April 2013
22/04/2013
18/04/2013
February 2013
15/02/2013
January 2013
14/01/2013
October 2012
01/10/2012
Wedding Questionnaire Results
22/04/2013
Wedding Questionnaire Results
We've made an infographic with the results of the Wedding Questionnaire we sent out. How does your wedding...or wedding-to-be compare?
Spring Fever
18/04/2013
Spring Fever
While the weather outside might continue to stubbornly suggest otherwise, spring has now officially sprung! This time of year is one of new beginnings, heralding rebirth and bringing a sense of renewal. What better time to start your exciting new life as a married couple?
While Summer remains by far the most popular time of year to tie the knot, you can enjoy many of its benefits at a fraction of the price (at least if you choose the earlier months) while also capturing the particular magic of spring if you stage your celebration a couple of months before the rush. If you are getting married in the UK, pinning all your hopes on a glorious sunny day is always a game of roulette, so don't rule out spring based just on the weather. Don't forget that while a summer wedding is more likely to be sunshiney in general, August is often rainier than any of the spring months!
A Little Springspiration!
Spring colours:
Of course, with crocuses, daffodils and new chicks all making instantly recognisable spring motifs in their bright chipper yellow, it's no wonder we love spring weddings at ITA! Our favourite shade makes a lovely and unusual colour choice at a wedding, full of sunshine and cheer. In colour psychology, it is associated with optimism and happiness, so a pop of yellow will help you create the perfect wedding mood.
Pink, another colour abundant in the spring, is associated with unconditional love, so don't be afraid to "go girly"!
The leaves of a four-leaf clover are said to stand for hope, faith, love, and luck - an apt sentiment for any wedding and a lovely expression of a fresh green and white spring colour scheme.
Flowers:
If you're after a slightly more muted colour scheme for your flowers than the bold and brilliants hues of daffodils and crocuses, nothing shouts "spring" like blossom, and it makes a beautiful and unusual addition to or base for a bouquet, as well as the perfect spring table decoration and a small sprig is equally charming in your hair.
Gypsophila is the biggest floral trend for 2013 and it looks wonderful in a rustic spring bouquet.
Favours:
Bulbs or packets of the seeds of your favourite flowers, plants, or fruits make lovely favours, perfectly capturing the way that your spring wedding symbolises the new life you and your partner are beginning together. Animals lovers might consider giving small bird houses as their favours; do your homework and these can be sourced quite cheaply!
Spring Menus:
There's some absolutely scrummy ways to celebrate spring in your wedding menu. With an abundance of fresh young vegetables in season such as baby carrots, asparagus, haricots verts, sugarsnaps and new potatoes.
Carrot cake is a lovely seasonal alternative from the traditional stodgy fruit cake, always an acquired taste, and it's rhubarb time in the UK which is just perfect for a huge variety of gorgeous desserts!
Little things which shout "spring!":
Chicks, lambs, Easter, wild birds and birds' nests, bunting, butterflies, bees, picnics, fluffy clouds, kites, rainbows, village fêtes, homemade lemonade (served in jars?), woodland
Thrifty tips
Depending on your timings, you may be able to capitalise on Easter decorations and flowers already in place at your venue - particularly if you opt for a church ceremony; the warm pastel shades of Easter are just perfect for weddings! For all out romance on a budget look out for post Valentine's Day sales.
We've put a Pinterest board together to gather a few of these ideas in one place! Do get in touch if you have any pins of your own to share!
Wedding trends for 2013 - Part Two: Photography
04/04/2013
Wedding trends for 2013 - Part Two: Photography
Your wedding day is bound to fill you with countless incredible memories. But if things begin to get hazy (or if you had your fair share and more during the cocktail hour or champers reception), then there's nothing better than fantastic wedding photos to jog your memory and bring the magic of the day flooding back.
We spoke to our go-to photographer, the fabulous Douglas Fry, to find out what's hot in wedding photos this year. Much like the flower world, when it comes to weddings, the photography bizz is currently abuzz with one word - vintage!
If you are embracing the retro trend then it's easy to bring your photos in on the theme; there's plenty you can do beyond just hitting the black & white or sepia setting on the camera...
Douglas suggests adding some intrigue and fun to your photos, as well as firmly entrenching them in the vintage trend, with antique props. There are great accessories which can be hired for a small fee that will add a charming vintage look. As well as adding interest to your pictures, a good selection of props can be used to decorate your venue, keeping your vintage theme running throughout
Douglas suggests adding some intrigue and fun to your photos, as well as firmly entrenching them in the vintage trend, with antique props. There are great accessories which can be hired for a small fee that will add a charming vintage look. As well as adding interest to your pictures, a good selection of props can be used to decorate your venue, keeping your vintage theme running throughout
The two big eras to channel for an on-trend 2013 wedding are the 1920s or the 1950s, and it's easy to find props to help you evoke either in photos to cherish.
For a fifties themed wedding, there's nothing like showing up in a genuine 1950s car, and your transport can double up as the most amazing prop for your photos. Add a pile of vintage suitcases on the roof and capture some perfectly themed and super cute moments. Similarly, if it's twenties style you are after, an antique car from the era will look fantastic in your wedding shots and make you feel like one of the Grantham girls from Downton Abbey as you roll up to your venue in it!
For a fifties themed wedding, there's nothing like showing up in a genuine 1950s car, and your transport can double up as the most amazing prop for your photos. Add a pile of vintage suitcases on the roof and capture some perfectly themed and super cute moments. Similarly, if it's twenties style you are after, an antique car from the era will look fantastic in your wedding shots and make you feel like one of the Grantham girls from Downton Abbey as you roll up to your venue in it!
And if it's the 1920s you are channelling, gramophones and candlestick telephones are very evocative and add charm and quirky class to your pictures.
A thrifty option for the fifties look is the hula hoop and frisbee; watching your bridesmaids try to keep it up in their frocks is bound to raise some natural smiles and the groomsmen are bound to look ultra cute caught in the middle of an impromptu frisbee match! Adding these old fashioned games is also a fun way to liven up any quiet periods during the day and keep the kiddies happy. Or keep it super simple and just grab some popcorn tubs and throw on a pair of 3D glasses - easy peasy!
Wedding trends for 2013 - Part One
15/02/2013
Wedding trends for 2013
We just love weddings, and because we help couples research, organise, and, of course, enjoy their special day, we maintain an up-to-the-minute list of the best suppliers for every aspect of wedding planning you can imagine.
Just like us, our photographers, florists, caterers, chefs, and venues keep their fingers firmly on the pulse, and we've pressed them all for their expert take on the biggest trends in weddings for the year ahead.
This year one of the best ways to ensure your wedding is of the minute is to bathe it in the past. Yep, antique style is here to stay and for 2013 it's bigger than ever - here's how you can capture the vintage trend in your perfect wedding bouquet!
Part One - Flowers
It's the tiniest of flowers but for 2013 gypsophila will be huge! Often known as baby's breath, this delicate flower is making a big come back when used en-masse for a vintage look that is terribly en vogue, says florist Samantha Davis. It is perfect for the vintage look, is long lasting, and offers great value for money. Not to mention it's just so pretty!
As well as making for a gorgeous bouquet in its own right, it also plays very well with others and is an excellent accompaniment to larger blooms such as vintage favourites tea roses, peonies, daisies and cabbage roses.
The popularity of incorporating gemstones into your bouquet shows no sign of waning. For a vintage take on the idea, why not try using pearls or delicate antique mother of pearl buttons instead of modern bling. You can take the idea even further and create a bride's bouquet that will last forever by using vintage silk flowers instead of real blooms or entirely crafting it from vintage jewellery, crystals, ribbons, lace and buttons. One of my favourite ways to do this is with a bunch of flower brooches - such a cute take on the traditional wedding bouquet! Not only will you create your own unique and striking bridal bouquet but makes a perfect family heirloom, filled with rich sentiment and emotion.
Other vintage inspired trends, says Claudia of Purple Tiger Floral Design, are the use of personalised eclectic "vases" such as tea caddies, antique heirlooms, perfume bottles, snuff boxes, pill boxes, cigarette cases, and christening mugs - just about anything you can think of!
Alternatively, collections of small, clear vases of varied height and shape look really striking when each is filled with a different type of flower in the same colour. Other clever vintage tricks include using unique and old fashioned centrepieces, such as jewellery boxes, bird cages, or shoes filed with blousy blooms, or perhaps creating a sumptuous Grace Kelly inspired display using lace, satin, and pearls in iridescent colours.
Think shabby chic or charmingly dishevelled and you're definitely on the right track for a wedding that is achingly a la mode!
Sassi Holford wins Best Bridal Award
14/01/2013
Sassi Holford wins Best Bridal Award at Wedding Ideas Awards 2013
After seeing the stunning wedding dresses designed by Sassi Holford at Haberdashers' Hall last September we may be biased in saying Sassi deserved to win! But for certain, it's quite an achievement to win, according to Wedding Ideas Magazine, "the most hotly contested" category of the awards!
The Wedding Ideas Awards, held every January, is the UK's only national consumer wedding awards, with nominees chosen by readers and awards chosen by a panel of judges. Well done Sassi!
Fancy tying the knot by candlelight?
01/10/2012
Fancy tying the knot by candlelight?
From today, weddings and civil ceremonies can take place any time a couple likes, as the old daylight restrictions, whereby couples could only wed between 8am and 6pm, are lifted.
This is part of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and brings Wales and England in line with Scotland which already allows people to tie the knot at any time, day or night. The Act was brought in following a cross-government survey, Your Freedom, which gave the public the chance to suggest which "unnecessary" laws should be repealed.
While traditional daytime weddings are likely to remain the norm, the new Act creates romantic possibilities such as saying your vows while the sun sets or getting hitched in a magical candle lit ceremony. However, it will be up to individual local authorities and religious groups to decide whether they want to offer the new extended hours, so do check before you get too carried away!
Register General Sarah Rapson believes the new rules will "allow people to make the day unique to them."
One thing that these changes won't allow is a spate of spur of the moment marriages, Vegas-style - at least 15 days advance notice will still be required for a wedding to take place.
