The Wedding Sanctury 2013

Sunday 3rd March sees the return of The Wedding Sanctuary, a very unique wedding show designed to offer top design inspiration, personal style advice and the best one to one planning support available. The event has been organised by the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, an alliance that promotes professionalism within the industry and a body which we are very proud to be active members of.

This years event is being hosted at the prestigious RSA House, a gorgeous Georgian building combined with a contemporary style in the heart of London- a stunning venue for your wedding whether you're looking for a grand affair or a more intimate ceremony.

Image courtesy of RSA House

Unfortunately we are not able to make attend this year due to a clash of dates. However, at the first very successful event which was held in 2011, Bellissimo's Melanie was delighted to be asked to be one of the speakers for the day, presenting on how to get the best out of your wedding suppliers. Again, there will be speakers presenting through out the day at this years event on various different subjects useful in planning your wedding. The event is split into 2 sessions, 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm to allow each guest to benefit from a lot of personal attention from the experts and ensure each guest has a great experience. We look forward to the 2015 event where we will hopefully be in attendance again!

Most of these photos are from the pre wedding shoot at RSA House but some are from the 2011 event which was held at Somerset House and show just what a wonderful event it is.  If the usual crowded wedding shows really don't appeal to you and you want to benefit from one to one attention from the experts, then this is the show for you.

 

If you are interested in going to The Wedding Sanctuary, booking is essential as limited tickets will be available on the door. Visit The Wedding Sanctuary website for more information and to purchase tickets.

Photo Credits

Photographer- JuliaBoggio Studios       

Venue- RSA House

Styling & coordination - UK Alliance ofWedding Planners

Makeup- Mariam Jensen                                

Hair- Severin Hubert for Hepburn Collection 

Florist - Mary-Jane Vaughan      

Wedding Dresses - Johanna Hehir

Bridesmaids dress- TwobirdsBridesmaid

Suits- Cad & The Dandy

Stationery - Cutture

Accessories- VictoriaMillésime

Cake- Tempting Cake

Hire (tableware etc) - OptionsHire

Models- Chloe-Jasmine Whichello, Joseph Bader, Sjaniël Turrell 

Coloured glasses... a must or a no go?

On my first day working at Bellissimo Weddings, I helped Melanie to style a very beautiful and romantic wedding in a marquee in Wimborne. I have to say that when she told me the glassware was all gold rimmed, I was more than a little dubious! I knew it was a very tasteful and pretty wedding but nonetheless I must admit the first thing that came into my head was ‘tacky’! But I am pleased to say I was proved wrong! Even after being shown the glasses, I was still not convinced but we laid the tables with them and all I can say is ‘Wow!’. They really transformed the styling of the marquee and made a world of difference. The bride had chosen a very pale colour scheme of blush pinks and creams - very beautiful but Melanie was concerned that with the ivory lining and ivory carpet, the space could looked a little washed out so suggested using gold rimmed glasses. She is known for usually being right, but this time she really did get it spot on! The gold rimmed glasses looked classy and elegant and complimented and enhanced the colour scheme the bride had chosen. 

Our Melanie is a big fan of coloured glasses, having chosen to have red wine glasses at her own wedding. Again, when she told me this I wasn’t sure what to think but when I looked at the photos, the red glasses looked amazing! I really am a convert to coloured glasses for table styling now. I think my fear was that it could look cheap and out of place but I have been shown that if it is done well it looks very classy and stylish and I now believe one of those finishing touches that are really worth it!  Sticking to one colour (unless your colour scheme is multi-coloured) and getting good quality glasses are a must though! 

But be careful not to go too far. If you are laying the table with, a champagne flute ready for speeches, a white wine glass, a red wine glass and a water glass, my suggestion would be to choose one glass to have coloured and then keep the rest as plain clear glass. If you have all four as coloured glass, they could be too over powering, you just want an accent colour to run through the tables to create a real wow factor when your guests enter the marquee. On the other hand if you choose to use silver or gold rimmed glasses, you can up the anti a bit and go all out having all four or maybe three out of the four glasses with metallic rims. As they are not dense or bright colours, matching metallic rims can look better. A single metallic rimmed glass may look a little lost on its own, whilst three or four metallic rimmed glasses would not be over powering.

Image courtesy of blogstylizimo.com

The colour of these glasses is very subtle but match the colour of the napkins perfectly. Other than the glasses and the napkins, there isn't much colour on the tables, meaning it doesn't look too over the top.

Image courtesy of James Hazelwood Photography

These glasses are just stunning, they add a bit of glamour to the table and match the silver charger plates to tie together the colour scheme.

Image courtesy of Jones Design Company

A very rustic look with different coloured glasses- it looks great but you have to get it right! The use of so many different colours could look a mess if you're not careful but this scheme is bright but subdued so works well.

Image courtesy of pinkpumpkin.co.uk

Pretty in Pink! This design has just used coloured wine glasses which makes a statement. If they had chosen to use all pink glasses, it would have looked over the top. You can see pink glasses throughout the of the photo showing that having coloured glasses works really well to bring an accent into colour the dressing of your wedding.

Image courtesy of stylemepretty.com

The blue glasses are pretty much the centre focus of this table dressing. Other that a couple of small vases of flowers, the glasses are all that they have used to dress it and what an impact it makes. The glasses give a real wow factor and prove that you don't need loads of items on your tables to dress them.

These images are from a wedding we planned and styled last year and the colour scheme was a collection of greens and again one single coloured glass at each place setting was used to really draw out the green accents throughout the colour scheme of the wedding.

Image courtesy of Angela Ward Brown Photography

Image courtesy of Angela Ward Brown Photography

With just two colours running throughout this colour scheme, the coloured glasses emphasise the green among the taupe. Without the glasses, the green wouldn't feel like part of the colour scheme and the whole room could have looked a little bland. These fabulous green wine glasses also prove that the coloured glasses do not need to match the clear glasses in shape. Being a different shape can add more interest to the tables. Coloured glasses are difficult to find to hire so finding coloured glasses to match the clear glasses in shape will be virtually impossible!

Image courtesy of weddingchicks.com

This is very chic. It might not be considered to be a usual colour scheme for a wedding but this might make you think twice. The ivory and cream really soften the black. The black glasses really are the finishing touch to this table, clear glasses would have cluttered the theming.

Image courtesy of EFC Photography

Image courtesy of EFC Photography

We were recently asked to help to style and dress the stunning 300 year old Grade II listed wedding venue Cams Hall for a Wedding Showcase day and we were asked to introduce some tables duly styled to suit the Oval Room to give brides an idea of how they could dress their own tables. The Aubergine and gold table is very luxurious whilst the apple table feels a little more rustic! Rather than filling the tables with lots of decorative bits and pieces, we used colour to add interest and the coloured glasses were a vital ingredient!

What do you think? Have we converted you too?

Nicolle
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Here comes the sun!

So this lovely hot and sunny weather might be perfect for your wedding day but it has got me thinking that there are a few things you should consider if your wedding falls on a gorgeous day! You might not be expecting the sun, but in Britain you just never know! Its always best to be prepared! It might be your big day but you should also keep your guests in mind so that they have a fabulous time too and go home thinking its the best wedding they have ever been to!

Image courtesy of www.bigbouquet.co.uk

 Here are some of my hints and tips to ensure everyone can enjoy your day!

Number 1-  Have plenty of water on hand for your guests

This is very important if you're having an outdoor drinks reception or if your reception is going to be in a marquee. Its also important if you have children at your wedding. But lastly make sure you, the Bride and Groom drink plenty of water- its your special day and you want to enjoy - you don't want a headache for the rest of the day because you're dehydrated! Serve it in pretty glasses with lots of ice and slices of lemon and lime to add a refreshing hint.

We always try to bring with us to the ceremony a basket of bottles of water or a lovely container filled with ice and bottles to keep cool.  On a really hot day when guests come in / out of the Church or civil ceremony they are often really parched so its great for them to be able to grab some water on the day in or out and little tip - have a bottle handy for the bride before the ceremony starts with a straw so as not to spoil the lipstick!

Image courtesy of www.visualphotos.com

Number 2- Greet your guests with a refreshing drink

Alcohol is dehydrating, so rather than meeting your guests with a glass of Champagne staight away, offer a choice of refreshing soft drink such as elderflower presse, traditional cloudy lemondade or iced tea and then offer them a glass of Champagne after. This works particularly well if you are having a church service followed by your reception elsewhere as guests will be hot and bothered by the time they arrive at the venue after driving in a hot and stuffy car.

Image courtesy of www.potterybarn.com

Number 3- Provide some shade

Yes, everyone loves this weather but not everyone loves it all day long. Put some nice parasols outside to offer an escape from the sun for your guests- you'll probably appreciate it too after wearing a bridal gown all day. Alternatively, provided a selection of hand held parasols for people to help themselves to.

Image courtesy of Paradise parasols

Image courtesy of www.trendir.com

Number 3- Suncream

Be sure to buy a couple of bottles of suncream to put in the toilets. Its something your guests probably won't have thought of when leaving the house in a mad rush to leave on time in the morning. And if they have, they probably won't have put any on as they won't want to smell of suncream all day. By the time they have been stood out in the sun for a while they will have changed their minds and really wished they had put some on! As the Bride, the last thing you want is to get sunburnt on your wedding day so make sure you put some on too! You don't want red shoulders in your photos and you don't want to be peeling before you even go on your honeymoon!

Image courtesy of www.beautyandthedirt.com

Number 4- Hayfever Tablets

With the sun comes hayfever! Put a couple of boxes of hay fever tablets in the toilets so that your guests aren't sneezing and sniffing all day and can enjoy the sun rather than having to hide inside all day.

Image courtesy of www.personalpharmacy.co.uk

Number 5- Fans

Put some fans in a small basket that your guests can help themselves too. If you don't want to go for the battery operated fans, buy some really pretty paper fans that match your theme- you could even use them as favours on the tables.

Image courtesy of www.caesarsweddingfavours.co.uk

Number 6- Toiletries

Put some spay deodorant and some nice perfume in the toilets that guests can help themselves to- they will really appreciate this gesture I can guarantee you! After standing outside in the heat and then dancing the night away your guests will often feel the need for a bit of a freshen up! Add a packet of baby wipes or make up wipes too to wipe away those smudged Panda eyes from the heat! Blotting paper and a powder can also be a god send for your guests who might want to take away the shine but have forgotten their makeup bags!

Image courtesy of www.instyle.com

Number 7- Give the ladies some flip flops to change into

Chances are with the British weather, the ladies won't have bought outfits for a hot sunny day! They will probably have bought high, enclosed heels which will rub on a hot day. Give every lady a pair of comfy flip flops so they can slip off their heels and dance the night away and avoid dancing in bare feet which is not the best idea with potentially broken glass on the floor!

Image courtesy of www.iconicaphotography.com

We have recently been introduced to a company who did a great little box of flip flops so you can buy the box with x 20 pairs of flip flops inside all ready to go and your guests can take from the box and then the box can be used afterwards for a really good place to store your wedding day memorabilia.

For more information visit Heels Off

Number 8- Eat!

If its a hot day, you might not feel like eating much when you come to sit down for your wedding breakfast but it is really important that you make sure you eat something and enjoy it! If you don't you'll run out of energy and feel dizzy later. Plus you'll only regret it later when you didn't taste all of the delicious food you had on offer!

Image courtesy of www.rankinephotography.com

Number 9- Bugs!

These nasty little things come out in the sun, particularly in the evening. Light some citronella candles outside at your evening venue to keep those pesky little flys away. Also invest in some bug spray and put in your little basket of goodies for the loo to avoid you and your guests being bitten! 

Image courtesy of www.lavendarbiscuit.blospot.com

Number 10- Ice cream

Get an ice cream man or a traditional ice cream tricycle to come to your wedding either during your drinks reception (would make for some great photos!) or between your wedding breakfast and evening reception. Your guests will love it and really appreciate the ice cream to cool down! The image below is of Little Al who you can hire for your wedding at our venue on the beach in Bournemouth Beach Weddings Bournemouth

Image courtesy of IanH Photography

Or what about a refreshing watermelon lolly?
Mini Mate

Enjoy the sun and long may it stay out!

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