A Vintage bride

It felt like the sun was only just rising as my new bride arrived for the early morning interview today I was delighted to see how relaxed she was about this interview, and we settled in for what is basically a good old girlie gossip about getting married!

I thought I would start off by asking how Pam met her fiancé and as I knew it would be, it’s a hilarious story! Now of course I have got to know Pam & George fairly well while helping them design their wedding decor and both are incredibly funny & light hearted. Pam & I hit it off from the start, so we feel more like old friends now and I was looking forward to hearing about the start of their little love story.

Pam & George met at a crazy festival in Serbia and what better place for a festival than in a historic fortress in that well known holiday destination Novi Sad!  Now whether this was fate or just pure luck while Pam was “breaking out some bad ass moves” to some “epic tunes” she and George bumped into each other finding an instant connection! However Pam being the independent lady she is decided that she wasn’t going to rush head long into anything. So she took herself home and went back to sensible Pam, that was until George being the dashing gent he is, drove hundreds of miles to the theatre she worked in, and pretty much blew her socks off! And the rest is history as they say.

So my fave question to ask newly engaged couples is how they got engaged, and just like their meet cute, it is a brill tale! They were on holiday in Sardinia exploring the Italian country side, Pam was pretty grumpy  wandering around in the blazing sun, & George was “very strange”  mulling over the coming all important question. So they are sitting looking at the stunning views at a vantage view point, and George is attempting awkwardly to lie down . He started with “so we’re really good together aren’t we” ,Pam not understanding the strange behaviour or reading any of the signs, like the romantic walk, or breathtaking views, replied with “Well that’s a given really”.

Brave brave George however continued to arrange himself on one knee for his question and Pam was completely taken by surprise. In her shock and excitement the special moment became a blur and she completely forgot to answer, until gently reminded by George. Pam’s excuse for this is she thought she was saying yes but in fact nothing was coming out at all! (Unusual for Pam) Of course the answer was yes, and all the parents were called, and the wine was drunk, while sunning themselves.

Pam’s ring while we were chatting was sparkling away, and when asked she says there is something really official about being given a piece of jewellery to mark such a momentous question. She proudly gazes at it, telling me how much George researched and learned about diamonds before settling on the perfectly cut single solitaire on a simple white gold band.

On starting the planning process Pam was really excited to get started, however like lots of brides the pressure hit home after trying to jump the first hurdle. Pam decided to choose her venue first which she saw as her biggest challenge, and searched through the south east country side seeing so many venues with George in tow until settling on the perfect setting. A stunning converted barn, set in the grounds of a beautiful period mansion , nestled into stunning gardens with hidden enchanted oasis and a mellow stream framed by romantic willow trees. It is in every way completely heart warming and romantic. She did however have to confirm everything with her best galpal of course “just to make sure!”

On deciding to attach a theme to her wedding plans she explained that a traditional wedding was never really on the cards just due to Pam & George’s personality. Nothing about this couple says traditional whether it be the occasional cheeky rave they like to rock up to, or Pam’s love of break dancing, so a theme was an easy choice. Pam & George decided to use Pam’s theatre background as inspiration and go for a Midsummer night’s dream feel, with vintage festival thrown in as a nod to their love of music.  Pam really wanted the wedding to be an expression of them as a couple, and portray what their personalities are like, and really reflect that for their guests to enjoy and for them to look back on. She didn’t really feel a traditional wedding could do this, and so I suppose this is when I step in!

Pam & George were expecting the design process a lot more tricky than it actually is. Upon asking Pam if she was nervous about her theme, she replied with confidence that she has no worries. George has needed lots of visual aids to envisage the theme, while Pam has the most amazing imagination and has really been swept along with me as we put this magical theme together. With George all the scene setting & decor has to have a reason & a propose. With Pam as long as it is in keeping with her theme, her mind is as open as I could possibly hope for, making this one of my absolute fave weddings to design.

To conclude our interview I thought I would ask some really easy simple questions to round things off,

What are you most looking forward to about your wedding aside from marrying the lovely George of course!

“Friends and family all in one place, we have guests coming from all over the world, and it is just so exiting & the nicest thing in the world to know they would make that journey for us”

 Is there anything you are nervous about?

“Walking down the aisle early to find myself awkwardly standing at the end as the music crescendos and nothing is happening! The moment we first see each other on our wedding day is really important to me. Also my hair not doing what it’s supposed too!”

What are you most looking forward to about being married?

Quick as a flash Pam sais “The honeymoon!” I have a very cheeky bride on my hands here, but they are jetting off to Hawaii so I totally don’t blame her on this one, I’m green with envy!

Is there anything you are nervous about being married?

“People always tell you that you will feel different, but I will have to give you the answer to that later. I am really nervous about changing my name, as I reckon after 30 years of the same name it will be tricky taking a new one”

We then proceeded in a very mature fashion of course, to practice writing her new name for a her signature, which she confessed she has been doing long before she was engaged!!!

I get terribly caught up in each wedding I work with, each wedding I fall hopelessly in love with the theme, meaning I never have a fave, it is all about the couple. When you enjoy what you do, and you get to hang out with cool people like these two, what more can one ask for?

Happy Planning  x

Top 5 Wedding Styling Tips

1. Its All About The Concept

If you are anything like me when you were little you dreamt of what your day could look like, then as we got older this dream changed, here, there and pretty much everywhere!

 So when your man got down on one knee, did you suddenly realise......”Where do I even start!?!”

There are many out there who have so many ideas and themes within their styling that their wedding theme ends up looking similar to a styling jumble sale. 20 odd years of ideas, thoughts and day-dreams combined into a few rooms. You can imagine this hardly becomes the fairytale setting you were looking for.

So, the key is to narrow down your ideas to two or three amazing concepts, now, at this point take all your little ideas and fave bits and pieces and place them into the most appropriate concept.

Creative ways to do this could be through mood boards or keeping separate scrap books. I am a complete stationary nerd I adore buying pretty folders and taking on craft projects!

Once you have done this you have a few clear and concise themes. From there you pick a favourite and tailor and adjust all your ideas for this particular theme, this will then result in an obvious tone and message for the day. It may just be a colour scheme or a full blown concept such as Enchanted Forest, either way the goal is to have direction.

2. Use Your Bridal Party

When speaking to brides a common concern is how much there is to do and little time to do it. Brides feel rushed and stressed as their day approaches, leaving no room to get excited and look forward to one of the most memorable day s of your life. This is not my ideal experience for a bride, not even close, for one thing it will create worry lines & a smooth faced bride is so much prettier!

Use your bridal party, those you have chosen to be part of your wedding, such as bridesmaids, groomsmen and family. You have not picked these people to look good in the outfit, you have chosen them to be there for you, so let them.

Believe me, I am one of the biggest control freaks going, but I still think it is better for your health if nothing else, to relinquish the reins even just a little and allow others to get involved. You would be surprised how many of your friends would be eager to get stuck in with you and honoured to be included.

Divide out all those little jobs, correspondence and irritations to those around you, with clear instruction, and watch your to do list whittle down to a more manageable amount.

3. Dont Forget The Groom

Now, you would think this is a no brainer, however after being in the industry for as long as I have I can guarantee it needs addressing.  The amount of times I have had to prompt the bride to introduce me before the wedding to the groom, or even just to get him on the contact details is a surprise!

The reason I think this is an important point, is the wedding is about him too. I know that he probably hasn’t dreamt of this day as long as we have ladies, and we have the rest of our lives to make it up to him, however, bare with me. Your wedding and marriage is about becoming a partnership and what better practice for the real thing than the most stressful process of planning a wedding!

The best weddings I have worked with or been too (and believe me there have been many!) they have been an amalgamation of the brides and the grooms personalities.  But fusing your tastes and ideas you create a totally unique wedding experience. My heart will always sink when I speak to a bride and her first words are “I want pink tones, butterflies and lace!!!!”  All I can think is the grooms poor face! I apologize if this is your vision, or perhaps your groom likes pink and frills, but for the majority of grooms they are a voice unheard or thought of.

I am one of those people that instead of watching the bride as she steps up aisle, I watch the groom. His face lighting up with love and pure un-shielded joy at the first glimpse of his bride, it’s one of the best parts of a wedding for me. I have never seen a bored groom looking down the aisle. He cares about the wedding, so let him into the concept and style too, let the wedding show both of you.

4. Be True To Your Fairy Tale

This I cannot stress more, it is so important to your day and to your planning process too. Start out with this in mind and you will have an easier time of it, I promise!

I have spent so much time saying this phrase over and over but say with me now

“It is my day”

This day isn’t for your mum, or your mother in-law, it isn’t for your sister or for your best friend. This is a day for you and your partner, you are choosing to share this with all your loved ones, but it is still yours, your dreams, your fairy tale ending whatever that may be. If you want an blue colour scheme, and your best friend says blue is out this season, SO WHAT! Who cares if your wedding colour is in fashion, that changes faster than you can click your fingers! The important thing is YOU like it, the same goes with everything else, if your gran doesn’t like beans but it’s your fave veg of all time, eat the beans!!!!

There will be so many times everyone will try to instil their own opinion & style on you, and it’s really important to take a breath, take a moment and remember who’s day it is. They are not going to be looking through the pictures, wishing you had gone for the uber chocolate extravaganza of a cake, while your dairy intolerant mother in law told you the dairy free cupcakes were a much better option!!

5. Be Timeless

This one is personal, but I think its important to think about while styling your big day. I want you to use your imagination here guys, imagine you are 60, it’s your anniversary, you are sitting with your husband looking through your wedding pictures. Your remembering how happy you were on that day, how in love you were, how much you danced the night away, these are beautiful thoughts. However you do not want to open the album and wince at the very “fashion forward” black wedding dress you thought was so on trend at the time, and cringe at the ostentatious white horse you arrived on because that famous actress did for her wedding.

Be crazy, be unique, have an out of this world theme, but don’t do it because its in fashion, or everyone else is doing it. Do it because you love it, you are going to remember this day forever and you want to know that you aren’t going to look back with regret.

Choose everything because you adore it, choose your styling concept because you have day dreamed about it for hours while you should have been working! Choose it because you can’t imagine your day without it, under no circumstance should you choose it because someone told you “You have to, It’s so in right now!”.

So in conclusion, these tips are more on how to approach your wedding instead of how to style I suppose but I don’t think you can do one without the other. And if you’re really struggling with your styling, you know where I am,

Happy Planning!