Upper Street - Shoe Designing Evening!

Today we thought we would show you a couple of 'behind the scenes' photos from an exciting part of the wedding planning for Fleur's wedding. You may have seen me post about bespoke shoe company Upper Street on the blog before? If not, they are a 'design your own' shoe company, giving you free reign over shoe style, toe shape, heel height, fabrics and colours in order to create your perfect shoe. 

Fleur's bridesmaid's are all lucky enough to be having their very own custom shoes for her big day, so we had a little 'designing party' to come up with the perfect style.

Fleur, Myself (maid of honour) and Alex (one of the bridesmaids) were very excited to welcome the girls from Upper Street in to my home, who arrived laden with shoes and swatches to show us. My living room quickly turned into a makeshift shoe designing studio... Sample shoes for style ideas, 'fit' shoes to get the perfect fit for each of us and hundreds of fabrics swatches in leather, patent, suede, sparkle suede (amazing by the way!), snakeskin and more.

Our main objectives were to create shoes that would go perfectly with the bridesmaid dresses, while ensuring that the bridesmaids would want to wear them again. Fleur also wanted all of the bridesmaids (there are 7!) to wear the same dress and shoes, so we had to take everyone's taste and style into consideration.

All of the bridesmaids not present had sent us designs of what shoes they would like, so our first focus was coming up with a design compromise that would suit everyone.

Upper Street offer the same style shoe in various different heel heights which was great for us as there is an even split in the seven bridesmaids of tallies and shorties, so we decided early on that we needed two different heel heights within the same design, deciding on a 4.5 inch platform for the girls under 5ft4, and a 3 inch non-platform style for the girls over 5ft7.

We finally decided on an open toe, crossover style for the shoes, with a contrasting heel.

This then opened up the choice of fabric. You can almost have anything you can dream up so we could have been there for a few weeks deciding, however it was clear from the outset that with the chosen bridesmaid dress we should stick to something classic working along a similar colour pallette to the dress: either warm bronze, or pinky-nude shades. The group's favourite was the nude patent leather and nude snakeskin. The shades match exactly so we liked the detail the snakeskin panel added, while still remaining subtle enough for a wedding, and 'different' enough to justify it being a bespoke shoe.

And here we have it... the perfect bridesmaid shoes for Fleur's Wedding.

Fleur then decided to add a really cool personal touch - an individual message to each of the bridesmaids that will be inscribed on the inside sole of the shoes. The order has been placed and we can't wait to see the shoes in the 'flesh'! The whole experience was great fun and we would definitely recommend it.

The shoes are a little pricey, starting at £275, but the quality of the materials and the finished shoes really is outstanding, and on a par to designer shoes of a similar price.

What do you think of our choice for Fleur's bridesmaids? What shoe would you design?

Vintage Wedding Fair in London

Brides-to-be... It’s showtime! Zoe Lem’s Vintage Wedding Fair is being held from 12 noon on Sunday April 14 2013 at The Bloomsbury Ballroom in London so if you are interested in adding a 'vintage' twist to your Wedding this could be the place for you. Promising to not just showcase glamorous trends but also to help each bride find their vintage style and push a personal twist on their enduring elegant trend.

See the Vintage Wedding Fair website for more details.

Beautiful Flower Girl Dresses

As the fast approaching Wedding of Fleur De Force ties in with the arrival of my baby girl I have to say (ssshhhh, don't tell the Bride!) that I have been somewhat distracted.  Looking for potential outfits for my little one for the big day is just such fun.  I thought Bridesmaid dresses were hard to find but Flower Girl dresses seem to be just as tricky, so when I stumbled upon the wonder of I Love Gorgeous I was hooked.

I Love Gorgeous offer a beautiful collection of timeless dresses. I love the classic styling and wonderfully rich fabrics - something I have found hard to find with other brands.  Another benefit is that they offer dresses that will fit both babies and older children, ideal if you have different ages to dress.

Dresses, available at I Love Gorgeous, are priced from £75-£140.

One Perfect Wedding Gift List - Prezola

A Wedding gift list... to have one or not to have one? This is certainly how I felt when I got married, and I have heard the exact same thing be uttered from almost every bride's lips that I have spoken to since.   I gave in in the end and went down the very boring route of a John Lewis gift list with the overriding view that it was easy for us, easy for our guests and safe.  I did however find it fairly limiting which is why when Fleur and I recently discovered Prezola we were so excited.  Two main areas totally 'sold' the Prezola service to us. Firstly; the ability to add 'any item from any retailer, a honeymoon fund, cash contributions and/or charity donations' to your list; giving you truly unlimited choice.  And secondly the fact that your guests buy the items directly from the retailers, making it a completely secure service.

Having tested out the Prezola service (only to the point of creating a Wedding List - the Wedding is still to come!) we are still convinced it is the right one. The site actually seems a little limited at first, but don't let that put you off.  Look at it as a more bespoke service and use your 'personal shopper' to add items by just emailing them the lists of products to add.  We did however find it disappointing that you are not allocated one 'personal shopper' with a personal email address for the duration, numerous people seem to operate from the 'personal shopper' email address and some information can get lost or repeated in the process.  The website is so much more aesthetically pleasing than many of their competitors which gives your guests a much better shopping experience which we thought to be a great benefit.

Items that we have added so far include gifts from lovely websites like Graham and Green, Cox & Cox and The White Company, but it also allows you to ensure your guests get the best value for money for every day items through adding Amazon, Debenhams and Argos.  All you then have to do is choose the delivery option that works best for you... to your guests, to you before the Wedding or have your gifts checked, packed and delivered to you by Prezola after your Wedding for a fee of £39.

The Ultimate Bridesmaid Dresses - Wtoo's Spring 2013 Collection

After an amazing evening spent trying on Bridesmaid dresses for the fast approaching Wedding of Fleur De Force (watch the video) I thought I must share the fantastic new Spring 2013 Wtoo Collection of dresses with you all.

In the past I have always found it so tricky to find perfect Bridesmaid dresses, having to take so many different aspects into account. A desired colour scheme, something that flatters all shapes and sizes,  keeping within a reasonable budget, something the bridesmaids can wear again... these are just a few, the list is endless. Which is the exact reason why Wtoo have now become top of my list.  Not only do they offer a fantastic collection of styles but once you have found a style that you love you can then choose a colour that fits perfectly with your Wedding theme.  Or, choose a fabric and colour that you love and mix up the styles to suit your Bridesmaids.  Flexibility is key, which is exactly what you must have when faced with a challenge of keeping all of your best friends happy!

 

 

Information on all of the dresses can be found on the Wtoo Website (the new collection will be launched on line in a few weeks time). Dresses are available in US sizes 0-24 and are priced from £110 to £170.

Wedding Jewellery - Olivier Laudus

If you are not wanting to spend a fortune on your Wedding jewellery Olivier Laudus could be a good place for you to look. There are some really pretty pieces on the website ranging from classic to contemporary. 

With prices starting at £19.99 it could be good for your Bridesmaid presents too?

Acacia Pearl Bridal Earrings £35.99 / Adele Pearl And Cubic Zirconia Necklace £110.00 / Adele Pearl And CZ Wedding Earrings £35.99 / Sidney Weddings Earrings £79.99 / Primavera diamante wedding Earrings £64.99