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From the groom…Our day was special before we even got married, before we even got engaged. Our day was special for a very different reason, our day is the day Alisha’s Grandmother passed away; it’s been 8 years as of this year. So before we planned a single detail, we knew this day would be special.

We planned a day of nostalgia, we planned a day of family, we planned a day of décor looking as if it wasn’t planned, but rather – meant to be – LIKE US! The challenge was to create a special day out of an already special day – create a day that was a bittersweet reminder of Granny Kit – a day that was about us – but also about all of our guests. We started with us..

We like old things – we live in a century home, we go to antique shows and shops, we breathe new life into old things. Our home is proof. We chose the oldest, most beautiful church we could imagine, St. Peter’s. People often gasp when they come in, the beauty of St. Peter’s to us was it’s beauty – we only needed a single decoration – posie pockets. Alisha’s Grandma Jacquie lovingly hand-stitched one by one, then she hand starched them with Great-Grandma’s starch recipe 17 in total, each one as perfect as the next.

Next came the venue – we were sticky on this – how does a couple go about having a massive family wedding in somewhere other than a hall or tent? The London Club was perfect – a tight squeeze for 200, but perfect, established in the 1800’s as an “old boys club” it has maintained its nostalgia, class, and charm while allowing for some updates and female members. The next way we brought “us” into the day was in décor. Not only were most items antiques that we hunted and searched for over a year but they allowed for some DIY too. Table numbers were antique prescriptions with numbers stenciled over top, all the other candles were a mish-mash of old and new, some borrowed that were all unique and beautiful in their own way. The crates around the room added a rustic element that we were looking for amidst the ivory linens and clean candle light. The bottles on the tables are all pharmacy bottles (the groom is a pharmacist – hence why the table numbers and bottles work) they were borrowed from the pharmacy Mike works at and had about 50 years of dust and who knows what else on them when they were dug out of the basement!

A reoccurring theme was a tandem bike which we loved as it symbolized being on the same journey together. The save the dates, the table stationery and cake topper all followed this theme. We brought family into our day by displaying pictures of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days with the verse: “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. We cut our cake with the groom’s grandparents serving set used at their 50th wedding anniversary and subsequently at all grandchildren’s weddings after.

Now to bring in Alisha’s Grandmother.. Alisha wore her Grandmother’s earrings, the same ones Granny Kit wore on HER wedding day years before.  We danced to her Grandmother’s favorite song, Elvis’ “Love Me Tender” –according to Granny Kit – it was the only REAL love song. In lieu of traditional wedding favors, a donation was made to Strathroy Hospital, where each of the 19 of Granny Kit’s grandchildren were born and where we said goodbye to Granny Kit 8 years ago.

The day was perfect, the nostalgia was there, our family was there, and most importantly, the loved ones who couldn’t be there – were there.

Ceremony Location: St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica / Reception Location: The London Club / Transportation: Checker Limousine + Tourism London / Wedding Photography: Nova Markina of NovaMarkina Photography / Hair: Hair by Lindsey Boyd / Make-up: Janet Entwistle of Face Trends / Floral Design: Olive Lane Floral / Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman via Zappos / Bride’s Hairpiece: Prim and Posies / Bride’s Earrings: Her Grandmother’s (who wore them on her wedding day too!) / Groom’s Suite + Shoes: Hugo Boss / Groom’s Shirt: Nordstrom / Groom + Groomsmen Bowties + Pocket Squares: The Belle & The Beau / Custom Hangers: DIY Brides via Etsy / String Quartet: String Classics / Band: The Doug Varty Band/ Invites, Table Numbers, Guest Book, Drink Flags, Seating Chart: DIY / Cake: IncrEDIBLES by Lani

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Post tags: Checker Limousine, David's Bridal, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Etsy, Face Trends, Hair by Lindsey Boyd, Hugo Boss, London, Nordstrom, NovaMarkina Photography, Olive Lane Floral, Ontario. Canada, Prin and Posies, St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, String Classics, Stuart Weitzman, The Belle & The Beau, The Doug Varty Band, The London Club, Tourism London, Zappos
Post categories: Canada Weddings, Ontario Weddings

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From the Bride…We wanted the day to be quite heartfelt and relaxed, where children could play and the older guests could sit and gossip.  As we had a lot of family and friends it was really important to us that the overall feeling was fun and that everyone could cut loose without feeling they needed to be formal. We chose a village pub with a large garden so that we could capture that special Saturday afternoon pub feeling where everyone is just simply enjoying themselves and each others company. Trying to decide on one color scheme was not going to be possible so we went for bright and chose every color under the sun!

From the beginning we knew that we wanted to make as much as possible from the hand cut liberty backed glass decorations to the sewn circle streamers – everything had a touch of us in it. We made and painted large pub signs, stitched table clothes, made matching pillows for the pub benches, giant windmills and sourced 100 different (and slightly imperfect) hankies from China as well as some 1970s beer mats for the tables.

We were so blessed with so many wonderful people helping from family growing flowers (started in November!) to friends endlessly making tissue pom poms and  endlessly tying ribbons to gates/trees/arches. I guess the inspiration was a bit vintage, a bit carnival and very english village fete! We really wanted people to come to the reception and feel special, not to go “wow”, more to feel that we had created everything for their enjoyment. We also borrowed a lot of props with good friends lending us cake stands, linen, and one extra special friend making us a stunning photo booth. We had quite a few surprises with home-made cakes, biscuits and Tom’s dad’s special fudge. Both of us are product developers and we love detail so made sure that there was enough little things that we cared about – red stripe beer to match the table covers, 96 cut glass vintage vases, red and white butchers string trying lace netting to the benches, party festoon light and Chinese good luck charms picked up in Guangzhou. We loved our day and more so when we look at photos of our friends and family among the chaos of color.

Wedding Photography: Anushe Low / Wedding Dress: Candy Anthony / Bride’s Shoes: Office / Flowers: Family + Friends / Bridesmaid + Flower Girl Dresses: Oasis + Next / Hair Clip: Glitzy Secrets / Paper Goods: Paperchase / Vintage Cut Glass Vases: Charity Shops

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Post tags: Anushe Low, Candy Anthony, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Dulwich, Glitzy Secrets, London, Next, Oasis, Office, Paperchase, Tented Wedding Reception, Vintage Chic
Post categories: The Blog, Whimsical

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From Robbins Photographic…Gemma is a TV producer and Joe is a camera man. I shot their engagement session along the Southbank by the Thames. We walked around the book stalls, across the bridge past Big Ben & the London Eye over to a park next to Embankment station.

Photography: Robbins Photographic

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Post tags: Engagement Sessions, London, Robbins Photographic
Post categories: Destination Weddings, engagement session

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From A Perfect Event…Here is an adorable engagement shoot in London of my bride and groom, Ariel and Paul. It is so fun and playful, perfect for summer!

Style & Design: London Bride / Photography: Emily Quinton / Wedding Planner:  A Perfect Event

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Post tags: A Perfect Event, Engagement Sessions, London, Picnic
Post categories: Destination Weddings, engagement session

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From Kelly Tunney -

“This really was the wedding of a lifetime to photograph and I am totally lost for words when I try to explain just what an incredible experience this was……. Everything exceeded my very high expectations from the moment we landed in London and meet Alice & Ed for the first time.

Both Pete and I were welcomed with open arms by this amazing couple and every single member of their family. We felt so involved and so appreciated every single day. Then came GAME DAY…the wedding…and WOW, we were just floored by everything we were there to capture. 15 hours felt a little like 15 minutes in Chelsea – everything and everyone just rocked my world. Aside from Pete and I pinching each other every 5 minutes, we also had time to stop and sit back to enjoy the moments and watch the day unfold. INCREDIBLE is not enough, RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING is not enough – NOTHING can ever describe that moment, absolute pure JOY and EUPHORIA”

From the bride, Alice -

“For a girl who lives in jeans and trainers and has ‘ tom boy’ as her middle name, the prospect of a long white dress, make-up and brushed hair could seem a little daunting – How wrong I was! The hidden girl from within came out with bells on! The whole Weekend was amazing from start to finish – No-one – believe it or not – was stressed and there was an emotional vibe that I have never felt before. Loved every minute. As Dad was the Governor and has worked / lived there for 5 years – it was very familiar surroundings. It is such a special place because of its amazing surrounding and the people that live within it. Everything about the day included people we knew from the hospital.

Ron, the head gardener at the Royal Hospital , and his lovely assistant Heidi helped us choose and arrange all the flowers.  All the flowers were from New Covent Garden market, a big flower market on the south side of the river. We collected them on the Thursday. We arrange them on Friday ready to go for Saturday. Tim, the head chef at the Royal Hospital, copied my sketch to perfection!!! I bought the ribbon from VV Rouleaux and he made a lemon cake that we ate for dessert with collie and summer berries.

Simplicity and elegance were the key for us. The royal hospital is such a beautiful venue and so full of history that it would be a shame to clutter it up with frills. It has a stand alone beauty that we wanted to accessorise with a simple elegant touch.”

Photography:  Kelly Tunney /  Venue: The Royal Hospital Chelsea / Cake: Head chef at the Royal Hospital / Dress: Suzanne Neville / Makeup: family friend, Marianne Domension / Hair: Richard from The Drawing Room / Bridesmaids’ Outfits:  Reiss and Kurt Geiger shoes / Groom’s and groomsmen outfits: Rented suits from Moss Bros; Hugo boss ties;  Void Cufflinks; shoes: Mr. Hare

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Post tags: Chelsea, Kelly Tunney, London, Royal Hospital, United Kingdom
Post categories: All Real Weddings, Contemporary, Whimsical

{click here to see the full wedding}

Rose & Brendan’s garden party wedding at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset really was a pretty special affair. This is how Rose described her theme for the wedding: ‘I’ve tried to keep all the stationery formal in style as I really like formality, but like the contradiction that it is a garden party event. I’m a sucker for tradition but I love tiny personal details. For the day I wanted to create a real inside outside feel – like a vintage 1940s tea dance that has come through time and ended up in a garden –  so everything’s a little distressed from the elements but still beautiful.’

Rose and the bridesmaids got ready at the gorgeous Launceston Farm, which really set the mood for the day from the start. Rose’s dress and veil were from Pronovias Bond Street and this is what she says about finding the perfect gown: ‘I searched for ages because I really wanted a Spanish style dress but couldn’t find anything that didn’t look like I was drowning in fabric! It was really hard to track down the dress I chose and I had to order it before I’d even seen it in real life, but it worked our perfectly and was totally “the one”. I LOVED the fabric of the dress with its tiny flocked dots all over the tulle, mixed with the cotton lace. And I loved the gros grain bows. My amazing friend and colleague Lisa Roberts did all the alterations (It was meant to have a halter neck and we changed some of the detailing on the bust). She did an exceptional job and I’d recommend her to anyone.’

‘My shoes were Louboutin and my bag was last minute buy from Monsoon Bridal.’

‘I got the Bridesmaids Dresses came from Topshop as I really wanted something that looked quite cute, with a hint of vintage, and in a daywear fabric! We made little net underskirts to go under them to puff out the skirts so they looked a little fuller. I made the Bridesmaids hair ornaments with fabrics I bought online from The Trimming Company and bought the bridesmaids shoes from New Look.’

‘Brendan’s suit was from Topman and  the groomsmen just wore their own black suits to match. Brendan’s shirt was a River Island buy, as were his excellent very long shoes (which had beautiful roses carved into the leather soles which was a nice hidden detail). The bow ties were from Tie Rack.’

One thing that made this wedding feel very special was that the whole wedding party was just 14 people in total (Brendan lost his best man as he had to be onboard his Navy ship the same day as the wedding as the queen was visiting). It really felt exceptional to be a part of such an intimate party, and it made for a beautifully relaxed day – the often normal ‘stresses’ of a wedding day seemed far away. I still can’t get over how beautiful all the carefully selected details looked. Here’s what Rose told me about them: ‘I collected a lot of mercury glass as it looks like formal interior decorative items that have been left outside – silver glass that has been worn away with sun and rain. They came from places such as Niki Jones, Cox & Cox, Graham & Green, and from antique shops.’

‘The candelabras were from eBay and all our cut glass vases, candle sticks, bowls and ornaments were all vintage/charity shop finds. There are some fantastic charity shops in Devon and Cornwall where you can find the best things for a bargain. Woodside is probably the all time best where most of the things came from.’

‘I used all country garden based flowers that were in season, very unstructured – no “floristry” as such, just flowers in pots and vases. I ordered all our flowers through our local market Petals Florists and we made our bouquets and buttonholes ourselves the night before the wedding. My mum did all the vases at the venue for us in the morning before the wedding.’

Photography: Marianne Taylor Photography / Flowers: Petals Florist (DIY though!) / Getting ready: Launceston Farm / Ceremony & reception location: Larmer Tree Gardens / Invitations: Rose Phillips (the bride) / Shoes: Louboutin/ Dress: Pronovias / Groom’s suit: Topman / Bridesmaid’s dresses: Topshop

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Post tags: Christian Louboutin, Dorset, England, Larmer Tree Gardens, Launceston Farm, London, Marianne Taylor, Pronovias, Rose Phillips, Topman, Topshop, UK
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

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Anna & Russ’ charming London tea party wedding took place on a beautiful spring Friday in April. Anna had put such care into every beautiful detail, that the whole day was literally bursting with prettiness! Everything from the gorgeous Montague Hotel, where Anna was getting ready, to her beautiful dress and accessories, and especially the flowers (oh the flowers!) were carefully thought out to carry the theme and colours throughout the day and the different venues.

Anna has a keen interest in the Tudors and so Fulham Palace was an ideal venue for the reception. Being a tea party, the food consisted of delicious sandwiches and mouthwatering cakes, which were all laid out in the most gorgeous manner, such a feast for the eyes as well!

There were also lots of thoughtful little touches, such as a bead bar for the young ones to make their own jewelry, and a pretty awesome candy buffet, which got both the children and adults pretty excited! This really was the most charming wedding!

Photography: Marianne Taylor Photography / Flowers: Euphoric flowers / Catering: Create / Getting Ready Venue: Montague Hotel / Ceremony Location: St George’s Holborn / Reception Location: Fulham Palace / Shoes: Monsoon / Dress: Stephanie Allin / Candy buffet: Party Belles Events / Hair: Severin Hubert / Make up: Lina Cameron / Bead bar: Beadoir / Car: Polly Pootles

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Post tags: Beadoir, Create Catering, England, Euphoric Flowers, Fulham Palace, Lina Cameron, London, Marianne Taylor, Monsoon, Montague Hotel, Party Belles Events, Polly Pootles, Severin Hubert, St George's Holborn, Stephanie Allin
Post categories: The Blog

The wedding was held at Hylands Hall in Essex, UK. The ridiculously lovely bride wore a Stuart Parvin gown (The Way We Were) and shoes by Emmy, along with a necklace by Stephanie Browne that just might be the most amazing accessory EVER. The bridesmaids wore bespokie gowns by Naomi Neoh. It’s funny…even though the style behind this wedding is utterly luxurious and traditional, there are little touches of personality, of real style…sprinkled throughout the entire affair. LOVE that.

A little bit of background from the fabulous photographer, Polly…

Liz is an interior designer and drew together her contacts and skills to create a stunning, glamorous wedding with a timeless elegance. This wedding has quite a vintage feel – a kind of 40′s or 50′s glamour to it. Check out the gorgeous individual favours of vintage brooches for each female guest, whilst Jim, the Groom’s reflected his musical background in the mini The Who badges as favours for the men. The ushers were all presented with vintage The Who signed LP’s as a gift from the Groom and he later got up and joined in with the band.

Thank you so very much to Polly Alexandre for sending this beautiful affair our way. Make sure to check out Polly’s blog for even more eye candy. Oh and a huge thank you to the lovely bride and groom for giving us a little window of inspiration into your day. We are obviously in love.

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Post tags: Ballroom, Essex, Hylands Hall, London, Naomi Neoh, Polly Alexandre, Stuart Parvin, UK
Post categories: Traditional Elegance