A look back at my year...

 New years, a time for reflection and a time to look forward to the next year! Tomorrow I will be posting my new years resolutions however here for you now is a look back on my last year and what I have achieved because when you are so busy it means you hardly get time to look back! I’ve sorted them into different categories.

Wedding:

We have done lots of things for the wedding this year but there are a few HUGE items we managed to get sorted.

• ·       Booked a venue and the registrar

• ·       Got my wedding dress

• ·       Booked the photographer and had our engagement shoot

• ·       Got our baker booked

• ·       Booked our band

• ·       Asked my bridesmaids to be part of the wedding day

• ·       Got favours, bouquets, buttonholes, favours and centrepieces sorted!

Personal:

•  Went on some amazing holidays including Amsterdam and Kos with the boy, my besty Beth and her boyfriend, Nice and Monaco with my friend Rima, Belgium with my friend Vicky and Valencia with the boy.

•   I lost nearly 5 stone in weight and have so far managed to keep it off!

•     I lost one of the most important people in my life...and survived it.

•   I started this blog in March and have since had thousands of visitors from all over the world come and have a peek and I’ve got some exciting things lined up for 2012!

•  I attended the fabulous 'Love my Dress summer soiree'

 

I think this year has been a great one and I’m determined to make 2012 even better!

My fave weddings of 2011: The real life weddings top 10

 

I love the wedding of Rebecca and Derek, as photographed by Rachel Thurston. I love my ray bans so I adore a bride in them too! Her dress is just so amazing, gorgeously vintage and I love the yellow belt to make it modern and fun. I love a grey suit and Derek's suit is exactly the kind of thing I would love the boy to wear. After their ceremony all the guests customised their own bikes and rode to the reception area where they had a picnic (on vintage bedsheets). The reception area also had their own customised mini golf and guests enjoyed ice cream sandwiches.

Alex and James also had a wedding that was totally them and reflected their love of superheroes. Their wedding, photographed by Jagger photography, was held at the Children’s museum, a perfect location! Their day was full of colour; they had bowls of Pez (my favourite sweet ever!) and their dessert table looks great against that blackboard wall. Their entrance was through a fake brick wall (greatest entrance ever!!) and they went straight into their first dance which included a light sabre battle. They also had a cereal bar for their guests, such a fun wedding!

Orange girl photographs were responsible for the pictures of this amazing wedding who took a really fun approach to their wedding. They had a kissing booth which is such a cute idea and they made some fantastic signs for various parts of their wedding. I do love when weddings have a special lounge area and this couple blew it out of the water with their red lips couch.

 Arrow and Apple photographed the amazing wedding of Jeremy and Elsie with so many fantastic DIY details. Their ceremony space was so creative and I adore their blue haired bridesmaid, in fact their whole bridal party looks amazing and the brides dress is stunning. Plus that banner in the last pic, I’ve brought that for my own wedding!

 One thing these weddings seem to have in common is colour and this circus themed wedding by Elyse Hall photography is no different. The wedding was really beautifully styled, it somehow managed to adhere to a circus theme without becoming novelty and they had a doughnut tower!

What has more colour than the rainbow? Three Nails photography took the photos for Jenn's and Matt's amazing boho rainbow wedding. One of my favourite things about this wedding is during the ceremony they watered a tree that they are going to plant behind their house and watch grow. The bride wore a gorgeous flower crown and they had a rainbow themed candy buffet as well.

 The theme of this wedding was described as 'Willy Wonka meets Alice in wonderland'. I think that’s pretty spot on! Bailey's and Pete’s wedding, captured by Aaron Delesie, is magical and I’m sure the guests walking into this venue would have felt the same wonderment as Alice herself or Charlie. It’s so different to anything I’ve seen, just sensational.

 

I love the Mexican theme to this wedding, captured by Sarah Yates, and the couple incorporated so many of my favourite things from Mexico, namely colour and tequila! They were very vintage inspired as well with the bride creating her own vintage brooch bouquet and collecting stamps from Ebay for their invites.

 This New York wedding of Monica and David, captured by belathee photography, was pure luxe. I found this pretty jaw dropping, especially that ceremony space! They really use lighting so well to make the venue so atmospheric and I love the decor, minimalist and contemporary. I could take some inspiration from this wedding for home decor!

The wedding of Kelly and Drew, photographed by W. Scott Chester, was so colourful and I love the chevrons! They also had a big selection of pies (the boys dream), it was just so cute! They really had some of the most adorable decor, very indie and vintage inspired, just gorgeous.

My fave weddings of 2011: The celeb files

Of course for me the wedding of the year was Kate and Wills. I was pretty excited beforehand but in a very 'I love weddings whoever the hell is getting married' type way. The Boy and I were in Liverpool for the Liverpool comedy festival at the time so I had to drag the boy to the shopping centre to watch it on the big screen and I got totally enthralled by it all, I was so happy when they kissed! Who can forget Kate stepping out of the car with her gorgeous lace Grace Kelly inspired Alexander McQueen dress and Harry whispering to William as she walked down the aisle with millions watching all over the world. This wedding also had the year’s hottest bridesmaid in her sister Pippa and I totally loved the couple doing the rounds around the crowds in their convertible. I went to Buckingham Palace this summer and saw the dress, the cake, the shoes, it was all rather gorgeous!

In June Lily Allen married Sam Cooper and was such a gorgeous bride, maybe because she also announced that she was an expectant bride! Lace was popular this year with Lily wearing a gorgeous vintage style Delphine Manivet dress with the most stunning veil, although for the evening she changed into a personally designed Chanel number. They held a 'cricket tea' reception at their home nearby and the couple enjoyed a Glastonbury honeymoon, rock n roll!

Can you believe Abbey Clancy had given birth just 3 months before her June wedding? Peter and Abbey got married at a country hotel and she had a lovely fishtail style dress by Giles Deacon which she accessorised very simply with some white roses and flowing locks. Have to admit I warmed to them knowing they didn't sign a magazine deal.

I’m not a Kate Moss fan. I think its jealousy, I fancy Johnny Depp and Pete Doherty (don't judge) and she has had serious relationships with both, plus she's rich and thin, however when I saw her in that John Galliano gown I thought she looked breathtaking and who can't fall in love with her army of angelic bridesmaids. Thanks to Mario Testino she also had some of the most amazing wedding photographs, vogue worthy! Kate proved her rock n roll credentials with performances by Snoop Dog and Bryan Ferry and a reception that lasted days.

Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell got married in October with a simple ceremony at a London registry office in front of just a handful of close family and friends. I thought this was a really tasteful wedding with the bride wearing a simple but gorgeous knee length dress, designed by Paul’s daughter, Stella.

I'm a little in love with the Duchess of Alba. She is royal, super royal; she makes Will and Kate look like paupers! In October she married Alfonso Diez, a toyboy at 25 years her junior which caused her children to worry she was being taken for a ride. In order to prove her true love she divided her estate (estimated to be £3 billion!!!) between her children to subdue their fears.  Despite being a duchess she only had 38 people at the wedding and she wore a chiffon and pink lace dress that I thought was quite a romantic look with loose sleeves and a floaty hemline, hey it must be hard to look for a wedding dress when you're 85.

I have some weird fascination with this couple; I mean is this a joke? Doug Hutchinson, of 'The Green Mile' fame, married Courtney Stodden in May this year. The controversy came because Doug is 51, Courtney only 16. Well I say 16; she looks like a 50 year old who's had plastic surgery to look 16. Ever since their union Courtney has not been seen in anything more than a bikini and stripper shoes and they are more that forthright about their relationship with Courtney declaring Doug to be a 'tiger in bed'. But then again, I obviously took them to be less of a joke than Kim Kardashian....

Wedding trend round up! Part 3

Classic elegance with afternoon tea (http://lucystendall.blogspot.com/2011/07/rachel-and-dan-afternoon-tea-wedding_30.html)

The series continues with Lisa Sabin, a wedding planner at Just Bespoke who gave a fab round up of the latest trends!

Expectation was high for weddings in 2011, and they didn’t disappoint. From the classic elegance of the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, through to the stylish yet bohemian affair of Kate Moss and Jamie Hince –brides across the country watched with baited breath to see the latest wedding trends emerge.

So, what were the big trends of 2011?

Classic Elegance

More and more couples opted for the quintessential English wedding, to include church ceremonies, afternoon tea, fresh seasonal blooms, and lace…lots and lots of lace, taking inspiration from the royals. We also started to see bridesmaids opting for all white dresses in the latter stages of the year, channelling Pippa Middleton, and with designers bringing out high street replicas; it is easy to understand why.

Bohemian Vintage

Kate Moss and Lily Allen both led the way in terms of showing how versatile the vintage trend actually is. With Kate Moss opting for a bohemian and earthy look, Lilly Allen was dressed in vintage lace from her dress through to her veil and many brides opted for this look in 2011.

Sushi station! (http://katforsyth.com/london-wedding-photographer/shepstone-gardens-wedding-cleo-darren/)

2010 trends going mainstream

2011 was also the year when we saw niche trends from 2009 and 2010 go mainstream with dessert bars, candy buffets and cake pops becoming integrated into many couple’s wedding days. Many couples also opted to veer away from the traditional three course wedding breakfast, instead choosing sushi stations, barbecues and sharing platters to satisfy their guests.

Videography

Capturing weddings on film has, for many years, been considered cheesy and naff, but 2011 has seen the emergence of beautiful wedding s captured on film, providing a journalistic view on the wedding day which is more reportage in style than in previous years. 

Yellow napkins against a grey background (http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/photo/240682)

Pop colours

The catwalks were full of neon brights and pops of acidic tones this year and we saw hints of this translated into colour schemes at weddings across the country. From splashes of magenta with bridesmaid dresses to bright yellow napkins against otherwise neutral greys…2011 was all about being bold, brazen and bright and we loved it! 

2012 Trends

New 2012 trend? (http://www.sittinginatreeevents.com/blog/2010/10/1/hitched-by-sarah-yates-photography.html#)

You never know what each new year will bring as couples are constantly inspired by things around them – from celebrity weddings through to what’s happening in fashion, film and on tv. However, we do have some predictions for the year ahead.

Patterns & Shapes

While 2011 was all about the colour, we predict that 2012 will be all about patterns and shapes. And this will translate across everything – from dresses and napkins, through to invites and flowers. In 2012, we envisage more couples opting for geometric wedding design to include our favourite chevrons, through to spots and stripes. We also predict that florals will once again have their day, with ditsy prints and bold floral patterns making their way into wedding day styling whether it’s with the bridesmaid dresses or using bold fabrics for linens throughout the day.

Luxe

Weddings will go up a gear in 2012 with couples prepared to spend more money on the elements of their wedding which really matter. So we’ll start to see couples stretching their budgets to cater for their tastes and aspirations across all aspects of the wedding. Couples are likely to focus on two to three areas which they want to make stand-out and then work closely with suppliers to see their visions turned into a reality –from stationery through to florals. 

Gorgeous outdoor ceremonies! (http://phillipparkerblog.com/?p=292)

Outdoor ceremonies

Whilst outdoor ceremonies are not legal here in the UK, we are going to see more and more couples opting for celebrant or humanist ceremonies in 2012 to allow them to have their wedding outside. This will mean that we will start to see a lot more in the way of outdoor décor, more emphasis on natural surroundings and interesting touches which merge the environment with the wedding day. Brides will likely take their inspiration from some of the big stateside and Australian bridal blogs to help them create their dream outdoor ceremony.

Fruity Hues & Muted Neutrals

In the recent Pantone colour report for 2012, the experts stated that we are going to see new colour preferences emerge for 2012. Fruity hues seem to be hot for the coming months with tangerine orange, lemon yellow and raspberry purple all featuring in the colour report. However if brights are not your thing, then consider the earthy tones of mushroom, mint blue and slate grey which are all tipped to be popular in 2012.

Wedding trend round up! Part 2

http://manolobrides.com/2009/11/27/luis-diaz-santis-vs-magaly-guerrero-ramirez/

This afternoons post comes from Jennifer Trew at HolyCow! Social media and event management and continues our discussion on the top wedding trends, with a focus on technology that we can expect to see in 2012. Let’s see what Jennifer has to say....

Well 2011 is almost over and with that, 2012 brings a whole new list of trends designed to make your event better than the last!  Times are changing fast and the infusion of social media has had a huge impact on events.  It will continue to do so in the upcoming year and beyond.  It’s important for event planners keep up to date with the latest social media changes and updates – in addition to other trends.

http://www.webdesignhot.com/free-web-templates/free-wedding-website-template/

Here are the top 5 trends for 2012 in the event management industry:

SOCIAL MEDIA!  

It is paramount that event planners understand and are able to incorporate social media into their planning.  If they do not, they should contract an expert that does.  Social media is used to reach a larger audience, save money on advertising, printing costs, etc.  (just to name a few) Social Media is so important; costs should be incorporated into every planning budget.  This could include – but is not limited to:

a.     Live Streaming (i.e. broadcasting the event live over the internet)

b.     Electronic flyers, invitations and RSVP’s

c.      Updating attendees on the event while it is being planned to generate more ‘buzz’

d.     Gaining feedback and suggestions before, during, and after the event

e.     Providing a ‘Greener’ option

f.        Using Twitter to #events to promote engagement before during and after.  (I recently attended an event where the organiser would Tweet in the days leading up to the event ‘looking forward to seeing @attendee at #event’.  This was a great idea, as it caused a bit of buzz and other guests could see who else was coming to the event!)

g.    YouTube – more on this later!

       

     Branding

  

     Clients are really looking for event planners to think outside of the box and plan an event for them that is different from any event they have been to before.  Clients are looking for more innovation, more interaction and branding, branding, branding!  Branding is not just for large organizations anymore!  Everyone, including engaged couples want their event to be branded! They want their wedding to reflect who they are as individuals and as a couple and have that incorporated into their wedding.  They have an expectation that an event planner will be able to be creative enough to do that for them.  It is more important than ever to understand the client, their image, target market and brand – particularly in this financial climate! 

http://www.foreverandeverevents.com/tag/abbey-house-gardens/

          More Interaction/Engagement

Clients want their guests to be WOW’d as soon as they walk through the door.  They want a lot of interaction and engagement (usually in the form of technology) to keep their guests entertained.  This could include:

a.     Concerts/singing groups

b.     Plays

c.      Live entertainers, magicians, comedians

d.     High tech video games

Events with dinner and a guest speaker just won’t cut it anymore - other entertainment must be on the agenda.

  

          High-tech games

There is an upcoming trend to have live life sized video games, so that guests can play and engage with each other.  There are many companies that provide the technology for these games, such as retro, futuristic or even digital wall graffiti, which allows guests to create their own graffiti on walls during the course of the event.

  

  YouTube

If you didn’t already know this, You Tube is the world’s second largest search engine (only to Google).  Increasingly, YT will be used to broadcast updates about events, video messages from the bride and groom, excerpts from guest speakers on past speaking engagements, etc.  Guests and potential attendees can see what ‘all the fuss is about’ and add comments and ‘likes.’   Video links will be embedded onto event websites and other various social media sites.  

There is increased demand for Event Planners to be on the cutting edge technologically and creatively in order to advise their clients and get them the biggest bang for their buck!

Well that all sounds rather exciting to me! We will be doing our own wedding website so I can appreciate the efficiency of technology! Thank you Jennifer and we still have more posts to come!

Wedding trend round up! Part 1

Photography from Christopher Currie photograhy- http://www.christophercurrie.co.uk/

  I thought a great way to round up this year would be to have a look at some of the great wedding trends of 2011 and enjoy a sneak peak at some possible 2012 trends from a few fabulous event planners. The first post comes from Sarah at Helen Carter weddings.

As we draw to the end of 2011, here at Helen Carter Weddings we love looking back at the trends we saw in weddings in the past year, and trying to guess what brides will be choosing for 2012.

Viva wedding photography- http://www.vivaweddingphotography.com/

2011

• There has been a lot of blog chatter about the end of the vintage trend, but our experience has shown that 2011 certainly wasn’t the year that it breathed its last. Lots of brides are still favouring a vintage-styled day, but we did notice a slight shift into incorporating vintage elements rather than having a full-on vintage affair.

• Many brides are looking to make their celebrations less formal, and we saw an increase in summer fete or tea party receptions. Many of these played on those vintage trends, but the general feel was for a more relaxed celebration than the traditional sit down meal.

• We can’t pinpoint a certain colour that sums up 2011 for us, but we saw a move towards a selection of mixed colours in our weddings. Brides still love pastels, but we saw more mixtures of shades, particularly in relation to flowers which were often informal arrangements of different types and colours of blooms.

Found on Sweetest Occasion- http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2010/05/peach-color-palette-inspiration/

 2012

• We predict that the vintage style will continue to play an important part in the planning for a lot of brides. We hope that the informal reception trend will continue with its ability to really showcase the loves and interests of the brides and grooms and allow for more quirky and individual styling. We’re hoping that festival weddings are big news, with guests staying on site and celebrations going on over a whole weekend.

• If we were to choose a colour for 2012 it would be peach. Soft nude shades were big on the catwalks for Spring/Summer 2012 and we expect this to influence brides’ colour choices, from flowers, maids’ dresses, decorative items and even to the wedding gown itself.

• 2011 saw a rise in out of season weddings, and we expect the trend to continue apace in 2012. With recent weather patterns making Spring and Autumn as likely to have beautiful weather as the traditional Summer wedding months of May to August, we are seeing more brides plan weddings in what can also be less expensive months for wedding celebrations. 

Thank you to Helen Carter weddings and stay tuned because at 3pm there will be another fab trend post!