Posts Tagged ‘Lovely things!’
Wedding Genie Loves Pronovais
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
It was my anniversary last week and as I was lovingly looking at the large wedding dress box that contained my own Pronovais wedding dress, I felt compelled to have a little chat about this gorgeous range of wedding dresses.
I love these spanish design dresses, they are fabulously chic and sophisticated and have a real dramatic feel about them. I love how Pronovais describe their collection:-
“Gowns with strength, fresh lines, travelling from the containment of elegance to the tenderness of the purest fantasy. Noble and natural fabrics which, achieve a complete reinvention of the volume and, consequently, of the female body. Lightweight empire style designs with vaporous layers of lace and bright detail
All of these, irresistible options for a bride with a compelling illusion that knows what she wants.”
Phew! all I know is that they are beautiful,the fabric is divine, and there are many styles to choose from. I know I felt positively bridal in mine. When you try the dress on that “is the one” you will know the feeling. It’s hard to describe until you find the dress of your dreams but once you zip it up and turn to look in the mirror you will definitely know!
Check out these beauties.
One of the other reasons why I so love this range, is that compared to other well known designers, which may cost upwards of £2,000, these start around £1,000. Yes it’s a lot to spend on a dress but if your budget stretches then why not? We are all about value at The Wedding Genie and making sure you get the best for your money.
I am definitely not saying that spending more on a dress is bad, you can spend £5,000 if you have it, it’s just that if you want to spend around £1,000 on a dress you could do a lot worse than start with this range.They certainly look more expensive, I never thought I could afford one.
Our lovely friends at Silk Brides in Lichfield, have started to stock these dresses, so you not only will you get a lovely wedding dress for a reasonable cost, but also the very best service and a great dress buying experience with Jo.
Our next blog will give advice and tips on buying your dress so pop back again on Friday.
Until then, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Supplier, Tips & Advice
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Inspirational Brides To Be – Wedding Blog
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
There are many wedding blogs out there that are inspirational, but some of the best are written by brides to be themselves! When you start to think about planning your wedding it’s a huge task and who knows where to start? It’s not like all your friends are getting married at the same time, so sometime’s there is no one to talk to or bounce ideas off or ask for advice. What better way than to make a diary of your wedding journey and share it with like minded brides. Suddenly you are not alone and its a chance to share your creativity and unique ideas to help other brides in your position.
I found Purple and Pearls quite a while ago, it’s written by the very creative and talented Laura Francis and I was hooked. Not only is it a pretty site to surf around but its funny, inspiring and written from the heart. It gives a fabulous insight into wedding planning and shows how you can make your mark on your dream day without breaking the bank.
There are lovely ideas and images to help inspire you, I love looking around myself, I particularly like all the posts relating to the Candy Tables. I am often intrigued why brides to be start a blog and what they get from it, I asked Laura a few searching questions and she did not disappoint.
What Made You Start Purple and Pearls Blog?
Purple and Pearls started out as a way for me to document my time as a bride to be. I’ve always kept diaries and essentially that is what Purple and Pearls is. It’s my online diary, I want to be able to look back in years to come and remember every detail about planning our wedding that I know I could easily forget.
What do you think you give to other brides who are planning their weddings?
I’m a DIY bride. Anything I make myself, like my chalkboard heart place cards, invitations, candy table signs and wine charm favours, I write about and explain exactly how I did it. I’ve had quite a few comments from other brides-to-be about how easy the projects I take on look and have been inspired to have a go themselves.
I’m also very honest, it’s not always rosy in the run up to the wedding and things do get stressful. I share my concerns, worries and mistakes (such as the spelling error on my invitations I noticed just days before they were due to go out!)
I don’t get paid for writing Purple and Pearls either, I have no sponsors which means any recommendations I make for suppliers are based purely on my own opinions and experiences.
Laura’s gorgeous chalk board place cards
Wine Charms to match Laura’s theme
How has it helped you?
I enjoy writing Purple and Pearls so much. It keeps my thoughts in order; I write a monthly countdown post with jobs that I need to do in the up coming weeks, which helps me keep track of what I’m suppose to be doing. It’s also put me in touch with other brides who write their own blogs and lots of different wedding industry professionals. I feel like I’m part of a little community and if I need advice, suggestions, support or even just a chat there is always someone around either to comment on the blog or on Twitter to talk to.
Do you think your wedding will be different because of it and have you learned loads about the wedding industry?
Writing Purple and Pearls has made me more aware of other blogs written by suppliers, other brides and industry professionals. I have 100’s of different blogs in my Google Reader and they have definitely opened my eyes. Starting out I didn’t know that I could break away from the more traditional side of the wedding industry, I didn’t know that I didn’t have to have sugared almonds as favours and I’ve learnt that it’s ok to make our wedding day reflect our personalities. I’ve been inspired to create details myself, which means certain aspects of our wedding will be unique to us and hopefully our guests will appreciate that too.
I wouldn’t say that I’ve learnt loads about the wedding industry, but I have met (online and in real life) some fabulous wedding professionals who have all helped me out in some way.
Laura is using the shots from their engagement shoot for their guest book.
If you have what are the good things and what are the bad?
Getting to know the wedding industry has made me realize how much choice there is, there are so many different ways you can personalize your wedding day to suit you.
I’ve also learnt to shop around; unfortunately a few suppliers find it acceptable to up their prices just because it’s a wedding. Throughout my planning I’ve learnt to compare prices and do a lot more research before committing to a service. For example I saved over £200 on our wedding flowers because I didn’t settle for the first quote I received.
Having said that all of the suppliers involved in our wedding day are wonderful – it was one of our requirements during the planning process for us to get on with our suppliers. There is nothing better than your florist or cake maker to be just as excited about your wedding as you are!
Its good to hear that. Suppliers should be interested in your wedding just as much as you are. It’s one of the traits that we like to know a supplier has before they go onto our Wedding Genie recommended list. Quality and good service are a given if you use any of The Wedding Genie suppliers. Many of our brides are just like Laura. They want us to help their day go exactly as they planned. Leaving them to enjoy every minute knowing someone they trust is looking out for all their little details.
Well I for one can’t wait to see the gorgeous wedding that Laura paints such a beautiful picture of on her blog. I will post it on my blog if Laura doesn’t mind, we can’t possibly not follow up this lovely story.
In the meantime if you want to know how to start to plan and find inspiration, why not book one of our new Bridal Workshops. They are fun, informative and I promise you will go home armed with all the hints tips and advice you could possibly need. You can enter our competition too for a pair of tickets to one of our classes in October or November.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Personal Touches, Planning, Wedding Planning
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Real Weddings – Vicky and Jeff
Friday, July 30th, 2010
I know I posted this lovely wedding a few weeks ago but I so wanted to share with you the video clip that Vicky sent to me showing a glimpse of their gorgeous day. Vicky and Jeff are one of my favourite couples ever. They were a pleasure to work with and I had a fantastic time at their wedding.
The videographer, Jeff Wood was such a lovely guy I cannot recommend him highly enough. He seemed to melt into the background but managed to capture these lovely moments of Vicky and Jeff’s day. This is a little taster and I make an appearance which is lovely for me to keep for a keepsake. I hope it makes you smile.
Enjoy!
Vicky and Jeff Wedding June 2010 – May take a few seconds to load but its worth it!
If you want me to help you find great suppliers or coordinate your day please give me a call, I would love to hear from you.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Lovely things!, Real Weddings, Supplier
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Hand Made Wedding Stationery
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
As part our quest to give great advice and tell you the fantastic suppliers we work with, today its all about stationery. I met Bernie and Claire, who are a sister team, from Lilylou & You a couple of years ago when I was getting married. They made me some gorgeous stationery which was all bespoke and they managed to cope with my incessant changes and quirky requests.
Since then I have recommended them to many people. Their stationery is excellent quality and you can get anything you like made to your design. Their prices are brilliant and the customer service is second to none.
Wedding Genie make a great fuss about only working with suppliers who offer the same standard of service that we do and Lilylou and You certainly fit this bill. Now in addition to sharing them with you I asked Bernie for advice on when to send your invites and what to think of when ordering them. Enjoy!
Your invitations are the first impression your guests have of your big day
The greater the impact the greater the response and general excitement among your guests in the lead up to your big day! You invitation sets the scene for the day whether it be subtle and serene or wild and wacky!
Give Your Guests Plenty of Time to make the necessary arrangements
Your guests do really make your day so give them time to make sure they can attend – post your invitations out at least three months prior to the wedding and allow your guests six weeks to reply – at Lilylou & You we make this easy by introducing RSVP postcards as standard with all day invitations.
With the above point in mind handmade stationery takes time
Allow 8 – 10 weeks from point of order to receipt of your invitations – other items can be ordered at a later stage closer to the wedding date.
Colour Matching
Our invitations are all handmade from either our own or your original designs, we are able to match any colours you would like throughout your design. Sending us a swatch of fabric or anything we can get a glimpse of colour from is a great start and helps us to create your perfect unique stationery.
I love this one, we got this for my best friends Mama Mia style wedding in Cyprus
And lastly we urge you to contact us at any time
We are always here to help with any questions you may have no matter how niggly you might feel they are. After all it is your day and it must be perfect.
If you want me to blog on anything you need information about then please let me know. My blog is for all brides who want the inside track on planning and I want it to be enjoyable, informative and above all answering the things you need to know.
Lastly I have had a flurry of enquiries in the last few days, it seems like some of you are just going ahead with a lovely wedding on the spur of the moment. If you want help to coordinate your day I have a few dates left and I would love to help.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Supplier, Tips & Advice
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Wedding Style and Theme – Hair heaven
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
I promised to finish off our vintage blog with more gorgeous finds. Flo and Percy are a long established company within the vintage arena. Their jewellery is absolutely gorgeous and I love the story behind the company which started in 2005. The company was called after Flo and Percy who were married for 80 years and held the record for the longest marriage in the world. Each piece of jewellery is made with the sentiment that it will bring you the same luck, health and happiness.
Their designer Kirstie Taylor makes the most beautiful pieces, from ear rings to bracelets to hair accessories. There are outlets all over the UK now so its easy to get your hands on one of these gorgeous pieces.
Check out these sparkly pieces of heaven. Vintage themes show no signs of wavering so go shopping!
Photo credit to Rock My Wedding
A couple of weeks ago when we started this vintage theme I asked our lovely readers to send me links to anything they particularly liked. Check out these lovely wish tree labels from Etsy. Thank you to the lovely lady that sent me this.
Well I think Vintage is here to stay, I have to say I really love it. If you need some help and inspiration with any of your wedding planning I would love to help. Phone or email me I would be delighted to hear from you.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Wedding Trends
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Wedding Style and Theme – Gorgeous Stationery
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Earlier this week I promised to find you more gorgeous vintage finds. I have just come across this lovely website by Lucy Ledger Designs. I fell in love with it, the wedding stationery is so beautiful it made me feel happy just surfing around. The prices are great too.
I was so impressed that I mailed Lucy to find out about how she started and what inspired her. Here is what she said.
I am Lucy Ledger, an illustrator with a BA Hons degree and I design vintage inspired scrapbook style stationery. I started by producing greeting cards when I was inspired by a very old scrap book my Nan gave to me. It was filled with hundreds of vintage cards from the turn of the 20th century. This book was such an inspiration because not only did these cards have such a warmth about them- the way they were presented in this scrapbook made it look more like a memory book- a perfect style for greeting cards! That is now the signature style I use throughout Lucy Ledger Designs.
I introduced wedding stationery after I had planned my own wedding last year; like so many other brides I wanted a relaxed and informal feel to my stationery- something that would make guests feel that they were going attend a warm, personal occasion that was filled with love, fun and lots of laughter and when I couldn’t find anything that was quite right I decided to design it myself!
I truly believe that picking wedding stationery is one of the most important and exciting parts of planning a wedding as it sets the tone and atmosphere of what is to come. It is the first thing guests will see and it will give an indication of what kind of wedding is being planned. All my ranges can have personal photographs added in, text personalised all in a quirky ‘scrapbooking’ style reflecting the ‘gathering’ and ‘collection’ of memories that compliment a special occasion such as a wedding.
I know I am all about the weddings but I have to admit at being the most forgetful person in the world for birthdays. I am going to buy a whole load of these cards for my family and get them personalised. That way I just have to remember to post them. Well am off to find some more vintage finds for next week.
If you have a favourite site that you would like to share with us please send it over.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Supplier, Tips & Advice
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Wedding Style and Theme – Vintage Heaven
Friday, June 4th, 2010
As part of our blogs on Style and Theme I promised you more of the most beautiful and cost effective vintage finds. Yesterday I came across this lovely shop called Vintagetwee on Etsy. Its absolutely fabulous. At The Wedding Genie we are all about personalising your wedding without breaking the bank but doing it with panache. Check out these lovelies.
These sweet little romantic favour boxes are so elegant and stylish. The special pillow-shaped boxes have been hand crafted using excerpts from a 1940s love letter from a young girl named Anna to her soldier sweetheart during World War Two.
Each box has been wrapped in different parts of the writing and features a photo of the couple taken from the actual letter itself. The words across the boxes read: Cherish, Adore, Hope and Wish.They can be personalised too if you want to use them as jewellery boxes for presents for your bridesmaids.
How about these confetti cones? At our wedding last Sunday we had the most fun capturing the confetti shot when the couple came out of the church. These would look so beautiful for your guests and super chic. Our bride was a musician so these would have been just up her street.
Or more romantic perhaps?
When you are trying to ensure your guests are entertained at their tables how about getting them to chat to each other by adding these little gems onto the table? You can double them up as favours or just place them in the middle for everyone to help themselves to. They can even be used as place names if they are personalised. They contain different topics.
I am having a great time researching these blogs, next week its all about the stationery. Whats more I promise to only find you items you can buy in the UK. This shop is listed on Etsy but the seller is English. If you have any great vintage finds to share please contact me. If you want The Wedding Genie to help you style your wedding we would be delighted to help.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Personal Touches, Supplier, Tips & Advice
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Wedding Tips and Advice – Style and Theme
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
I have been so inspired this week by my own gorgeous clients. Their weddings are to die for! The reason why is simple, they are thinking about the small details and making sure their personalities shine through in their wedding planning. Some of them are choosing vintage themes, which are very popular at the moment, so I thought I would take a look at why this genre is so inviting.
Vintage style allows you to add glamour and sophistication to your wedding day. You can use a mix of old and new. Perhaps thats why it works so well, we feel comfortable with some of our old favourites. Whether its your grandmothers lovely jewellery that inspires you and means so much, or the lace from your Mum’s dress that inspired your thoughts, overall its a comfortable feel. One that if done well can make the most of whats new and old whilst giving a nod to very sophisticated bygone times.
Over the next few blogs I am going to find some lovely vintage pieces you can use for the various elements of your wedding day. Browsing today I found a lovely site, My Wedding Party, which does the most gorgeous luggage labels to use as place names, or on your gifts to the wedding party. Check out their cards too. I wanted to buy some right there and then. Stationery creates a lovely impression and ties a theme together.
You don’t have to spend a fortune if you just shop around and do a little careful research. Now I am off to find more fabulous things for next time. If you want help to style or theme your wedding, or just help getting started I would love to hear from you. Call or email me.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Personal Touches, Tips & Advice
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Unique Wedding Reception Ideas – Crystal Tree Boutique
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
If you are racking your brain for a unique and different way to wow the guests at your wedding reception, why not take a closer look at decorating your venue and tables with these lovely Crystal Trees. They are really unusual and when the lights go down create the most lovely romantic ambiance.
Perhaps your theme is Vintage Glam and you are looking for something that bit different, this may be your solution. As you know we only like to work with excellent suppliers who offer an exceptional service. I asked Amy to tell us a bit about their company.
Our family business offers the hire of these dazzling crystal trees, we only specialise in Crystal Trees and every care is taken to display them to their full advantage. We have found that concentrating all of our efforts on one product allows us to be the best in our business.
The trees are made up of beautiful sparkling crystals hanging from the branches of the tree.They glisten in the sunlight and when the lights go down the candles are lit to make a fantastic elegant centerpiece which will create the ambiance to complement and enhance any special occasion.
We also supply message trees, for your guests to hang their good luck message cards on. Our stunning range of crystal tree champagne bars will make an arrival to any event breathtaking.
You have to see the Crystal trees to see how beautiful they are for yourselves, whether you are having an intamate party, a corporate event, stylish, modern, romantic or fairytale Wedding, Anniversary or Birthday, Our trees will enhance any venue.
We live in Derbyshire although we can deliver anywhere however there will be a charge. Our closest Counties are Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire.
The Trees come in various sizes from 2ft tall to 6ft tall. Use them to brighten up a corner of your venue, or just for your top table to give it some sparkle. They are perfect for centre pieces and a great alternative to flowers. For more information on prices and sizes check out Amy’s website. If you want to see them in person Crystal Tree Boutique will be at the Derby Conference Centre on Sunday 18th April. If you are quick you can take advantage of the special offer of £15.00 discount on each tree ordered before May 14th.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Supplier, Tips & Advice
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The Start of a Great Marriage
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Just as the wedding planning season is about to start full pelt, I thought I would take a minute to think about what really matters when you are planning your wedding. Its the one big day in your life when you declare to the world and each other, that you want to spend your lives together. As you go through the whirlwind of wedding planning its very easy to get so bogged down with all the details and organising, that you can forget the true goal of the day, which is to promise to love and take care of each other.
The Wedding Genie’s passion is to plan and coordinate weddings but we also want to ensure that you start your married life with a good foundation for a long and happy marriage. With this in mind before you even start to think about finding the venue, dress etc have a think about the fundamentals of what you promise to vow to each other.
Check out one of the best weddings I have ever seen. Yes its fiction but it illustrates how simply it can be to get married.Yes its fantastic to have the biggest budget in the world and spend as much money as you like on that designer wedding dress or the most exclusive venue, food and wine, but at the end of the day its your promises to each other that will stand the test of time.
So if you want to get married on a shoe string it does not mean that your wedding won’t be anything less special than a wedding with the budget of a small nation. Its what you put into the day that counts. If you get caught up in the whirlwind of wedding planning and loose sight, take a minute and check back here to see what is really important.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Lovely things!, Personal Touches, Tips & Advice
Posted in Tips & Advice, Wedding Planning | 1 Comment »
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