A Handmade Countryside Wedding: Elaine & Drew

Kat

June 26, 2012

The cute countryside retreat of The Barn at Timberlake Farms was the perfect venue for laid back Elaine & Drew. They started their day with a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony and ended with a dance contest! "We wanted to be comfortable, and we wanted our guest to be comfortable too", wrote Elaine. "We tried to do that while still honoring the importance of the day, and the formal nature of the ceremony being performed in the Greek Church. Our aim was to create a picnic-feel, but with tables and chairs. And we weren't afraid to cut the traditional wedding elements like tossing the bouquet or renting a limo. Instead, we held a very serious dance contest complete with engraved trophies. And, we got a free car wash on the way to the reception!"

Why You Should be Selfish

Kat

June 26, 2012

Selfishness is never an attractive quality. Whether it’s a room full of toddlers fighting over the same toy or a friend who dumps you for her new boyfriend, selfishness is repulsive... or is it? Sure, the word selfish has negative connotations, but today I want to encourage you to remember that it's not always a bad thing to look out for number one... and especially so when you're trying to run your own business.

Clockwork Heart & Eyelash Dream: A Victorian Steampunk Shoot

Kat

June 26, 2012

Time travel. Steampunk. Victoriana. Turn of the century industrialism. If you love any of these things then you're going to die over this shoot, sent over from Ireland by the fabulous Chemistry Photography. "We put together this shoot with an amazing crew of 20 creatives including designer Alice Halliday (she's the glowing goddess who designed Florence Welch's infamous cape), Pearl & Godiva (styling genius and vintage hire guru), and rockstar make-up artist Kathryn O'Neill (she rocks the wedding world and all the Irish mags)", photographer Kait told me.

A Humanist Lewes Castle Wedding: Sara & Lucy

Kat

June 25, 2012

Sara & Lucy were married in a humanist ceremony at Lewes Castle, just outside of Brighton (they did the 'legal bit' a few days before in Brighton register office). Both girls wore coloured dresses. Sara found her 50s floral number at Fur Coat No Knickers and Lucy wore a a grey dress from Pretty Eccentric. The low key reception was held at Bill's Cafe, an organic restaurant in Brighton, which didn't need much decorating. However they added a few personal touches with the table names, the bunting and the flowers. "Bill's organised all decor", the girls told me. "They were amazing."

The Name Game: Should you Take your Husband’s Surname When you Marry?

Kat

Jamie Hopper

June 25, 2012

Kathryn Underwood was always last to be called in the school register. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much that I was stuck on the end every time, but it did. I felt like an outsider and I longed to be all snuggy in the middle with the Matthews' and the Smiths' and the Jones'. "It's OK though", I justified to myself, "when I get married I'll never have to be at the end of a register ever again..." And then I married a Williams.

A Sunday Kind of Love: Life is Beautiful

Kat

June 24, 2012

Oh it's all too easy to focus on the bad things that happen to us and ignore (or more likely not notice) all the simple and beautiful things around us. Which is why I'm thrilled that Charis has started a cute new blog to celebrate all things beautiful. I was thrilled when she asked me if I'd like to take part (you can see my entry here) and you can too! "To me, this concept is a simple gallery of positivity". Charis writes. "Life is Beautiful. There is so much beauty in life and so much joy to be had and shared. This blog is just that. A place to share your beautiful life. What makes you smile? What lifts your spirits? What makes you stop and be glad you're alive? Please share you beautiful life with us."

Watch the David Fielden 2013 Collection Catwalk Debut LIVE

Kat

June 23, 2012

Known for his groundbreaking bridal designs and never following the crowd, the amazing David Fielden chooses to forgo the industry pressure to launch his new collections at the London bridal industry show, favouring to do his own epic catwalk show in Milan.

A Rustic, Dainty & Slightly Chaotic Winery Wedding: Megan & Matt

Kat

June 22, 2012

Megan & Matt's wedding is one I definitely wish I'd been at. The bride rocking a hipflask in her garter, a kid called Milo Bear (isn't that the coolest name for a child ever?!) a mashed potato bar (trumps a dessert bar any day!) and a fancy dress party to end the night on a high.

Why You Should be Hated: A Guest Post by Chris Barber

Kat

June 22, 2012

Perhaps supported by some kind of celebrity culture, but it seems to be widely accepted that in order to be deemed as 'successful' in mainstream society you have to be liked by as many people as possible. You have to have a certain number of 'likes' on your facebook page. You need as many followers as possible on twitter and your most recent blog post is only as strong as the number of comments that sit at the bottom of it. While this is not all together wrong, I'd like to start thinking about the other side of the coin for a minute.

A Carefree Vienna Wedding Planned in a Single Afternoon: Marijana & Haris

Kat

June 22, 2012

This simple and intimate wedding in Vienna may not be full of DIY details or a crazy theme, but that doesn't make it any less Rock n Roll. Marijana & Haris are what make this wedding awesome - and the fact that they did their day, their way! A simple civil ceremony followed by a cafe reception was the name of the game, as the bride explained, "There was no particular theme to the wedding. We wanted to keep it small and low key and as non-weddingy as possible. We actually managed to plan the whole thing in one afternoon. There was to be no cake, no flowers and no centerpieces."

Thursday Treats: 21st June 2012 – Is Time Speeding Up or What?

Kat

June 21, 2012

Do you ever feel like you're running towards something that's moving away from you at a frustratingly alarming pace? Well that's me this week month year. I'm not exactly sure what age it is that time suddenly starts speeding the hell up but recently I can't believe how quickly it's going. There is SO MUCH to do and seemingly so little time! Like that magazine... and the workshops... and the green room posts... and the magazine columns... and some crazy arse 'omg-I-can't-believe-I-actually-got-asked-to-do-this' top secret projects.

A Zombie Apocalypse Engagement Shoot: Nicola & Simon

Kat

Rebecca L Weddings

June 21, 2012

Hold on one second... Now I know I always say that I have the coolest readers but OMG I SERIOUSLY HAVE THE COOLEST READERS! I have four words that will prove it to you too... Zombie. Apocalypse. Engagement. Shoot. God, yes...

Something Borrowed, Something Roo: The Rings

Kat

June 21, 2012

So Roo's been a busy bee for the past few months. Not only has she been planning her wedding but she's been up to her cute little eyeballs (can eyeballs be cute? I think hers can!) studying for Uni exams and turning in coursework. So she's had a little break from writing for the blog recently but I'm pleased to report that she's back! And as she's now on her summer break, wedding planning is ramping up full throttle as will be the blog posts. HURRAH. Over to you sweet cheeks...

A Hackney Vintage Mash Up: Aimee & Lee

Kat

June 20, 2012

Aimee & Lee were married in April at the Hackney Council Chambers. The wedding had an effortlessly cool, East London vibe with vintage elements throughout. "We both really love Hackney and wanted to get married in the borough as we brought our first home here and its where we first met", the bride told me. "We picked the council chamber because of its art deco features and also it is a circular room so it felt really intimate and we loved the idea of being surrounded in a circle by all our family and friends."

The Inspirations: Elbie Van Eeden

Kat

June 20, 2012

"Elbie has no concept of what is real, and what is make-believe", wrote photographer Kirsty Mitchell in 2009. "She lives in la-la-land, and likes to spend her money on gardening wire and lipsticks. She spends her days ruining people’s hair because she is constantly emailing me about fairies and monsters, and leaves broken make up all over the place. She will stain your carpets with blue face paint and glue, and says 'happiness' a lot, and gets very excited about sparkly stuff." So apart from the ruining people's hair bit, this couldn't be more spot on about my friend Elbie. After stalking her work online for months, I finally plucked up the courage to email her to ask if she'd be available to work with me on a shoot. Luckily she agreed and we've been the best of friends ever since. Elbie is my go to girl for anything hair and make up related. With every shoot I do, Elbie is the first MUA I want to book. And after disastrous (and erm... expensive) hair dying results from Toni & Guy, Elbie has become my hair care saviour - regularly emailing me the next stage in my 'lets-get-Kat's-hair-healthy-again' regime.

Are Babies the Next Logical Step?

Kat

June 20, 2012

choose to be in a room with a load of them. In fact at my parent's Jubilee party which was frequented by rather a lot of screeching neighbourhood rugrats, I spent then entire time cowered in the corner staring at my lap/my glass of champagne/the dry sausage rolls and hoping none of them would try to talk to me. It's ironic really, I'm pretty outgoing with adults, but anyone under 12 and I don't know what to do. I guess I'm scared I'll make them cry... or I'll accidentally drop the f-bomb and scar them for life or something.

WIN Free Wedding Photography with Lisa Jane Photography

Kat

June 19, 2012

I am a huge fan of Lisa Jane Photography. She has such a unique eye and her attention to detail really comes through in her images. I love the way she captures emotion in a genuine and intimate way, and that she's not afraid to show real, unapologetic love. She is also bloomin' fantastic at capturing all the little details of a wedding - the stationery, the flowers, your quirky centrpiece ideas. So as you can imagine I was thrilled when she asked if I'd host a contest for her, and I was even more excited when she told me she wanted to give away a full wedding package! If you are getting married before the end of 2013 and you haven't got your photographer sorted yet, then today is your lucky day!

Spending Habits of the Newly Engaged & How Couples Choose Their Wedding Suppliers: Market Research from Splendid Communications & Brides Magazine

Kat

June 19, 2012

A couple of wedding media outlets have conducted some pretty awesome market research over the past few months. These included the amazing Liene of Splendid Communications and Brides Magazine (US). Both interviewed thousands engaged and newly married couples and with their permission I'm sharing some of their findings today. From Liene's results, I found the factors couples consider when booking their wedding suppliers particularly interesting (click to enlarge each image).

A Stylish East London Wedding: Charlotte & Jonathan

Kat

June 19, 2012

When the bride is an in-demand fashion stylist you just know the wedding is going to be incredible right? Well Charlotte & Jonathan certainly put their own stamp on their day, with Charlotte's expert knowledge and uber cool credentials coming in pretty darn handy for all the pretty bits.

The Bridal Shop Experience & How to Come Out Alive…

Kat

June 18, 2012

I was blown away by the response to the article I published on Weight Loss and Weddings a few weeks ago. Thank you to every single one of you who was brave enough to leave a comment sharing your own experiences. Even though the post has been up for a little while the tweets, emails and blog comments are still pouring in for it. I never really know how topics like that will go down so it means a lot that you guys put yourselves out there like that. You are all so amazing. There was one resounding message that came from the comments, and one I didn't anticipate. It was your concerns or bad experiences with bridal shops and your worries with finding a wedding dress you loved (and that fitted/complimented your figure/make you look beautiful). The crazy thing was that these concerns were not even limited to those of you who identified yourselves as overweight. It seemed that nearly all of you, no matter what your shape or size, had concerns or stories to tell about the dreaded bridal shop experience.