Foliage

When walking the Inca Trail last year we developed a wonderful distraction technique when secretly requiring a minute's break from the hiking. Feigning an interest in some distant bloom, we'd shout 'FOLIAGE' and all stop to ponder the moment (or struggle for the aching in our lungs to abate)...

In the quiet of a deserted summer arts centre, I distract my snail-paced mind with images of foliage of a different order...

Mmmmm.... Pretty....

Upper image from Brides

Lower image from Wild At Heart

Kiss & Makeup

Following on from a highly successful evening project at work, I managed to sweet-talk a professional makeup artist into teaching me application techniques in advance of the W-Day. I have a good stash at home but as most of my tricks are adopted from Just 17 or watching my mum in the 80s I thought it may be a good idea to make sure I'm doing the 'right thing'.

I've been asked to compile a few images of looks that I like for us to trial... So far I have come up with these...
All images courtesy of Brides.com




Any thoughts? They're all pretty similar emphasis-on-eyes-pink-lips-subtle-cheeks type looks but I guess the difficulty is in making what's probably a pretty complicated technique look so simple.

And then staying on your face for 8 hours.

I will of course report back...

Radio Silence

So many apologies for the lack of bloggery action for the last long while. On return from holiday we were faced with the rather frantic news of our wedding list company going into administration!

Needless to say, it was a busy week here on the phone to credit card companies and thank goodness the Boy has had a week off to resurrect the list with another more stable company, The Bottom Drawer. We are back to all systems go and have even been able to add a few bits and pieces that were not going to be available through the former-list-company-that-shall-not-be-named.

Now that that has all been rectified, I will leave you with a pleasant picture of a recent wedding we were lucky enough to attend at Upwaltham Barns, Sussex. A gorgeous sunny day with the band comprising members of the West End cast of 'Buddy' which the Bride is currently appearing in. Talk about friends in high places!

Inspiration out and about

Flowers at an East London school

 

 

 

 

Bouquets in preparation for collection outside Wild At Heart, Liverpool Street. Loving the hydrangea and baby's breath.

It's never too early to stock up

Three and a half months until the wedding...

Estee Lauder Rose Apricot Nail Lacquer

Sitting happily in my makeup bag with nail tips poised.

Organised? Moi?

Stitching Away

Started making the flower girls' presents this weekend: rag dolls dressed miniature versions of their dresses...

I'll report back on progress as I get time to stitch 'n' stuff!

The Great Post

Has occurred...

Let's just hope someone wants to come see me get hitched!

A Boy In A Suit

A 6'3" boy.

A 37" chest

A 34" waist.

A Suit that Fits.

A bloody miracle.*

Can't recommend the service highly enough.

My thanks to the MOB for an amazing line in floral waistcoats and to Harlequin for the ties made to order in the Bridesmaids silk.

Don't look now, but I think the men might be getting in order too...

*Just in case you were worried, the suit will be pressed properly before D-Day. Well, it had better be or he'll get a beating rather than an exchange of vows...!!

Flower Girl Shoes

I've been having a rummage and have come up trumps, yet again.


Very excited indeed. Blue patent party shoes for little girls seem hard to find, particularly off-season in high summer - come the autumn I'm sure it will be easy peasy but now...


However, along strolls Panache in Hertfordshire and their delicious collection of 'traditional' children's clothes from Italy and Spain. Their range of Mary Janes is just staggering and we have booked into the diary a meeting of flower girls, mums and the all important bride, to get the fitting and sizing correct, about a month before W-Day.

I would have killed for these when I was a girl.

Still would, in fact.

The Hibernation Period...

One bridesmaid dress tacked to the point that I can leave it in hibernation...

My sister is back from her year studying in the US in September.

I will have 6 weeks to insert the netting, finalise the zip tacking, handstitch the hem and ensure the correct fit before the Big Day.

Easy peasy!

Right... off you go into your moth-proof bag...

More images of Priory Barn, Little Wymondley

As promised...

The beamed ceiling that pretty much sold it to us.

The side bays where the laid tables will lie in wait during the service to be pulled out into formation during the cocktail hour.

The tables were arranged on this occasion out for a fundraiser in the evening. We took the opportunity to experiment with centrepiece ideas...

The 40cm high hurricane lamp was a bargainous £9.99 from Butlers in Islington and the flowers were purchased that morning from Flowers!Flowers! in St Albans. There will be less green and more white and blue in them ultimately but this was just a pretty idea...

The Sis in The Frock

Looked Hot!

And this is all I'm allowed to show you... She wanted to wait to share the 'Slinky McSlink' element of it until the big day...

Really pleased with the colour and the neckline. Even managed to get a gorgeous strapless bra in the sales in DC so we're getting there...

Now, all I have to do is actually make it...

VV Rouleaux Swag

The VV Rouleaux Sample Sale. Fantastic. Feather Rose for the Mother of the Bride, 50 year old silk navy roses for the headpieces of each of the bridesmaids and mini cream roses for the flower girls. The job lot of antique wire edged picot trim ribbon I just couldn't resist and I will find a role for it (scuse the pun) at some point in the day.

The Priory, Little Wymondley

The Barn is chosen. The date is set. The site is beautiful and not pretending to be anything other than a great big enormous barn.
Check out the website here and believe me when I say that the images do not get close to the scale and grandeur of the raw beams and the uneven flagstone floors.
I'm going back tomorrow with my mum and my florist/my mum's best friend to see it again and measure up.

More pictures to follow...

Shoes

Have finally been purchased.

The cream version of these.

I'm very pleased with myself.

And honestly shan't bother you about them again.

Tacking Bridesmaids...

That would be tacking not tacky... That is, tacking the dresses together.

Silk arrived in all its glory.

Pattern got ordered.

Toile in black linen was tried on by bridesmaid No 1. Strap issues noted, along with note to self to not photograph a dark dress against a dark stairway...

First mock-up made in the actual sapphire silk to take to Bridesmaid No 2 (also Sis No 1) in the US next week. As she's a smidgen smaller than me, I was able to try hers on me while clenching everything possible. Note the ruckles around the posterior where it just would not budge an inch lower... Hmmmmm....

Had slight issue with the shoulder pieces as the sharpness of the angle seems to be much exagerrated on the pattern envelope. Have recut the straps a few times and pinning managed to achieve this look.

I think it's getting there, don't you?

NB 1: You should note the wedding planning timeline on the door in the background. Wedding planners aren't just 9-5 dontcha know?

NB 2: Excuse the Sunday Chic. Gardening + walk in the country + photographs on world wide web = not a great look.

Highlights of the 'List'

Gotta love Wrapit. Such a brilliant setup and such pretty things!

Mugs from Burleigh

Dinner service in Filets Bleu from Gien

With serving pieces in a more floral pattern called Hortensia

White linen napkins with blue embroidered edge...

And William Bounds 'Love' pepper and salt set to accent the scheme.

Fascinating...

A wonderful day with my Mum today in fair Warwick. We came across a little boutique which stocked Victoria Ann fascinators. Sadly it seems that this is a wholesale only milliners: I'm going to do some legwork and see if I can't beg borrow or something from their West End store.

In the meantime, I'm looking around to see if we can recreate the fandango below in colours more approaching her dress fabric which is Olive Green and Navy Blue.

Laura Cutler Millinery

A Touch of Class

I'm getting quite excited that this may be eminently possible...

Does anyone have any experience of making or commissioning a fascinator that could advise?

Commissions...

Work is underway on my beautiful hair adornments. I've just received this gorgeous update photo from the wonderfully accommodating Betsy of The Foundling and can't wait to get my hot little hands on them!!

In line with my sapphire and pearl theme, we've replaced the black beads in the centre for 'found' pearls and I'm loving the variety that she's managed to track down. Betsy reckons we may even get these in the post by the end of the week.

Can hardly contain my excitement!!

Pimp my pumps

After the sensible shoe moment, I came across these heels on the inspirational boards of The Bride's Cafe. I tell you what, if that website produced actual coffee and cake from the screen, I would never get an ounce of work done...It occurs to me that I could pimp my heels in a similar fashion to the above, where the bride glued her own bow adornment to the toe to add a bit of jzuzj. Wouldn't that just be the touch that the below sensible plain heels need to move them into the next zone of pretty away from functional and sensible? I'm off at lunch to try them on... for only £40, what's not to like?