A Winter Themed Wedding

There's definately a bit of a chill in the air outside now we're moving closer to December and Christmas, so I wanted to do a post on winter themed wedding inspiration. But how do you do a frosty winter themed wedding without it looking too ... well ... 'Snow Queen' if you know what I mean?

I'd say keep it simple and subtle. Avoid the cliches of snowflake motifs and ice blue colours (unless thats your bag obviously!) ... and pare it down to whites, ivorys and greys in cool shades. Add some cosy wraps and furs and you'll definately get more Winter Chic than Wonderland!
Here's a few styling ideas I've picked up ...

credits :

www.bhldn.com ; www.marthastewartweddings.com

www.greenweddingshoes.com ; www.elizabethannedesigns.com 

Wedding & Stationery Trends For 2012

Hello all! Start to a new week and, as I mentioned in Friday's post, I've been looking this week into my top trends for Weddings and Stationery for 2012.
Now there's been a lot of talk on various blogs recently about 'the vintage trend' being dead! I personally don't believe most of this ... 1) Because 'Vintage' was never a trend in the first place ... those of us that love vintage clothes, accessories, furniture have always done so and its more of a lifestyle than a fad ... and 2) Because I don't think Vintage looks will go away they will just evolve. Whatever the creative industry designers and consumers alike have always been influenced by the past. I don't think this will ever go away. Just as a some Brides are influenced by more classic wedding a la Grace Kelly, others will always go for a more fifties rock n roll style which is currently more in vogue.
A few years ago the very pastel shades of vintage were spot on trend with every bit of wood we could get our hands on being whitewashed and painted ... now 'vintage' trends are evolving to incorporate darker woods and colours and this is influencing the Wedding Industry as well.

I've been designing lots of new stationery for next years ranges recently and have defined three definite looks for next year ... of course there are lots more .. and you may not agree but here goes!

'Elegant Monochrome'

The first look is what I based my new sketch collection around , especially the mushroom coloured Butterfly range. The key to this look is classic simplicity and muted colours of grey, blacks, silvers and browns mixed with strong typography and a graphic look.
Ornamentation is to a minimum but with influences taken from nature, the look is softened by using wood and metals. I'm imagining these cloches filled with gorgeous cheeses or cakes on your buffet tables and platters of food on these gorgeous Moroccan trays.

'Fairytale'

My second look for 2012 is based around fairytales ... but this isn't some Disney Princess in her castle! This is darker and influenced by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Much more of a gothic woodland feel. Its what influenced my new Storybook range and its where I see pretty florals going next for weddings. You can reintroduce the use of gilt and gold here without it looking dated and keep the fashion not overly pretty by using high Victorian collars and old lace.

I'm thinking tables overflowing with gorgeous glassware, fruit and flowers! Just leave the 'Katie Price' pumpkin coach at home!

 'Russian Doll'

My third and final trend for next year is based around a Russian Folk theme. I honestly think we are going to see colours getting brighter and more vibrant at weddings again and the Russian doll is certainly that.

One of the new ranges I will be launching in the new year is based around Russian Dolls and Travelling Fairs.

I've always loved Russian Dolls (I have two in my kitchen!) and the gypsy feel of them.

I think this look could be really easily incorporated into a wedding style with lots of heavily embroidered fabrics and table runners, colourful vases and perhaps even a fairground caravan for your guests to relax in!

Below are some of the ideas I've had plus an exclusive look at the new Russian Doll wedding stationery I am designing which will probably launch in January. If you are interested in ordering it before then though just let me know and contact me through the website http://www.knotsandkisses.co.uk or email me at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk

These are my main influences for next year, but what I'd like to reiterate is its your wedding .. go with the style you love! I am pretty sure fifties rockabilly, classic Hollywood glamour weddings and gorgeous country garden floral weddings are going to be with us for some time to come as well ... as long as that's your style and you are happy with it!

Nikki x



New Wedding Inspirations

Hello all ... here's hoping you all have a fabulous weekend! As you read this I'll be hopefully having a fabulous time at the Bath Christmas Fair as my lovely other half is taking me away for a relaxing weekend.
All this lovely Christmassyness (sorry that's so not a word!) has got me thinking about trends and inspirations for weddings for next year. I'm already in the process of designing two new Wedding Stationery ranges to put on my website www.knotsandkisses.co.uk in the new year, and I'm also designing a new range of Greetings Cards to add to the website and facebook too.
Earlier this week I shared with you two of the websites I have found inspiration from for Wedding Styling.
Today I want to share with you a fabulous shop I found on Etsy called Vintage Parlor who have lots of gorgeous goodies you could use to dress your wedding.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheVintageParlor?page=1

Here are some of my favourite items .... I love the dark Victoriana style of these items .. weddings don't have to be light and fluffy! I'm not suggesting you have small skulls at your wedding but these gorgeous cloches could be used on a fantastic dessert table or even as centre pieces filled with huge blossoms and foliage!
I love the quirkiness the 'poison' cups would add to a traditional tea party, the chalkboard jars would be fantastic filled with sweets for your guests and the mismatching frames would look great with your table plan.

 
Check back on the blog on Monday as I share my top trends for Weddings & Wedding Stationery for 2012 and an exclusive sneak peak at one of my new ranges for next year!

Pretty Vintage Style Bespoke Bridesmaids Invitations

A few weeks ago I was delighted to hear from my Guest Blogger Lauren from Miss Lady Amy Wedding Design in the Cotswolds. By the way she'll be back in the new year after taking some time out for her family.
Lauren has recently got engaged .. you may have seen the Engagement Party postcards I designed for her on the blog previously... and she wanted me to design a couple of very special invitations to invite her lovely Mum and Sister to be her Maid of Honour and Bridesmaid.

I was delighted to produce a bespoke design for her and this is what I came up with ....

Front Cover

Inside

Back Cover

Designing these cards for Lauren has definitely inspired me to create some more Greetings Cards & Special Cards like this to sell alongside the Wedding Stationery ranges ... so watch this space!

In the meantime if you would like me to design something special for you contact me via the website http://www.knotsandkisses.co.uk/ 



Wedding Styling Inspiration & Wedding Fairs!

Hello! Hope you've all had a fantastic weekend!
I wanted to share with you today some of the fantastic websites I've discovered over the past month or so whilst searching the Internet and talking to friends on Twitter. They are fantastic for lots of styling ideas and wedding inspiration and may be just the thing for the small bits and pieces you are looking for to make your Wedding Perfect.
I've been looking on them for items to compliment my Stationery designs and to dress my stand for a Vintage Wedding Fair I'm doing in Milton Keynes on February 26th next year .. you can find all the details on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mrs-Scoops-Little-Miss-Gs-Vintage-Wedding-Fair-milton-Keynes/169268039823229

The first website I stumbled upon was http://www.anthropologie.eu/ ... no idea how I haven't come across this before .. its so totally up my street! I was looking for some vintage looking door knobs to decorate the dresser I'm displaying my wares on for the wedding fair and came across this site which not only has an adorable interiors section with lots of things you could use to style your wedding but also fantastic fashion and accessories! Here are a few of my favourite items from the site ...

The next site I discovered from a twitter recommendation was the amazing http://www.re-foundobjects.com/shop full of amazing refound objects and brilliant styling ideas for wedding and home!

I was after some old glass cake stands to display my stationery and came across some gorgeous things on here .. honestly think I could decorate my entire home with bits and bobs from this site!

Again here are my favourites which you could use to style your wedding ....



Friday Supplier Spotlight : Gorgeous Button Bouquets!

I'm really excited to introduce today's supplier on my Friday Supplier Spotlight!
I came across Lesa from http://www.iheartbuttons.co.uk/ on Twitter a while back but only realised how gorgeous her work was (sorry Lesa!) when she posted a picture of her new button bouquet below ...

I've seen a lot of button bouquets over the last two years, some of them more successful than others, but I think Lesa really captures the fun quirkiness of having a button bouquet without losing the vintage style! I'll let Lesa tell you more ...

"I Heart Buttons was started at the beginning of 2010. After falling in love with a picture of a button bouquet on the Internet I knew I had to make one. Now, 11 months down the line I have a shop in Ryde where customers can see the bouquets first hand and am totally loving my new job. Although I won't lie and say it's been easy. With a 2 and 3 year old in tow most of the time, it can be difficult to juggle everything.

Button bouquets make a unique and colourful alternative to a traditional floral bouquet. Sentimental items of jewellery (or buttons of course!) can be worked into the bouquets to make them even more special. The most fabulous thing about button bouquets is that they will last forever. After your wedding, they can become a spectacular centrepiece in your home or even passed on to loved ones for their wedding day.

I also create mini bouquets, button horseshoes, bouquets in vases, button brooches, earrings, bracelets, hat pins and just about anything else I can think of to include buttons.
If you want to stand out from the crowd and have something just that little bit different on your wedding day, have a browse of my beautiful button bouquets. You're sure to find something to capture your imagination. Each bouquet is handmade using a combination of new and vintage buttons.

I have ready made bouquets for sale in my shop or I can make one to order. I work with many designers who can make bespoke pieces to add to the bouquets, whether it is ceramic buttons or lampwork beads.

Guest Post : Las Vegas Weddings ... The Stylish Way!

I've got a fabulous Guest Post for you today from Wedding Planner Kim Carrion & Trey and Melissa who run  http://www.sceniclasvegasweddings.com/ .
Las Vegas gets a bad rep in the UK for being the cheap and tacky option when it comes to weddings but this write up from Kim and the stunning photos just go to prove that doesn't have to be the case .....

"Getting Married in Las Vegas: Beyond the Cheap Las Vegas Strip Chapels in Today’s Tough Economy"

History of Las Vegas Weddings

Las Vegas hosts more than 1 in 20 marriages in the United States. Clark County (Las Vegas) issued 91,890 marriage licenses in 2010 alone. Las Vegas is also the entertainment capital of the world and with all the glitz and glamour that Las Vegas has to offer, it is a hotspot for weddings. It has gained the reputation as the “it” spot to “tie the knot!”

Even though Las Vegas is known for it’s last minute, cheesy chapel weddings and midnight drive thru weddings, this city is also home to destination weddings that require plenty of planning for in preparation of vows that last a lifetime. Las Vegas has couples from around the world planning their perfect Las Vegas destination wedding.

Since the 1930s, Nevada’s lure of fast, easy marriages has attracted countless couples looking to tie the knot. Although, the Las Vegas Chapel is still a popular option, Las Vegas now offers many more elegant, classy, and scenic option that more and more couples are choosing. Most of the Las Vegas Wedding Chapels have seen better days and are now many decades past their “heyday.”

Just like neighborhoods change over time, the “Las Vegas Chapel Row” on South Las Vegas Boulevard has dramatically changed as well. The area is now full of strip clubs, tattoo parlors, adult bookstores, pawn shops, and has a “ghetto-type” atmosphere. It is not a neighborhood that one should walk around in after dark. You may also come out of your chapel wedding to see prostitutes lingering in the area.

Modern Las Vegas Wedding Venues

Las Vegas may be best known for popularizing the wedding chapel ceremony. With opportunities for drive-through vows, Elvis impersonators to officiate, and intimate settings for elopement, Las Vegas wedding chapels provide some of the biggest business to Las Vegas’ wedding industry. But these chapels are far from the only place to be wed in this city.

The “mega” Las Vegas Strip Resorts also offer luxury Las Vegas weddings. Often organized by a hired wedding coordinator, these luxury weddings involve destination brides in intricate details and wedding day decisions. A Las Vegas luxury resort wedding offers all the commodities of a traditional wedding. This is a great option for couples where cost is not a consideration. Unfortunately, for most couples in today’s economy, cost is often the number one consideration.

The current US unemployment rate is 9.1% with an unemployment rate also topping 8% in the UK. While weddings still take place in a down economy, brides and grooms are scaling back and trimming the excess from their celebrations. The numbers show this dramatic shift: The average cost of a wedding dropped $10,000 a year after the recession began.

For destination brides or Las Vegas locals who prefer an elegant, affordable, and scenic wedding outside the Las Vegas Strip, Scenic Las Vegas Weddings is one local Las Vegas wedding company that offers many options. Scenic Las Vegas Weddings is family owned by a husband and wife team. Trey & Melissa are both professional Las Vegas wedding photographers whose main goal is to provide spectacular photography, beautiful locations, and heartfelt ceremonies. Venues include: Scenic Gazebo, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon, Grand Canyon, Lake Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston, Pahrump Valley Winery, Nelson Ghost Town, Death Valley, and The Las Vegas Strip. Scenic Las Vegas Weddings also offers photography only and Wedding Officiant only packages at your location or at one of theirs! Check out your wedding options at sceniclasvegasweddings.com.

Christmas Wedding Ideas & Inspiration!

Another start to a new week ... I'm looking forward this week to working on some Vintage style Save the Dates & Bridesmaids Invitations. Plus I'll be working on some rather lovely new ideas for reception stationery.
I was inspired this week by my one of the Christmas Card designs I'm now selling through my facebook shop http://facebook.com/knotsandkissesstationery to come up with a Christmas themed Wedding Invitation version for all of you Christmas Brides out there. If you would like to enquire with me about ordering these invitations for your own Christmas Wedding you can contact me through my website http://www.knotsandkisses.co.uk

Here are a few images to inspire you  for your Christmas Wedding .....

credits:

www.dexknows.com

http://flowermagician.blogspot.com

www.weddingbee.com

www.weddingwire.com



Wedding Boots!

Hope you've all had a lovely week! I wanted to round the week off with a quick post on Wedding Boots!
Anyone who know's me will realise that I'm much more often seen in a pair of boots than some high heeled stiletto shoe (apart from the summer when I live in my gladiator sandals!).
It got me to thinking as to why people like me should have to spend their wedding day in a pair of shoes they would never normally wear or feel comfortable in!
Boots are much more practical for a wedding ... especially at an outdoor venue or reception ... so I've been having a look to see what's on the market for you.
These are my favourites from the site http://www.henrykaye.co.uk/ ...

How to Get The Best From Your Wedding Photography!

I'm really delighted to have a Guest Post on the blog today from one of my favourite Wedding Photographers Laura Babb! I asked Laura to explain a little more about what a Wedding Photographer does and how you can get the best out of your photographer on your wedding day. If you want to get in contact with Laura you can via her website www.laurababb.co.uk where you can see more of her fabulous photography! Over to Laura ....

"I'm really pleased to have been invited along to Knots and Kisses to talk to you about how to get the best from your wedding photography.
I am a wedding photographer but I’m also a bride-to-be so I am also currently navigating the often confusing world of wedding planning.

There’s so much to think about and if you’ve only just started my general advice is to worry about one thing at a time and to always have a glass of red wine at the ready…

As far as photography goes, people place varying degrees of importance on it. Some people think of it as something you should probably have at a wedding because, you know, that’s what you do, and some people plan their whole day around it. I’m guessing you’ll probably be somewhere in
between.
Most people will plan a few formal group shots put some time aside for some bridal portraits and then have a photographer to document the rest of the day as it unfolds.

Whilst it’s the photographer’s job to make sure they capture the important parts of the day, they can do this best if they have a good idea of your schedule. You don’t want them nipping off to the loo just before you’re due to start your first dance!

Ideally it’s best to meet with your photographer as early as possible, and before you formalise your schedule, to talk about how the day will run. It’s also really helpful if you can give them an idea of the number of formal
group shots you want so that they can tell you how long it’s likely to take. Small group shots can take around 2 – 3 minutes and big groups can take around 5 minutes, assuming everyone is ready and standing by.

A lot of photographers will ask for a bridesmaid or usher to be nominated to help organise group shots because it’s a lot quicker to get through them if someone can be rounding up people for the next shot on the list and, lets face it, quicker is better as you won’t want to spend loads of time away from your guests.
The exception to this is the bridal portraits, which I’m often told make a nice break away from everyone and give you a chance to spend some time together.

I photographed Charlotte and Jon's wedding earlier this year and they told me it was one of their favourite parts of the day, as it was time to chill out and enjoy each other's company without worrying about saying hello to guests or what's next on the schedule.

I usually recommend my couples allocate around 30 minutes if possible as a minimum, so that we can properly explore your venue and have plenty of time to take some beautiful pictures of just the two of you against a variety of different back drops.
It’s even better if you can allocate two shorter sessions, as the light is a lot softer later in the day and it’s nice to get some shots as the sun is going down.

Other than that my main advice would be to let your photographer do their thing in the background, while you and your guests enjoy yourselves. Posed portraits are beautiful but there's nothing greater than capturing real emotion, in an unobtrusive way, so pretend we're not there and we'll hang around in the background
capturing your day as it unfolds.

If you have any questions about wedding photography, even if I'm not your photographer
please feel free to get in touch and I'll be happy to help if I can.

Laura x "