Va & Joy's country house vintage prettiness

It's not often that a London planner gets to go to Wales to style a wedding so I jumped at the chance to be involved in Joy & Va's wedding. Over glasses of wine way earlier in the year we worked together to create the feminine vintage look Joy wanted to achieve.

I had lots of fun acting as florist for the day, filling these and all the bottles and vases in the main dining room (which also happened to be my props).

The biggest issue of the day was working out whether to keep the ceremony outside or bring it into the entrance hall of the house. I knew Joy really wanted it outside but the Welsh weather was being true to form and spitting ominously! We literally debated for most of the morning but thankfully luck was on our side and it held off. Hurrah.

O&C Photography captured Joy & Va's day absolutely beautifully. For the full set of images check out their blog here. Unfortunately I'd done the style set up and left before they arrived but I can certainly attest that Charis is one of the warmest, sweetest people I've 'met' in through Twitter and in weddings. So if you're getting married in Pembrokeshire, Wales or anywhere in the UK really you should definitely consider booking O&C Photography.

Antoinette meets Austen inspired shoot

When I started working as a wedding planner and stylist I had no idea that within a couple of years I'd get to work with some crazy creative people and work on projects like this shoot.

The idea was to create something evocative and atmospheric rather than detail heavy, and pretty much as soon as I decided on the concept -   two brides, Antoinette, Austen and gorgeous English country gardens - I already knew who I wanted to work with.

And let's just say they did not disappoint! See the end of the post for supplier details, but in the meantime...

Rain rain go away

A taster from a wedding we styled back in June and shot by the very talented and super nice O&C Photography My lasting memory from this wedding will be the 'will we, won't we' game we played with the rain and the outdoor blessing under the loveliest tree.

Fifty Nifty Paper Antler

Paper Antler

These beautiful images are from boutique photographers Paper Antler, a US husband and wife photography duo. And you have to read about their Fifty Nifty project. Photographing 50 weddings in 50 states within 50 weeks donating $1000 per wedding to an anti-human trafficking organisation She Dances for a total of $50,000.

How incredible is that? You can read more about this here.

Jonas Peterson... a legend among men...

Happy Monday lovelies!  Have I got some eye candy for you today. If you haven't already heard of him, (and if you haven't, why not), Jonas Peterson is a Swedish photographer currently calling Australia home. 

There's something really fresh and unpretentious about his work. The photos just are, if that in itself doesn't sound phenomenally pretentious. 

I think I want to live in his world a little bit...

What you think my dears? Pretty impressive eh? Don't forget to check out his site for more. And you can see other suppliers I recommend both in the UK and internationally here.

Your wedding reported by The Wedding Reporter

Look how lovely and smiley she is!

I've been a wedding planner for nearly two years now. And I've seen a lot of supposedly 'fresh, unique' ideas in that time. But a certain someone we shall call Emma actually has a fresh and unique idea.

Essentially the wedding reporter does exactly what it/she says on the tin. I shall let her explain in her much more eloquent English...

How does it work then? Is the 'wedding report' like a story or more like a, well, report?

I try to think of them as romanticised reports - they have all the elements of the day chronicled through the eyes of a fiction writer. If there's a metaphor to be drawn or a pathetic fallacy to be found then I will most certainly be incorporating these into the report! It's essentially the story of the wedding day, so whilst I only write about what happened (I don't make stuff up!) I try to transcribe it in as literary way as possible so that your report would sit comfortably on your bookshelf somewhere between Austen and Keats.*


*Emma wanted to point out this doesn't mean she's comparing herself to Austen or Keats incidentally.

Do you fade into the background like photographers do and watch what's going on or do you engage and act more like a wedding guest?!

Although I'll always take a notebook with me to weddings this is primarily to jot down details (names, titles of readings, key events etc) as I try to actually experience as much as possible whilst I'm there and leave the writing until afterwards. Ideally I like to engage with other guests as I find this to be a mine of information. Whilst I endeavour to get to know the couple as much as possible before their day so that I'm not a stranger turning up to their wedding, I generally find that other wedding guests are invaluable in helping fill in the blanks. Additionally, by being immersed with them I think I can experience the ambience of the day better than if I stay objective and detached from the day. However, there are clearly times throughout the day when it is more beneficial for me to step back and observe the overall event in order to create a fuller picture for the purposes of the report.

And how does your pricing structure work? Is there a set fee or can you work with any budget?

My prices very much depend on the variables of the wedding details. I say that prices generally start from £200 but I'm very happy to negotiate with couples to try and get as much bang for their buck as possible. Initially, I wanted to offer the service as a favour, but realistically I needed to cover my costs. £200 is not a figure plucked out of the air, it comes from a break down of costs for an 'average' full day wedding, considering up to 10 hours attendance at the wedding and the subsequent 7-10 hours that a final report will entail, travel costs and so on. However, there is always wiggle room and I wouldn't want any bride to miss out because of budgetary restrictions so I do encourage anyone who's interested in a wedding report to contact me for a chat.

Thank you Emma for answering my questions! The Wedding Reporter is definitely a supplier I recommend and will be using when I become an engaged lady one day.

Everything in weddings is so visual it's nice to have something a bit more... wordy. So what do you think? Original idea no?

You can read more on her website and you really should follow Emma's tweets for she certainly is a witty wee lass.

Girl Meets Dress

Christopher Kane hire £189 RRP £575


Aftershock Palais Maxi dress hire £99 RRP £399


Schumacher graphic print tunic hire £109, RRP £252

Designer dresses without the hefty price tag? Don't mind if I do.

Girl Meets Dress has loads of dresses from the likes of Marc Jacobs to Halston ready and waiting for girls like us to hire for that special occasion.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not in the habit of buying designer labels (much as my heart sometimes sighs for them) so I love the idea of this site.

From a wedding boutique (with brides, bridesmaid and wedding guest options) to work function outfits, Girl Meets Dress has a lot of dresses for your perusal. It seems pretty straightforward and you can do it all online.

What do you think? Would you hire a dress for an event or do you always want to own what you buy?

And you can see me on their blog here!

This isn't a sponsored post incidentally, I just wanted to share.

Interview with make up artist Liv

from Oh La La Weddings

So I got a touch excited about the royal wedding yesterday and forgot to schedule this blog post properly. Oops. What can I say, despite my initial lack of interest, when it came to the day I was glued to my screen.

So a day late here's the interview with Liv, and her skills with the brushes, curlers, and other make-up paraphernalia.

In her own words:

No bride needs to hide herself under a big layer of cakey make-up.
Every woman wants to look like herself on her wedding day, just like the best version of herself.
The key word with bridal make-up therefore is bespoke!
I am passionate about enhancing the individual bride's unique features and giving her an all day lasting, glowing look based on her skin type, style and personal preference.

Getting your wedding make up done professionally is more than just a pampering, relaxing and enjoyable experience. You can also learn more about your skin and pick up new tricks to do your own make up.

I've saved my brides a lot of bad experience and surprises advising on the right products and techniques, (the classic: veil caught in the lip gloss, reflecting make up that flashes up in photos and makes you look white as a wall, or how to deal with a stress pimple that just grew the night before the wedding).

I also offer to stay all day long, since some brides just feel more safe to have me around all day or they want a make up change for the evening. Others are happy to just book the application which will last all day long.

There are a lot of things to consider:
skin type, climate and weather conditions at the day/destination of  the wedding, skin complexion, face features, personal style and much more. 

Good stuff. On to some quick questions:

You're based in London, but do you travel for weddings?

Yes I do. I'm happy to travel anywhere from within the UK to destination weddings on the other side of the world.

Do you offer hair styling as well?

Yes, I love to do bridal hair, from natural messy looks to classic defined up-dos. Straight or curly i will be able to look after your hair as well.

How does it work when a bride books you for their big day?

During the first trial and consultation we'll decide on the look and I will discuss products. Then we'll create the full look, exactly as you'd want it on the day. I am able to give professional skin care tips so you can prepare and treat your skin in advance of your wedding day.

On the actual day I will arrive at whatever time you need and help pamper you and will create your worry-free long lasting make up. And if you wish I will design a customised colour palette for you, so you can carry the professional make up with you as well (or get one of your 'maids to carry).

Can you do any kind of look?

Absolutely. I can whatever you want from a very natural look to a more vintage glam look.

Well that's that. Got me convinced. And after seeing how amazing my skin looked and went out and bought a decent foundation. So I can definitely vouch for Liv's work.

A big thanks to Liv for working on the shoots and explaining how she works. I've definitely learned nothing makes you feel so good as decent make up!

See www.blushless.com (make up website still a work in progress) and www.blushless.com/blog or emaile liv(at)livlundelius.com and call +44(0)7716354466 for more.

Introducing Liv from Blushless and her make up box of tricks

Way back in time when I started out as a wedding planner I 'met' through the power of blogs Liv from Blushless. We were both starting out in an industry that wasn't exactly famous for it's quirky suppliers and bonded over a desire to work on more alternative and creative weddings.

Fast forward a year or so and we now live round the corner from each other, which has been especially handy for these little projects. Liv makes eco friendly and super cool wedding dresses but her real passion is make up. She recently won a place on the much sought after Jemma Kidd Make up School Academy and is launching her bridal make up website very soon. In the mean time you can check out her blog here.

We thought it would be the perfect time to work together on the first of many projects in the pipeline: a Savoir Weddings introduction to Liv, her box of make up tricks, and never ending patience with a fidgety 'model'.

These pics were snapped by the amazingly talented Gaelle from Oh La La weddings. Like all wedding planners & stylists, I like to keep my cards close to my chest. Reluctant to give away all my trade secrets and all! But I have to share. Gaelle has been a music photographer for years and has also recently branched out into weddings. Seriously, this girl is good.





Liv made my skin look a-MAZ-ing which considering I'd just had a cold is particularly impressive.

Molly Bakes...pop cakes amongst other things

Molly Bakes was set up by Molly (no surprise there really) in London in 2009. Since then she's seen her pop cakes stocked in Selfridges and she's created orders for the likes of Elle Macpherson. Not bad eh?

She also does lots of bespoke orders for brides which is why I thought she'd be perfect for an interview for Savoir hearts this supplier.

* You make all sorts of cupcakes, brownies, pop cakes and so on. What's the most fun to make?

We make all sorts in the Molly Bakes kitchen as I like variety. I enjoy making everything but when you've made hundreds of cake pops it's a welcome break to do something different the next day. The bespoke orders are most fun though.

* You were the first baker to introduce cake pops to the UK, no? What made you realise Brits would go crazy for cake bites on a stick?

I love trying new things, I first saw them on American baking sites and decided to make some to sell on my market stall on Brick Lane. I wasn't actually sure whether they'd sell or not but they did. I just make things that I like the look of and my customers have loved everything so far! People were instantly intrigued by cakes on sticks, they were soon outselling my cupcakes. They're cute, colourful and tasty - how could Brits not go crazy for them?!

* Do you do a lot of pop cakes for weddings? How does it work with brides wanting to provide cake pops on their big day? Do you offer a bespoke service?

Yes cake pops are very popular for weddings, most people have them as favours but some have ordered them in place of a cake. Yes every order is bespoke, some customers go for simple designs while others like to have cakes that look like themselves! My favourite so far was a Christmas tree shaped wedding cake made entirely of cake balls - it even had an angel on top and presents at the bottom.






* And finally, congrats on having a book out soon! When's it out, where can we buy it and what can we expect inside it?

Book is out on June 2nd. You'll be able to buy it from all good bookstores. There will be 50 recipes for making cake pops inc. 6 different flavours. You'll find a few old favourites in the book but a lot of it is stuff I haven't posted online or made for any of my customers yet. It's a mixture of pretty, cute, quirky and edgy. I can't wait for you all to see it!


Pretty, cute, quirky and edgy? Sounds like my kind of thing! Thanks to Molly for being a Savoir Hearts this Supplier. Find out more about Molly and her cakes here, here and soon here.