Photobooth props from Little Retreats

Who doesn't love a good photo booth at a wedding eh?

Little Retreats over at Etsy has got some pretty wonderful props and I urge you to check it out pronto. It's the work of Brooke Meyenberg who also has a sweet blog Jackaroo Love.

Here's a selection of some of my faves...













What do you think? I like the zebra mask best I think.

Images, copyright and all that jazz

I know there's a lot written about how to link to images and so on when you're blogging but I thought I'd write a little post on image copyright and how it works when you're using them on your business website.

First up, I ain't no lawyer. Don't quote me on any of this! I have asked a lawyer and researched it but I can't guarantee I'm 100% accurate so please don't sue me. Ha.

So here's a biggie to start with:

All images belong to whoever took them.

That's a fact. But how and when you can use them often strays into what's moral and ethical as well as what's legal.

You don't have to officially 'copyright' a photo for it to be yours. You just have to take it.

The picture of the blossom tree on this page belongs to me. I took it. So if someone googles 'blossom tree' and through the beauty of SEO and the wonder of the internet, finds my photo can they use it? Well generally yes as long as they credit the source, i.e me.

But what if they are starting a gardening company say, and want to use my image to promote their business. The image is still mine. If they contact me and ask my permission I may say yes. Or might not. It's up to me. Regardless of where they find it.

One thing is certain, they should ask me. And if they can't find the source of the image? If for some reason they don't know I took this fab pic what then? Well they shouldn't use it. At all.

Using images on the internet is not a case of finders keepers. Photographers photos are their product. Using their images without permission is like stealing to them. They are naturally protective of their work and so whilst they can't monitor the whole internet, courtesy definitely goes a long way.

Aside from stock images, all images belong to whoever shot them and therefore if you want to use an photo for your website, you have to get permission. This applies to google images too.

When I started blogging I found the whole 'how do you link to images and credit properly' thing confusing. I probably got it wrong many times. The main point with blogs and websites is that you don't take credit for what isn't yours and if you're going to use an image belonging to someone else to promote your business check, then double check you have permission.

I think all wedding planners for instance, especially new ones, struggle when they don't have the images they want for their websites. It's pretty hard to showcase your ideas without good photos.

So team up with a photographer and organise a photo shoot demonstrating your style. That way you get amazing photos that you can use (although remember they always belong to the photographer). It's always far better to wait to launch your business with photos of your work than use images that you found on the internet. Aside from anything else it has more integrity and that's always a good thing.

What are your thoughts fellow bloggers/business owners?

P.S If any gardening business want to use this amazing image that I have taken I may just consider it ;)

I went to a wedding this weekend...

source F**k Yeah! Love!
Not actually my dad and his wife by the way, just a lovely pic.

So some of you might know, especially if you follow me on Twitter that my dad got married this weekend. It was a simple small wedding with just 12 of us. We went to the local registry office and then to a hotel in the country where they'd booked a private room for lunch.

There were some funny moments: when the bride's father (who spoke only Danish) got confused which ring to give when and almost placed the ring on my dad's finger (hilarious all round); and when the registrar mispronounced the bride's name so many times even my dad started saying it wrong by the end just so as not to embarrass her.

And there were some touching moments, such as when my dad's new wife hugged my mum and said they were like sisters now.

It was just like any other wedding really, full of interesting family dynamics and consumption of far too much food and wine.

And at the end of the day it was two people standing up in front of those they care about declaring their love for one another.

So the point of this post I suppose is to say that whilst the details that make a wedding unique are of course essential, the main reason a couple get married is because they're in love. And in the end that's the only detail that really matters.

Pretty Swell fabric flower garlands

I have discovered a little gem of an Etsy shop called Pretty Swell.

How lovely are these cake toppers? I really like the height of them.



As a lover of purple this fabric garland excites me rather a lot.





I like the effect of the flowers spread out rather than being all close together like with bunting. The sparse look makes it even prettier.





I don't think people will ever get bored of hanging things up at their weddings. It's just such a good way to decorate space both inside and out.

What do you think? Rather cute, no?

A Pinterest Monday Medley

I've become rather obsessed with Pinterest of late. It's just perfect for compiling mood boards which is a large (and fun) part of my job.

And so this week's Monday Medley includes mainly images I discovered through the joys of my Pinterest wanderings.

the bouquet

I don't really have words for this bouquet. Just so soft and pretty.



via Sitting in a Tree

the cake

This mushroom cake is pretty and simple and unique.



From Erica O'Brien via Once Wed

the boutonniere

A sweet way to have those who can't be with you on your big day close to your heart...



via Emmeline Bride

I'm always one for cheap but effective wedding decoration ideas hence the reason these wine bottle centrepieces caught my eye. These would be perfect in a a big open space like a warehouse or similar.


the centrepieces



via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Have you discovered Pinterest yet?

A watercolour wedding

via Vanessa Knox

I haven't done a If I were getting married for a while and whilst browsing on Pinterest I realised how much I'm liking this watercolour/ombré effect lately.

Think lots of colour used boldly but softly faded which sounds like an oxymoron but I think you know what I mean?

So, it got me thinking about how could you use this as inspiration for your wedding day.

the hair

Dark at the roots, blonder at the tips. Love it. A little bit grungy but still glam. Would work well with a relaxed beach wedding say.



via Bit and Bino

the cake

Who hasn't seen this divine creation in blogland. Too pretty to eat.



via Maggie Austin Cake

the flowers



via Design Sponge


Other ways you could incorporate the watercolour/ombré idea.

- fabric back drop for photos or the ceremony

- with napkins or table decoration

- with a garland or bunting

Obviously you wouldn't want to go overboard with this and it would be more a look to inject subtly but what you think?

For Japan with Love

The incredible Lydia from Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged have set up something quite wonderful to support the thousands of people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

You can be involved with For Japan With Love in three ways.

Firstly by donating whatever you can. For Japan With Love links to Shelterbox a charity that quite literally provides shelter boxes including a disaster relief tent, water purification equipment, a stove, cooking equipment and other vital items.

The second way you bloggers can help is by having a blog day of silence tomorrow on Friday March 18th. You can see more information here but it essentially involves not doing a blog post at all tomorrow.

And thirdly you can tweet about it www.forjapanwithlove.com to spread the word and encourage others to be involved in any way they can.

So if you're a fellow blogger please get involved in this amazing project.

Josie x

Feather boutonnieres from Pomp and Plumage

I discovered this Etsy shop Pomp and Plumage via Creature Comforts.

I have a bit of a thing for feathers at the moment, especially brown ones for some reason so my eyes lit up at these boutonnieres.

I've done a few posts on boutonnieres because it's a good way for grooms to get creative and these are elegant but quirky too!









What do you think? They're a good alternative to floral boutonnieres no?

A bit of a soppy post

I'm feeling in a particularly sentimental mood today and felt like this was a perfect opportunity to was lyrical on my love for my couples.

I can genuinely say I adore each and every couple I'm working with at the moment. They are all so wonderfully unique and their ideas and hopes for their respective weddings completely reflects this.

I will have to quit whilst I'm ahead here before I becoming sickeningly schmaltzy. Suffice to say I never would have imagined a few years back that I would get to run my own business, work creatively with inspiring suppliers (you know who you are!) and meet such diverse and interesting people both in the flesh and in the blogging world.

I guess I want to say a big thank you in particular to my couples for making my job so enjoyable. Some of whom I know read this but won't comment ;)

You guys rock my world!

Adele - definitely making me feel her love

This week's mixtape masters post is all about Adele. I can't believe this girl is only 22. Her voice is incredible.

Her performance at the Brits was immense. And so I'm dedicating the whole of this playlist to Adele because quite frankly she rocks my world.





What do you think lovelies? You in love with this girl and her voice as much as me?


For more Mixtape Master madness, peep the playlists on these blogs:

Hi-Fi Weddings | Tylre. | Ten Thou Bride | Fashion Under 100 | Jo, Rooting | Craft My Life | another damn life | Fancy Notion | Dead Flowers | Casa De Kaloi | Bunnies’n’Beagles | My San Francisco Budget Wedding | Existing Between Reality and Dreams

Have you ever seen anything so adorable?!

Gratuitous cute post. Just because.



source - polar photographer Sue Flood

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 3

Can you afford a wedding planner?

Um, yeah.

One of the most annoying myths about wedding planners is that we're a luxury for high end weddings and couples with big fat budgets.

Most of my clients have modest but perfectly respectable budgets. As one bride said to me at the weekend: 'We could afford more, but this is what we're comfortable spending on our wedding.'

In my experience the quirkier and more creative the couple are the more likely they are to have a 'budget' wedding. And that's fine by me. Far more enjoyable to work with couples like this!

This doesn't mean I don't and haven't worked with couples with bigger budgets (and by bigger I mean £40k and upwards) it's just the majority of my clients are 'normal' people with 'normal' jobs from 'normal' backgrounds and this is what they can afford.

And I don't see why they shouldn't hire a wedding planner any less than someone with £100k to spend.

Okay so obviously I have to make a living. I know what I can afford to charge prospective clients and I know what wouldn't be possible for me to do. Sometimes I really love hearing about a couples' ideas but they can't afford to hire me as a full planner - so I help them out with a consultation for instance.

Just like there are designer boutiques where you can spend a month's rent on a handbag for instance, there is also Topshop.

In all aspects of life there are options for those with money to spend and those who have to be more careful. And it really really bugs me when people think wedding planners are only for the wealthy.

There are wedding planners who cater to a more luxury driven market and yes, if you've got £20k to spend don't both getting in touch with them. But for all the rest of you wondering if you can afford a wedding planner. You can. To some extent anyway. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

This is the third post in my mini series about life as a wedding planner.

Pretties to start the week with...

the couple

Not much I don't adore about this couple and their gorgeous budget DIY wedding as seen on Ruffled.

How sweet is the bride's plaited hair and lovely lace wedding dress?




the ring

Stylish, unique and ethical engagement rings by New York based ken + dana design.

You have to check out their site, there are some real beauties on there. Found via live it out photography.




the shoe

Loving this killer wedding shoe seen over at Style Me Pretty. The wedding is full of super gorgeousness.




the star bunting

Always on the look out for new and fresh wedding decor ideas and rather liking this star bunting/ garland. Found over at stylist Mindy Gayer's blog




the prop

Ampersand from an engagement shoot found over at Emmaline Bride. I've been thinking about getting an ampersand tattooed on my ankle but have yet to find the perfect font.



See more Monday Medley's here and here's to a splendid Monday folks :)

Marianne Taylor Photography

I haven't done a Savoir hearts this supplier for a while and who better to jump start this than the photography virtuoso that is Marianne Taylor.

I do a lot of research into photography in general and follow the best UK wedding photographers through twitter and their blogs and I have to say Marianne's work blows me away every time.

So I asked her a few questions so you can find out a little more about the woman behind the lens...

In 5 words how would you some up your photography style?

Creative, romantic, authentic, fun & nostalgic.





How do you deal with people who aren't natural in front of the camera, or indeed naturally photogenic?

I don't think I've ever photographed anyone who didn't say 'I absolutely hate having my picture taken' or something to that effect! I'm a great believer in the fact that there's something beautiful about everyone, and the most beautiful thing of all is authentic emotion. I am genuinely interested in people, and as a photographer specialising in couples, especially in how couples relate to each other. At a wedding I try not to get noticed too much and that's how I get to spy the real moments happening. During portrait sessions I try make sure that people know I don't expect them to 'perform' in any way, and that kind of gives them the license to just be themselves. I do sometimes use physical exercises to help people be more present in the moment and relax into it. For couple and engagement sessions especially, my wish is that everyone comes away feeling like they've had a nice experience, hopefully even one of those (too) rare connecting moments in life, and that the photos are just extra gravy.





If you weren't a photographer what would your dream job be?

A writer. Unfortunately I was never skilled enough in one language to finish any of the books I've started. But yes, would totally love to live in a little cabin by the sea, writing in solitude while listening to the waves.



If you had to pick one photographer who inspires you and/or you'd like to work with who would it be?

Hmm, that's a tricky one, inspiration comes in so many forms and I try to avoid any sort of idol worship. I would love to work with Jonas Peterson just because I'm intrigued to see how he approaches his pictures, and also to prove that Finns and Swedes can play nice together! :D One person whom I've been lucky enough to see in action, was Jesh de Rox. He taught me how to open my heart to strangers in order to make an experience meaningful.





They say 'A picture says a thousand words...' can you show us one photo of yours that you think demonstrates this?



Aw! How super cute.

Thank you Marianne!

If you haven't already you simply must go and see more of Marianne's work over at her website and blog and whilst you're at it you should follow her on twitter too.