90s music playlist - soon this will count as vintage!

It's that time again, my Hi-Fi Weddings weekly mixtape masters.

This has got to be my favourite mix, so much so I had to do 6 songs because I just couldn't choose. And what's more there's pretty banging floor filler wedding tunes! Well if you grew up in the 90s (and lived in the UK) not sure how big these were internationally. But seriously, there's nothing better than songs like this to get everyone 35 ish and under, up and dancing.

They remind me of being a teeny bopper, school discos, and longing to be a grown up and have all the answers.

Well now I'm grown up and whilst I definitely don't have all the answers, I do know that musically it doesn't get much better than this (tongue is slightly in cheek)...



Don't forget to visit these other blogs for more...

ashley
angie
tyler
sarah
lizzie
dana
holley
jolynn
lisa
lyn
stephanie
ms bunny
heather
kerry

The 'vintage' backlash?

I'm going to use the phrase 'wedding trends' in this post warily, as I am well aware I'm making grand statements here! Plus, this is kind of a wordy post but bear with me, and let me know what you think!

So, we all like to think we're a little bit unique but when it comes to style, fashion, design, and wedding planning, amongst many other things, we are definitely influenced by trends. Where they come from and why they're popular is another matter but I think we'd all agree, that they exist is unquestionable.

And whilst there are very different style weddings taking place all over the world there are certain 'trends' that any subscriber to all the big wedding blogs will be familiar with.

The 'vintage' (and I use this term loosely) style wedding is still hugely influential. And chances are if you read a lot of wedding blogs and magazines, you'll know exactly what I mean by a vintage wedding without much explanation. Soft, dreamy photography, pale pastel colours, cupcakes, bunting, the whole 'shabby chic' thing - you get the gist.

Perhaps a key to it's success is that it's also easily obtainable for DIY weddings or budget weddings. It can look amazing for relatively little money which was maybe influenced and therefore so popular, by the world wide economic situation. Being flashy was somehow uncouth. It was all about quirky, personal weddings and the shabby chic, vintage wedding was a perfect fit.

I have to say personally I do love this style. I like the romance, the dreaminess. And for this matter I think it naturally suits weddings. And when it comes to wedding trends, whilst we might all be influenced that doesn't mean we should necessarily pay attention. Like in fashion, if something is popular and it suits you - great - but you shouldn't buy into something if it isn't you. So if vintage weddings start to become less prevalent that doesn't mean you shouldn't have one if it's what you like.

But I've been wondering lately what's next. The wedding industry is like any other it shifts and changes shape, reflecting moods and cultural happenings. Maybe in this new post recession world things are going to change and I've been wondering what this will mean in weddings.

Change is good. In any industry and in fact in your personal life change is important. It shakes you up a bit and makes you reassess what you like, what's important. That's not to say I think vintage inspired weddings will die a sudden death, I just think they're going to adapt and develop, like everything does and I'm kind of excited about what will come.

I'm interested in what you think. Is a 'vintage' wedding your thing or will you be glad to embrace a new style? What do you think the Next Big Thing will be? Or what do you want it to be?

I'm going to save my opinions about what's next for another post but I have to say, I hope it involves bright splashes of colour., a little bit of edge. I'd love to plan or style a wedding with a bride telling me she wants it BOLD!

Monday Medley - Wedding inspiration from the world wide web

Good morning! And Happy Monday! It is a decidedly unpleasant day here, with bitter rain, my least favourite weather. So I bring you some general wedding inspiration to brighten up your (and my) day.

☂ First up, a little guest post I did for the super nice Claire over at English Wedding. I wanted to write something about the whole point of a wedding in the first place - the love - so check it out and let me know what you think!

☂ Next is this rather splendid 80s inspired wedding seen over at Love My Dress. I'm a big fan of couples doing their wedding their way and this is a pretty good example of that. Plus that yellow dress is the perfect antidote to a wet Monday morning.



☂ Found over at Julia's blog - check out this tree house wedding! Apparently it's the only tree house in the world that you can get married in. Not sure I've come across a more romantic and quirky wedding venue in a long time. Julia is the art director for Wedding Magazine and is a wedding photographer herself. Now I'm pretty busy but I honestly don't know where she finds the time. I helped her style her wedding party ( yep this lovely lady had two weddings) back in the summer and we are meeting for a long overdue coffee today where I am going to have to find out more about this tree house.

Just look at that view...



☂ I heart these shoes.



The wedding shoes of Wellies and Vogue and the best quote from the bride herself:

'I think the photos say it all.. so much fun.. love my friends and family and weirdly never felt nervous.. just floating.'

☂And The Luxury Wedding Show is here. According to their creative director:

“Luxury doesn’t have to mean expensive; what we have sought to do is to identify those organisations that provide the very best in luxury goods and services and have made them accessible and obtainable for those seeking either a traditional, modern or vintage wedding ceremony.”

Sounds good right? I'm not convinced about wedding fairs in general but am always willing to have my mind changed. Head over to I am Staggered for more info on how to get discounted tickets. For some reason I find that quite amusing. That you can get discounted tickets to a luxury wedding show!

I am a little more excited about The Vintage Wedding Fair for three main reasons. I do massively enjoy planning and styling vintage weddings so I'm excited for that obvious reason. It's a great opportunity to meet up with like minded suppliers; and on their website the organisers state they have been 'researching and planning this new concept in wedding fairs'.

Fabulous. Count me in. Anyone else planning on going? Do let me know and we can have tea and cake together!

Style crush on...freja beha

She's got that Danish too cool for school look about her. Her bone structure is to die for, she looks feminine yet androgynous and like she just does doesn't give a damn about much. Kind of like Kate Moss in the 90s. All of which is pretty hard to achieve and therefore I admire.

















What you think? Is she worthy of the title 'style crush'?! Past style crush so far includes Zooey Deschanel

Hi-Fi Weddings Mixtape Masters!!

Good morning lovelies and Happy Friday. I hope you have fabulous things planned for the weekend.



My Hi-Fi Weddings Mixtape this week...

These are all artists that were introduced to me by a good friend with excellent music taste. Lissie is incredible, her voice is the kind we all wish we had; I saw the XX before they were big and like to say I knew their time was going to come; Paloma Faith and Josh Weller are an insanely talented musical couple and The Brute Chorus make the kind of high energy music that you can't help but dance to.





For more ear joys check out...

Ashley
Angie
Tyler
Lizzie
Dana
Jolynn
Lisa
Lyn
Kerry
Holley
Stephanie
Sarah

How to keep calm in an ever exhausting world...

Yoga.



If you're a stressed bride, worn out mum or just generally hard working and need to chill out then this may be for you.

Now I don't want to sound preachy or guru like but hear me out here, especially if you're a skeptic like my sister.

Reasons I love yoga:

- It makes you stop, if only for the hour you do it.

- It reminds you to breathe. You'd be surprised how often we hold our breath or breathe shallowly without realising it.

- If forces you to take a break but is brilliant for those who are always on the go because they're still doing something.

- The peace allows your mind to wonder and you often clarify answers to questions bothering you or things on your mind.

- And um, it's exercise, which people say is good for you.

Now I don't go to a class. I like working at my own pace, and find it more serene doing in my own home. Plus I have to admit I sometimes just do the first half an hour when I'm busy (or, ahem, can't be bothered).

I found it via the fab K, tea? blog and have been doing around twice a week for the past couple of months.

It hasn't solved everything in my life and I'm definitely not as toned as Ms Aniston but it is relaxing.

P.S this can be cheesy in places but stick it out. You'll feel great at the end I promise.

Are you a yoga buff, or is pilates more your cup of tea? If you're not into this kind of thing, how do you relax?

I tried to embed the video but blogger is not working for me this morning so click here to see the one I do.

Should I be worried about the competition?

As you may know I am a wedding planner and stylist and have lately been pondering the concept of professional envy and whether I should be worried about the competition. Which after some consideration I answered with a resounding no. And not because I'm the most fabulous wedding planner of them all. No, the reason I, (and you too) shouldn't be worried about the competition, (in whatever field you work in) is because I am unique.

As in there's only one me.

Just as there's only one you.

Two wedding planners might come from similar events background and attend the same wedding planning training course. But they will be two different people, with different likes, desires, and plans both in their business and life. Even if they plan similar style weddings they are still unique. And this is without even taking into consideration different personalities and je ne sais pas or x factor that makes a certain individual them. How many times have you met in life a perfectly nice person but the two of you just don't click, often for no obvious reason? Well this can happen in business just as much.

This can be applied to many jobs I think. How many of us prefer one hair stylist over another, or doctor for instance, sometimes for non specific reasons. This is worth remembering when you panic he/she/they are doing things so much better than you.

It's also worth being honest with yourself. Jealousy and envy are complicated unpleasant emotions that'd we'd all like to believe we're above. But business owners are still human and I doubt one of you out there hasn't felt envious at some point in your career. Or life for that matter.

Ultimately we shouldn't mind if we feel a bit resentful, intimidated or jealous of other people working in the same field. In fact we should learn from our competition as this can make us better at our own work which is turn is better for our clients/customers/patients etc. And it's worth remembering you might envy how busy a particular planner, (or designer, or photographer for example) seems to be, but you never know, they might envy your relationship with suppliers, your blog, your style and many other things about you.

With regards to wedding planning (which is still a relatively new concept in the UK) I'm all for new planners, established planners, planners I admire and so on existing and creating fabulous weddings. Because as far as I'm concerned the more brides see the work of talented wedding planners and stylists the more likely they are to use them and recommend to friends and family. Which only does the industry good. And that is great for all of us.

What do you think? Is competition good? Or are you worried about supply exceeding demand in wedding planning or whatever field you work in?