Don't sweat the Wedmin!

I'm going to be brutally honest here and say...I planned my wedding without Pinterest!!!

Not that I wouldn't have been all over it if it had existed when we were making those important floral design decisions back in the day.

And if I'm going to go the whole hog, and be painfully, brutally honest (yes it does hurt, quite a lot), we planned our wedding before people were really using the internet. No Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, very few mobile phones, and at the time I worked in an office where client details were kept in a box full of hand-written index cards! I know!

My point is this...

Planning a wedding, or 'wedmin' as it was cutely known for a time recently, will always require a certain amount of legwork. You'll always want to visit prospective wedding and reception venues, get close up and personal with wedding gowns and flowers, speak over the phone to entertainers, caterers, and car hire companies, and all of those things eat into your free weekends and evenings (it needs to be said that though, that those things are also really exciting things to do!). But, in this day and age, the magic of the internet makes a lot of your wedding research and purchases so very, very much quicker, simpler and easier.

Specifically, the advent of selling sites stocked by small UK businesses selling everything from stationery to cake toppers, wedding accessories to confetti, table decor to favours, garters to wedding shoes, all in the one place, mean that in just a single evening, if you get yourself organised with a list and a budget, you can rattle through a big chunk of your 'wedmin' in the time that it would take to catch up on your backlog of Game of Thrones (never watched a single episode...another guilty secret of mine!)

The selling sites I'm most familiar with, mainly because I stock them myself, are And So to Shop, and Love & Lilah. Here you can shop by theme, colour, or product, and even have the sites automatically throw up suggestions for other things you might not have thought about.

Nalina Hair Comb by Glorious by Heidi

Watercolour Wilderness by Nina Thomas Studio

Bride Tribe Lip Balm by Savon Claire

Lace Garter by Extra Special Touch

 Initials and flower heart marquee lights by The White Bulb

Star Hair Accessory by Glorious by Heidi

I really do wish sites like this had been around when I was flailing around trying to plan a wedding, whilst also working full time in a busy photographic studio, trying to have a semblance of a social life, and occasionally get a good night's sleep.

On these sites you can while away an evening, shopping by theme, product, colour, and even have a few ideas suggested to you that you might not have thought of.

The sites are run by small teams keen to make a big success of what they're doing, and only stocked by equally small, independent, UK businesses, many of whom handcraft their products to unique designs, so you know that the customer service and 'hands on' approach is going to be first class.

With some suppliers offering free postage, samples, discounts and personalisation, what's not to love about modern day wedding planning?! 

Pour yourself a glass, get your PJ's on, put the mobile away, and get wedding planning the easy way.

Five of the best wedding photographers in the North West

Having been involved the wedding industry as an accessory designer for four years now (that went fast!) I've had the pleasure of meeting, and working alongside, many of the best wedding industry suppliers in the North West of England.

After a recent accessory consultation with a bride, she asked me if I could recommend a local photographer, and since we are blessed in this region with some varied, and talented photographers, I actually recommended my favourite 5. She then asked if I could recommend a hair and make-up artist, again, aware of how quickly my hair and make-up friends book up, I recommended 5. A florist? Again, 5...

You see what's happening here?!

My 'Top 5' series starts today with wedding photographers.

My top 5, North West based wedding photographers

1. Chelsea Shoesmith Photography 

I first 'met' Chelsea when she kindly allowed me to publish one of her images of one of my brides wearing a Glorious hair accessory on her wedding day.

Since that moment, I've been involved in a couple of styled shoots, conceived and captured by Chelsea, and have enjoyed tea & chat with her on a number of occasions.

Chelsea is always thoughtful, adores her craft, is a calming presence, continually strives to improve her skill, and captures her subjects with simple clarity.

2. Stephen McGowan Photography

I worked with Stephen on a styled wedding shoot conceived by Edith and Winston Bridalwear (they'll pop up in one of my future 5 of the best...). I was struck by the ease which Stephen interacted with a room full of strong women, his permanently happy demeanour, and impressed with his photographic skill capturing moving objects, birds and beautiful brides.

3. Zap Image

I met Philip Eagland, the principal photographer at Zap Image, at a Cheshire wedding fair, and loved the uniqueness of his images.

Since then I've worked on a styled wedding shoot with Philip where his enthusiasm for the concept, and the way he framed the subjects, has me very excited to see the final edit!

4. Clare Basiuk

I always love seeing images of my brides wearing their Glorious accessories on their wedding day, and was particularly delighted to be sent Clare Basiuk's joyous photos of bride Laura (top), wearing her Sofia headpiece.

Clare's photography shows an unfailing ability to capture the fun and warmth of a wedding day, and I can't wait to meet and work with her very soon.

5. Teresa C Photography

Her gorgeous saturated colour and vibrant images caught my eye after receiving these wonderful images through from Glorious bride Hannah. 

I haven't yet worked with photographer Teresa C, but would love to one day!

Finished today, for a photo shoot tomorrow

I love designing pieces for styled photo shoots. These accessories aren't designed for anyone in particular, so it's my chance to design with freedom, and really push the boat out with new techniques.

I knew that I wanted a particularly opulent piece for an up and coming styled wedding shoot at a Cheshire period country house, and had been building mood boards of patterns, and mosaics, like those found in the temples my husband and I visited when on an extended honeymoon through India, Nepal, Malaysia and Indonesia some years ago! I also wanted a piece that would catch the light in the same way that those mirrored mosaics do.

Sketching, tracing, placing and hand stitching for the finished piece, was a slow, but magical process, as I watched the design come to life, and I can't wait to share pictures from the styled wedding shoot, with our 'bride' wearing this headpiece.

A happy coincidence in my Cheshire studio today as I completed four Sofia Swarovski crystal hair pins, for four lucky bridesmaids, at the exact moment that the rare February sun broke through the clouds and started to shine through my window.

I couldn't bear to waste the moment, so took this short footage of the bridesmaid's hair pins bouncing the light around!