Weeklong Scottish Wedding: Bex & Santi

Kat

Claudia Carter

March 5, 2013

With family flying in from England, Thailand and the USA for their Scottish wedding, Bex & Santi really wanted to make their wedding something special. So they started with having a weeklong event, hosted at Crear, a farm house near Tarbert in Argyll. "We actually got married on 20th January but with our families travelling from all over we rented the house for a whole week (18th-24th) and everyone stayed there with us", Bex began. "We wanted to spend as little as possible, which ended up being about £10,000 but that did include the rental of Crear for 19 people for a whole week! I think my amazing mother needs a special mention here as she was 'head of catering' for the entire week at Crear and did all the menu planning and shopping for up to 30 people every day!"

Swedish Pirate Wedding: Gina & Fredrik

Kat

David Schreiner

March 4, 2013

With almost zero budget but a theme they knew through and through Gina & Fredrik had a pirate themed wedding in Sweden. They were married at the Port of Sundsvall (where else?!) and had their reception at their own home. The couple made their own clothes and apart from their wedding photographer David Schreiner, had no other vendors helping them out.

A Fashion-Forward Backyard Wedding with Special Guest Craig David!: Theo & Lisa

Kat

O&C

March 4, 2013

When Theo & Lisa started an online campaign to get Craig David to perform at their August wedding, they never really thought they'd pull it off. But if you don't ask you don't get and all that...and with their help of their YouTube video that went viral, Mr David did in fact show up to the wedding and perform to their astonished guests! "We met in Oceana nightclub", began Theo. "Lisa thought I really had the movement of a dancer! Craig David's music brought us together and having him there at the wedding was literally a dream come true." "Our wedding was inspired by everything we love", continued Lisa. "Music, fashion, friends and family. It really was a giant party. We didn't want anyone to pay for anything apart from their travel there. For us, this was a party to celebrate everything our incredible friends and family have done for us over the years. We had a free bar which was one of the best things we did. The wedding was held in my dad's back garden and we also had a camping village at the bottom of the garden where 90% of our guests camped-including myself and Theo! We sent a 'tent tag' with our invites, and asked everyone to deliver a tent to our house one week before the wedding. We then put them all up so they were ready for everyone when they arrived!"

Kate Winslet, Rock n Roll Bride

Kat

March 3, 2013

The April 2013 Harper's Bazaar cover sure gets my stamp of approval. The subscribers edition is pretty damn rad too.

Indoor Forest Wedding Shoot

Kat

June Cochran

March 2, 2013

Wanting to do something different to the vintage-loving crowd, wedding photographer June Cochran opted to have her latest project shot inside, at night and with a warm cosy vibe. This idea but juxtaposed nicely with bright pops of colour and daring and edgy flower arrangements. "Pretty much every single stylized wedding shoot I've seen is at magic hour, outdoors in a field, and as vintage and pastel as it gets", she writes. "That's beautiful, but I wanted to shake it up and push it out it the box."

Retro Polish Wedding: Iwona & Piotr

Kat

Piotr Spigiel

March 1, 2013

Iwona & Piotr wanted a simple and fuss-free wedding, one that reflected their Polish heritage but also showcased their love for all things retro. The day had a lot of DIY elements, from the brides dress to her brooch bouquet and the majority of the reception details. "We wanted a simple wedding", wrote Iwona. "We love Rock n Roll and retro styles and we both have very old souls and like the old minimalist styles. Our colours were cobalt, black and white and we kept things simple. We also DIYed a lot."

Business Bites: Taking an Interlude…

Kat

March 1, 2013

Here are this week's links to keep you learning. Have you read anything great in the past seven days? I'd love for you to share your links in the comments (or hit me up on twitter). I'm actually taking a two week hiatus from Business Bites after this post because I'm off up a mountain with my family (Lord, give me strength). But I'll be back and fit to bursting with new goodies nearer the end of the month. I am genuinely looking forward to a proper holiday though (i.e. one that's not coupled with a work trip as well) and I'm sure I'll be raring to go as soon as I get back.

Gypsy Village Gathering Wedding: Ben & Serina

Kat

Lakshal Perera

March 1, 2013

Blessed with a balmy night, great music and guests willing to get into the spirit of the theme, Ben & Serina had a wedding that that they described as a 'gypsy village gathering' in Panton Hill Winery, Australia. "Our guests thought they were transported to another place and time", wrote the bride. "There was no stress and our wedding photographer Lucky captured the feel of the day perfectly."

Thursday Treats: Making Friends with Betsy Sue

Kat

February 28, 2013

I'm a slightly bleary headed blogger today after a wedding industry night out in London last night. I have to say, when I arrived at the venue as saw the above entrance sign, I was slightly concerned about what I'd signed myself up for. But I'm pleased to report that much fun was had, gossip was...er gossiped and cocktails were consumed in copious amounts. Just a little FYI, a Betsy Sue is both delicious and deadly in equal measures.

Rustic Californian Ranch Wedding: Heidi & Nathan

Kat

Made You Look Studio

February 28, 2013

I know having favourites is bad... especially in my game... but, honestly, if I was held at gun point and asking to choose, I might be swayed towards Made U Look Photography. They are, without a doubt, some of the sweetest and most talented babes about. I love them endlessly and their photography fills my heart with joy. So obviously getting a submission from Christina, Alie & Marielle is a red letter day in my book. I feel like all my Christmases have come at once when I first clap eyes on stunning wedding images like this:

Rainbow Country Fête Wedding with 1950s Touches: Steph & Dale

Kat

Rhapsody Road

February 27, 2013

A colourful country fête wedding with a 1950s flair? What's not to love in Steph & Dale's wedding?! The day took place in Essex, kicking off at St Giles Church with the reception at Pledgdon Barn. This wedding was a real DIY love affair and a project of passion. The couple made as much as possible including (deep breath) the bunting (both triangle and heart shaped), their stationery and all the paper goods, cocktail stirrers from laser cut card, the cake flags, the acrylic cake toppers, the wooden signs, the blackboards, the paper hearts for decorating the tables, the bridesmaids earrings, the buttonholes, the bow ties for their dogs and the cupcakes!

Budget Bohemian Wedding in Ireland: Rebeka & Gerard

Kat

Pawel Bebenca

February 27, 2013

Stress-Free Wedding Planning with Appy Couple

Kat

February 26, 2013

Wedding apps are a funny breed. We waited for years for someone to create a decent one, while small (and usually slightly buggy) ones hit the app stores in drips and drabs. But they all seemed to result in the same thing - system crashes and loud sighs of disappointment. Surely, having a space on your phone to plan your wedding, save your inspiration, keep tabs on your guest list and track your expenses couldn't be that hard to create, right!? Oh and we'd like it to be intuitive to use and to be gorgeously designed too please.

Ten Secrets for Hyper Successful Blog Advertising

Kat

Lisa Jane

February 26, 2013

Advertising on blogs, specifically wedding blogs, is still quite a new and therefore alien concept to many businesses. Not a lot of people really understand it and simply think that flinging an advert or sponsored post up on a wedding blog will instantly conjure a sparkly magic wand that will send a squillion enquiries their way. I'm sorry to burst that bubble, but it doesn't really work like that. You have to know what you're doing, you have to have a strategy in place and you have to work and rework at it to keep your marketing campaign effective.

Intimate Wapping Project Wedding: Kelly & Toby

Kat

Joanna Millington

February 26, 2013

I'm not an expert of the history of weddings, but when you think about it, many wedding traditions are really quite odd. A tiered cake, putting your best friends in ill-fitting in matching dresses, an awkward dance in front of everyone you know, throwing a bouquet flowers at people's heads... odd.

From Sunrise to Sunset – A Day in the Life of Us: Joelle & Jake

Kat

Ingenue boudoir

February 25, 2013

Joelle & Jake's shoot was described to me as "intimate, organic and unique" by their photographer Anna Jones and I really couldn't say it any better. Somewhere between a boudoir, a day in the life and a wedding portrait shoot, these images that took my breath away as soon as I saw them. Perfectly honest and stunningly peaceful. They are just utterly, utterly beautiful and everything a couple shoot should be.

Don’t Believe the Hype

Kat

February 25, 2013

Those people taking the time to jump on Twitter to tell the world just how busy they are, or just how many new enquiries they have flooding are not the people running the most successful businesses. The people who are actually busy are way too rushed off their feet to be sat around on Twitter all day telling people about it.

Carnival Hoedown Wedding on a Farm: Matthew & Jessica

Kat

Rachael Muller

February 25, 2013

Carnival themed weddings might be nothing new, but when I see one as top notch as Matthew & Jessica's I can't help but want to share it with you. That dress! Those bridesmaids! That location! It's just all so perfectly beautiful and utterly Rock n Roll.

Remember How I Published a Magazine?

Kat

February 24, 2013

I'm sure most of your will already know this, but last Summer we published issue two of our print magazine. Since then, and every day with out fail, my poor suffering Gareth has been packing and shipping each copy that's been ordered - by hand. There's no fancy behind the scenes action in our operation believe you me. He's become quite the regular feature in our local post office. I wonder if they take bets about what he's sending out in those shiny pink envelopes with such regularity.

Bohemian Beach Tea Party

Kat

Yuna Leonard

February 23, 2013

The bitter Winter weather seems to finally be waning and it's almost felt like the start of Spring across the south of England this week. So what could be a better way to celebrate than a perfectly boho inspired beach photo shoot?