Wedding bliss

Since I started working for a styling company who, amongst other things, design and style weddings I have a new found respect for exquisitely designed weddings. It's really no mean feat to stop from falling into the huge abyss of wedding design and end up with a 'like the other 8 you've been to this year' wedding. To truly make a wedding have that wow factor takes time and patience. It is one thing to have your ideas mapped out and even tear sheets from your favourite bridal magazines to back them up but quite another to source each individual piece and create the exact look and feel you've always dreamed of.

This evening I met with a bride who wants to create a magical white wedding with a vintage twist and I immediately knew where to go for inspiration. Once Wed is a favourite website of mine, I often take 5 minutes out to lose myself in the dreamy photography and beautiful styling. It seems to captivate the most beautiful and delicate of weddings with each one telling a different story about the couple and what marriage means to them. With times being a little harder recently why not save some money and get a bit creative with your wedding. Make it personal and take your wedding ceremony outside to your favourite scenic backdrop. By hanging a few old jam jars glistening with tea lights from surrounding trees and making rows of vintage school chairs you've already created the perfect, most romantic setting to declare your love to your soul mate. Why do beautiful English roses (the female, not the flower...) always find themselves queuing up to book the most extravagant of venues with the biggest price tags... I think it's time we take a look at these beautifully delicate and romantic US weddings and get creative and personal with our own.


This image just goes to show how one stunning antique piece dressed with beautiful blooms can surprisingly and easily, complete a space. Less is so much more in this case.


These luggage labels take minutes to make but will stay in your guests memory for years. Used to dress the ceremony in this instance but could just as easily be displayed at the entrance to your seated reception instead of the usual table plan with your guests name on one side of the tag and their table number on the other.


For those of you that live in London, you can find old biscuit tins like this one at Spitalfields market on a Thursday.


Clearly guaranteed to stay dry... this open outdoor setting definitely has the wow factor. The icing on the cake would have to be the fairy lights, which, festooned across the space look beautiful and create the perfect ambiance ready to dance the night away.



This luscious green and white wedding is also stunning and probably more achieve for the British bride, with more than plenty woodlands waiting to welcome your special day.


The rays of sun look as though they are making the delicate origami birds glow as they pass through the gaps in the wooded canopy.

To view the full galleries of these fabulous weddings, and to find out information about the photographers who have taken these pictures please visit the website... www.oncewed.com.

Decorex International 2009

Andrew Martin

Well Decorex has been and gone again which to me is always a sign that Autumn is upon us. It always seems to creep up on me as I try to ignore the changing temperature and continue to wear jackets which are far too unsuitable for our late September days. It's now time for chunky knits and winter coats, oh what I'd do for an open fireplace in my little north London apartment... one can but dream!

Back to the reason I am blogging today - Decorex. Yet again I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The different ways in which designers express their creativity never fails to inspire me. I must say though I did find myself drawn to the more classic styles and fabrics I became fond of during a week of shooting new collections with House & Garden (out this issue). I love Colefax's Greta in raspberry and cream and GP&J Baker's Mereworth in aqua - two very classic English designs suited to charming country living styles.

I particularly enjoyed Andrew Martin's stand with it's retro chic theme. Their pop art scatter cushions and restored vintage furniture was stunning, accompanied by glimmering chrome stage lights it created a fun yet sophisticated living space which really worked.

Although cameras are strictly prohibited at Decorex I have found some images from Andrew Martin's website which demonstrate the fun, fresh ways in which they displayed their new fabric collections.

Andrew Martin