Accessories: Preparing for the Season

Getting married in January I need to be practical – it’s going to be cold and probably wet!

Following on from yesterdays post, I want to share with you my provisional thoughts on the other accessories I have had to consider to weather proof my outfit.

Wellies 

Ok, lets be realistic, I’m having a indoor wedding, and even when I am outside it will be on concrete/paths, I don’t NEED a pair of wellies. But then I think about my heels, with very little grip and my flats made of satin and the fact that a winter wedding is THE perfect time to buy a pair of Hunter (http://www.hunter-boot.com/) or Joules boots.

My sister has already bought a pair of (childrens) Hunters to co-ordinate with the colour scheme and I've got a cute pair of purple spotty wellies for my Goddaughter/Bridesmaid, so I just have to decide which pair I want to buy.

Let it snow (or rain):  Hunter RHS Original in Violet, Navy Golf Umbrella, Clear dome umbrellas,
Weddington boots with bow photo from here, Edwardian Style Umbrella (Pagoda) photo from here
 and Hunter Original Gloss wellies in stone photo from Amazon

If you follow me on Twitter you will be aware that the wellies have caused me some distress. About 3 weeks ago I discovered that the Joules Spring/Summer 12 range had wellies in the perfect shade of purple, I started hunting and eventually I found a pair at Topshop, advertised as purple but when they arrived they were Navy Blue. Finally, on Sunday I managed to win a pair on ebay and I got them a little cheaper than if I'd got them in the shops.

Umbrellas

This is the one area where I could get carried away… In an ideal world I want a white umbrella for me, a purple or taupe umbrella for my sister, plain children’s size umbrellas in lilac and black/taupe for my Bridesmaid and Pageboy and 4 black umbrellas for the ushers to use to help escort people. In reality I am hunting Ebay for the best options.

Wrapping Up

I have thought long and hard about this and a wonderful friend came to the rescue. A ‘normal’ coat would not work with my dress and I cannot afford to spend hundred of pounds on one for the day. While I like cloaks I think I am the wrong age to wear them, I look at photos of women in their mid to late 20s and I think they often look daft and it would suit me dress.

Staying stylish keeping warm (left to right): Shawl with rose detail, Lace overlay Imam by Pronovias,
Coat with fur collar and sparkle belt, Fur lined hooded cape, knitted short shawl
and full coat with fur collar and cuffs Madeline Issac-James 2012 photo found here

I then started looking at knitted shawls, when I was younger I would have a couple in my dressing-up box and loved them. So I contacted my amazing friend Jill, who owns North Star Yarns (http://www.northstaryarns.com/), for advice and she offered to make me one as my wedding gift – how cool is that? Yet another fabulous handmade item for the wedding! I have since realised that a shawl would be able to have a second life if we had children, I love the idea that something made for our wedding won’t just sit safely in a box.

The wedding getting closer and now I have all the elements of my outfit sorted I'm getting really excited.

TTFN ~ Kate xxx

Invites: On My Marks

I have had this post drafted for a while now, and have wondered whether it would give too much away for my guests, but as they will be recieving their invites soon, I thought I'd share some of my basic ideas.

A selection of the invites we have received in the last couple of years

We are about 4 months until our wedding and I have spent the last few weeks going cross-eyed as I cut the different elements so I can soon start assembling our invitations.
For each package there are 4 sheets that form the invites and additional info, 3 parts to the RSVP and 2 decorative parts, times that by 75 and its a lot of cutting!

The invitations has been one thing that has been a true compromise between BH and I, as we have rather different tastes:
He would have something very simple, elegant and traditional, he doesn't like calligraphy looking fonts and he wouldn't bother with additional info, rather send an email. Where as I want the invite to be very hands on with lots of detail and handmade design and I LOVE calligraphy looking text.
So coming up with the final design took a few redrafts. A few months ago I shared with you the fonts, colour and paper we had chosen.

We now have a final design:
We have chosen a pocket fold case; the center, flat part will hold the invite to the service.; simple black text on pearlescent card secured with photo corners so it can be removed and put on a shelf/mantelpiece.
The pocket will hold the reception invite, directions and an additional info sheet: providing local hotels, information about photography, confetti, dress code, gifts and full contact details for my mum.

Clockwise from Top left: Portrait Grey and yellow, Landscape Baby Blue, Brown with ribbon tie,
Grey with blue & yellow details, Square Pale Blue & Turquoise with titled inserts, Yellow invite with red leaf details,
A5 Christmas themed invite with tartan and ribbon detail, Fir cone detail with a woody brown detail,
Green with Paisley design and Red 3 section, duel language pocketfold invitation

To create the decorative/crafty element, and to satisfy my 'Bridezilla' tendency that the invite has to reflect us and have something handmade, we have decided to add a 'bellyband' around the folded card. This also allows me the opportunity to add some rustic texture to an otherwise formal item.

Clockwise from top left: 'M 'monogram floral fabric and ribbon, Yellow 'French Country' solid band with vintage framing,
Modern Grey with wedding date, Yellow bubbles with initials, Simple white and featuring couples story, Baby Blue Bow

As well as the bellyband I am adding a crafted touch with 2 stamped details.

As we know we have several friends and family with food allergies and also need to know if people would like space on a bus, we are including an addressed (but not stamped) RSVP card to make life easier for guests and our parents.

So here is my invite sneaky peak; these are the materials for our invitations:
2x custom cling stamps & acrylic bloc
Hessian fabric
Natural Charms grey stitch ribbon
Pocket fold in laid card
3 fold card in pearlescent card
Purple and petal paper
RSVP sticker
Matching card in laid and pearlescent for inserts


Once we sent all our invites i will provide a more detailed post with lots of photos of the final design.

TTFN ~ Kate xx

Flowers Finalised

Buttonhole, Hair wreath,
Bouquet, Table Wreath
Corsage on bag.

While I was at my parents for a few days, I finally managed to meet up with my friend Fay, who is a talented florist and who is kindly doing my flowers for the wedding.

What I love about having a friend do the flowers for you is that you can discuss the details over a cup of tea and a giggle.
Fay's known me for years, so as I sat there explaining the theme and the look I'm going for, she could follow me and begin to picture what I'm after.

I knew exactly what 'items' I would like her to create and, even though I am doing the church decoration, there was quite a list:

1x buttonhole for groom, using both flowers.
4x buttonholes for grooms family, Best man and Ushers, using one type of flower
4x buttonholes for my family and friend, using the other flower
4x girlie buttonholes for 'team Bride'
3x corsages for Mums and BH sister
2x hair pieces for bridesmaids
2x flowers to carry for bridesmaids
1x bouquet for me
12x table centers
decoration for around cake
20+x sprigs for the choir
and possibly 4 small vases for around reception

The thing I love about Fay is that she has known me for years, so she very quickly caught my vision for the look of the day of a magical/fairy tale woodland. I was also able to show her the plant my Grandma's been growing for use at the wedding and tell her exactly what flowers I would like - thankfully she agreed that it would all work well together and would be in keeping with the 'theme'

TTFN ~ Kate xx

3 Witches of Warwickshire

I thought I'd share a funny moment in my wedding planning:

Last Monday I went with my Mum and very good friend, Naomi, to source some twisted willow for the wedding. I had found Wroots online and as they weren't too far from my parents we set off to look at and purchase some sprigs.
No one thought that it would be sensible to take the larger car (my dad's) for this errand, so off we went in my mums small Honda.

We managed to get lost finding the exact address - even though we had driven past it 4 times!

5 bundles of 6foot & 2 bundles of 4 foot willow twigs and lots off giggle later we all piled into the car!

The car was long enough (just!)

My Mum couldn't look left at the junctions but other than that we were fine.....

When Better Half saw these photos he said we looked like 3 witches whose broom had broken down and decided to use the car. Charming!

I don't think I have laughed so hard my sides hurt for several years - was definitely worth the hassle as the willow is beautiful.

I just want to say that the guy at Wroots was amazing, didn't snigger once! Patently gave us directions, put up with my 'thinking out loud' and even helped us load the twigs into the car. The willow is fantastic value too.

TTFN ~ Kate xx

Veiled in Confusion

Variation on a Birdcage Veil

To veil or not to veil...? It's a question that I think every bride asks, even if its only for a few seconds to confirm her choice.
I remember when I was a teenager, being in the car with mum and driving past a wedding. Mum made a comment about the bride in a veil and Lorna (my sister) and I both said we wouldn't wear a veil when we got married, this slightly shocked my mum at the time, as for her a bride wears a veil.

Since I've been engaged I have known how I want my hair - down and curly with a homemade hairpiece or two, and I remained adamant I didn't want to wear one, right up to the point I started trying on dresses.


Then the world of veils was open up to me....
I knew there was a selection, but I would never have dreamed of the detailed terminology there is in the area.

Firstly what length do I want?
I knew I definitely didn't want a birdcage, having a traditional full length gown and a formal wedding, I knew it was not right for the occasion. I also think a shoulder length veil (especially a very poofy one) looks ridiculous on short girls, & I'm only 5'3"!
Likewise a veil that is as long as my dress (chapel, cathedral or regal) would not suit the small, intimate village church we had chosen.
This still left me with a host of length options from elbow to knew length. I have to admit to standing in a mirror with a tape measure trying to imagine what they would look like.

Clockwise from top left: Beautiful Birdcage Veil, Veil length Guide, Shoulder Length
Cathedral Length, Kate Middleton (my favourite)

Next, decision is material, trim and scatter...
Some veils come in a fine net, these tend to quite stiff, the thread thick and a honeycomb pattern to them. The other option is tulle; there is a choice of 'standard' or silk, some companies (especially in America) offer 'Bridal illusion' but I think that's just the non-silk tulle. In some cases you also have a choice of fine or firm...

Trim is how the veil is edged and there is a long list: from cut edge to lace or crystal, and scatter if the amount and spread of crystals across the material.
I have found the easiest way to understand the options is to look at a veil websites Wedding Veils Direct were very helpful.

L-R: 1) Lace Edge Veil 2) Coloured Ribbon edge 3) Crystal scatter 4) Pearl edge

3 Tiered Veil

Gather, blusher and tiers
These are the two elements that I find the easiest to understand.
Gather is simply how much the material is pulled together at the comb. The more gather the narrower it is at that point & the poofier the veil. There are 3 options: no gather, part or half gather and full gather.
The blusher is where the veil covers the face.
The tiers are how many layers, often different lengths down you back, of veil you would like.
If you have a blusher you will have a 2 tier (at least) veil, but you don't have to have a blusher if you want 2 or more tiers.



Just as I started to get my head around the choices, vintage styles began to become popular, Kate Moss and Lily Allen both wore beautiful 1920's Juliet cap designs; during the 1980's a variation had been popular, and were worn by my mum, future mother-in-law and my Aunty, which incorporated a solid hat or wide band with the veil attached.
I don't this the very loose version would suit me, nor the dress & wedding, but perhaps the 80's version would suit. Maybe I should try my mum's veil and see if I could wear that?

Kate Moss' beautiful boho Juliet cap veil
sourced here

Drop veil
Not the Bridezilla!

Shortly after I started looking into wedding dresses I saw an episode of Bridezillas, normally I'm not keen on their choice of outfit, but this bride was wearing a very simple veil that fell over her, no comb or gather. As I tried to describe it to mum i found myself saying 'imagine a child dressing as a ghost under a sheet, it sits like that'. I like this style, and its not dissimilar to the veil the Duchess of Cambridge wore, except she used a tiara to secure the tulle. While I'm trying to avoid 'Kate does Kate', I would be happy to heve her veil as it was stunning.

Off to research more options and seeing what would be within my budget.

TTFN ~ Kate xxx

Pages of Style #1: Including the Bard

Once Better Half and I had chosen our date and venue I knew I wanted to include in some way one of Shakespeare's work.

Since Midsummer Nights Dream caught my imagination when I studdied it at school I have loved the alternative world he created and have since enjoyed many more of his plays. I have to confess that I like to describe the style for our wedding as 'The enchanted forest from MSND in the middle of winter', however the very fact that we are getting married in January has led me, instead, to steer towards a differnt work.
 Another reason for the inclusion of his work is that the Bard is said to have performed in the Guildhall.

While I have already selected some quotes we could include on the order of service and a possible reading for the ceremony. I also want to include the text physically, by making decoration from copies of the play.

If you have spent any time on wedding or craft selling sites like Etsy will have seen the beautiful creations from pages of old books. I realise that for some people the idea of cutting up books and creating decorations out of them would be disrespectful and close to sacrilegious, however I do not hold to this philosophy and simply see stunning oportunities for hand crafted decorations for the wedding.
Before I got carried away I did check with BH half that he liked the designs I was considering and that he was comfortable with me cutting up old books.


Over the next few weeks I will share some of the fabulous ideas I have come across as well as some of my own creations - I hope you will enjoy the journey and share your own ideas and share your thoughts.

TTFN ~ Kate xx

PS I leave you with the face of Shakespeare from St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry. What do you think he would make of weddings today and using his work as inspiration?

Now for a theme...

Less than 9 months until our big day and by now most brides (and grooms) will have pinned down the colours and perhaps a theme for their wedding.

Choosing January had left me with some (self made) difficulties. Deliberately going the other side of the New Year to avoid a Christmas wedding, I also wanted to avoid the 'traditional' winter colour of red. I also feel that choosing all but the palest pastels is fighting against the season and if you wanted a pretty floral day then you should choose the summer or spring.

I have come up with three possible colour schemes/themes - tell me what you think.

Cadbury Purple & Chocolate Brown

A theme to feed into my VERY sweet tooth - dark and rich offer a warming environment to a cold winters day, whilst still complimenting both a cosy church & the Guildhall.

What a simple excuse to have chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate at my wedding..
The deep rich purple is such a beautiful colour and with the brown would bring warmth to the cold January weather.
Through ribbons and painted hearts it would be easy to create decorations, without relying on expensive flowers. Invites could be sent with a Dairy Milk mini for each guest and of course a chocolate/candy bar, or even a hot chocolate bar with a selection of syrups and toppings.
Around Christmas it is a popular colour so last minute detail could be purchased in the sales, including tealight holders, tree decorations and fairylights.

Adult Bridesmaids could wear elegant chocolate dresses with purple flowers, while the little bridesmaids and I could have purple sashes. The men are going to wear mourning suits (many own their own) but we could add brown or purple ties and a purple flower for a buttonhole.

We could make Blueberry Jam as favours and of course have a rich chocolate cake.

Rustic : Neutral Colours

Rather than fighting the sparse greenery we could go with it. Using lots of woods, neural colours such as creams, ivories and beige and then accent with greens or a shade of purple (as used in stationary).

A theme to completely escape from Christmas, taking inspiration from the bare trees I could have branches or willow to decorate the aisle and door ways. I could use ever green plants: some shrubs, fir trees and Ivy. I would still have some flowers, especially roses as I think they are beautiful and add something to a wedding, however a rustic theme would mean we could look at alternatives as flowers would be out of season.


A decorative feature would be to use texture rather than colour to give dimension to the day. From hammered card to wood/bark patterns and using lace or hessian. I could use different materials to tie as pew ends, make paper chains from old books or recycle glass jars as tealight holders.

 It could give me a chance to make candles a key feature of the design, rather than a complimenting element, instead of lots of flowers I could look at alternatives to create a special feel. Willow rings or disks of tree trunk could form table centres,

I like the idea of serving small sweet pies instead of canapes at a drinks reception after the service. Avoiding mince pies (which everyone will be sick of by then), we could opt for rhubarb, apple and Cinnamon or berries. These would go well with a warming tipple of ginger beer or Winter Pimms.

Classic White : with a few Snowflakes

Another idea where we use the season to shape the day - why not follow in the footsteps of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and opt for a classic white wedding, throwing in a little sparkle and winter wonder with snowflakes.

I love the idea of an elegant all white wedding, from flowers to bridesmaids dresses everything could be in tones of white, ivory and pale creams. The worry of ensuring everything is the correct shade of your chosen colour is removed and unlike the rustic look, you don't have to worry about things looking to shabby for a formal celebration.

To add a seasonal twist, while avoiding anything too Christmasy, I could use snowflakes and a bit of glitter and sparkle. Across the Internet there's some lovely hanging snowflake decorations. We could have shaped table confetti or punch our own. Snowflakes could decorate the stationary, perhaps by punching the shape, rather than sticking.
Following on from the rustic theme, we could have twigs painted white, maybe with a little glitter and fairylights to decorate the church & Guildhall. I would use soft white flowers, but would not add sparkles to these as my tastes would have simple arrangements, simply with blooms and greenery.

I love the idea of a cake with white snowflake shapes highlighted with iridescent, displayed with candles around the bottom (yes I know there has to be a good distance between flame & cake).
I love the idea of snowflake shaped biscuits, maybe they could be the favours, or part of a desert table with coconut ice, white chocolate fudge and lemon drizzle cake.

There are elements of each of these themes that I love.

Supplies I have around that I could use

In the process of writing this post I have realised that there are 3 things that I definitely want to work with ROSES are a flower that I would like to feature in the day, they are so beautiful, simple and symbolic.
I included CANDLES in some form in all mood boards and I think they would lift the day by adding warm and decoration.
Finally, SIMPLICITY - I want to be as hand on as possible and not rely on what I might be able to buy during the sales, but I also want whatever we do to have impact.


To stop me getting carried away and maxing the budget I am working to this 'rule' - The person I want to impress is myself, if I was a guest at this wedding how would I respond?

Do let me know your thoughts, what do you think would work?

TTFN ~ Kate xx

Invites: Beautiful detail

Stationary is a really important element for me, especially the invites - not only do they set the theme, establish the level of formality and make sure everyone has all the relevant informatin, but they also offer the first (well, second after the save the date) chance for me to put my creative stamp on the day and pour my passion into the detail.

The original plan for Save the Dates was that where possible we would sent an email with a jpg attachment, people would benefit from all the design, we would save on printing and postage and our guests would always know where it was - in their inbox! We would print and send a few hard copies to people, in particular our grandparents and siblings etc, people who we knew either didn't have email or who would like to keep a copy.
However this plan was thrown out the window, and it was heavily suggested that we 'should' print & post them to at least one family & if we had to do it for some then I was going to do it for all.

After a brief think, I decided that this would not mean a change of plan - the save-the-dates would remain computer designed with no hand crafting other than cutting up the paper. Which left me with a bit of a problem: How do I produce save-the-date cards exclusively technologically, but still provide continuity with the handmade invitations to follow?

So we came to the first decissions on details for our day: If we chose a couple of fonts that were not standard issue, and purchased beautiful paper and had one colour accenting all elements, then the stationary will coordinate beautifully, especially as all the invite content would have to be produced on the computer - as much as I love doing things by hand, I do not have the time nor the calligraphy skills to hand write 70(ish) invites.

The colour used to accent the designs

So after some fussing and moaning - BH doesn't like fake handwriting fonts, where as I do and felt they would work as we are having the reception in a medieval building.
There was some workings about what colour to use with what will be a very neutral pallet on the day.
And then then was the conversations about what paper; fortunately I had done a table plan for his work and had used some laid paper which he liked the texture of, I also bit the bullet and using the samples from pda cards I ordered some card and examples of the type of invite I would like to make.

We had come to some agreements. We went for white laid paper (some irridecent will also be used in other stationary) a font which looks a little bit like calligraphy and a lovely simpler font - both downloaded especially, and a shade of purple.

The two fonts we will be using for our staioary

I also wanted some sort of picture on the save the date - one design featured a Scottish thistle and for another I took a photo of the church and played with it in Picasa until it created a lovely scetch effect. When I consulted with BH he really didn't like the thistle.

So here we are, the Save the Dates have been put in the post to family and friends who have a role on the day. The decissions are set in stone (well card) and it is official the wedding is happening.

Original photo of church

Final 'sketch'

TTNF ~ Kate xxx

Decisions and Dilemmas

Oh my, it's been a while since I've posted. Since I was last on here it's been a tad crazy; I've been in hospital, crafted and begun to plan the wedding, as well getting back to everyday life and work after op. Over the next week or so I hope to update you on the crafting, but today I will begin to update you on wedding related bits.

When I started to think about planning a wedding I knew the 'ToDo' list would be long, but I had not realised that the more stressful list was entitled 'To Decide'...
when? where? colours & themes? numbers? how involved do I want to be creatively speaking? how traditional? how formal? (breathe...) what to include? what are the most important elements? how much input do my mum, sister, friends & in laws have? how much of a surprise do I want to create? how DIY am I prepared to go? ...?...?...?

Many of these will be influenced by the fact that I love to go the extra mile in detail to make an event rememberable. I want to create a day that reflects us and that I've poured my heart into - but at the same time I have a busy year with work so can't take too much on and will need support from people.

So I come to my first dilemma, how much of my plans do I share on here and my Facebook page before the event?
I want record the journey and have other creative peeps feed into my ideas, but I still want my friends and family to have many surprises on the day. Therefore I will share elements of detail, ideas from other places and drafts as I plan and then give you all the crafting detail after the day.

 Which brings me to the first and most obvious decisions- date and venues.

Snowy Lane

WHEN?

We are getting married in January 2013. When we sat down we realised we had two choices, January or end June/July, so we went for January so we weren't waiting too long before we are husband and wife. It also means Better Half had less time of hearing about wedding and being asked lots of questions on opinions he doesn't have.
The other big factor is that I have always (well since I was about 6) wanted a winter wedding and had so many beautiful ideas for our day, that just wouldn't work in other seasons; and non of them would work in a 'Christmas in July' quirky way.
Just to be awkward: I don't want snow, just a beautiful frosty day.

WHERE?

 We had three possible options for the church and early on had narrowed it down to 2, the village church where my parents live and Coventry Cathedral. Both are very beautiful and are very important to me and after some discussion we decided that the more intimate church would suit the type of day we wanted - with our friends and family being the focus of the celebrations, not the building, feeling close and involved as we exchange vows.

The village church c. 1800-1890

The other advantage of the village church (as well as being able to walk to the service) is that I can make lots of beautiful decorations that will compliment the space, rather than be lost. Tbh I have far too many ideas now and I run the risk of the beauty of the church being lost in my crafts (eek!)


For the reception venue we knew what we couldn't do and what style of establishment wasn't to our taste. 
Marquee was out of the question (even if we had chosen a summer wedding) as it would mean hiring a location and make it too expensive. We didn't want a venue that feels like a conference centre, nor a village hall. Even though we don't have a HUGE budget our parents are being generous and we have saved hard to fund this and therefore want something that would be special for us.
We are both history geeks, National Trust members & BH has a degree in medieval history - we wanted something that reflected our passion for beautiful old buildings, that suited the time of year and somewhere I could add my creative flair.

We dutifully looked around a handful of country house hotels, but non of them quite fitted what we were looking for:
x One was too small
x Another was removed from the list within 5 minutes, no effort had gone into the open day and the annoying photographer (with big white background and flash umbrella that went off very 30 seconds) was the last straw
? If we could take the beautiful main hall from one of the hotels and put it in the place of the 'purpose built' complex at the forth, then we would have the perfect setting for a summer wedding. x Alas we couldn't do that leaving us with a beautiful hall on the end of a beautiful shell of a house and landscaped gardens that was let down buy its fraying carpets, grubby walls and over conference friendly layout. Or a lovely, well maintained hotel which felt cosy with a sense of luxury, that was in keeping with the period and style of the house, but to accommodate our guests we would have to use the modern block stuck on the end of the garden which didn't fit in with the rest of the property, or our tastes.

St Mary's Guildhall

The venue we finally went for was St Mary's Guildhall Coventry a hidden gem in the centre of Coventry. One of the few remaining medieval civic builds still standing (tho significantly restored after WWII) in the country. A reasonably small venue, with only a small courtyard of outside space; it has beautiful stained glass windows, high carved and painted ceiling and stunning tapestries. It is near Coventry Cathedral, over the lane from the ruins which we will use for photographs and features a vaulted undercroft for drinks receptions etc.
I am so excited - sorry WE are so excited. The staff are lovely, the menus look fab and the building is stunning. There's lot of scope for creating decorations, but not the need to spend every waking hour making them, as all we need to do is compliment the space not create an atmosphere.

The next instalment should be back to crafting - the next item on the 'To Do' list is the Save the Dates, which means decisions about all the stationary.

TTFN ~ Kate xxx

*I know thing can and will won't turn out on the day as I had planned. I want to turn my vision into a reality and to know on the day I did all I could to make it special for us.