Finding ‘the’ Dress! Honest and inspiring advice from wedding planner & stylist Jenna Hewitt

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Thank you again to Claire for having me on the English Wedding Blog. For those of you not following this monthly piece, I’m Jenna (Weddings by Jenna Hewitt) and I plan and style weddings for couples looking for a laid back luxury feel across the UK. This time I’m talking the dress! How exciting! In fact surely this is the most fun part? The dress shopping is at least billed as fun, a lovely experience, but are you feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect? Are you feeling the pressure to find something perfect? Back in July I had the pleasure of dress shopping with my lovely bride-to-be, Hannah and I thought I’d share a little bit about the experience and some advice on where on earth to start when searching for that dress!

All images by Joanna Brown Photography at Miss Bush Bridal

I’m going to start with a couple of things you really should think about before you even begin. See more...

Kate and Ali’s wonderfully autumnal wedding at Notley Barn in Oxfordshire, with Amanda Karen Photography

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Autumn wedding styling isn’t all about the pine cones, you know. I get it: they’re cute little things, with a dash of childhood nostalgia attached… but I think after years upon years of pine cone wedding styling they’re about to be pushed from the top spot – by the humble gourd!

So many wedding traditions and styling ideas start in the US and gradually make their way over here. With all the budding excitement of Hallowe’en they start their pumpkins early over there… and the mini versions (gourds is a catch-all term for anything pumpkinesque, in my simple mind!) are colourful, cute and charming as hell. I love how Kate and Ali used them to style their day.

Kate and Ali got married at Notley Tythe Barn in Oxfordshire with a family friend working as a set designer lending her creativity and a very talented Mother of the Bride making the wedding cake for the happy couple. The bride and bridesmaids look stunning with bouquets in pastel tones and dresses in shades of dusky pink; copper and bronze accent colours hint at the fabulous styling of the reception venue and capture the spirit of autumn days. See more...

Pinterest for your wedding journey – how to pin like a pro!

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Let’s face it, everyone LOVES Pinterest. I can spend many an hour pinning the perfect boards but for many couples it’s totally overwhelming. There are so many images to pin, and each one is simply amazing.

Couples can quickly find their boards filled with ideas and inspiration but the images have no cohesive style, colour theme or affordability. It can create total confusion when planning your dream day!

So I wanted to give you an idea of how the professionals pull together amazing mood boards, ones which make sense, are achievable and make designing your wedding SO much easier.

Read on to discover my top tips…

Create a board for each section of your wedding – pull together a board for each individual element so attire, shoes, flowers, special details… anything and everything!
Pin, pin, pin! –Pin everything you love regardless of colour, style and affordability. Go wild for any images you like or love.

Inspiration for a modern boho bride, with bridal separates by Otaduy

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I love the vibrancy of today’s shoot – capturing the bride in those last moments before the time comes to walk down the aisle. The details are exquisite: timeless in style, yet bold and contemporary in style. That bouquet…

Submitted by Otaduy to the English Wedding Blog, this styled shoot is all about focusing on those key pivotal moments with the bride before she says ‘I do’.

Keen to focus on the female form we choose two very feminine beautiful dresses from Otaduy, and a strong make-up look – perfect for bringing out the bride’s features and putting her in the spotlight.

For the flowers and bouquet we wanted to create a colorful vibe mixing all types of vibrant colours. We injected a pink quarz touch to the bouquet with beautiful fabric tying the flowers together. We also added a bunch of olive leaves to add a warm and Mediterranean touch – a reflection of the origin of the dress designer.

Wedding chair styling – beautiful ideas and chair styles explained!

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Wedding chairs are a big thing for 2018. It’s rare nowadays to cover chairs; instead brides and grooms are sourcing their own chairs with a look to fit the style of their day. You’ll very rarely see a chair cover on a wedding blog – and I’ve featured so many wonderful shoots with ghost chairs, chiavari chairs, crossback wooden chairs and eclectic collections of chairs from chic city venues I thought it was about time we looked into the wedding chair mystery a little further!

I spotted a great piece on alternative wedding chair styles on Wedhead‘s blog (which is a beautiful part of the internet all on its own, and highly recommended reading) which taught me so much about wedding chair styles. Lovely Anastasia explains that chair covers can be just as expensive (as much as £10 each!) to hire as chairs themselves – and someone has to spend an hour or five wrestling them onto the chairs… is it really worth it? (And then they come off… I’ve even seen people wearing chair covers at the end of one evening do! As ghosts. Not even kidding…) See more...

Wedding stationery trends for 2018 – something a little different!

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I’m a total paper freak. I love exploring art shops and specialist stationery suppliers’ little havens of handmade papers, running my hands along the torn edges of any new stock I can find. I know it’s weird.

Calligraphy wedding invitations from UK Calligrapher By Moon and Tide (2)

Photo: Susan Arnold Photography as seen on B.Loved

But there’s a thing I can’t get out of my head: I read on a wedding blog a week or two ago that one of the key trends for 2018 wedding stationery would be paper.

Calligraphy wedding invitations from UK Calligrapher By Moon and Tide (4)

Photo: Olivia Bossert for a shoot for Wedding Sparrow

Not card, not pocketfolds, not even transparencies. Good old earthy, natural, handmade paper.

Calligraphy wedding invitations from UK Calligrapher By Moon and Tide (5)

Photo: Jess Petrie, featured on Wedding Sparrow. Illustration by Amy Swann

I’ve been writing on specialist papers for the last couple of years. It’s kind of what I do. I really love it – paper has a life all of its own and with every new calligraphy nib comes a new adventure in textured, woven, cotton rag or hand dyed paper.

Calligraphy wedding invitations from UK Calligrapher By Moon and Tide (3)

Photo: Oobaloos Photography See more...

Holly & James’s chic winter wedding at Hornington Manor, with York Place Studios

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So today I really want to say that weddings should be about memories, celebration, belly laughs and so much love you could burst… yet at the same time, Holly wears the most incredible dress for her wedding to James that part of me is holding back just a little bit and thinking that at least half of this blog post should be about just how beautiful that dress is… argh!! Because, isn’t it?! Wow.

Contact & Bookings: York Place Studios

www.yorkplacestudios.co.uk
Instagram.com/yorkplacestudios
Facebook.com/yorkplacestudios
Twitter.com/yorkplacestudio

I love featuring weddings from our wonderful friends and sponsors at York Place Studios. They’re fantastic documentary wedding photographers who are different. They do more than capture the atmosphere of a wedding day; they grab the wedding and bring its spirit and laughter right through to the screen. And for their brides and grooms I’m sure those images are so powerful they’re transported right back into every heart-bursting moment with every single shot.

Will you be tossing your bouquet (or holding onto that beautiful creation for dear life)?!!

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Occasionally I lurk on wedding forums… it’s a habit I’ve indulged since I started my little calligraphy business back in 2005. And this week I came across a little discussion about throwing the bouquet. With my mind very much on wedding traditions this month (we’ve a few interesting features up our sleeves) I was very curious to find out people’s opinions on bouquet tossing! With some of the amazing bouquets I’ve seen at weddings recently, I can’t imagine that throwing it would be a) physically possible, b) anything less than heartbreaking and c) financially viable!

a beautiful fairytale wedding at Lainston with Amanda Karen Photography (8)

Photo credit: Amanda Karen Photography

I’d love to know your thoughts – will you throw your bouquet?

Join our little facebook discussion – is the flying bouquet a good thing?

The pros:

It’s a sweet tradition, in a way – all the girls get together for a little bit of harmless fun.

The rest of the crowd like to see who really wants that catch, and who’s trying to hide at the back – I get it. It can be hugely entertaining! See more...

Enchanted woodland wonderland (with a touch of boho glamour) – wedding inspo feature

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Today’s woodland wedding shoot is wonderful!!! I LOVE the ribbon tipi and the bouquet – and the dreamy background and styling touches are just incredible! The venue is Oakwood Weddings, a brand new wedding venue nestled within ancient woodland near Ashford. All images are by lovely English Wedding Directory member Helen England Photography, who is based in Kent.

Woodland wedding inspo in Kent with Blue Daisies Florist and Your Beautiful Day. Image credit Helen England Photography (6)

www.helenenglandphotography.co.uk

The theme was enchanted woodland wonderland with a touch of bohemian glamour designed by Claire from Blue Daisies Florist who supplied all the beautiful flowers, and Becky from Your Beautiful Day.

Woodland wedding inspo in Kent with Blue Daisies Florist and Your Beautiful Day. Image credit Helen England Photography (21)

As a photographer it’s always an amazing experience to have the opportunity to work with other supplies on a collaborative styled shoot, so when I was approached by Claire about the idea she had for the shoot I jumped at the chance to be involved!

Oakwood Weddings was the perfect setting, nestled in miles of woodland with a carpet full of beautiful bluebells. I was super excited to be shooting at a venue where no weddings have even taken place yet!

Woodland wedding inspo in Kent with Blue Daisies Florist and Your Beautiful Day. Image credit Helen England Photography (17) See more...

New sponsor welcome: The Creative Boutique Wedding Fair (Kingston upon Thames, 29th October)

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Handmade is a lifestyle choice Amelia Barnes made a long time ago. The organiser of The Creative Boutique Wedding Fair studied as a fine artist, and has tried her hand at many crafts while working as an art teacher. When Amelia got married she really came to appreciate how tricky it can be to find stylish, handmade wedding pieces – and so she went out of her way to track down and source amazing suppliers to find unique wedding ideas which were truly reflective of her.

“I spent months and months searching online for a vintage wedding dress and I just couldn’t find anything that would fit me or my style…. All dresses I looked at in shops were made in China and had a six month leadtime. Being fairly headstrong, I objected to bossy women telling me what I should have for my wedding day!”

While planning her wedding Amelia realised most of what was on offer was part of a package deal, or mass produced for the wedding market. It was the exact opposite of what she was looking for: high quality suppliers with a focus on true craftsmanship. See more...

Thomas and Petra’s tiny, romantic and fun beach wedding in Jersey, with Dasa Wharton Photography

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I’ve always said a wedding doesn’t have to be anything more than the two of you saying ‘I do’. Today’s feature celebrates the most romantic of weddings with Petra and Thomas on a quiet Jersey beach. I adore everything about their day: they’re both stunning; the bouquet is gorgeous – and our bride and groom just keep smiling the whole day long. Oh, and then they run into the sea together… and it just looks perfect!

Thomas and Petra hired lovely Sandy from Tern Events to help plan and style their day. Sandy was a huge help, sourcing suppliers she knows and trusts to create a perfectly memorable occasion for the bride and groom. Petra’s bouquet is divine – Clara from Wilde Thyme mixed soft, pretty colours and flowers which were mainly home grown on Jersey.

Sandy even arranged for Emma from Quints of Jersey to make up a lovely booklet and menu as a keepsake of the day – as it’s not always easy finding the right stationery for just the two of you to celebrate with! See more...

Hannah & Ian’s vibrant autumn wedding at Totworth Court, with Love In Focus

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Here’s something wonderful for all of you autumn brides and grooms – a wedding full of warm styling touches and golden sunshine. I adore the portraits of the happy couple under the turning leaves; Hannah is so beautiful and radiant in the most delicate lace detailed wedding dress, and the candles and cake table are just perfect for the season. (Three wedding cakes – chocolate brownie, cheese and pork pie!!! Love this!)

Words and images by Sandy at Love In Focus. Sandy is a Bristol wedding photographer whose style is a combination of relaxed documentary reportage and contemporary fine art portraits. He photographs weddings in Bath, Somerset and the South West.

Contact & bookings: Love In Focus (Bristol)

www.love-in-focus.co.uk/
Facebook.com/LIFphotos
English-Wedding.com/tag/Love-in-Focus

When I arrived in the morning it looked like we were in for a chilly and foggy autum day, there were clouds and fog and it had rained the day before so I didn’t have high hopes for the weather that day. Fortunately the Orangery at De Vere Tortworth Court is essentially a huge green house so even on the darkest of days there is plenty of light. See more...

How to make your wedding anniversary top your wedding day

Laura & Tom’s summer garden wedding at Northbrook Park, with Fiona Kelly Photography

Tamzin & Martin’s jewel-coloured wedding at Larmer Tree Gardens, with Oobaloos Photography

Kate & Aiden’s breathtaking Blenheim Palace wedding, with Julie Michaelsen Photography

Steph & Rob’s flower-filled Yorkshire wedding, with Photography by Kathryn

Sophie and Loz’s colourful festival wedding, with Simon Withyman Photography

Hannah and Mark’s beautiful London wedding, with Danielle Smith Photography

Finding ‘the’ Dress! Honest and inspiring advice from wedding planner & stylist Jenna Hewitt

Kate and Ali’s wonderfully autumnal wedding at Notley Barn in Oxfordshire, with Amanda Karen Photography

Pinterest for your wedding journey – how to pin like a pro!

Read on to discover my top tips…

Inspiration for a modern boho bride, with bridal separates by Otaduy

Wedding chair styling – beautiful ideas and chair styles explained!

Wedding stationery trends for 2018 – something a little different!

Holly & James’s chic winter wedding at Hornington Manor, with York Place Studios

Contact & Bookings: York Place Studios

Will you be tossing your bouquet (or holding onto that beautiful creation for dear life)?!!

I’d love to know your thoughts – will you throw your bouquet?

The pros:

Enchanted woodland wonderland (with a touch of boho glamour) – wedding inspo feature

www.helenenglandphotography.co.uk

New sponsor welcome: The Creative Boutique Wedding Fair (Kingston upon Thames, 29th October)

Thomas and Petra’s tiny, romantic and fun beach wedding in Jersey, with Dasa Wharton Photography

Hannah & Ian’s vibrant autumn wedding at Totworth Court, with Love In Focus

Contact & bookings: Love In Focus (Bristol)

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting
updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?

Read on to discover my top tips…

Contact & Bookings: York Place Studios

I’d love to know your thoughts – will you throw your bouquet?

The pros:

Contact & bookings: Love In Focus (Bristol)

Instagram – @englishweddingblog

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?

Would you like to get exclusive offers, exciting
updates and wedding blog sneak peeks by email?