A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details

Ice-cream van? Check! Quirky character cars? Check! Fabulous vintage bus? Check! As you can tell, this gorgeous wedding has tonnes of simply fabulous details - many of them with four wheels, and a vintage personality! Laura and Adam were keen to host a classic, elegant wedding, which reflected them as a couple, without having too obvious a theme. Pinks and greens are the dominant colours, and there's definitely a vintage hint to many of the details. I've fallen for Laura's Audrey Hepburn inspired wedding outfit, and her stunning David Austin rose bouquet. Throw in the pretty-as-a-picture church, and historic venue near York, and I'm sold! Enjoy all the gorgeous pictures by Lissa Alexandra Photography - she captured every detail perfectly, and make sure you unashamedly steal Laura's wedding ideas from her answers to Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire! More from the reception published later today.


We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.


I wanted a venue which was a blank canvas and suited me. Bold green patterned carpets and massive drapes like you get in a traditional castle or stately home venue, just wouldn’t cut it. I chose The Old Deanery for its dark wooden floor boards and cream panelled walls.



Also I loved the fact it was all ours, and we didn't need to share it with anyone else on our wedding day. It was like we had opened up the doors to our own house {obviously it's not that big!}.


We didn't really have a particular theme in mind - but I followed my instinct and my typical style. I am a simple creature and if I had any theme at all, it was 'modern elegance' – think creams, muted metallics, simple shapes, clean lines and lots of non-tacky touches for wedding details. 


My wedding dress was from Mia Mia Bridal, the prĂȘt a porter label from Alan Hannah, my veil was by Joyce Jackson, and my headpiece was by Rosie Willett Designs. I wanted to look classically elegant, and wear something that would not go out of fashion.

My inspiration was a modern version of Audrey Hepburn. I added the belt to the dress myself, and that turned the dress into classic. The lace on my belt matched with the edging of my veil perfectly. My accessories could only be one thing - pearls given to me by Adam’s Gran.


I wanted our wedding to be classy and not age. Also I like to have quirky things – typically what other people don't have – the wedding transport cars were like little people with their own personalities.



My bridesmaids wore Dessy dresses – purely because of the style, which I loved. Again a classic.


Our wedding florist was Leafy Couture – again I was very prescriptive. I wanted simple designs that matched my dress. I chose David Austin roses as they are cream, bold, simple and elegant. For bridesmaids I chose big bunches of light pink hydrangeas.



We hired our wedding transport from Truly Scrumptious Cars. They have unique cars which make great pics! 



Adam and his ushers hired their suits from Moss Bros. However we bought brand new cravats and fitted shirts, as I wanted to add a bit more quality, without having to fork out on bespoke suits!















I walked up the aisle to the Traditional Wedding March.









Our wedding photographer was Lissa Alexandra Photography. Shortly after our engagement, I went to a wedding fair, and I fell instantly in love with her photography style. I knew I had to have her from that moment. I think she was the first thing I booked once our date was confirmed.











Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin?! 
Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Possibly the Best Hen Venue in the World

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to get invited to the launch of a rather special London venture. The Cheeky Parlour is the latest brainchild of the boss behind the uber-trendy Soho House Group. Based in Shoreditch, it offers mini-manicures {£10} and blow-dries {£15} at crazy-low prices, in a super-cool setting. As it's local to my flat, you'll find me propping up the incredible breakfast bar every Friday morning, where I nosh happily on muesli and yoghurt before getting beautified for the weekend. I honestly believe a decent blow-dry is even better than cosmetic surgery, and I always leave feeling super-glam, and that little bit cooler! If you're planning a hen weekend in London, I couldn't recommend it more. They've even got a special package aimed at groups, including my new tipple of choice, Babycham!






Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin?! 
Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Vail Newborn Photographer - Baby CJ.

I'm way behind on blog posts because it's been crazy around here.  In the last couple of weeks, I've shot a wedding, lots of last minute Christmas card photos, an engagement session and not 1, but 2 wedding proposals!  At the same time, the boys and I are getting ready to head to New Zealand, so it's just nuts.

Before I get too far behind, I have a couple of photos of Baby CJ that I want to post from a recent session.  You may remember his Mommy and Daddy from their maternity session in the fall.  They were both on hand to help me out during the session and we had so much fun playing around with the props.  I loved his little owl hat and now I'm on the hunt to get one for my own little collection.  I had also seen online that white noise machines help with getting babies to settle.  I found a white noise app and downloaded it to my phone that morning and once I turned it on, he fell fast asleep!  I'll definitely be trying that again.

Here a couple of shots from our session.


To see more newborn photos, go to Vail Photographer - Children and Newborns Collection.

Wedding Trends of 2014 - Carnations

Unloved by many, 2014 is going to see the come-back of the carnation. Not just a supermarket cheapie, this {admittedly very reasonable} bloom looks FABULOUS en masse. In many ways a carnation is just a miniature version of a peony, but available all year round, and in a veritable rainbow of colours. Just like baby's breath, it's a flower saviour for brides on a budget. To make carnations work for your wedding, start with one shade per bouquet or display, and remember this trend is all about quantity over quality. Buy as many as you can, and bunch them together in extravagant displays. But remember it's all or nothing. Don't start adding other blooms, or things could start looking cheap not chic. For more ideas, take a look at my Carnation Wedding Ideas Pinterest board.


{Photo Credit} Unknown


{Photo Credit} Wedding Design by Jeffrey Caballero, picture by Taryn and Shelby of Joielala Photographie. More from this wedding on 100 Layer Cake.


{Photo Credit} 1. Unknown | 2. Flowers by A Hana Design, picture by Closer to Love Photography. More from this wedding on Style Me Pretty


{Photo Credit} 1. Flowers by Brown Paper Design, picture by Docuvitae. More from this wedding on Style Me Pretty | 2. Picture by Orange Turtle Photography, more from this wedding on One Lovely Day


{Photo Credit} Flowers by A Hana Design, picture by Closer to Love Photography. More from this wedding on Style Me Pretty


{Photo Credit} 1. Picture by Mr & Mrs Photography, more from this wedding on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings | 2. Flowers by Michelle Edgemont, picture by Stacey Simpson for Levi Stolove Photography. More from this wedding on Michelle's blog

Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin?! 
Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Kilo Krazy!!!




My Guide to The Shutterbug Kilo Sale

Not long to go... The Shutterbug Christmas Kilo Sale is on this Sunday the 8th of December from 12 noon to 7pm in Block B, Smithfield, Dublin 7. It is promising to be the biggest EVER Kilo sale. There will be the usual rails and rails and rails of vintage clothes in the kilo sale area, the Folkster Pop-up shop with ranges from Sister Jane, Miista, UNIF, Jeffrey Campbell and the Folkster Edit of key, pristine vintage pieces. In addition to these there is going to be a new section for Gild & Cage, Shutterbugs new gifts and homewares store and a Damn Fine Print hand screenprinted poster shop!! There will be a DJ playing lots of great tunes to get everyone in the mood for the madness and no doubt plenty of food and drink vendors to help keep energy levels up!


So for the kilo sale virgins out there heres how it works... Its €20 per kilo of vintage clothes, if you buy part of a kilo you’re charged accordingly, for example half a kilo would be €10 and 1.25 kilos would be €25. There will be a human stampede when the doors open at 12 and you will run and be pushed into a wall of people, this part I have come to call this the Shutterbug Shuffle (if you've been to one before you'll know what I'm talking about!), you will also probably get caught up in some rails and at some point will not be able to move, kind of like rush hour on the tube for those of you who’ve ever been in London. I would recommend a kilo sale experience to everyone, you’ll either get hooked like me or you will chalk it down to experience and tell your tale for years to come. So here are my kilo sale tips, I’m not saying they are the code to kilo sale success but they will make it easier to navigate the rails and bag the best bargains!



Tip No. 1
Get there EARLY. I mean REALLY EARLY. If you want to be in first, or in the first 50, you’re going to need to get there at least 2 hours before the sale opens, or 3 to be on the safe side. This kilo sale is going to be huge and so are the crowds and the queue there are 3,241 registered as going on the events Facebook page. The benefit of getting there early is that you will get the first chance to raid the rails but it gets pretty packed in there pretty fast so you really only have the monopoly on the goods for about 2 minutes! So, if you don’t feel the need to stand in the cold for 2 or 3 hours to be top of the queue you probably still have a good chance of getting some great pieces. Also worth a note, is that the Shutterbug team usually restock the area half way through so there should be some new pieces out on the floor between 3 and 4 for those of you who’d like to have your Sunday roast before your shopping spree!

Tip No.2
What to wear... First of all you need comfortable flat shoes, you will be queuing for a while and navigating your way between people and rails with difficulty so this is a must. There are changing rooms at the sale but they are limited and queues are phenomenal so there usually are mirrors placed around the area so you can try stuff on on the floor. This is brilliant and time saving! So wear something thats comfortable and makes it easy for you to try on pieces without having to get undressed. My fail safe Kilo Sale outfit is a pair of leggings, a tight string vest, slip on ankle boots a loose top and a compact jacket that I can easily slip off and easily pop anything on over my leggings and vest to see how they fit and look. I know its going to be cold but you won’t want a large heavy jacket, or a scarf or hat because they will only get in your way when your wrestling your way through the crowds and doing quick changes in the corner. Make sure your handbag is a cross over because otherwise it will also just be a nuisance.


Tip No. 3
Bring a large shopping bag. I’m talking ENORMOUS! The brilliant people from Shutterbug will be handing out large blue Ikea bags to everyone in the queue, but with the crowds that are expected on Sunday i have no idea how they will have enough to go around so if you have one at home, take it, you’ll need it to carry everything you pick up as you shop.

Tip No. 4
Grab everything that tickles your fancy and I mean EVERYTHING! Dont look at sizes, don’t second guess just grab it throw it into your Ikea bag. Go through it all when you can’t carry anymore, discard what you don’t want and go again... just in case you missed something first time around!

Tip No. 5
The rails are arranged into groups as such. All the sequins will be together, all the leather will be together, all the white shirts, all the jumpers, printed shirts etc, so if you know what your looking for find the area they are in and don’t waste time on other rails until you’ve bagged the bargains you went for. The mens section will be separate and laid out in sections too so ladies definitely check out the menswear there are some great shirts, jackets and pants and androgyny is key this season!

Tip No. 6
If you’ve been thinking of trying a new look but aren’t too sure about it the kilo sale is the perfect place to shop for it and give it a go. You will get a whole look and more for €20 or less so go for it!

Tip No. 7
Be clever. The kilo sale is cheap, but remember it goes by weight so watch what your buying. If its heavy and your not sure i’d suggest leaving it behind, if its light and your not sure, take it because it will probably only cos you one or two euro. The last kilo sale i was at i bought 8 shirts for €24 which is a huge bargain, you can read about it here. If your going for the heavier pieces like leather and fur, check them for bad tears or noticeable imperfections, there is no point getting carried away with the buzz and taking them home to realize there is a tear you can’t hide. These are vintage clothes and some have had more wear and tear than others. If these more expensive heavier pieces were in perfect condition they would be in the Folkster Edit and be much more expensive so just be aware and know what your buying and what your happy with. Personally when it comes to leather, sequins, fur and denim i buy my pieces full price from Folkster or the Shutterbug shop in Kilkenny, they are more expensive but the quality is there and i get much more wear and joy from them.

Tip No. 8
Save some dosh for the Folkster Pop-up shop. There are always some irresistible pieces in the there and I always buy something there before i go. There will be the most beautiful vintage pieces, fabulous clothes from Sister Jane and UNIF, outlandishly amazing shoes from Miista and Jeffrey Campbell and a selection of the most beautiful bejewelled accessories, hats and glasses to finish off the look. If you need style inspo or advice you need look no further than the Shutterbug crew, the most stylishly fabulous bunch around! For the first time the Folkster and Guild & Cage pop up shops will be open form 10am on Sunday morning so if your there early you can have a browse and a shop before the kilo sale opens at 12. I think this is a great idea because you get to see and maybe buy the Folkster pieces you might love and want so you have a bit more perspective when you hit the kilo sale rails.

Tip No. 9
If you are travelling to the Kilo Sale from outside Dublin you can use the LUAS Park and Ride facility at The Red Cow. The LUAS Red Line will take you straight in to Smithfield and save you the rouble and stress of driving around the city. Find out more about the LUAS here.

Tip No. 10
Have Fun!!!

So there you have it guys! I hope they help... See you on Sunday!!

Zee xx


All images from Shutterbug


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...