Winter Wonderland Weddings

With winter looming I thought it was only appropriate to write a post on winter weddings. Despite the unrelenting cold, winter weddings, when executed correctly, can look immeasurably elegant and glamorous. They have an ethereal quality that really enchants the viewer. There are slightly different rules for winter weddings though. An outdoor wedding, while brave, is unlikely to achieve the same rustic appeal as a summer wedding, and with English weather so temperamental, it's unlikely to withstand the biting winds and rain. Despite this limitation though, there is incredible scope, in terms of creativity, where winter weddings are concerned. Due to the darker rays, brides can afford to opt for slightly heavier makeup than they can in the summer. While dark, heavy eyeliner may look too austere in bright sunlight, in grey-tone winter rays it adds welcome definition. Additionally, glitter is best saved for winter weddings. Although glitter should always be used tentatively, a light sweep of sheer glitter in the inner corner of eyes will open and brighten eyes; similarly, a delicate application of glitter across the cheekbones will create the illusion of added definition. If you have any features you are slightly insecure about, glitter is a wonderful way of drawing attention away from said features and focusing on your best bits.

Winter weddings also require slightly more planning sartorially, particularly given most brides want at least some pictures outside; consider choosing a faux fur shrug to ward off the cold, or a cream angora cardigan like Miss Middleton wore. Alternatively, a sweeping cape will look effortlessly elegant while keeping you warm. Bridesmaids will also require a cover up, and cashmere wraps are an excellent option; complementing any outfit, they are simple and elegant and won’t pull focus from the bride.

If you fancy creating a snow queen vibe, opt for large quantities of glass and crystal, and even an ice sculpture; the thought may make you shiver, but it will look resplendent at a white themed winter wedding, and copious amounts of glass and crystal will make the light scintillate. For a warmer, softer vibe, opt for copious amounts of candles and tea lights, or festoon the venue with fairy lights. Pine cones, gingerbread houses and snowglobes also create a fabulous festive feel, as do rich, dense fabrics such as velvet. In terms of colour schemes, white and silver is incredibly stark and striking, creating an ethereal ambience, while dark, warm colours like burgundy help to create a more festive atmosphere.

 In addition to a slightly different set of aesthetics, winter weddings can also draw on different foods. Warm, chocolate based cocktails make a wonderful addition to any winter wedding, and if you want to capitalise on the festive cheer you can really focus on Christmas flavours - think cinnamon, orange, cloves, ginger, candied fruits. Serve a fruity concoction of champagne or cava mixed with mulled wine. It makes a delicious, warm, upmarket alternative to punch. Alcoholic hot chocolate or coffee with a healthy splash of Tia Maria also works well, particularly when accompanied by miniature doughnuts. Alternatively, cocktails with ginger and cinnamon will tantalise guests' tastebuds and offer a more subtle nod to Christmas. Hot canapes will also help to ward off the cold, and for a truly festive treat try chocolate coated chestnuts, which offer a modern take on a traditional treat. Chocolate fountains also work well at winter weddings, providing the palette with a pleasantly warm, silky sensation. If you’ve opted for a white colour scheme, co-ordinate with white chocolate, which will offer a wonderful echo. Where favours are cocerned, gingerbread cookies prove popular, but snowglobes and miniature Christmas trees are an interesting alternative.

{Credits: 1. Princess Bride Tiaras; 2. Project Wedding; 3. Victoria's Vintage; 4. Martha Stewart Weddings; 5. Martha Stewart Weddings;}

Wishing Trees

Combining utility and elegance, Wishing Trees pose an interesting alternative to traditional guest books and they make a fabulous focal point. They come in myriad colours, shapes and sizes and are based on a Buddhist tradition. According to this tradition, if you write your wish on a piece of paper and tie it to the wishing tree, your wish will come true with the wind carrying your words into the air and away.

You can hire a wishing tree or erect one yourself, however, they require assembling on site and can’t be moved easily once they have been erected. Drape with a string of pearls, crystal beads, attach a few flowers to the branches at random, twine some ribbon around the trunk, or leave bare for a more minimalist look. After the wedding, you can either keep the cards in a keepsake box, or use them to make a scrapbook.

Wedding Invitations

Invitations are integral to setting the tone of a wedding. That pretty little slip of card will conjure up all kinds of images in your guests’ minds, and as it’s the first thing your guests will see it’s important you get it right. The right invite should reflect a couple’s style and start guests fantasizing about the fabulous wedding to come. From flamboyant to elegant, finding the right invitation has never been easier, with a wealth of pretty invites on offer.

{Credits: 1. Etsy; 2. Etsy; 3. Etsy; 4. Etsy; 5. Wedding Soon; Wedding Soon;}

Bridal bouquets

Bridal bouquets say a lot about a bride's style; antique caramel and dusty pink hues suggest a soft, girlish style, while bolder colours like vivid indigo suggest a slightly edgier, quirky style. As long as a bouquet is well suited to the bride's style it's impossible to go wrong; bouquets are an extension fot the bride's personal tastes and reflective of individuality. Cascade bouquets add a sense of grandeur, but wildflower bouquets have a whimsical charm that would work well with any rustic wedding. While it would be hard to accuse any bouquet of being unsightly, one of the most sensational bouquets I've seen is this following one, which marries delicate antique pinks and bright, bold colours seamlessly in order to make both colours pop. The peacock feathers add to the striking aesthetic, while the pale pink tones temper the brightness and pull the look together perfectly; quirky yet decadent, this bouquet exudes elegance.

{Image credits: 1. Red Lotus Photography;}

Mason Jar Magic

Mason jars add a wonderful rustic touch to a wedding and are hugely diverse. This practical, everyday item is easily updated and rendered wedding friendly. Its charm lies in its simplicity, which makes it suitable for almost any wedding. It can be used for a multitude of purposes to great effect, and this is one decorative item that won’t break the bank. Mason jars make excellent candleholders, hung from trees or arranged on tables. Keep it simple with a luxe ribbon around the middle or on top tied in a bow, or fill them with water and pebbles and float tea lights on top. Alternatively, stick doilies to the outside of mason jars and they will throw a charming lace-effect pattern.

Mason jars also make excellent vases, but should you use them for this purpose, keep the arrangement simple; wild flowers work best to ensure the rustic appeal is not lost. Anything too complicated or elaborate will just look incongruous and disjointed. Alternatively, keep it simple with a single open bloom floated on water. In addition to making nice table pieces, mason jars filled with flowers also make pretty, whimsical aisle markers.

Additionally, mason jars can be used as wedding favours, filled with a vast array of edible goodies, ranging from sweet treats to fresh fruits. Or for an even more rustic twist, fill them with homemade jam. Guests will certainly appreciate the time invested in making jam and it’s a great way to add a more personal touch to favours. Mason jars filled with cakes and desserts are also proving to be popular, and anything layered, like a milk and white chocolate mousse, will create a beautiful aesthetic. Alternatively, fill mason jars with cookie mix for a fun wedding favour. Bakerella even provide a free printable recipe.

 

Mason jars can also double as photo holders; black and white photos work particularly well in this instance, enhancing the vintage feel. Massive mason jars can also double as drinks dispensers; serve cloudy lemonade, full of circular slices of lemon, from large mason jars and provide smaller mason jars as drinking vessels to create a rustic feel.

{Credits: 1. Snipi 2. Intimate Weddings ; 3. Intimate Weddings; 4. Bakerella;5. Kaboodle; 6. Intimate Weddings;}

Bridal Jewellery

While bridal jewellery is very much a matter of personal taste, no one wants to look like Heidi Montag - hideously blinged up on her big day to the point where her jewellery detracted from the overall pretty, feminine aesthetic. So, if you want to go slightly bigger and bolder than normal, remember to select only a few statement pieces. Chandelier earrings look stunning with a full or partial up-do, however, if you're opting for a thick choker as well, people will be focused on you're competing jewellery pieces rather than you, which is where their attention should be focused. The right combination of bridal jewellery should enhance a bride’s radiance, offsetting her eyes, make-up, and the small, exquisite details of her dress.  The combination should not be so gaudy and fussy that it pulls focus, or guests will remember the wedding for all the wrong reasons. That is not to say that there is a set formula for success; the extent of accessorising should depend on the dress, the hair, the make-up, and the style of wedding. A simple sheath dress will benefit from more embellishment than an elaborate princess-esque dress and tiara combination.

Charleston bracelet £155

Parisienne necklace £119.99

Regalia earrings £120

Glacier Chandelier earrings £39.99

Vintage Birdcages

I have always adored decorative birdcages. They’re so whimsical and romantic, and for this reason they make ideal wedding decorations. They are so effortlessly chic they will add a touch of elegance to any wedding. They are wonderfully multi-purpose and can be used as cardholders, lanterns when hung from trees, or table centrepieces. You can fill them with flowers, fruits, cupcakes, candles, peacock feathers, perfume bottles or beautifully bound antique books – the list is endless. Alternatively, source an artificial nest from a garden centre and fill it with chocolates. To further beautify, tie a plush satin ribbon, co-ordinated with your colour scheme, around the middle or on the top. Alternatively, use pearls or fairy lights. Pearls add to and perfect the vintage feel when loosely draped around or over birdcages, as do trailing fairy lights. Petals also add to the elegant, feminine aesthetic when scattered around the outside. Customise according to your individual style, the trend is easily adapted to accommodate any wedding. Vintage birdcages are readily available, either on the high street or online; it’s also worth looking in the classified ads and on eBay, where there will inevitably be brides selling off their birdcages. You could even hire them

{Credits: 1. You & Your Wedding; 2. Hawaiian Island Wedding Planners; 3. Flower Design Events;}

Bespoke Vintage Map Hearts

These wooden hearts, personalised with a vintage map appropriate to the individual, epitomise vintage chic and would make excellent, if slightly pricey, wedding favours. At £15 (from Wow Thank You) they may be suited to smaller, more intimate weddings, although these are gifts that could potentially be replicated at home by those who are on a budget, using thick card and an atlas. Unique and incredibly thoughtful, you could opt for maps of people’s hometowns, their favourite places (depending on how well you know your guests), or maps of the place where you first met them. As the vintage trend acquires an ever increasing following, decorations such as these offer an invaluable way to personalise vintage touches.

Alternatively, if you love the idea but are lacking either the patience or the funds, head to Nostalgic Heart. Offering a slightly more rustic take, they’ve produced vintage map hearts suspended inside a clematis heart, which make beautiful decorations at vintage or rustic themed weddings.

Flower Ice Cubes

Another great idea for anyone wanting to try a bit of wedding DIY! These flower ice cubes (seen at Jonathan Fong Style and Martha Stewart.Com) are easy to make and look oh so chic. Roses work well, but you can choose from a whole host of edible flowers (including Violets, Starflowers, Chrysanthemums, Gladioli and Snapdragons, to name a few). Just make sure the flowers you use haven't been treated with potentially harmful chemicals; firstleaf offer a wonderful selection of edible flowers, or, if you're green-fingered, you could even grow your own. It is also worth mentioning that any surplus flowers look rather nice in cocktails and champagne flutes!

There are a few different methods for making the ice cubes, depending on the size of the flowers you're using, which are as follows:

Method 1 (the Jonathan Fong way)

Requires:

(per ice tray)
12 spray roses (the small ones)
12 twist ties
2 wooden skewers
1 ice tray
Floral tape

Instructions:

1. To keep the roses submerged in the ice trays, we have to build a framework that will weigh them down. Cut the spray roses, leaving about 2 inches of stem, and use twist ties to attach the stems to the skewers.

2. Place the roses, which are attached to the skewers, upside down in their individual ice compartments of the tray.

3. Tape down the skewers at the ends of the ice tray to keep everything from floating when you add water. Your ice tray should look like the one in the photo.

4. Add water to the ice tray and freeze overnight.

Method 2 (the Martha Stewart way)

Instructions:

1. To suspend flowers in the cubes, work in layers: Fill an ice tray (one that makes large cubes so the ice will last longer) a quarter of the way with water, add flowers facing down, and freeze.

2. Add more water to fill halfway, and freeze.

3. Fill to the top, and freeze again.

Handy tip: For ice that's especially clear, use distilled water that has been boiled and then cooled. This limits impurities and air bubbles, which make ice cloudy.

{Picture credits: 1. Simply Savannah Events; 2. Jonathan Fong Style; 3. Martha Stewart.com}

Romance novel confetti

Check out this cute wedding confetti at Etsy! It’s made from romance novels and offers an unusual alternative to petal or rice confetti. You could even DIY it (Amazon stock heart hole punches) using any number of materials; although romance novels are rather apt, you could use wrapping paper as well to add some colour, or an old newspaper from the day you met/had your first date. Alternatively you could use love poems or love letters, to potential to customise is endless.

Wedding pies - yay or nay?

So I’ve been hearing a lot about pies. Or, ‘man cakes’, as they’ve been dubbed. Perfect for a more rustic wedding no? But I couldn’t imagine sacrificing a decadent triple-tier wedding cake for pies. Maybe pies in addition to cake, but never instead of cake. I was quite dubious initially, but having seen some of Pie&‘s handiwork I have to say, I’m pretty impressed. Just look at this cute swan topper and their four tier petal pies!



{Credits: Pie&}

10 tips for pre-wedding de-stressing

1. Detox. You know what they say about a healthy body equalling a healthy body. Well there is much to be said for the healthy mind-healthy body malarkey and a detox is a good way to cleanse your system (good preparation for all that champagne it’ll be plied with). Just a short week long detox should suffice, depending on how far advance you do it. Detoxes vary but are inevitably good for slimming down into gowns!

2. Spoil yourself with a pamper session, or, if you can afford it, a spa break. Nothing beats stress like a good massage and a mani-pedi will make you feel preened and pretty. Just be sure to avoid facials as they can cause break outs - not so ideal for pre-wedding de-stressing!

3. Practice yoga and/or pilates. The gentle exercise will stimulate the production of serotonin and the focus on breathing will encourage calm and relaxation.

4. Take at least half an hour for a long hot soak in the bath, setting this time aside to forget about the wedding details. Think candles, a glass of wine, classical music (or whatever ever else floats your boat) playing softly in the background…

5. Eat healthily and regularly. Weddings are nerve and nausea inducing enough, without factoring a low blood sugar into the equation. Try to eat slow energy releasing foods to maintain your blood sugar levels and drink plenty of water; you’ll feel more energetic and more level headed.

6. Get plenty of sleep. If you’re morphed into a bit of an insomniac as the wedding approaches, try turning off all electrical equipment (laptops, phones etc) at least an hour before bed. Spritz some lavender sleeping spray onto your pillow and unwind either by reading or listening to relaxing music.

7. Keep a diary. Even if you don’t normally, there is something cathartic about unburdening yourself and letting all your worries pour onto the paper.

8. Similarly, make lists. It’s stressful trying to remember to do a million things, and keeping lists will make things seem much more manageable.

9. Look at pictures of your honeymoon destination. There’s nothing like the prospect of an indulgent, romantic holiday to boost a person’s spirits.

10. Do something you love; whether it’s horse riding, painting, shopping or knitting. As long as you love and find it therapeutic it’ll help distract you from any pre-wedding jitters.

Vintage Trend

Vintage chic. It’s taken the nation by storm over the past decade hasn’t it? And now it’s set to be a big influence in 2012 weddings, particularly where frocks are concerned. Not really surprising given the exquisite lace concoction Miss Middleton wore, is it? It was a dress that garnered widespread praise and the Middleton effect is still evident in bridal dresses today. Dresses will be romantic and whimsical, creating a soft, feminine silhouette; picture layers of lace and a cascade of ruffles. Ranging from demure elegance to pure fantasy, there’s a look to suit every bride. These dresses by Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang encapsulate the trend perfectly and show why it's become so popular.

{Credits: 1. Vera Wang; 2. Monique Lhuillier; 3. Monique Lhuillier; 4. Oscar de la Renta;}