The fabulous Bridal Musings blog is doing a series on practical wedding planning tips and I’m delighted to say that I’m going to be a regular contributor. You can catch my first set of tips on getting started here or see a brief roundup below:
Last week I attended the book launch of Holly Becker’s (decor 8 blog) new book launch Decorate Workshop at the Anthropologie shop on Regent’s Street. It was a fun and inspiring evening where Holly spoke about the inspiration and process behind writing the book. She was interviewed by Will of the Bright Bazaar blog-another delightful interiors blog that is guaranteed to brighten up a dull day. She was also joined by James Leyland Day whose home features in the book and is an experienced stylist himself.
Here’s Holly talking to us and Will holding up the inside of the French fold book cover which you can take off and put up as a poster.
I love visiting Anthropologie shops as well all the fabulous things to buy I also love the way everything is displayed in the shop. Above is the amazing living wall and below the great wall displays.
While the theme for the evening was very much about interior design and styling your home, I also felt there were a few things that can really relate to your wedding planning that I wanted to share with you.
TRUST your feelings and instincts. Create your own rules for your wedding and let your true style shine however eclectic it is. Layer your ideas but if you are worried about it becoming disjointed then have a common thread whether that be in a colour or texture that runs through the wedding day.
SENSORY: entering a room should be a sensory experience, it’s not just about how it looks but also how it feels and smells. So when it comes to planning your wedding décor think about the comfort of your guests, will they feel it is a homely, welcoming environment? Consider adding smells too in the flowers you choose and adding scent with candles.
BALANCE: there is a balance in good design where different elements harmonise with each other. Keep this in mind when planning your wedding day, don’t feel you need to put every single idea you see in a magazine or blog into your wedding day. I’m a firm believer in ‘less is more’ so pick and choose those that are right for you and create a balance of ideas for your day.
There are lots more helpful tips about finding inspiration for your home and how to go about working on an interior design project in the book Decorate Workshop, I highly recommend it and you never know you may find a few tips on designing your wedding day too.
I’m also delighted to be able to share with you an exclusive extract from the book which only bloggers attending the night have been lucky enough to have so do take a look at the book yourselves, just click on the image below and let me know what you think…
All images by Always Andri
You’ve had the proposal, you’ve accepted and now you’re officially engaged, congratulations! What next? Well before you start choosing the colour of your confetti there are some big questions you both need to sit down and answer before you get carried away with all the details. Think of it as a big chain that interlinks, each link having a bearing on the next.
What kind of wedding do you want?
To begin with what kind wedding do you want? Have you always imagined having a big white wedding with all the traditional trimmings, a weekend packed full of celebrations or do you see yourselves just wanting a good party where you can let your hair down with your friends and family? It’s your wedding, don’t be swayed by what you think is the right thing to do; you want it to be a personal reflection of you as a couple so decide what stlye of wedding will work for you both.
What’s your budget?
Next to consider is the big money question, how much do you want to spend on the wedding? Be realistic, look at your finances and work out how much you can afford, the start of married life is not the time to be getting into debt. Will you need to start saving or do you already have a pot put aside?
Are there any family members that want to help? If so it’s worth talking to them at this stage to establish what are they expecting in return, is it a no obligation gift or are they going to want a large say in what the money is being spent on. If you feel it’s going to compromise the kind of wedding you want then consider saying no. It’s always a good idea to use gifted money for a particular area of the wedding such as the flowers or drinks and give them some say in just that area.
When to marry?
Is there a time of year that holds a special significance, an anniversary of an important date in your relationship? The budget may have a big effect on when you choose to get married because if you have to save you will need to give yourself long enough to do so. If the budget’s tight you may also want to consider getting married out of season i.e. not in the summer or think about a mid week wedding. Unless you’re having the most intimate of weddings or are willing to be incredibly flexible with dates you should give yourselves plenty of time to budget for and plan the wedding.
Who to invite?
Make a provisional guest list as soon as you can, there’s no point looking for venues if you’ve no idea who’s coming? Split your list into groups, family, friends- school, university, work, and within each group list in importance, close and not so close etc. (Grouping at this stage will also help if you eventually decide to do a seating plan.) This is also a good time to decide who you want to play key roles such the best man and chief bridesmaid and check with them if they’re going to be around for the date or time of year you have in mind.
Once you have asked yourselves these key questions you are better prepared for the next steps and that’s when the fun really begins!
Photos courtesy of Shell de Mar Photography
