The Wedding Sanctuary

As a member of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, I am delighted to announce details of 'The Wedding Sanctuary'.

The Wedding Sanctuary is an innovative wedding show designed to offer top design inspiration, personal style advice and the best 'one on one' planning support available. It was conceived by wedding planners of the UKAWP and will be hosted at the prestigious Somerset House.

Event Date
Sunday 20 March 2011

Ask the experts
Top names in the industry such as Julia Boggio Photography, Amanda Austin Flowers, Sternberg Clarke and Gorgeous Film Productions will be paired with the fabulous wedding planners who make up the UKAWP, to offer top tips and the opportunity to ask specific questions regarding every element of your wedding day. The Alliance will also be offering a range of talks addressing the trickier issues when planning your wedding like how to set and stick to a budget, and how to get the best from your suppliers. You will also be able to have a personal tour of the sumptuous Somerset House and enjoy the splendid views and facilities on offer.

www.somersethouse.org.uk

Be inspired
You will be invited to sip champagne and nibble delicious canapés courtesy of renowned event caterers Table Talk whilst browsing the inspiration zone for design ideas. 5 stunning dining tables will be styled by wedding planners of the UKAWP alongside Zoe Clark Cakes and Cutture Stationery, displaying the very best of what is available to hire for your wedding reception, with pricing guidelines and practical information included.

http://www.zoeclarkecakes.com/

Get the look
Brides in need of style advice can meet in the boudoir where the likes of Sassi Holford and Emmy Shoes can dress you from head to toe whilst hair and make-up expert Elle au Naturel and top personal stylist Katrina Choat offer consultations on how to look and feel your absolute best on the day. The Wedding Magazine team will also be there to chat through your ideas.

http://www.sassiholford.com/

www.emmyshoes.co.uk

Session Times
11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm

Please select either the morning or the afternoon session. This is so that we can ensure every guest has a great experience and benefits from lots of personal attention. Guest numbers are limited for each session so please book early to avoid disappointment; a very limited number of tickets will be available for purchase on the day.

TIcket Prices
£10 for a single ticket
£15 for a double ticket (so you can bring your groom)

To purchase your ticket visit http://www.ukawp.com/ or call 01483 282858 where payments by post can be taken.

Getting to Somerset House
The nearest mainline rail stations are:
Charing Cross, Waterloo and Blackfriars.

The nearest underground stations are:
Temple, Covent Garden, Charing Cross and Embankment.

Entry to this event is via the courtyard entrance on The Strand; please enter via this gate and look out for event representatives who will greet you.

I am really looking forward to this exciting new event and hope to see some of you there.

Hayley Ruth Photography

I have met some wonderful contacts through Twitter.  Who'd have thought that typing 140 characters can lead you to such interesting people as Hayley.

I watched her creativity when she was taking photographs of cupcakes!  Her styling and ideas for them were brilliant and I knew straight away that she would be great to work with for my new 'Vintage Style Hire' business.

Lucky for me, when I suggested the idea to her, she was thrilled to be involved and we quickly arranged a 'mini' shoot for the first set of photographs.  We had a lot of fun and it was a dream day for me.  I am holding off showing the images to you just yet, but the box brownie is a little glimpse above!  The hard bit will be to decide which ones to use!

Meet Hayley's dog, Lily -





and the very first pictures of baby Dolly and her shoes! I will introduce you to her mum Sam from Violets & Velvet www.violetsandvelvet.co.uk soon.

Hayley's portrait and wedding photography is natural and relaxed and captures people as they are, rather than as they’re told to be. There are no fixed grins, no uncomfortable poses, just people laughing, playing, thinking, dancing and being themselves.

Hayley is based in North Essex but covers the whole of the UK and has recently shot weddings and portraits at many of the prestigious venues such as Longstowe Hall, The Temple, The Fennes, Gosfield Hall, St Audries Park, Gaynes Park, St John's College and Corpus Cristi College.

I can't wait for the opportunity of working with her at a wedding. 

Some of my favourite wedding shots.

Hayley can be contacted on 07746 858554 or email her info@hayleyruthphotography.co.uk or visit her website www.hayleyruthphotography.co.uk

All things vintage!

2011 is going to be a good year for everyone I think!

For me, plans are coming together for my Vintage Styling business and I have been very fortunate to have met some wonderful people over the last few months who are equally as excited as I am. 

With the excuse of my new venture, I dragged my Mum to Ardingly Antiques & Collectors Fair.  I have been meaning to go for years, so was really looking forward to it.  Although the bargains were thin on the ground, it was just great to see all the interesting stalls.  We didn't even stop for lunch, dedication for you!  We only stopped for coffee when we couldn't feel our toes - it was freezing.

I came away with three box brownies, two crates, a side table and a cushion!  Hayley from Hayley Ruth Photography http://www.hayleyruthphotography.co.uk/ was so excited about the cameras I let her take them home with her to play with.  She thinks she can get one to work - some real vintage photographs!

We had our first photo shoot yesterday which I loved.  Hayley worked so hard and I can't wait to see the images.  She has published a sneeky peek of one - what do you think of the little box brownie?

During the shoot, I noticed my neighbour wheeling an old mangle down the road.  He was soon wheeling it through my house into the garden!  After he told me he had just taken a dresser to the tip, I said if he had anything else to let me know.  My husband has now disowned me after I bought three metal trunks, a coal bucket, an old lawn mower, a sack barrow, a fire basket, a fender, a collection of metal bowls and a tea caddy for £20!  They will look great when I clean them up and just think how much they would have been at Ardingly!

Happy New Year!

My first day back in the office today after a long break.  We have all had a great holiday and it was quite a shock to be woken my an alarm clock this week!

I have so much planned for 2011, I'm trying to work out where to start.  I have my first planning meeting tomorrow with a new Bride & Groom so really looking forward to that.  My favourite part deciding on the 'look' of the wedding and giving them ideas. 

If you are getting married in the next three months and need some last minute planning or help on the day to ensure everything runs smoothly, take advantage of my new year sale! 20% off!



http://krinoline.blogspot.com/



I am going to the Ardingly Antiques & Collectors Fair next week to hunt for some treasure for my new styling business.  I am very excited to be combining my obsession with my planning business, so will let you know what I find.

I hope to meet some of you at some of the wedding shows this season, in particular the one organised by the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners called The Wedding Sanctuary. As a member of UKAWP I will be there along with other planners and leading names in the industry.  Join us on Sunday 20th March at Somerset House, The Strand.  You can buy tickets on their website http://www.ukawp.com/  I'll post full details soon.

Congratulations to everyone that got engaged over christmas and new year and maybe I can help you along the way to planning your day.