Wedding Shows

Feeling like you need some Wedding inspiration? Need some more ideas to pull it all together? Or just fancy a fun day out with your bridesmaids?  Your luck is in! The Wedding fair season is fast approaching (how on earth is it August already?!). There are so many fairs to choose from – just take a look online for ones near you.  I thought I would share with you some of the fairs that we are hoping to attend this year, and perhaps we will see some of you there... 

The National Wedding Show

Running in both London (28^th to 30^thSeptember 2012) and Birmingham (5^th to 7^th October 2012) The National Wedding Show houses over 250 exhibitors offering thousands of inspirational ideas for your big day whatever you’re looking for. From wedding gowns to wedding cars, venues to menus, gifts to grooms wear, you’re guaranteed to find exactly what you’re looking for whatever your budget and style! The beauty of it is that you can see, touch, taste and try on before you buy making the planning of your big day simple. Tickets are available herefrom £13.50.

The Designer Wedding Show

 Set in Battersea Park on 12-14^th October 2012 The Designer Wedding Show promises to bring together both high-profile designers and less well-known names. Presenting a collection of 130 companies offering everything for stylish weddings.  Including bridal fashion, stationery, millinery, menswear, bridesmaidsfashion, shoes, jewellery, fashion for the mother of the bride, photography, cakes,  venues, gift lists and flowers. Tickets are available herefrom £16.

The In Wedding Show

 The In Wedding Show on Sunday 9^th September is designed to help any bride (and groom) plan and prepare for their big day. The whole purpose of the show is to bring together a selection of companies, services and products for your special day all under one roof.  You can try cake samples, look at venue options, source wedding invitations, organise your wedding gift list, find the perfect floral arrangements speak to professional photographers. There is even a ‘grooms wear’ area to keep the leading man in your life happy! Tickets are a real bargain for this event, available herefrom £3.50.

The Luxury Wedding Show

 Taking place at Somerset House from 20^th to 21^st October 2012 the Luxury Wedding Show London promises to bring the UK’s most influential names in the wedding industry together.  From accessories, bridal wear, cakes, caterers, cosmetics, favours, flowers, gift list, honeymoon destinations, jewellery, lingerie, menswear, music and entertainment, occasion wear, photographers, shoes, stationery, tiaras, venues, venue stylists, videographers and wedding planners. Tickets are a tad expensive for this event, available here from £50, however they do offer an ‘early bird' discount offer if you get in quick!

Our First ‘Real life wedding’ – PART 1:

Fleur and I thought that in the midst of our Wedding planning blog marathon, whilst full of ideas and inspiration, we should add a weekly ‘Real life wedding’ feature to really get your wedding juices flowing. Something to brighten up your Monday!  We all love a good wedding;  the dress, the venue, the shoes, the flowers, the cake and personal touches to the day... so I thought what better way to start than a bit of self-gratification. My own wedding.  I got married four years ago last week, and it feels like yesterday!

The dress...

My dress was a creation by the wonderful Martin Charles. When I got engaged I looked through a couple of Bridal magazines and realised very quickly that I wanted a very simple, classic dress. I also liked the idea of having a black waist band (especially as I wanted my bridesmaids to wear black).  So, after visiting one of the main bridal boutiques in London and being totally scared away with the HARD sell that I received my Mum recommended Martin Charles. Martin was everything that I could have wished for. His studio at the time was in his home, a beautiful house in the countryside, so extremely relaxed. There was no hard sell and he listened to exactly what I wanted and designed an absolute masterpiece. My dress and the whole experience was exactly what I had hoped and dreamed it would be.  Martin also came up with the fantastic idea to have a separate underskirt to give a really full effect to the dress for the daytime that could be removed for the evening – making the evening dress more easy to dance in and with a more ‘evening’ feel! However as I did insist on a 10 foot train on the dress it was still a little tricky – but worth it!

Spot Fleur De Force here doing her bridesmaid duties!

I also had an extreemely long veil made, extending past the train of my dress. Spot the nerves in this shot! I have never been so scared in my life... the walk down the aisle was so daunting, but once I was at the altar with my husband-to-be I was much more relaxed.  

 

 ... I do! 

Although it all looks very traditional I walked down the aisle, much to the shock of the congregation, to Mendelssohn's Wedding March accompanied by an amazing rock guitarist, who then played Metalica whilst we signed our vows!

The Venue...

My husband and I went to school together so it was really special for us to get married in the school chapel, where we first met (aged just 13!).

 

The reception was held in a marquee in my parent’s garden. The flowers for the ceremony were based on a black and white theme but I wanted to add some colour to the reception so went for vibrant, clashing reds and pinks. I also bought candelabras for alternate tables and lots of tea lights so that the marquee was a sea of candle light in the evening.

My shoes were Marc Jacobs. My top tip is to make sure you ‘wear them in’ before the big day to make sure you can dance the night away without painful feet!  

Fleur De Force was my make up artist for the day!

I borrowed a stunning antique diamond tiara from my oldest best friend’s grandma.

A Quirky & Romantic Wedding Venue Idea

Looking for something fun and original, away from the ‘standard wedding format’?

Then take a peek at Canopy and Stars.

If you are looking for something relaxed and rural, their selection of beautifully romantic outdoor venues could be perfect. 

Some of the venues also allow you to ‘take over’ the main house and grounds for up to a week, so you can really feel at home in your surroundings and make the most of your Wedding celebrations with your friends and family. 

It's even possible to set up your own mini-festival for your wedding weekend!

This website could also come in handy for those of you planning hen/stag parties or even more relaxed honeymoons with a wonderful collection of locations for ‘happy campers’. If wood-burning stoves, hand-delivered breakfast hampers, treetop bathtubs and getting back in touch with nature sound good, then this could be right up your street!

All images from Canopy & Stars