The Wedding Sanctuary in Pictures (part 1)

So on Sunday 20th March after months of planning the Wedding Sanctuary at Somerset House in London finally took place. From the very start as members of the UKAWP we set out to create a fair with a genuine difference, one where brides and groom could come for advice and inspiration without the pressure of hard sell which is the norm at so many wedding fairs.

I’d like to think we achieved just that; with a very calm and laid back vibe visitors could stroll around champagne in hand while being served canapés and listening to classical music; take in the lovely surroundings of Somerset House while viewing the beautifully laid out tables of the inspiration zone; sit down and have a chat with handpicked suppliers, all experts in their fields or listen to an informative talk on key wedding planning areas by experienced UKAWP wedding planners.

Here are a few shots of Somerset House set up for the day:

All furniture provided for in the Advice zones by Velvet Living with Lighting by Wise Productions

The boudoir Zone where you could see beautiful dresses by Sassi Holford, Shoes by Emmy and speak to Elle Au Natural about all your Hair & Makeup queries.

Room styled by UKAWP with vintage hire items by Vintage Style Hire

The Navy Board Room at Somerset House where the talks took place.

Flowers by Amanda Austin

For a full list of all the fabulous suppliers involved do check out the Wedding Sanctuary website here

Next time I’ll be sharing with you images of the Inspiration Zone which I was the creative director for.

All Photos courtesy of Julia Boggio Photography

A Quick Tip: Photography

When choosing your photographer don’t just go on their price and work alone, their personality is just as important. You will be spending a large amount of time with your photographer on your wedding day and if you are uncomfortable around them it will show in your photos, it’s important that you get on with them.

Photograph by Duncan Kerridge

A Sneak Peek…or two

So this week saw the culmination of two exciting projects for me, on Sunday after months of planning and many meetings The Wedding Sanctuary finally took place at Somerset House. I have lots of fabulous photos by the wonderful Julia Boggio that I will share with you next week but for now here’s a little sneak peak of the beautiful stationery that Cutture designed for my table in the Inspiration Zone.

Then on a beautiful sunny Wednesday in South London the first bridal shoot that I’ve organised took place at Beauberry House in Dulwich. The lovely Fanni of Fubumedia who was our brilliant photographer for the day sent me a little sneak peak to post but we all have to wait to see the rest…

…but you can see another sneak peek of one of our beautiful models on Fanni’s blog here…

It really has been a great week working with some wonderful wedding suppliers to whom I am very grateful, so a big thank you to you all.

Photo credits Julia Boggio Photography & Fubumedia

A Fab Little Idea: Flowers in Hanging Bottles

I first spotted this fab little idea last year and was reminded of it the other day by one of my brides. Flowers in bottles suspended over the buffet table- so cute, would work beautifully in a marquee or barn wedding I think for that perfect rustic charm. Or you could glam it up by using ribbons to hang the bottles with and adding a few hanging lanterns with tealights into the mix too.

Do check out the rest of this beautiful wedding of Amy Moon of Eat Drink Chic here and here - their guests were invited to their engagement party and they surprised them by getting married!

Photographs by Jonathan Ong

A Quick Tip: Lighting

Effective use of lighting can totally transform the mood and feel of a space. As you look around your venue think about the different methods you could use and where such as candles and tealights at fireplaces or on tables, fairy lights hung from rafters or wrapped around pillars, simple washes of colour on the walls or ceiling.

Photo by Ken Stabile via Rock'N'Roll Bride

The Wedding Sanctuary: Have you got your ticket?

Only one day to go now until The Wedding Sanctuary at the Somerset House. Tickets are selling out fast-have you got yours? It’s not too late to get your ticket, visit the website here for quick ticket purchase, it's only £10 for a single ticket and £15 for a double.

And if 2 hours isn’t enough to you can pop along to the Luella’s Boudoir Wedding Fair at One Marylebone after for lots more fabulous wedding suppliers and a fashion show. You can get combined tickets both events at a special discounted rate too.

For the best planning advice and wedding day inspiration The Wedding Sanctuary is the place to be so don’t miss out. I’ll be there all day so pop by and say hi.

For Japan With Love

A little extra post this week as I wanted to share with you For Japan with Love from the inspiring ladies at Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged…

I won’t be posting tomorrow, I’ve rescheduled my Friday post for Saturday and will be donating via For Japan With Love to Shelterbox, if you’d like to get involved you too can donate, For Japan With Love has a direct link on the website to the fundraising page for ShelterBox.

If you are a blogger you too can join in the Bloggers Day of Silence tomorrow Friday 18th March and if on Twitter, tweet and retweet the link http://www.forjapanwithlove.com

"Whatever anyone can contribute will be appreciated.

Every little helps."

The Wedding Sanctuary: Design Sneak Peak

So the other week I told you all about The Wedding Sanctuary and today I thought I’d share with you a little more on my involvement in it. As the creative director I’ve been organising the look of the event with my main focus being on the Inspiration Zone. Me and five other UKAWP planners are all designing and styling a tablescape to go into the room and I’ve been coordinating all the designs, liaising with the florist and arranging the hire items such as the tableware and linens.

I wanted there to be a range of ideas and styles to inspire your wedding day and the other planners have come up with some lovely schemes. Below is my mood board on my tablescape design, as the central table I wanted something that was elegant and luxurious with a hint of vintage but a modern twist with fabulous bespoke stationery designed by lasercut stars Cutture.

Credits:

La Terraza del Casino Image via Hayon Studio

Vintage silverware, photo by Frank Amodo via Enchanted Dream Weddings via Pacific Weddings

Teal Place setting, photo by Rae Leytham via Style Me Pretty

Place setting photo by TJ Cameron via Style Me Pretty

Invitation by Cutture

Anemone & Hydrangea flowers, photo by Alicia of the modern type via JL Designs

Ampersand, photo by Ambrosio Photography via Style Me Pretty

Mirrors & flowers Photo by Carrie Rodman via Style Me Pretty

Vintage table setting, photo by Aaron Delesie via Style Me Pretty

Teal Bridesmaids, photo by The Youngrens via With This Ring

Long tablescape, photo by Frid Photography via Ruffled Blog

Have you got your ticket yet? For more inforamtion go to the Wedding Sanctuary website here

A Quick Tip: Entertainment

Take the time to think about your wedding entertainment choices as they can really help define your day and create a memorable experience for your guests, from adding an element of surprise, reflecting the bringing together of cultures to even simply just helping to break the ice between your guests.

The London Gospel Choir,  Image by Duncan Kerridge

Real Wedding: Nicola and Charlie

This weekend saw the one year wedding anniversary of one of my lovely couples from last year so in honour of this I thought I’d share with you some photos from their big day.

The fabulous suppliers who helped make it such a wonderful day:

Photography by Duncan Kerridge, Flowers by Rita Henry of Four Seasons Floral Design, Cupcake Tower by Peggy Porschen, Cutting cake by Jane Asher, Carriage by Victorian Carriages Ltd, Hair & Make-up by Kate Hughes from It’s all About You, London Gospel Choir from Rev The Session Agency, Reception Entertainment Incognito. Also a big thank you to Helen who assisted me on the day.

The wedding reception took place at the lovely London wedding venue The Institute of Directors at 116 Pall Mall. If you like the look of the venue why not pop down to their wedding fair on Saturday 19th March.

For more lovely photos from the day check out the English Wedding Blog here and here and you can see a little thank you from Nicola here.

A Quick Tip: Cake

Fresh flowers can be a cost effective alternative to sugar paste flowers on a wedding cake and work well with cakes that have simple patterned details. Ask your florist to supply the flowers, letting them know that they will be used on the cake ensuring they will be non-toxic and long lasting.

Photo by Ryan Phillips Photography via The Brides Cafe

The Wedding Sanctuary

So far the last few months I've been a busy little bee working with a couple of my fellow UKAWP wedding planners to organize the Wedding Sanctuary. The Wedding Sanctuary? What’s that you may be asking, surely not another wedding fair-well this is a wedding show with a difference. You see us wedding planners pride ourselves on the great advice we can give, the fabulous suppliers we know and the creative input we can give you for you wedding day so we decided to organise a wedding show with difference with the focus firmly on advice and inspiration…”Your one stop planning refuge”

ASK THE EXPERTS

Top names in the industry such as Julia Boggio Photography, Amanda Austin Flowers, Sternberg Clarke and Gorgeous Film Productions will be paired with the fabulous wedding planners who make up the UKAWP to offer top tips and the opportunity to ask specific questions regarding every element of your wedding day. International bloggers Staggered will even be on hand to assist Grooms with their suits, stag dos and speeches. The Alliance will also be offering a range of talks addressing the trickier issues when planning your wedding like how to set and stick to a budget, and how to get the best from your suppliers. You will also be able to have a personal tour of the sumptuous Somerset House and enjoy the splendid views and facilities on offer.

BE INSPIRED

You will be invited to sip champagne and nibble delicious canapés courtesy of renowned event caterers Table Talk whilst browsing the inspiration zone for design ideas. There will be stunning dining tables that have been styled by wedding planners of the UKAWP including me, alongside Zoe Clark Cakes and Cutture stationery, displaying the very best of what is available to hire for your wedding reception, with pricing guidelines and practical information included.

GET THE LOOK

Brides in need of style advice can meet in the boudoir where the likes of Sassi Holford and Emmy Shoes can dress you from head to toe whilst hair and make-up expert Elle au Naturel and top personal stylist Katrina Choat offer consultations on how to look and feel your absolute best on the day.

The Wedding magazine team will be also be there to chat through your ideas.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND TICKETS

Event date: Sunday 20 March 2011

Session times: 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm.

Please select either the morning or the afternoon session. This is so that we can ensure every guest has a great experience and benefits from lots of personal attention. Guest numbers are limited for each session so please book early to avoid disappointment; a very limited number of tickets will be available for purchase on the day.

Ticket prices:

£10 for a single ticket

£15 for a double ticket (so you can bring your groom)

Purchase: via debit or credit card (preferred) through the UKAWP website.

OR

By calling 01483 282858 where payments by post can be taken. Please note we do not have a credit card facility to take payments over the phone.

An email confirmation of your ticket purchase will be sent to you in advance of the event.

PRIZE DRAW

You can select to be entered into our exciting prize draw at the time of making your ticket purchase. One winning couple will be selected randomly from all ticket purchases on 11 March 2011 and notified immediately afterwards so that arrangements can be made. (competition rules-see website)

The prize includes:

Luxury travel to the show by Mechgem Luxury Wedding Cars (from addresses within the M25)

Free double entry to either the morning or afternoon session

A private 1 hour consultation with a top wedding planner during The Wedding Sanctuary

A personal shopping experience with stylist Katrina Choat

So there you go The Wedding Sanctuary in all its glory, I’ll be there all day in the Inspiration Zone please do pop by and say hello. Next week I’ll give you a little design sneak peak on my tablescape...

Logo design by Cutture

A Fab Little Idea: Upside down Umbrellas

If you looked at this lovely old circus themed wedding from my adorable links on Friday you would have seen these fab upside down parasols and umbrellas used above the dance floor. I love this idea and if you’re not the superstitious type I think they would be great to use to decorate the inside of a marquee or hung along the beams of barn wedding.

What do you think? Would you use these at your wedding or would the superstition of it being bad luck opening umbrellas inside put you off?

Photos by Gabriel Ryan Photographers via JL Designs