Your wedding rings are perhaps one of the most important and life lasting elements from your wedding day.  A statement and symbol of your marriage, therefore choosing the right one is a huge decision.

Today i am talking to Wedding Rings Direct, who have the largest collection of wedding rings in the UK. There really is a style to suit every couple on their fantastic site. I have to admit i couldn’t resist a little window shopping and adore this lovely ring. Go have a browse and tell me which ring you have your eye on :-)

Hi Anthony, could you firstly tell WWW readers a little bit about you?

My name is Anthony Edwards and I’m the Managing Director of www.weddingrings-direct.com We are now in our 14^th year as a family run company and supply gorgeous wedding rings and engagement rings for brides and grooms!

What do you love/dislike about your job?

I absolutely love helping brides and grooms find their perfect rings, the look on their faces when they have found ‘the one’ is something I love to see, even after all these years.

There are frustrations when we are compared to high street jeweller’s; especially as we make all our rings to order in the size and depth you choose therefore the weight of your ring will change depending on your size and the depth will remain the same. This essentially means you get more metal for your money from us.

However the rings you purchase from most high street stores will be a standard weight in either a ladies or gents size, so if you were to order a size I the weight of the ring would be the same as a size M even though this is four sizes apart; as the ring is stretched or compressed to the right size the depth of the ring also changes. This is because they will manufacture standard stock sizes and then resize as required.

How did you get into creating jewellery and into the wedding industry?

I ran a jewellery shop in lovely Brighton for 17 years; I then worked in the insurance industry dealing with jewellery claims. As internet shopping started to take off I wanted to get back into the jewellery business but doubted the long-term viability of a high street shop. Therefore decided to take the plunge into selling wedding rings online and have never looked back!

What do you aim to achieve for your clients?

Perfection, both from the service they receive to the rings they will wear forever. It’s so important to us that brides and grooms are happy and we assist them in making the process of buying their engagement and wedding rings as stress-free as possible.

What style is your work?

We supply the largest collection of wedding rings and aim to give our customers as much choice as possible. For people looking for something a bit different our unique collection is ideal to gain some inspiration and find the exact ring they are looking for.

Could you tell us some information about your packages/prices?

As we don’t have the overheads of high street shops and we make all our rings to order to your exact specifications, our prices are lower than the high street.

Do you have any tips for couples in selecting wedding ring suppliers?

I would definitely recommend checking out company testimonials. You can see our testimonials on our website and on the Feefo website. We are so proud of the reviews we receive.

How can we get in touch with you?

You can visit our website: www.weddingrings-direct.com or call us 01273 696515 or via e-mail info@weddingringsdirect.com. We would love to hear from you.

Amazing. Thanks so much to Anthony for letting us get to know Wedding Rings Direct even better. Do go and have a look at their brilliant site full of sparkle XOXO Lou

*This is a sponsored post.

 Image by Marshal Gray, full wedding here.

It’s that time again already :-) A whole post full of wonderful weddings for you to browse and enjoy.  It sure has been a busy week here at WWW and i have some super lovely weddings to share over the coming weeks :-)

Yay for wedding season…

WWW’s Wedding of the Week:

Candy Coloured Youth Hostel Wedding

Image by Hannah May, full wedding here.

Rustic Colorado Ranch Wedding

Downtown LA wedding

Rustic DIY Wedding

Retro 1950s Vow Renewal

A Heartfelt, Humanist Wedding

Eclectic & rustic outdoor wedding

Image by Vivid Impact Photography, full wedding here.

Neon Chicago wedding

Colorado Springs Wedding

Botanical inspired South African wedding

Atmospheric Lake District Wedding

Whimsical DIY Savannah Wedding

I also have an exclusive offer for WWW readers from WWWs newest sponsors Ignite Films.

“We are offering all our remaining July – September (2013) services with a free upgrade.

(so couples can have 20 mini dvd’s for friends and family of there cinematic film made for just £1450! Instead of the usual price of £1950)

Simple becomes Classic, Classic becomes ‘Memento’ etc.”

Amazing! Simply get in touch with Ignite Films and mention WWW to them to claim this great deal.

Gorgeousness :-) Happy wedding Wednesday XOXO Lou

WWW readers Donna and Simon eloped to the Isle of Skye in April to get married in a personal humanist ceremony.

“I loved the WWW blog and was slightly addicted whilst planning our day. It was great to pick up ideas from other slightly different/eclectic weddings featured! It was also how I found our fabulous photographers, as they had previously done an Isle of Skye elopement which was featured.” Donna told me.

It was important to them to get married somewhere remote and mountainous that reflected their love of hiking together. They hired a pretty cottage, booked fantastic photographers and found a perfect restaurant for their wedding meal. Donna chose a striking vibrant orange wedding dress teamed with a pretty wildflower bouquet. Simon wanted something a little quirky and went for a tweed jacket and waistcoat with some tan chinos. They looked beautiful.

Thanks so much to the brilliant Wilson McSheffrey Photography for sharing their photographs with us today.

The Proposal… It wasn’t so much a proposal as a conversation whilst lying in bed one Sunday morning! We talked about what our wedding should be like if we did it, then just said ‘shall we just do it?!’. It doesn’t sound overly romantic, but it was very ‘us’ and the relaxed, unfussy vibe continued right the way through to the wedding day.

The Vision for the Day… From the moment we decided we were getting married we knew we wanted to just disappear and come back married. For us, the ‘being married’ was far more important than the ‘getting married’, but we still wanted the day to be special and representative of us as a couple. As we spend so much time hiking in the mountains and generally feeling like we are the only ones left in the world, we thought somewhere beautiful, remote and mountainous, like the Isle of Skye, would be perfect and was somewhere we’d both wanted to go to because of the challenge of the Cuillin mountains.

The Planning Process… Google was my best friend during the planning process! Utilising my new best friend I found a beautiful little cottage in Elgol, Skye with the most amazing view of the Cuillin mountain range and then emailed to book, explaining that we were looking to elope and did they have any recommendations for nice places to have the actual ceremony. Joanie who owns the cottage suggested somewhere called Loch Coruisk, so again I Googled it and instantly feel in love! It was the most perfect place for us – luckily Simon agreed!

After we had the cottage and the ceremony location sorted, everything else fell into place. We booked the boat to get us across to the loch and a table at a/the local restaurant for our evening meal (well it was the only restaurant within a half hour drive of our cottage – luckily for us, it was fabulous!) The lady at the restaurant also recommended the Florist.

The Venue… We were married next to Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye, which we had to take a boat to get to. The only other way to get to it is a 6 mile hike across the mountains and although i’d normally be up for that, I’m usually in a Gore-tex jacket and walking boots not a flowing floor length dress!

We were panicking the day before the wedding though as it was terrible weather and we were worried we wouldn’t be able to sail and we’d have to use the local village hall for the ceremony, luckily we woke up on the morning of the wedding to a beautiful blue sky. Cue a huge sigh of relief!!

The Dress + Accessories… I wore a floor length, one shoulder orange dress made by a lady on Etsy.com. I sent her my measurements and the colour I wanted and she created the masterpiece for me. I also wore a pearl bracelet given to me by my best friend years ago and a delicate pearl drop necklace which I’d been given when I was a bridesmaid a few days before our own wedding. I just couldn’t decide on a cardigan or shawl and left it until about 4 days before the wedding to finally find a perfect shawl made of alpaca wool from Amazon.co.uk which was lovely and warm!

Everyone has also asked what shoes I had on under the dress as there was a bit of scrambling up and over rocks and stepping stones to get to where we had the ceremony… I was going to wear my walking boots, but decided on some flat knee boots from Dune in a dark tan leather. They look great with jeans too, so I’ll definitely be wearing them again!

Finding the Dress… As soon as we decided we were getting married the hunt for a dress began… i trawled wedding blogs, wedding dress sites and even Monsoon/John Lewis/Insert generic department store here. But couldn’t find anything which I thought would suit the surroundings and how I wanted to feel on the day. I came across a wedding blog which featured a lady in Australia who wore a beautiful orange, one shoulder dress and it was like a light bulb moment – that was it – that was the style and colour of my dress!! It was then a case of finding that dress or someone who could make it for me. By pure chance I saw a lady advertising a similar one shoulder dress on Etsy.com . I could have had it in one of a million colours, but the one in the picture was just the orange I wanted – it was my perfect dress. I sent off my measurements and received it about 4 weeks later. I was really worried I wouldn’t like it when it came as I had some moments of doubt whilst it was being made, but at soon as it arrived I knew I’d made the right choice. It just felt ‘right’.

Groom’s Attire… Simon wears a suit for work every day and he didn’t want to get married feeling like he was in his workwear, so we looked for something a bit different for him. We used Pinterest and wedding blogs to get some ideas until he settled on a Harris tweed waist coat with blue shirt and tie, beige chino/jeans and brown boots. It was only a week or so before the wedding that we realised he might get cold and would need a jacket to go over the top, so he luckily found a Harris tweed jacket on Ebay in his size, which ended up fitting perfectly and being very warm!

The Readings + Music… We had a humanist ceremony, so could incorporate nearly anything we wanted to in the ceremony. Our celebrant, John Howieson was wonderful and helped us to build the ceremony into something really personal and beautiful. We wrote our own vows and had a traditional Celtic handfasting ceremony using some ribbons I had plaited into handfasting cords to match our outfits. John also printed us a copy of the full ceremony to take away so we could share this with our friends and family, which was a really nice touch and I think appreciated by our parents especially.

We obviously didn’t have any music, but we did get a particularly low -fly by from a RAF helicopter during the ceremony! The rest of the time it was just the perfect silence of the mountains as a backdrop.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… None. – unless you could count the on-looking seal colony.

The Flowers… I wanted a wildflower bouquet which looked like I’d picked it on my way to the ceremony and I think the florist did a really good job despite the very vague instructions I’d given her. I’ve no idea what flowers were actually in the bouquet, but it was lovely and went with our outfits really well.

The Cake… We chose not to have a cake as it was just the two of us.

Your Photographer… The fantastic and talented Wilson McSheffrey! I cannot praise these guys highly enough. They helped to make the day relaxed and fun and I think the images now speak for themselves – we were unbelievably happy with them. Andrew and Emmett also kindly agreed to be our witnesses, so we could have a true elopement without needing to take some friends or family for the legalities.

The Details + Decor… We didn’t have too many details or decor, but I did really want an ‘announcement photo’ to be able to send to friends and family, so I made a ‘Mrs & Mrs’ sign using a heart shaped chalk board bought from Hobbycraft. We were meant to have a heart each with Mr and Mrs separately, but one broke on the drive up from Southampton, so I had to make a last minute alteration with the chalk!

The Honeymoon… We spent a week on the Isle of Skye in the most beautiful little cottage with fabulous views of the mountains and sunsets over Loch Scavaig, generally drinking lots of wine and indulging in the amazing seafood available on the island. We then spent another week across on the mainland of Scotland in the Cairngorms at a B&B we’ve been a few times before and love. The weather wasn’t quite so kind to us on the second week though.

Memorable Moments… The whole day is etched in my memory, as it was so relaxed and there was no stress at any point, which was lovely. But key moments were probably;

· Going to the registrar in the morning to pick up the marriage schedule in my rollers!

· The boat trip back from the ceremony as the skipper and his wife had decorated the boat with ribbons, bunting and heather hearts – we didn’t expect it and it was so sweet of them.

· The 1 mile walk to the restaurant in the evening – random people stopped and congratulated us. It was apparently the talk of the village that a couple had got married at the loch that day. We were still in our wedding attire, so it must have been fairly obvious who we were!

· The 1 mile walk home from the restaurant – It was pitch black and we only had a little wind up torch, but the sky was so clear and the moon bright. I don’t think i’ve ever seen so many stars – you could see billions of them as there’s no light pollution on the Isle of Skye. We needed to walk off all the fabulous seafood and champagne we’d consumed anyway, but it gave us a lovely chance to reflect on the most perfect day we’d just had.

Advice for Other Couples… Don’t feel you have to have a big white wedding for it to be special and memorable, Small (OK ,tiny!) weddings /elopements can be amazing too and as long as you invest in a great photographer your friends and family can share the day with you afterwards through the photos. When you strip the day right back to what it’s actually about – 2 people declaring their love for each other and that they want to spend the rest of their lives together – you don’t sweat the small stuff, you just enjoy it.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

The below suppliers all played a part in making our day unbelievable special and I can’t thank them enough.

Misty Isle Boat trips: http://mistyisleboattrips.co.uk

Coruisk House (Fabulous seafood restaurant where we had our wedding meal. Clare and Ian who run the place are so lovely and made it feel very special) – http://www.coruiskhouse.com

Wilson McSheffrey Photography: http://wilsonmcsheffrey.co.uk

Shore Cottage (Wonderful cottage, we’ll definitely be back!): http://www.elgol-self-catering.co.uk/

Simply Flowers, Broadford – http://www.simplyflowersskye.co.uk

So full of love. Oh how i love it when a couple chooses to elope, it’s just so romantic. Thanks so much to Donna and Simon for sharing their beautiful day with us XOXO Lou

This afternoon is all about pretty inspiration. I was over the moon when Rebecca from The Bespoke Florist got in touch to share this charming inspiration shoot held at Cripps Barn in the Cotswolds.

With oodles of pretty peach blooms, a retro bicycle, super stylish attire, an incredible cake and lovely stationery. There are sooo many lovely ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Thanks so much to Katie Hamilton Photography for sharing her images with us today. I will leave you with Rebecca to tell all about the shoot;

“With summer finally on our doorstep we put together this dreamy bridal shoot that oozes colour, charm, and vintage loveliness!

The natural timber pergola at Cripps Barn has a beautiful rustic appeal and provided the perfect backdrop for our flower filled shoot. Katie from Katie Hamilton Photography did an excellent job coordinating the day and capturing the tiny details exquisitely. Her photography is dreamy and ethereal and fit this styled shoot perfectly.

Rebecca from The Bespoke Florist provided the floral for the shoot. She is a huge fan of floral wreaths and finds opportunities wherever she can to incorporate them into her work. We hung a large wreath over the table setting made from a hula-hoop covered in moss and ferns. The wreath was studded with Juliet roses, astilbe, hypericum, clematis and hydrangea. Small silver votives filled with single blooms were dotted amongst flower filled silver rose bowls. The overall look is classic, natural and textured.

The retro bicycle and bunting were significant features in our shoot and we were keen to incorporate these elements in the stationery. Our favourite design has to be the place name cards which are styled on vintage baggage tags finished with wooden buttons and natural twine. The stunning three tier cake and cupcakes feature delicate sugar hydrangea and roses in pastel blue and peach. We particularly love the ribbon detail which adds a sense of softness and movement.

When it came to vintage fashion, it didn’t take us long to pick out the beautiful ‘Daphne’ dress by Lyn Ashworth. We adore its soft tea length cut and over-sized bow detail.”

Planning and Coordination: The Bespoke Florist (http://www.thebespokeflorist.com/) + Katie Hamilton Photography (http://www.katiehamiltonphotography.com/)

Photography: Katie Hamilton Photography (http://www.katiehamiltonphotography.com/)

Floral Design: The Bespoke Florist (http://www.thebespokeflorist.com/)

Venue: Cripps Barn (http://www.crippsbarnbibury.com/)

Cakes: Cake Sweet Cake (http://www.cakesweetcake.co.uk/)

Stationery: Noble Hound Tailor Made Stationery (http://www.noblehound.co.uk)

Vintage Props: Jody Pettet (www.aslongasitsparkles.co.uk)

Long Wedding Dress: Allurre Bridals ‘Couture’ (http://www.allurebridals.com/category/couture)

Short Wedding Dress: Daphne by Lyn Ashworth Via Georgina Pimm Bridal Boutique (http://www.georginabridal.co.uk/)

Jewellery: Ivory and Co Via Georgina Pimm Bridal Boutique (http://www.georginabridal.co.uk/)

Shoes: Flo by Perfect Via Georgina Pimm Bridal Boutique (http://www.georginabridal.co.uk/)

Bride’s Hair: Leanne Spriggle (www.twoscompanyhair.com)

Models: Becky + Marcelle Collins-Steyn (Bride and Groom)

So dreamy! Thanks so much to everyone involved for letting me share this beautiful shoot today XOXO Lou

Steven and Helen wanted a day full of their family and friends with a Ceilidh to entertain them at the reception. So they chose to marry at the town hall followed by a reception at the industrial backdrop of Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield.  They kept to a £6000 budget by taking on much of the planning themselves, with family helping to arrange the flowers and bake the cakes.

They had an ale theme at their reception with bottles for the flowers and the tables named after different beers. I so love Helen’s tea length dress she found in Coast, which she teamed with the sweetest homemade accessories. While Steven donned traditional tails with Lego cuff links. Amazing.

Thanks so much to the brilliant Vivid Impact Photography for sharing their photographs with us today.

The Proposal… Steven: Having bought some jewellery and asked Helen’s Dad for permission to marry her, I was just waiting for the opportune moment to propose. Two days later it snowed and after going out for a nice early morning snow walk I came back and wrote “Will you marry me?” in the snow in our back garden. Helen luckily put her wellies on and went and added “Yes”

The Vision for the Day… What was most important for us was to have all of our friends and family there to celebrate our marriage. We also really wanted a ceilidh so needed a large enough venue for all of the guests to dance.

We legally married at the town hall but followed this up an hour or so later with a personalised ceremony at the museum, conducted by one of our closest friends.

The Planning Process… As were are both qualified project managers we had joked that if we didn’t pull this off then our reputations were at stake! Within hours of the proposal an almighty spreadsheet was already starting to take shape.

Because Helen was going back to university we got the larger things such as venue and photography sorted early with the smaller details to follow.

Budget…  As we mentioned earlier the wedding was all about getting as many people as possible to share our day and not about having a big fancy wedding with all the trimmings. By doing a lot of the organisation and decoration our selves, really making the ushers work hard and pulling in many favours that we’ve built up over the years our wedding came in just under £6,000

The Venue… Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield: Originally we looked at the venue because we knew it had a large room in which we’d been to ceilidhs in the past. However when we started to look into this more we found out that they were developing as a wedding venue and we could use the whole museum not just the upper gallery.

This turned out to be a fantastic venue giving a real interest point for people during the drinks reception and a fantastic place for photos. There was also a great children’s play area which proved very popular.

The Dress + Accessories… Helen: Having decided to have a ceilidh, and loving the 50′s style of dress, I decided that a short tea length dress would be perfect. I contemplated making the dress myself since I like to sew my own clothes but luckily I found a dress that I loved in Coast, which saved a huge amount of work given that I had gone back to university to study by this point.

Having found a 50′s style dress, I decided to stick with the theme and go all out classic 50′s. I made a white cape using a 50′s dress pattern and also made a birdcage veil to go with it. I found some original 1950′s hair combs on Etsy, which matched the colour scheme of yellow and blue and decided to go with blue shoes so I could wear them again.

Finding the Dress… Having thought about making it, I was lucky enough to find a dress I liked in Coast which I knew would be perfect. I found the dress about 2 months after Steven proposed so had to wait another 12 months before I could actually wear it again. Every time I went home to my parents, I would get it out and look at it again and again! Sad I know, but I just really loved it.

Groom’s Attire… Steven: I was determined to have Top hat and Tails. However Helen thought I looked ridiculous in a top hat so that was vetoed by Her sharpish (annoyingly). So I had to stick with just the tailcoat.

The Readings + Music… Helen: Being from Worcester I couldn’t have anything else other than Edward Elgar as entry and exit music (Salut d’amour and Nimrod). The readings we chose were: “A lovely love story” by Edward Monkton and “The art of a good marriage” by Wilfred Arlan Peterson. I especially loved the Lovely Love Story reading – it made me smile every time I read it.

As we had created a non-religious church style wedding at the museum we needed a non-religious song to sing in place of a hymn . We chose “When I’m 64″ by The Beatles. Entertainingly, the more we looked at the lyrics, the more we realised it summed us up as a couple really well.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… Helen: I asked my sister to be my bridesmaid and witness. After trying on what felt like hundreds of dresses, we found the perfect bridesmaid dress for her which matched the 50′s  style of my dress really well. She also organised a wonderful hen do at The Vintage Salon in The Custard Factory in Birmingham (http://www.lekeuxevents.co.uk/index.html), which included a Charleston lesson and vintage cocktail lesson.

The Flowers… Helen: Having done an absolutely stunning job with Steven’s sister’s wedding 6 months earlier, Steven’s other sister kindly offered to do all of our flowers for us, including tables, button holes and bouquet. She bought a selection of yellow and white flowers from a local florist to use for everything and yet again she made an amazing display. I couldn’t have been happier with how they turned out.

The Cake… Helen: My mum made the cakes for us but they were decorated by an old school friend of mine who owns Lottie’s Cakes (http://lotties-cakes.co.uk/). Charlotte decorated the cakes absolutely beautifully and it was such a lovely surprise to see them all decorated and finished the day before we got married. We found a great Lego cake topper on Ebay to go on top of the cake as well.

Your Photographer… We chose Rhys after meeting him at Steven’s sister’s wedding 6 months earlier. We really loved the style of his photography and his way of dealing with the bride, groom and guests through the day. We thought that his photographic style would work really well in an industrial setting like the one at Kelham island and we haven’t been disappointed! We’ve had all the photos back now and our only regret is that we couldn’t afford to have him for longer during the day.

The Details + Decor… We’re both CAMRA members and we love our real ale so Helen came up with the suggestion that we could use beer bottles for both the table centres and the table names (one brewery per table). Steven’s sister arranged  the flowers in these bottles and we had great fun drinking our way through beers from 20 – 30 different independent breweries.

Having worked in the entertainments industry for a number of years, Steven was able to pull in various favours in order to decorate the venue. We did all the decoration ourselves with the help of many willing volunteers, the day before the wedding  and there’s no way we would have been able to do it all without the help from all our friends and family.

Catering was a traditional Yorkshire pie and pea supper provided by W&M Wright who also provided an amazing selection of deserts. So many people have commented since the day, on how amazing the pies were.

The Honeymoon… Yet to come! We had a mini-moon in Edinburgh just after the wedding, but we’re off to Kenya for a Safari in August and can’t wait.

Memorable Moments… Going on the dodgems in Sheffield city centre after our Town Hall ceremony – it definitely caused a few stirs! Having the reception in the main museum – this worked so well, and all our guests lovely being able to look round whilst having a drink.

Advice for Other Couples… Don’t be afraid to do what you want to  - it’s your wedding after all! The most important thing is that you and your guests have a good time, not that every tiny detail is perfect. Make sure that you budget within your means.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Hen do at The Vintage Salon: http://www.lekeuxevents.co.uk/index.html

Cake decorated by Lottie’s Cakes: http://lotties-cakes.co.uk/

Catering: W & M Wright Catering: http://www.wrightscaterers.co.uk/

Bar and supplementary catering by Little Mester’s Cafe at Kelham Island: http://www.littlemesterssheffield.com/

Band: The Outlandish Knights: http://www.theoutlandishknights.co.uk/

Venue: Kelham Island Museum: http://www.simt.co.uk/kelham-island-museum/

Photography: Vivid Impact: http://vividimpactphotography.com/

So fun, so modern, so unique. I love that Steven and Helen’s personalities really shine through their wedding. Thanks so much to Steven and Helen for sharing their wedding with us today XOXO Lou

Image |On Love and Photography, full wedding here. |

A couple of weeks ago i rounded up some table name ideas, which went down a storm. So today i am looking at the styling of your table plan.

If you are opting for an organised table plan, you can go all out and get totally creative. Enlisting a fabulous stationer to design a bold graphic design, or DIYing your own. Think about the theme or ideas behind your wedding day or table names. Use colours or items you love, or why not go for an escort card table.

All of the below table plans are from real weddings, by real couples featured on WWW, just click on the links below the image to see their whole wedding feature.

Pretty

Who doesn’t love a pretty table plan? Go floral, use bunting, fabric or tissue paper to create the prettiest display.

Images | Marshal Gray, full wedding here. | Chris Giles Photography, full wedding here. | Kari Bellamy Photography, full wedding here. | The Image Garden Photography, full wedding here. | Rebecca Wedding Photography, full wedding here. | S6 Photography, full wedding here. | Dasha Caffrey, full wedding here. |

Graphic

Go for a graphic design, using clean lines, a great designer and a brilliant idea.

Images | Jamie Bott Wedding Photography, full wedding here. | Assassynation, full wedding here. |Haywood Jones Photography, full wedding here. | Milkbottle Photography, full wedding here. | Rhys Wheatley, full wedding here. |

Quirky

I so love a quirky table plan, use objects like keys, pebbles or buttons like the couples below.

Images | Andrea Ellison Photography, full wedding here. | Brighton Photo, full wedding here. | Haywood Jones Photography , full wedding here. | Ellie Gillard, full wedding here. | Cassie Craner Photography, full wedding here. |Martins Kikulis, full wedding here. |

Blackboard

You cannot go wrong with a good old blackboard. Go stylish and paint up a piece of furniture using blackboard paint, or go for all out Hollywood glamour.

Images | HBA Photography, full wedding here. | Alex Davies Photography, full wedding here. | S6 Photography, full wedding here. |

Luggage Tag

Luggage tags have to be one of the most popular go to items to use for a table plan right now, decorate a vintage suitcase and always use mini pegs.

Images | Craig + Kate Photography, full wedding here. | Samantha Jane Photography, full wedding here | Kat Hill, full wedding here. | CG Weddings, full wedding here. |

Escort Cards

Escort cards are a tradition hitting the UK from the US. Go for sweet colourful cards or displays of fun items such as chocolate eggs in boxes.

Images |On Love and Photography, full wedding here. | Anna Clarke Photography, full shoot here. | Steve Gerrard Photography, full wedding here. |

DIY

You can easily DIY many of the above table plans, but i have one DIY tutorial i did a little while back now using clipboards. It’s so fun to come up with something unique to you.

| Full shoot here. | DIY tutorial here. |

Are you having a table plan? What are you hoping to create? Are you going down the traditional route? DIYing or getting in a pro? I’d love to hear from you XOXO Lou

WWW readers Nikki and Russell married back in March in a Church ceremony followed by a reception at the Chequers Inn, Lincolnshire.

Nikki and Russell are one super stylish pair, with Nikki wearing a lace Essence of Australia dress with her side swept hair and Jenny Packham hair accessory. While Russell chose a slim fit Dolce and Gabbana black suit. They looked amazing.

They kept details to a minimum, wanting an English country wedding with a twist. With a cake of cheese, a pretty Lily of the Valley bouquet and a roaring fire.

Thanks so much to the brilliant John Hope for sharing his photographs with us today.

The Proposal… Christmas Day 2011 – Russ knew I would never suspect if he proposed  in front of my family as he is fairly shy so I didn’t think anything of it as I opened a large box to reveal a small one with an engagement ring inside (it had been under the tree for days!!).  He then turned to my Dad asked his permission and then proposed – very sweet.  The champagne flowed and the planning started.

The Vision for the Day… An English country wedding with a twist (see factory photos!!).  We wanted a traditional church ceremony and a relaxed intimate reception with lovely food and a great party atmosphere.

The Planning Process… Initially we looked at a number of country houses and hotels but none of them felt right until we visited Chequers.  The planning process was pretty hard work – trying to juggle a young child and full time job made it more complicated but lots of help from both of our families and friends ensured the day came together.  I loved Pinterest and blogs which gave me loads of ideas for decorations, hair styles etc.  Luckily Russ is very laid back and as long as the church had pews and a pub nearby they were his only requirements so I had pretty much free rein.

Budget… As low as we possibly could but it still went over!  We kept costs down by decorating the church and the room ourselves.

The Venue… The Church – St Johns the Divine based in Colston Bassett village – where we had our first Valentines date at the local pub.  Also the home of Colston Basset stilton which we used in our cake – more of that later.

The Chequers Inn at Woolsthorpe by Belvoir – an old coaching inn located at the foot of Belvoir Castle chosen for its amazing food and friendly staff.  We wanted to avoid the usual package deals and Chequers was perfect for this.  They provided a really warm and personalised service.

The Dress + Accessories… My dress was Essence of Australia (D1264).  I wanted a dress I had never seen before and this fitted the bill perfectly.  The lace was traditional but the keyhole back design gave it a modern twist.  The headdress was Jenny Packham – I kept it centre stage by wearing minimal jewellery.  I am a “hair down” kind of girl so opted for old Hollywood style side swept waves which worked really well with the headdress and also allowed everyone to see the back of the dress.  Shoes were ivory lace.

Finding the Dress… The first one I tried on!  – I wanted something I had never seen before in lace.  The keyhole back sold it to me.  I still had to go and try lots on especially the meringues – the bigger the better.  I was tempted by a few but the words Princess Barbie doll did spring to mind as I twirled in the mirror.

Groom’s Attire… Dolce and Gabbana – slim fit black suit and tie with a 1960s vintage tie clip.  No buttonholes only pocket squares.  The shoes were black Loakes – made in Northampton (Russ’ home town).  There were a few raised eyebrows and Blues Brother jokes when friends and family knew we were opting for black suit and tie but we both loved this look and it worked well on the day and in photos.

The Readings + Music… I walked down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke) and the recessional music was The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Handel).  Our only reading was biblical – Song of Solomon – read by Russell’s sister Mel.  It talks of Spring and new beginnings so we thought this worked well for our March wedding.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… Our daughter Lily and niece Lois.  Both dressed in white prom dresses with vintage style white capes. They looked gorgeous and it was so special to have our daughter at our wedding.

The Flowers… I wanted to keep the flowers minimal and fairly natural so opted for an all white hand tied bouquet  consisting of Lily of the valley (I love this but be warned it is so expensive but really pretty)and avalanche roses provided by Flowers by Susan.

The Cake… A cheese cake – provided by our good friend Doug at Neals Yard Dairy included Colston Bassett Stilton (from the village where we held our wedding ceremony), Keens Cheddar and Wigmore as the tiers.  I then sourced  a heart shaped goats cheese for the top from a local deli but left it in the fridge on the day of the wedding! Thankfully no one noticed including me and the cheese went down a storm with our guests and formed part of our evening food.

Your Photographer… The amazing John Hope of John Hope photography.  We wanted very few group shots and needed to find some locations as the venue wasn’t really an option.  John was brilliant at finding some really cool locations for our wedding photos including a burnt out factory. Climbing through a fence in my wedding dress to get into the factory was quite an experience.  His reportage style photos were also lovely.  He stayed throughout the day and evening so captured lots of dance floor moments and guests loved his photo-booth.

The Details + Decor… A simple white colour theme.  Centrepieces consisted of white lanterns and the top table had a white candelabra.  We used lots of candles and ivy from our garden to keep it understated and subtle.  The table plan was an old ornate mirror borrowed from my mum with individual table cards attached onto the mirror.  DIY decorations kept the costs down and made it feel more personal to us.

The Honeymoon… Pure luxury at the one and only Royal Mirage at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai.  I grew up in the Middle East and so it was great to go back to this part of the world.  We met up with old family friends who showed us the sights and treated us to a wonderful champagne brunch at the Al Qasr hotel a must for anyone visiting Dubai.

Memorable Moments… Saying our vows was our most memorable moment and being surrounded by all of our wonderful family and friends. The band playing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline with the whole room on the dance floor.

Advice for Other Couples… Don’t stress about the small details no one will notice.   Borrow what you can from friends and family to keep costs down.  You can’t beat a live band for a great atmosphere.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Photographer – John Hope – www.johnhopephotography.com

Make up – Rochelle O’Brien – www.bridalmakeupspecialist.co.uk

Venue – Chequers Inn  - www.chequersinn.net

Flowers – Flowers by Susan  - www.flowersbs.com

Cake – Neals Yard Dairy – www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

Band – Richie Muir Band – www.richiemuir.com

Just wonderful. Thanks so much to Nikki and Russell for sharing their gorgeous wedding with us today XOXO Lou

Morning lovelies, are you having a nice weekend so far? A quick Happy Father’s Day to all the fantastic Dad’s out there today, including my Dad and of course G. I hope you all have a lovely relaxing day :-)

Last weekend, i finally managed a road trip. Readers who have been popping by WWW for a while will know i struggle with anxiety and travelling. It has been a year since i last managed the seaside and a 2 hour car journey. But i braved up, we packed a picnic and headed to Clacton for the day.

I was pretty anxious on the way, once i got my crochet out though i did great and relaxed. We had the best day in ages…

G dragged me down the pier, boy was i windy. There is the most amazing wind farm off of the coast which really is a sight to behold. I cannot believe A and G whizzed down here…

We went on a ‘train ride’ to see the colourful beach huts. I loved the kids that sat in front of us singing their hearts out the whole way :-)

Then we sat on the beach for our gluten free wraps and goodies :-) We built a sandcastle, buried A, collected shells and dipped our toes into the water. A really enjoyed it this year. Bliss.

Finally we headed to the arcades, we had to have a go on the 2p machines. A whole pound went into this. Where did it go?! ;-)

Anyway, my confidence has definitely lifted a little and we are even considering booking to go away for a couple of nights once we have moved into our new pad. What have you been up to? Have you been to the seaside this year? Are you heading off on holiday?

A little teaser of a wedding popping online here this week —>

Image by Vivid Impact Photography

Can’t wait ;-) Happy Sunday XOXO Lou

It’s international Saturday again already, and to get us in the weekend spirit i have a cute funfair engagement to share with you.

Ashley and Nick had their first date at Balboa Fun Zone, Newport Beach, California. So it was the perfect spot to head back to for their fun colourful engagement shoot. I so love these vibrant and fun photographs.

Thanks so much to Della White Photography for sharing her images with me via Two Bright Lights.

So gorgeous. Thanks so much for sharing guys XOXO Lou

One lovely wedding to end the week here at WWW this afternoon.

Debbie and Mich married April at Holiday Inn Ashford Central, Kent. They wanted a relaxed small wedding which was kept to a budget of £6000.

They mainly homemade their wedding, with the beautiful silk wedding flowers, pretty pom poms, jam jars filled with blooms and an amazing sponge cake made by Debbie’s mum. Sooo lovely.

Thanks so much to the lovely Hannah May for sharing her images with us, here is what she had to day about the day;

“I felt so honored to shoot Debbie + Mich’s wedding. We were praying for sunshine and sunshine is what we got! 

When I turned up, I was amazed at how beautiful all the little details were and could have photographed them all day, especially considering Debbie made her own bouquet and her mum made the cake (which smelt as good as it looks!)

All in all, it was such a fun, laid back day, which was full of laughter. What was particularly great was the evening casino; I love a game of 21 and I couldn’t stop laughing when photographing everyone’s reactions. Definitely a must!

Though I have to admit that my favourite image of the day is definitely her son’s reaction when his girlfriend caught the bouquet! I think that had all of us in fits of giggles!

To Debbie + Mich, thank you so much for being the amazing couple you are and allowing me to capture your big day. I really do wish you all the best on your life together x”

The Proposal… Spontaneous, just decided to get engaged, brought the ring together then he proposed afterwards.

The Vision for th Day… Relaxed, small wedding for family and friends. 40 to the ceremony, large party in the evening and  guests.

The Planning Process… Finding the venue first, wanted a local hotel that included a package to include the ceremony.

Budget… £6000 including honeymoon.

The Venue… Holiday Inn Ashford Central. Provides different levels of package to choose from. Small local friendly venue.

The Dress & Accessories… I wanted a cream dress, fitted, more glamourous than romantic. Accessories to match. Sincerity 3666.

Finding the Dress… Local bridal shop Attractions Bridal Studio in Herme Bay. I was on a tigh time scale and a budget. Found a Sincerity dress, ivory/cream, added a diamante applique just under the bust.

Groom’s Attire… Mich chose a Moss Bros formal classic suit with matching ivory waistbands and neckties.

The Readings & Music… Our registrar read readings for us and music chosen by the both of us. It was emotional. Etta James “At Last” as entrance song.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… No bridesmaids, just me and my dad went down the aisle.

The Flowers… I made all of the flower arrangements, to help the budget and because i enjoy creative projects. Silk flowers with vintage diamante and brooches i collected and borrowed from family were made into a bouquet by me. Plus i am able to keep as a momento.

The Cake… My lovely mum made the cake, I wanted a vintage sponge style cake, dont like icing! It ws beautiful and much admired.

Your Photographer… Hannah May Photography. My son is a photographer himself, knew Hannah and admired her himself, so we booked her and are very pleased with her photos and her style.

The Details & Decor… Vintage Glamour. Lots of ideas from pinterest and blogs! All made by me from table decorations to favours.

The Honeymoon… Cruise to Norweigan Fjords.

Memorable Moments… Getting Mich’s second names around the wrong way! As seen in photos everyone is laughing! Broke the ice!

Advice for Other Couples… Planning and budget… the process is stressful! But the day makes it all worthwhile, relax and enjoy the positive happy atmosphere of your wedding day.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Venue: http://www.hiashfordcentralhotel.co.uk/

Dress: http://www.attractionsbridal.co.uk/

Accessories: eBay

Silk Flowers: Dobbies

Suit: http://www.moss.co.uk/pws/hire/

Photographer: Hannah May Photography

Table Decorations: The Range

So sweet, i so love all of the homemade details and smiles all round. Thanks so much to Debbie and Mich for sharing their wedding with us today XOXO Lou