer wedding at West Dean College, Chichester (20)

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I thought it would be lovely to end this week with a beautiful wedding full of swoonworthy styling ideas and gorgeous sunshine! So happy Sunday everyone – here are gorgeous bride and groom Fiona and Byrne, with their West Dean College (Sussex) wedding. The florals by The Floral Artisan are spectacular, the marquee styling is lush and luxurious. I hope you love it!

Byrne and Fiona chose wedding photographers Beard + Mane to capture their day.

“It was the most glorious summer day, the venue was outstandingly beautiful (pergola and marquee), the couple were a total delight and the dancefloor was completely insane. I’m not sure anyone (especially the DJ) expected the riot he got when he played Toto’s Africa but I guess that’s what you should expect when half the guests are South African! You’ll find listening to the song and scrolling through this photos is a particularly pleasing experience…!”

5 epic wedding cake trends of 2019

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Beautiful wedding cakes by The Frostery - trends and ideas for 2019 (6)

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A guest article by Suzanne Thorp, Owner and Cake Designer, The Frostery

Wedding cakes have evolved considerably over the years. Gone are the days of original fruit cakes and white icing. Nowadays, couples are not only choosing wedding cakes that come in a variety of deliciously indulgent flavours but many are choosing cakes that are complete works of art, from delicately piped colourful flowers, to different botanicals and multiple extraordinary layers.

This year saw several incredible new techniques and twists dominate the wedding cake sector, such as the popular geometrics and woodland inspired designs. And 2019 is likely to be no different with several unusual wedding cake trends set to rise in popularity. Here’s what to keep an eye out for in the New Year.

1. Bespoke

What’s clear is that couples are becoming much more adventurous when it comes to planning their wedding – and that includes the design of their wedding cake. When couples realize the creative potential to be different with their cake designs and flavours in order to captivate their guests, many will find themselves selecting something that’s beautifully bespoke and unique to them and their special day. See more...

Unmissable singer-guitarists for the day of your dreams

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What comes to mind when you picture your dream live wedding entertainment? Are you caught up in the pageantry and glamour of extravagant wedding bands, or the romance and traditionalism of enchanting classical ensembles? When we picture our romantic day, it’s easy to leave a great many alternatives out of mind. Well, as wonderful as floor-filling function bands and romantic string ensembles are, we’re placing another praiseworthy wedding artist in the spotlight – the acoustic solo artist!

There’s a minimalist beauty in an acoustic singer-guitarist that’s often underestimated. Imagine a lone singer delivering heartfelt vocals with nothing but their own charisma (and an instrument honed by 4,000 years of history, of course) to captivate an entire audience – an incredible performance using only what is absolutely necessary. Have an unaccompanied virtuoso make your big day exceptional, and you experience a unique connection that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. See more...

Old Milking Parlour winter wedding style ideas from Cavokay House, with Emily Black Photography

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Cavokay House Milking Parlour wedding photographers on English-Wedding.com Photo credit Emily Black Photography (31)

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It’s really important to me as a wedding blogger that I introduce every feature I share with you. Each photograph, each wedding styling idea is carefully selected for the blog and I like to explain why I love the articles we publish… but honestly today I couldn’t dream of writing a better introduction for you than lovely Laura from The Rustic Dresser has already done! Every detail, every image takes my breath away – the location and the gorgeous images by English Wedding team member Emily Black Photography are just the dreamiest. I can only call this wedding blog gold, and leave you in Laura’s capable hands to read and see more!

The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House is one of those venues that has an atmosphere all of its own which just encases you each and every time you walk in the doors. Some venues need styling in place before you can see their true potential come alive before your eyes but The Milking Parlour isn’t one of those. If the space could talk it would say “Hi there, come on in, kick your shoes off and relax”. It just has this cosy, warm and unmistakeable welcoming feel to it which makes it the perfect place to hold a wedding reception. See more...

5 favourite invitations for a luxury stately home wedding, with Polina Perri

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Elegant wedding invitations UK design Polina Perri (2)

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This is a guest article written by our friends at Polina Perri

If you want to add a real sense of grandeur to your wedding while maintaining a homely and inviting atmosphere, a stately home wedding could be a perfect choice. Whether you envision a grand and dramatic wedding or an intimate ceremony, the enchantment of a stately home will create a magical setting for your big day.

We would like to present you 5 favourite wedding invitations for a luxury stately home wedding which will convey the ambiance of the stunning stately home, giving your guests a glimpse of the majestic glamour they will encounter on the day.

IVORY VIRGINIA WEDDING INVITATION

The embossed pattern of Polina Perri’s Virginia wedding invitation design resembles a refined brocade texture.

A delicate shimmer of ivory Italian card stock enhances the similarity with the lustre of precious threads. The smooth satin ribbon brings contrast to the relief tracery.

A rhinestone brooch with a pearl in the centerpiece puts the final accent on this beautiful design. See more...

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The Soundtrack to Your Wedding – 4 Brilliant Live Wedding Bands from Earcandy