How Couples in the UK Plan Their Weddings & Pick Their Suppliers

Kat

April 23, 2013

Last June, Liene Stevens of Splendid Communications kindly allowed me to publish some of the hugely insightful findings of her annual wedding & lifestyle market research. Each year she interviews thousands of engaged and newly-married couples to find out exactly what matters when it comes to their weddings, how much they're really spending and which factors actually determine how they select their suppliers. The results went down a storm, with many of you commenting that after reading the findings that you had plans to make some serious improvements on certain areas of your businesses.

Creative Destination Wedding in Verona: Caroline & Ben

Kat

Assassynation

April 23, 2013

Caroline & Ben, who live in Shanghai, had a destination wedding in Verona, Italy. The bride's father is from Northern Italy and so they wanted to have a wedding that reflected that heritage. "The idea of getting married close to my roots really appealed", began the bride, "especially for the fact we could make a holiday out of it for our guests (and for ourselves!). Living abroad, we don’t get to see our friends and families as much as we would like, and this way we got to spend a few days with everyone. We had our ‘stag’ and ‘hen’ parties the night before for all our guests, and after the wedding a group of about 20 of us went up to the Dolomites for some skiing over New Year."

Intimate Wedding in the Middle of the Ocean: Thomas & Kimberly

Kat

Leonardo Melendez

April 22, 2013

Have you ever heard of a couple deciding to get married and do so within 12 short hours? And, no, a couple in a movie don't count! Well that's exactly what Thomas & Kimberly did whilst on holiday in Belize. They were married, just the two of them, in the middle of the ocean, on a sandbar in Ambergris Caye.

Blogworthy

Kat

Eliza Claire

April 22, 2013

It’s a funny old world we live in. One where nothing is private, where photos are uploaded to Facebook and Instagram with frightening ease, and where the inner musing of our minds are shared, 140 characters at a time, without a second thought. The likelihood is that you’ll still be at your own wedding while photos are uploaded and the comments from Facebook well-wishers have started to come in.

Polaroid Mad Men Wedding & Fashion Shoot

Kat

Julius & James

April 21, 2013

Following on from yesterday's trip down memory lane, today I wanted to share the Polaroid fantasy of wedding photographers Julius & James. When Stephen (James), who has a passion for old film cameras, gave Julius a modified Polaroid 250 land camera for his birthday they immediately started to think about how they could use it in their wedding and fashion photography. So they started to experiment with 4X5 film in their Toronto studio.

Fun With Film & Rainbows

Kat

April 20, 2013

I love old film cameras. There's something so innocently wonderful about having a tangible and imperfect photograph to hold in your hand. In this hyper digital age, I think we've all been so quick to forget that unadulterated joy of taking your rolls of 35mm to the developers and waiting with baited breath to get the prints. They didn't always turn out, but that was weirdly part of the appeal. When you did get that one perfect shot, without previews on the back of the camera or Photoshop wizardry to help, it was utterly magnificent.

Thrifty East London Pub Wedding: Ruth & Steve

Kat

Maureen Du Preez

April 19, 2013

I always get really excited to feature a super-budget wedding because I love to show you that, with a bit of clever engineering, a beautiful wedding doesn't have to cost £20,000. Ruth & Steve spent just £700 on their day and it was perfect. They also planned the entire thing in just two months - sheesh, why can't we all be such overachievers?!

Business Bites: Make the Web Expensive

Kat

April 19, 2013

Damn, it's been so long guys. I HAVE MISSED YOU! It feels like we haven't spoken in so long but I'm so thrilled to be back posting my Business Bites links. Have you missed me too?

Barcelona Garden Wedding with a Navy Theme: Julieta & Christian

Kat

F2 Photo Studio

April 19, 2013

For their June wedding, Julieta & Christian wanted a day that was laid-back, fun and stress-free. They opted for a garden setting and a party late into the night. The couple both have a passion for music, but Christian particularly who is in a band and loves nothing more than to go to gigs or play one of his nine guitars with his friends. Clearly the music and the entertainment was going to play a big role in this celebration.

Thursday Treats: Back and Bigger Than Ever!

Kat

April 18, 2013

It's been a while, but it's back - Thursday Treats has returned! Thank you for allowing me to take a break from chasing link loveliness on your behalf while I was away, but I'm thrilled to be right back where I belong and linking up a storm. Some of this week's favourite posts may be a little older, as contrary to what I said before I left, I did end up gathering a few choice snippets during my absence (naughty!)

Intimate Living Room Wedding: Sam & Dave

Kat

Björn Lexius

April 18, 2013

Sam & Dave wanted an intimate ceremony, just the two of them, so they were married in their own living room. Afterwards they hosted their reception for all their friends & family at Zeitlos, a bar in Hamburg. "The inspiration for our wedding started with what we didn't want", began the bride. "We'd been to lots of weddings before and they showed us all the things we didn't want to have! We wanted a small ceremony just with the two of us, telling each other what we really feel without having everyone's eyes on us. This was really important to as as sometimes we're not that good at showing our feelings with others around (for example, at the registry office we first shook hands to congratulate each other instead of kissing!) We didn't want it formal and stiff and traditional, we wanted a party."

Rustic Farmhouse Wedding: Emma & Trevor

Kat

Sam Docker

April 17, 2013

Emma & Trevor's farmhouse wedding took place in February. Donington Park Farmhouse, an amazing space in Derbyshire, was really what set the theme of the day. The couple wanted the décor they chose to suit the surroundings, and so the wedding evolved into a rustic inspired theme. They had natural elements such as stone and exposed brick, key vintage pieces on the tables and wildflowers.

Harvest Festival Wedding: Michelle & Eric

Kat

Julian Beattie

April 17, 2013

Eric & Michelle wanted to plan their wedding from the ground up - literally. First they picked a venue that would allow them to create the wedding of their dreams, one with no restrictions and where they could let their imaginations run wild! Turpentine Tree in Kurrajong Heights proved to be the perfect place.

Just Go! Why Fear of the Unknown is Holding You Back

Kat

Milou and Olin

April 16, 2013

I'm not a seasoned traveller and I've never had wild dreams of far flung adventures. I had no internal yearning to fly off to Thailand after school to 'find myself', nor a burning desire to backpack around the world, drinking in all it has to offer. The mere suggestion of solo travel like that terrifies me. The slow and steady safety net of home was quite enough for me - or so I thought.

Destination Wedding Planning Help with Weddings Abroad Experts

Kat

Shell de Mar

April 16, 2013

The Ace Hotel is… er… Ace!

Kat

April 15, 2013

Booking a hotel as your wedding venue is no longer the number one choice for engaged couples. The bland conference-style rooms, the package deals and the dodgy carpet have fallen out of favour, and somewhere with more personality, where they can really put their own stamp on their day, has taken it's place. In many instances this bad rep is understandable. I've visited more soulless and lacklustre hotel wedding venues charging extortionate rates than I'd care to admit. Luckily these days, brides & grooms seem to be quickly realising that they don't have to go with a traditional wedding venue, and smaller spaces like studios, pubs, restaurants and galleries are getting more of a look in.

The Photography Farm & The Catastrophic Rise of the Styled Wedding Shoot

Kat

Devlin Photos

April 15, 2013

The Photography Farm is a three-day workshop for wedding photographers, hosted by Lisa Devlin on a beautiful 12-acre farm near Gatwick. I've been involved with The Farm since it's inception, helping to style the shoots and speaking to the 'farmers' about blogging, working with wedding blogs, advertising & marketing and building a successful online brand. I love The Farm. It's quickly become my home away from home, a place I look forward to escaping to and somewhere I get to meet a whole host of new and exciting emerging wedding photography talent. I always leave the safe confines of the 16th century farmhouse with a head full of ideas, a new jolt of inspiration and a renewed invigoration for where the UK wedding industry is heading.

Homespun DIY Wedding with a Tattoo Booth: Katie & Michael

Kat

Homer Horowitz

April 13, 2013

A simple and low-key wedding at home was just the ticket for Katie & Michael, who were married in October last year. The day was held at Katie's parent's house and the entire thing was planned by the couple themselves. Katie put her own wedding outfit together from an American Eagle cream crochet top, a matching crochet skirt and vintage cowboy boots. Each piece only cost $25 each and were sown together to create a dress by Michael's mother.

1920s Art Deco & Burlesque Fusion Wedding: Angie & Brian

Kat

Kristin Chalmers

April 12, 2013

With a penchant for all things glamorous and retro, it was no wonder that Angie & Brian had the wedding that they did. The bride, a burlesque dancer, and the groom, a jazz trumpet player for Lady Gaga, wanted a day that truly reflected the things that they love. They didn't just want to plan a wedding - they wanted to put on a show! The wedding was held at Grand Prospect Hall, Brooklyn.

Marriversary

Kat

Emma Case

April 12, 2013

People always ask me about my own wedding. Sometimes it makes me cringe. There are so many things we'd do differently, the elusive "Oh if we only knew then what we do now..." But there is one thing I'd never change.