Thursday Treats: Hello, New York!

Kat

June 20, 2013

I touched down in New York City late last night and I am so thrilled to be back. I know it's a terrible cliché but I am so in love with this city - the sights, the sounds and yes, even the smells (OK only some of the smells...) Today Gala and I are mostly getting things ready for the workshop this weekend but I'm sure we can squeeeeze a few hours shopping in there too. Shauna arrives early tomorrow morning and I can't wait until the three of us are reunited again. It's only been two months but it feels like forever since we saw each other last. This is going to be an amazing two weeks and I can't wait to get cracking. Let the good times roll...

Vintage Theatre & Bowls Club Wedding: Kylie & Greg

Kat

Lakshal Perera

June 20, 2013

You know when you meet someone and you can instantly tell that they're your kind of person? You talk non-stop about everything and anything and five hours later you wonder where all the time went? Well that was exactly what happened to me when I met up with photographer Lakshal Perera last week. Based in Australia, Lucky (as he's known to his friends) is without a doubt one of the biggest talents coming out of Oz right now. His work never fails to blow me away and the fact that he's literally one of the nicest people I've ever met makes his talent even more exciting to me.

Working with a Copywriter

Kat

June 19, 2013

With the next round of workshops just round the corner Gala, Shauna and I decided that a revamp was in order. We're literally never satisfied and are always thinking of things that can be tweaked, improved or built upon with brand Blogcademy.

Sargent Pepper Inspired Melbourne Zoo Wedding: Samantha & James

Kat

Erin + Tara

June 19, 2013

With a bit of Sargent Pepper, a dash of class and a touch of retro, Samantha and James planned their Rock n Roll wedding for February this year. The day started out at Melbourne Zoo for the ceremony and concluded at Half Moon, a restaurant in Brighton, Victoria.

The Blogcademy: Live From New York!

Kat

June 18, 2013

After the runaway success of the livestream from Portland, my fellow Blogcademy headmistresses and I decided it was high time to do another one. So, on Monday 24th June at 1pm EST (that's 6pm if you're in the UK) we'll be broadcasting live from Blogcademy's NYC HQ!

Want Great Wedding Photographs? Follow These Ten Simple Tips…

Kat

Camera Hannah

June 18, 2013

When I talk to brides and grooms-to-be, one of their biggest pre-wedding jitters is how they're going to look in their wedding photographs. For most of us, our wedding day is the first time we've worked with a professional photographer and what with it being a pretty important day and all we want to get it right. Not being shy to a camera or two (!) here are ten simple tips from me to you which will ensure you get the very best results possible.

Rock Music, Halloween & New Orleans: Tyson & Allie

Kat

Lauren Piper

June 17, 2013

Tyson and Allie's Florida wedding had a music themed wedding with touches of Halloween, New Orleans and vintage. They didn't want a stuffy and regimented wedding, they wanted a wedding that was a massive celebration of all the things they love. "Halloween is my favorite holiday however I didn't want to make that the main theme", explained the bride. "I wanted to add a touch of elegance. My first inspiration was our favorite place, New Orleans. We went on our honeymoon there and instead of making the wedding really obviously Halloween themed, we added the vintage New Orleans spin. It turned out to be the perfect mix!"

Cute, Quirky & Colourful Backyard Wedding: Skip & Soya

Kat

Phil Hearing

June 17, 2013

Are you ready for some unapologetic girlishness mixed with cute button and origami details alongside a kick ass heavily tattooed couple, pink dreadlocks, animal onesies and an awesome backyard setting? Well then you my dear are in luck because that's exactly what I have for you today! Soya and Skip met in a rock club in Lincoln and after just a year of dating she proposed on 29th February! "From the beginning we knew we didn't want a traditional wedding", the bride began. "They are lovely and all, but they can really lack personality. We used things that we love to decorate. My favourite part of the whole day was the ceremony. It was emotional but with lots of light-hearted laughs. Our readings and vows summed us both up perfectly. We even had mention of our ever growing number of pet rats, Batman and Robin and a zombie apocalypse in our vows which were followed by a hand fasting."

Dames in Disneyland

Kat

Made You Look Studios

June 16, 2013

It seems like a lifetime ago, but just as I'm ramping up to head off to America again this week, Made U Look Photography sent over the photos from our Disneyland adventure in April. I'd never been before and on hearing this revelation Gala encouraged... nay insisted that they take me there for my birthday. Well who am I to turn down an invitation like that?!

Red vs Blue Engagement Shoot: Dantley & Christina

Kat

Rock Paper Scissors

June 15, 2013

It may be a massive generalisation, but in my experience no-one does engagement shoots like those creative folks in The Philippines. It's very rare that I featured these kinds of shoots any more, but when I'm presented with something like this, there is no way I'm going to turn it down!

Business Bites: Favourites

Kat

June 14, 2013

Did I mention that I'm off to New York next Wednesday for the next round of Blogcademy workshops? Gosh where is the time going this year?! I'm so super excited. NYC might just be my favourite city in the whole world, and of course I get to see some of my favourite people in the whole world while I'm there too.

Music & London Themed DIY Wedding: Sharon & Huw

Kat

Lydia Stamps

June 14, 2013

Sharon and Huw didn't really wanted to have a wedding theme but through just picking things they liked they ended up with a wedding that reflected their love of music and of London. "When we started to plan the wedding we were adamant that we were not going to have a theme but I think we ended up with a London one", Sharon began. "It was so important to us to get married in the city that we live in and which we love and incorporating iconic features such as the routemaster bus and vintage taxi for transport just felt like the natural thing to do."

Thursday Treats: Oh Make Me Over…

Kat

June 13, 2013

Phew! What a week. I kicked it off with a trip to see Elbie to get my scary roots sorted out and decided, on a whim to go for something new. Don't worry, the pink is still very much intact, but with some added lavender to my roots! Its quite hard to photograph and is actually a lot more purple than it looks in the photos but what do you think?

Candy Coloured Youth Hostel Wedding: Rachel & Neil

Kat

Tux & Tales

June 13, 2013

Rachel and Neil were married at Derwentwater Youth Hostel in April. Having a small budget of just £5000 didn't stop this couple going all out though. The bride wore two dresses, the rooms were was filled with amazingly creative décor ideas and they even had a bouncy castle! The whole day was orchestrated by the bride who had a very clear vision of what she wanted the day to be like.

Completely Casual White on White South African Wedding: Kyle & Lauren

Kat

Fiona Clair

June 12, 2013

Kyle and Lauren wanted a completely casual wedding and that meant no DIY! "How do people find the time?!" Lauren laughed, "We both work very stressful full time jobs and as much as I would have loved to do a variety of cute and quirky crafty bits, we simply did not have the time." This attitude filtered through to the rest of their wedding with the simple cocktail style tables, the finger food and the bring your own bar.

Atmospheric Lake District Wedding: Helen & Andy

Kat

Neil Douglas

June 12, 2013

I was rather over-excited when I laid eyes on Helen and Andy's Lake District wedding, shot by the amazing Neil Douglas Photography. I mean what could be more incredible than getting wedding day portraits like these in a setting like that!? Hats off to the photographer of course, but also to the awesome couple for not being afraid to potentially get a little wet or muddy. I'd love to see more brave couples like this please, who's with me? The wedding was held in Buttermere, with the ceremony in a local church and the reception in a tipi in Buttermere field. The couple didn't have a huge budget and opted to DIY and thrift a lot. Helen wore a dress which she bought off eBay for £100 and customised with her grandmother's vintage fur (a last minute edition due to the weather).

Three Ways to Make Your Past Clients Your Biggest Cheerleaders

Kat

Matt Irwin for Vogue, Russia

June 11, 2013

I didn't grow up in America so I never really understood the whole cheerleader thing... well except what the movies told me of course. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's my assumption that they're basically squads of popular girls who dance around, wear really high ponytails (do even higher kicks) and who's main goal in life if to make the football team feel special. Putting our cultural differences aside, I can see the appeal... well, for the footballers at least. I mean who wouldn't want some gorgeous babes telling them how awesome they were every time they scored a touchdown?

Silly and Fun DIY Wedding: Chloe & Hamish

Kat

Kat Hill

June 11, 2013

Chloe and Hamish were married in London in April. They wanted their wedding to be fun, silly and totally non-traditional. They were thrilled at how everything went down, starting with their ceremony at Hackney Town Hall. "Hamish is obviously not Hamish's given name, and it hasn't been legally changed", began Chloe. "The registrar was happy to refer to her as Hamish throughout the ceremony, but had to use the given name once. I won't say what it is, but it doesn't suit her at all and it always makes me laugh. I thought I'd probably have to suppress a grin, but when the moment came I absolutely collapsed in fits of laughter and couldn't compose myself, which set all the guests off too. I think that set the tone for the entire day!"

Reclaimed Wedding at The Green Building: Alison & Michael

Kat

Heidi Benjamin

June 10, 2013

Alison and Michael were married at The Green Building in Brooklyn. They got together after chance meeting at Kate's Paperie in New York, a Craigslist 'Lost Connection' that actually worked and a long online relationship. After finally getting together and then getting engaged they planned the wedding in just three short months. "When planning the wedding I became charmed by the idea of parlour weddings, the way folks used to do it before the Big Business of weddings", Alison explained. "So we wanted to create the look and feel of a living room for ours. We wanted to take items from each of our apartments and create a cozy and personal space where we could gather our nearest and dearest to watch us make this amazing commitment."

Powerful Mt Warning Wedding, 100 Bridesmaids & Flower Crowns for all: Polly & Jamie

Kat

Nina Claire

June 10, 2013

People often ask me if I ever get bored of blogging about weddings. I can see why because usually once you've been doing something - anything - for as long as I have been doing this, it's natural to think that you might start to become a little 'over' it. So while I'm not going to pretend that I'm always thrilled, overjoyed and amazed by every wedding that graces my inbox, I can safely say that I am probably as far from 'over' this job as I could be... especially when I get sent images like Polly and Jamie's wedding to drool over.