A slightly sickly Monday Medley

What a week last week was! Working with new clients, photo shoot planning and attending the wedding Oscars aka Rock n Roll Bride's party. Unfortunately it has all taken it's toll and I am now laid up with a chest infection. Which is not all bad because it gives me time to put together a little selection of what's been catching my eye this week.

the photo shoot


from Ashton Jean-Pierre Photography

Charley from London Bride and I have been working on a new project. All I can say now is it involves weddings (but of course) and music. Fingers crossed it will be launching very soon but in the meantime here's a sneak peek of the shoot shot by the marvelous Ashton Jean-Pierre.


the engagement shoot

Which leads nicely onto this super cute and fun engagement sesh. Well worth a look through the other images.


from Polka Dot Bride


the bride

I have a bit of a thing about walls in photos and this image kind of takes my breath away.


from our labour of love via forget me knot weddings


the bunting how to guide

Daily Candy's guide to making bunting. As much a wedding staple as cake, this guide will have you crafting your little heart out.


note: this bunting is actually from John Lewis, but you could make it if you wanted to ;)


the favour

These wall garden favours are handmade which makes me love them all the more. What's more they don't look too tricky to make. Anyone fancy making some and sending me pics of the results?!



from Ruffled

Hope you had a lovely weekend and are all geared up for the week ahead. I cannot believe we're over halfway through April, where is this year going?!

For more Monday Medley's see here

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 4

The issue of hiring staff...


from doreese illustration and photography


I get a lot of emails from people looking for a job in wedding planning and asking about paid work at Savoir Weddings and thought it was about time I tackled the issue of staff.

From the amount of interest I get it seems everybody wants to be a wedding planner these days. Which I get because it is a rewarding and varied job. So I hope no one finds this patronising, because I'm certainly not saying I know everything, but here's my advice for those of you thinking of becoming a wedding planner.

I can't speak for all wedding planners and the big guns (who don't work on weddings less than £60k) are probably different but most of us don't make enough money to hire full time staff.

I am a full time wedding planner. It took me well over a year to get to this stage. I'm certainly not rich but I make enough to live on which is great. I should point out here incidentally, if you're thinking of becoming a planner or starting a wedding planning biz to get rich, think again. It's incredibly hard work, involves working anti social hours, is at times stressful, and when you work it out per hour it definitely doesn't fall into one of those 'easy money' jobs likes some people seem to think.

So even though I am a full time planner I don't generate enough income to support staff. There is Dan who is involved in the music side of things and I work with interns during particularly busy periods. But whilst I pay the interns' expenses I definitely don't make enough to pay someone else a salary.

And this is quite common according to my fellow wedding planners.

So for those of you who want to become a wedding planner you really need to think whether you're prepared to become a business owner too. Because 99% of people who are wedding planners run their own businesses. So if you really want to do it you have to not only be good at planning/styling weddings, but also self motivating, managing your own time, finances and everything else that goes with running a business.

I don't want to discourage anyone considering a career in wedding planning. I genuinely love my job and often see it more as a way of life than a job. But it's not enough to just love weddings. There's a very high chance you'll have to establish and run your own business to become a planner and that's not a decision to make lightly.

For more on being a wedding planner see here.

What are your thoughts? Fellow wedding planners, do you agree? What about you other freelancers, do you get lots of job applications too?

Things that have caught my eye of late...

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are raring to go today.

I'm feeling pretty positive and inspired after visiting the venue of one of my couples yesterday. To say it is beautiful doesn't do it justice. I literally cannot wait for this wedding!

And last week I got to work with the AWESOME Ashton-Jean Pierre and London Bride on a brand new project. Watch this space for more info...

And in the meantime, here's some general inspiration from my web travels.

the quote


from Momo Prints
via papersnitch

Always worth remembering.


the bride

Liking the edgy and traditional combo.


from Nordica Photography
via Wedding Sparrow


the bow tie

Aptly named Distinguished Gentlemen - Let's read a leather bound book.


via I am a hunter


the jewellery


from Le Papier Studio
via Emmeline Bride


the photo shoot

I've had a bit of a thing for masks recently. I'm interested in how they add another dynamic to an image. Be sure to check out the rest of the shoot, there's plenty more beauties included.


from Paige Newton Photography
via The Loveliest Day

Hope your week is off to a good start lovelies!

Inky indigo

from top left:
indigo dress image from bluepoolroad
cameo from Iris Schwarz on etsy
blue bottles from Savoir Weddings props
extract of indigo plant applied to paper
indigo and mint image from jed root
made up eyes from pinterest


I've always been interested in colour but since becoming a wedding planner and stylist I've looked at the concept of colour and colours in general in a whole new way.

I've always liked blues and greens best. As testified by my teal obsession. Recently it's the deep, evocative, inky indigo that's making me swoon.

You can see some of my other mood boards here.

What do you think of indigo?

Here comes the sun

I haven't done a Mixtape Masters for far too long. I've been working on a secret music project which has been sapping my musical energy (more on this very soon)!

But the sun is shining today and it feels like summer is around the corner. So here's a little mix of reggae/dub/roots to help get you in the mood...




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

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.

Should I invite my ex to my wedding?

source Better Living Through Design

This is not necessarily one of the areas of life it's good to say yes to.

The decision as to whether or not to invite an ex to your wedding can be definitely be challenging. And as it's a question a bride asked me the other day I thought it worthy of a blog post.

So, should you invite your ex to your wedding? This is mainly written with brides in mind but it could apply to the boys too.

Obviously don't invite your ex if you're no longer in touch. That's just a bit weird.

But if you're friends, or at least in regular contact it's a little trickier.

It depends on a few factors I think. Here's a rough yes/no guide to try to help you decide.


No if...

The relationship ended badly or was difficult and you best friend/dad hate him and will sit glowering/wondering why you invited him.

You're having an intimate wedding and your ex will stick out like a sore thumb.

His new girlfriend/wife is wary of you or has any not great feelings towards you. You only want people who love you at your wedding.

There's any part of you, even a teeny tiny part that's invited him to show off how beautiful you are and how great your life is.

He's single or has any unresolved feelings towards you. That could just get messy.


Yes if...

You want to and your fiancé is fine with it.

You went to his wedding and enjoyed yourself. And you like his wife.

You genuinely are friends and you see inviting him just like inviting any one of your other friends.

What do you think? If you're married did you invite any exes?