Zoe and Richard married on a rainy February Saturday in St Albans, a place they describe as “not the prettiest…but it’s where we went to school, which is where we met and where we fell in love. We couldn’t really do it anywhere else.”

Captured by photographer Joanna Millington, the day was full of colour, music, fun and whimsy. Just the most fun wedding photos I’ve ever seen.

“When we were first engaged I asked Richard if he knew where he wanted to get married,” Zoe says. “He said he didn’t want to get married anywhere but Christ Church St Albans. It was my childhood church on the estate where I grew up and where Richard and I went to school. We knew it wasn’t exactly the idyllic wedding venue – a flat-roofed, slightly tired and drab looking carpeted church with very green curtains – but it was home. We had our reception in the same place. Luckily they had just built a shiny new hall attached to the old church building, which was very handy. No one (apart from us) had to venture out into the rain!”

“Richard and his Dad had also made the most amazing Alice in Wonderland comic foregrounds. Richard had proposed to me amongst the seagulls on Brighton Beach and right at the beginning of our preparations we’d talked about how amazing it would be to have one of ‘those things you put your face through at the sea side’, but I never imagined we’d actually have them!! Although now what to do with two huge comic foregrounds is another matter…”

“I knew I wasn’t a meringue bride, and I had no desire what-so-ever for a strapless floor-length number with diamante tiara and shoes to match. One friend said to me ‘You win either way, if you turn up in something outrageous, everyone will be shocked, if you turn up in something classic, everyone will be shocked.’ I contemplated dressing up as a Power Ranger for the occasion (just think of everyone’s faces!) The dress I ended up in, however, even caught me by surprise.”

“We ended up buying my dress from Whistles. I saw it one day when I was mooching around waiting for a friend, I was certainly not looking for my wedding dress, and I phoned my Grandma and Mum that night and we arranged to head to Selfridges, where they had the last one in my size, the next day. When my Grandma used the word ‘vivacious’ to describe it, I knew I had to have it. On our wedding day, when I arrived at the front of the church, Richard said to me ‘You did it, you surprised me.’ I think he would have been less shocked by the Power Ranger costume!”

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What I love about Richard and Zoe’s wedding is, well actually it’s endless. But the way they both involved their friends and family in the preparations and on the day was beautiful. They really cared that everyone had a good time, but not in an over-the-top-everyone-MUST-have-fun way – their personalities made sure it happened on its own.

Congratulations to a most amazing couple!

The blues and greys feel very vintage glamourous to me. So when I saw the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, I thought this could be a really interesting theme, bringing in the iconic romance of Paris.

That’s one way to settle an argument about what you both want….or perhaps it’s a rebellion against the traditional pretty, white cake! Beautifully done.

Biggest among the trends and reflective of a lot of the hotly anticipated blockbusters of the next year such as Snow White and the Huntsmen, Mirror Mirror and Hansel and Gretel, it’s ‘fairytale’.

Get the image of Katie Price’s gaudy nuptials out of your head, this is a tad more upmarket.

Some 2012 wedding gowns are light and airy, but long sleeves and lace details are back, giving a very romantic, royal feel, straight out of the pages of a story book. Illusion necklines and sleeves are delicate, but not too modest to still hint at a little skin.

We’re heading out of town for many of the sought after venues and settings for this year; rustic barns and woodland areas are getting more and more popular, and fit well with them fairytale trend. Not complete, of course, without fairylights.

This emerging trend is a gorgeous mix of traditional, vintage and fantasy, and I’m looking forward to seeing some real life fairytale weddings very soon!

We saw bouquets made out of buttons, brooches and even a few cufflinks thrown in the mix. But my absolute favourite had to be the seashell bouquets.

Such beautiful arrangements, considering finding these shells are absolutely free. Could make a brilliant day out for you and your hens, or a couples weekend at the beach.

For those not as keen on having a full shell arrangement, shells also make a perfect accent for a more traditional bouquet.

Perfect for a beach wedding, or bringing the beach to you.

As with many bold colours, it’s often done best when its teamed with a more understated shade, in this case pale shades of lavender and lilac. The fresh hint of lime, as you would expect, gives the palette a real good kick.

Limes on their own can be great elements of the decor. Citrus fruits are now often used in floral arrangements and in vases of centrepieces, which make a striking feature. They can also just be arranged on cake tables, cut in half and slot in table names or place between the layers of your cake.

Accessories look amazing in bold lime, like the bag and shoes above. Picking out these elements in a colour like lime look so impressive. 

The key here is not to overdo colours like lime green, but using it like a lime highlighter pen for your decorations and your outfit can look stunning!

(Images via: Brides, Dessy, Groom Sold Seperately)

Make that ‘shows’. January and February are typically the busiest season for wedding fayres, big and small. If you’ve never been to one, I highly recommend it. Brides and grooms (or brides and mums) get the chance to meet with local suppliers, get style ideas, bag some freebies and even mega discounts, all in one afternoon.

So to help you on your merry journey to discount-dom, we’ve put together a little breakdown of what’s going on where over the next few months as you plan your big days.

1. By far the biggest, hence the national, is the National Wedding Show.

This mega event takes place in London Olympia from 24-26th February, and in Birmingham NEC from 16-18th March.

With over 300 exhibitors, catwalk shows, freebies, style experts and workshops, you’ll need to make a day of it.

Tickets are £13.50 for standard entry, but £35 if you want to splash out on a VIP ticket. This will get you fast track entry, champagne, access to a lounge and extra goodies.

To be honest with you, any time I have attended, I haven’t waited to get in at all, but if the champagne and lounge are up your alley, go for it!

Sunday has the best availability at the moment, so get cracking on tickets!

2. Another big hitter is the UK Wedding Shows. They put on several events all over the country all year. The London Excel event is this weekend, 4-5th February. Check the website for the other regional events.

Tickets are still available at £9, and the great thing about these events is that a paying bride can register for a complimentary ticket.

Very similar set up to the National Wedding Show, the UK Wedding Show events have catwalks, hundreds of suppliers to chat to, freebies and discounts.

3. Heading over the the high end market, there’s The Designer Wedding Show in Battersea Park happening from 10-12th February.  

£16 advanced ticket bookings only, this event is for the well-off, or the clever brides who want expensive-looking ideas to steal and replicate…
There’s a designer catwalk featuring the gorgeous creations of Elle Saab, Vera Wang, Sassi Holford and more.

In my experience, this event is brilliant for ideas and the ‘wow factor’ but feasibility and affordability are usually big factors. If this is the first wedding show you go to and you come away feeling a little disheartened at the prices, don’t worry, they are not indicative of the rest of the wedding world. A very enjoyable, inspirational and glamourous event, nonetheless!

4. If you’re after something a little less intimidating, there’s lots to work with. One that we’re excited about going to is the Miss Vintage Wedding Affair in Surbiton, Surrey on the 19th February.

With vintage and period inspired weddings still very much on the bridal radar, this event is perfect. Check out vintage crockery suppliers, hair accessories, up-cycled decorations and wedding dresses. Cakes, stationary, make up and everything you could ever need to complete your dream vintage wedding.

Brides can come for free, with friends attending for only £1. But you must register beforehand as its only on for one day.

We’re very excited about this one. And the 1930s bar we can hang out in afterwards.

Other notable wedding events coming up:

Wedding Week at Bluewater, Kent - 9-12th February – £10

Camden Lock Wedding Fair – 19th February – Free admission

Covent Garden Wedding Show – 25th March – Free admission

Tips:

• Definitely check your coats and extra bags at the cloakroom for the big ones, you’ll be given a lot to carry home!
• Bring water and snacks if the food there is expensive.
• Don’t worry about bringing a notepad, you’ll be given three!
• Don’t feel obliged to book anything right there and then, in most cases you will be able to mention that you met with them at a later date and any relevant discounts should still apply, just ask.
• Get sat down early for the catwalk shows, it’s limited seating. Standing is fine enough but you won’t get that super cool feeling of watching a fashion show from the front row….you know what I’m talking about.
• Eat…the cakes.
• Enjoy yourself!

It’s getting a bit sunny! I’m starting to look forward to Summer now, and one of the most summery things I can think of is picnics and fruit. Not your usual strawberries and cream, but juicy shades of apricot, peach and mint – perfect for a summer wedding.

The tones are pale and subtle, not bright and overbearing, which gives it a little bit of a vintage-looking feel – delicate, faded pastels but with pops of colour. A very happy palette!

Pump up the vintage element with dainty lace and flowers, always beautiful in hair.

Images via: Bouquet Wedding Flower, My Island Wedding,  A Low Country Wedding and Etsy

]]> http://nearlyweds.co.uk/inspiration-board-fruit-cocktail/feed/ 0 http://nearlyweds.co.uk/aisle-say/ http://nearlyweds.co.uk/aisle-say/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:50:03 +0000 Holly http://nearlyweds.co.uk/?p=932 You’ll all have notice the spate of viral videos over the past few months of ‘Sh*t People Say’, and now The Knot are bringing you the spot on ‘Sh*t Brides Say’. How much of this do you recognise??

“Urban chic but with a rustic twist”? Would love to see that.

Statistically, more couples will have got engaged in December than any other month, so there are a wealth of summer weddings coming our way!

To bring you more into the summery mindset, and give you a break from looking at holiday wesbites, we’ve put together a sunny little colour palette and moodboard.

Yellow might seem like an obvious choice for a summer wedding, but it’s been making a comeback this past year. Teamed with a colour that pops like turquoise, or a richer colour like lilac, can make an incredibly vibrant colour palette.

Happy day dreaming!

(Photos via: Martha Stuart Weddings and The Knot)