You’ll be invited to sip champagne and nibble delicious canapés thanks to catering from Table Talk whilst browsing the show for inspirational wedding ideas, including 5 stunning dining tables styled by wedding planners of the UKAWP.
In the boudoir brides will get a chance to meet stylists, make up artists and view Sassi Holford’s dresses and Emmy’s custom made wedding shoes. Other fabulous wedding suppliers include Zoe Clark from The Cake Parlour and Cutture – who design beautiful lazer-cut stationery.

It is definitely an event not to be missed. To book tickets and for more info visit the The Wedding Sanctuary website.

Thanks to Julia Boggio Photography for all the photos in this post – she will be at The Wedding Sanctuary too so do make sure that you go and speak to her as she is one of the UK’s favourite wedding photographers.

* I have been working on a Belita & Rich’s wedding that was sent to me by Ditte from First Light Wedding Photography and is absolutely gorgeous – should have that up on the blog before the end of the weekend but here is a sneaky peek at the bride looking absolutely stunning in her dress.

* I have been listening to Classic FM ‘ The Wedding Collection’ – you might think a bit wierd to be listening to wedding songs when you’re already married but it includes my favourite ‘Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring’ that we had during the signing of our register (do listen to it if you don’t know it).
I don’t normally blog about music as I know readers like to look at pretty pictures but for me the music at our wedding was one of the most important parts, so if you’re in need of a bit of inspiration in the music department its definitely worth a listen.

* I’ve been planning when to go to the Designer Wedding Show in Battersea as I really enjoyed it last time and there were lots of amazing wedding suppliers exhibiting. It is definitely one of my preferred shows and I am hoping to pop along with a friend that has just got engaged. Last time I was there I discovered twobirds bridesmaid and later chose one of their gorgeous dresses to wear to my best friend’s wedding when I was a bridesmaid in May (thats me on the right)

I also discovered lovely little suppliers like the lovely Paperbird design with their origami wedding stationery that I blogged about previously.

* I heard from Breakthrough Breast Cancer about their wedding list service, where couples can choose to have a wedding list which their guests can donate to rather than giving presents which I think is a lovely idea. We did it for Marie Curie at our wedding as we didn’t need any more pots and pans at the time. For more information check out Breakthrough Breast Cancer or visit them at The National Wedding Show in London next weekend.

* Tonight I am off to celebrate an early Valentines evening with my husband to watch the Kings Speech. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and Happy Valentines Day for Monday X

* “Perfect accent for the bridal shower I’m throwing… love!”
* “Thank you; you’ve been super easy to work with. You’re one of the few sellers who genuinely wants your customer to be satisfied.”
* “Great seller who went out of there way to create a custom order for me and the bride loves the wrappers! Thanks again, would definitely use again.”

What do you think guys? Fun idea?…

2. My Vintage Party
Laura was one of the first people that I met in the wedding industry when I started blogging, and I even covered her very own wedding on LMW, Laura’s vintage wedding. I have featured Lola, her vintage caravan for hire, so I thought that I would let you know about the main part of her business, My Vintage Party. Laura loves all things vintage so its no surprise that she set the company up, hiring out everything from crockery, cutlery, glassware and accessories. Beautiful quintessentially english pieces from English Potteries, check it all out on her site, My Vintage Party Love that photo by Sarah Vivienne Photography, infact there are a whole load of gorgeous photos in this post.

3. The Vintage Table
Next on my list is The Vintage Table who nudged me into writing this post (and also sent me those lovely photos above of their cups, saucers and vintage goodies for hire). Claire who runs it is based in London and she provides beautiful vintage English crockery for parties and events in and around London (though they can deliver further afield for a charge). A lot of the crockery is from the 1950s which is perfect for a pretty vintage wedding. “We have an eclectic mix of crockery so that we can help customers to create the look they are aiming for. The range is diverse – we have everything from art deco through to the retro Homemaker.” For more information check out the site, The Vintage Table

4. The English Tea Party
The English Tea Party is , according to Victoria Moy, The original vintage crockery and accessories hire company, established in 2006, from her Grade II listed farmhouse in Devon. It started like all small business as a venture to help supplement the family income, now TETP – is a full time business with a team of four! They pride themselves on being a truly quintessential emporium of English vintage; from vintage tea cups to cake stands, teapots to tea plates – the extensive range of accessories embraces a mix of vintage and country style with a contemporary feel. They hire out their beautiful vintage collections for weddings, garden parties, birthdays, christenings, baby showers, corporate events – with a corporate client list including Christian Louboutin, Elizabeth Arden, Endemol TV – Big Brother, Vogue and Stella McCartney to name but a few! I love this photo that they sent me of their collection. I really like their website too, be sure to check it out, The English Tea Party and if you’re living in Dubai then you can even hire from them there too.

5. Roses all Over
Roses all Over is a Sussex based vintage china/prop hire and styling service, run by friends Rosie and Katie. They only supply the ‘real thing’ so genuine vintage china and props (everything is original no reproductions). They want to encourage as many people as possible to consider antique/vintage options instead of buying new, and they support the Antiques are Green campaign, helping to promote the green hallmark of antiques. Roses all Over work direct with the bride and with event planners and caterers, be sure to check out their site Roses all Over. I also love these photos which were taken by photographer, Debs Ivelja – I think I need to feature some of her weddings as her blog,
Debs Ivelja Blog has some beautiful weddings photos.

6. Cupcakes in The City
Cupcakes in the City (of Liverpool) makes freshly baked cupcakes and petit fours. They also have about 80 sets of vintage crockery, including a vintage 3 tier cake stand, available for hire – perfect for Hen parties and weddings (there is full list of what she has on the website). Vintage linens are available for hire and Leslie, who runs the company is happy to travel to your home/event and set everything up for you to have your very own vintage tea party. For more info check out the website, Cupcakes in The City.

Have you used any of these suppliers? if so please let me know your feedback. This post is going to be work in progress and I will add to it as and when I find more suppliers, or get round to the rest of my emails! Please do let me know if you know of anyone worthy of a mention or if you are planning a vintage tea party.

Hiya, Little Miss Weddingistas! I am a wedding planner and owner of Forever and Ever Events, a boutique wedding planning firm based in Primrose Hill, London. I was so thrilled when I was asked to guest blog about my favourite two topics: DIY and Styling.
As a wedding planner and event design consultant, I know how daunting DIY can seem to people, especially to those who don’t have much time to put it together! Never fear: here are some easy DIY tips that will most certainly inject your personalities and charm into your celebration. (Just don’t leave ordering some of these items to the last minute! Always factor in how long shipping/handling will take… just FYI!).
Photography by Alicia Pollett

10. Frame old photographs of you and your fiancé (individually, from toddler to adult, and as a couple), as well as photographs of your grandparents, siblings and, most importantly, your parents on their wedding day. Try and use pretty antique-style or gilt-edged frames. Set these framed photos around your reception venue or in the hotel lobby if you have exclusive use. It will instantly create a sense of an intimate party that celebrates your lives.

9. Remember chalkboards from school? Well, they don’t have to be associated with your ol’ school marm. Chalkboards can be extremely cute signage at a modern wedding reception and are also eco-friendly. All you need are large pieces of wood, plastic or metal and “chalkboard paint” from your local hardware store. Definitely apply multiple coats, but make sure the prior coats dry completely before adding the next layer. Use these babies as a welcome sign, to write out the evening’s menu, a dessert table sign, etc., and then reuse them after your wedding!

8. For a guestbook, find an old/antique typewriter on eBay or at a flea market/car boot sale. Set it on its own table with blank sheets of high-quality paper. Feed one paper through for guests to start on – and type your first message, such as, “This is our guestbook! Share a message with us! Love, M + D.” After the wedding, punch two holes in the left hand margin of each page, stack them up and feed a pretty ribbon through all the pages (front through back, twice to secure), double knot and tie a big bow. Now you’ve got a guest book with pretty binding.

7. If you can’t afford one of those amazing photo booths, why not create your own? Put together a Polaroid camera station! Ask an attendant or friend to take Polaroids of your guests and paste the instant photo into a book. Your guests can then leave a cute handwritten message next to their photo. Before the wedding, take a sample Polaroid and, using it as a guide, paste photo corners onto each page, so that it is super easy for your “photographer” to slide the instant photos onto each page.

6. Are you a music buff and picky about your DJ or band’s play list? Create your own wedding soundtrack and provide personalized CDs as wedding favours. All you have to do is burn the play list onto CDs and order personalized CD labels in your wedding colours. Make sure to get square envelopes that match your colour palette for the CDs and tie a ribbon around the entire packet so that it looks like a mini present.

5. Escort cards can be such a creative DIY platform. If you’re planning a destination wedding, get brown luggage tags for your escort cards. Use a typewriter to type up each guest’s name with their table assignment (e.g., “Mary Herrington | Table 4”) and line the tags up alphabetically in a large antique suitcase that’s displayed lying open on a table, propped against a wall. Type up a sign that says “Find your dinner destination!” or something cute like that so that your guests know to pick up their escort cards.

4. For instant charm, hang up bunting and fairy lights! It’s so easy to do – and fairy light don’t even require assembly! For the bunting, cut out triangles on patterned paper and sew the top of the triangles onto thin white ribbon with few inches of space in between each triangle. Then hang away!

3. Do you have a friend or family member who is awesome at baking? Put together a dessert table with their homemade treats! Mix up your mom’s famous pecan squares with your BFF’s cupcakes and your granny’s melt-in-mouth cookies. Set them out on a long table in your reception area on cake stands and pretty platters. Yum!
Photos by Berna V Photography
2. Flowers & centerpieces. For an outdoorsy or vintage reception, collect glass milk jugs, pickles jars and honey jars and arrange them in three’s in the center of a round table. Make sure you use fresh flowers and arrange different, yet thematically cohesive, flowers into each of the three vases, creating a vibrant centerpiece. For example, baby’s breath mixed with daisies and roses in the same colour palette. {Tip: it’s beautiful to mix ‘rough’ edged flowers and succulents with the traditional, like roses}.

1. And the easiest DIY styling idea? Candles candles candles! This is so cheap and so easy, you really don’t have an excuse. Candlelight instantly creates warmth and a romantic glow – and makes your evening reception look stunning in photos. You can get tea lights in bags of 100 at any local shop for less than £5. Order super cheap clear glass tea light holders from IKEA and set out loads of tea lights all over your tables. Gorgeous.

Most importantly – make sure you have FUN and inject YOUR personality into any DIY project for your big day. For more tips on event styling, DIY and wedding planning, visit Forever and Ever Events or visit my blog.

‘What do you think guys? Fab ideas? Do you have any other DIY ideas to add?‘

Make sure you visit the Vintage Twee site, or if you’re looking to snap these up straight away Vintage Twee Etsy Shop. As always leave some love for these fantastic british suppliers…. Thank you X

What do you think ladies (and gentlemen if you are reading) isn’t this just the cutest idea? I’m trying to conjure up some events so I can get Betty down to London.

Simon is really passionate about what he does and clearly loves entertaining all the guests with his music. When it comes to choosing the songs he sends the couple his repertoire list so that they can let him know of any favourites that they would like to be sung. And here he is on his newly released Youtube video

And here is another one from his repertoire
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN sung by Simon

I asked Simon a couple of questions: Why sing vintage songs at weddings? and What do you particularly like about singing music from this era?

“One word – elegance. It isn’t just nostalgia that prompts so many couples to adopt vintage themes for their wedding, I think it’s a genuine longing for a style and sophistication that’s sadly absent from so much of life today. Music has the unique ability to short-cut the conscious mind and tap straight into the emotions and that’s just what songs like “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Cheek to Cheek” do – the moment you hear them you’re instantly transported to a bygone era of elegance and romance. I challenge anyone not to smile and tap their foot when they listen to the songs I sing!
The other reason is that I simply love singing great songs and these are some of the greatest songs ever written. And to sing them for people in love on the happiest day of their lives?! Well, to quote Irving Berlin, “Heaven. I’m in heaven.”

Prices start from £300 for an hour set. For more info go to Simon Partridge where you can also listen to more of his songs. I’d really love to get some feedback on this – what do you guys think?