Royal Wedding Party

I remember how excited I felt a month before our wedding...but I can't even begin to imagine what Kate Middleton must be feeling today! 

Are you planning a Royal Wedding Party? I see the occassion as the perfect excuse to hang up the bunting from our wedding (handmade by Mum!).

For some party inspiration, Not on the Highstreet.com have got some very British party accessories (image above from their latest enewsletter).

And, Kate's family business, Party Pieces, have a wide selection of 'Best of British' themed things...er, fit for a princess!

Best of British Cake Platter, £8.99

Best of British Party Cups (12), £2.99

Britannia Crown Glass Decoration (10), £2.99

Congratulations Lumen!

Congratulations to our wedding photographer, Liz Armitage (Lumen Photography), for winning Westcountry Wedding Awards Classic Wedding Photographer 2011!

We were so happy with Liz's professional service and beautiful work, and this official recognition reflects how highly her work is regarded, by many newlyweds!

Lumen will be at the Wedding and Fine Events show in Somerset, on the 26th and 27th March (this weekend!). Liz says on her Facebook page that any couples coming to visit can enter a prize draw to win £200 off their wedding photography with Lumen!

You name it!

Wedding name pictures, by Helen Leslie, £35

Launched today! I just love this beautiful personalised wedding name picture, handcrafted by local illustrator, Helen Leslie. The lovebirds and bunting are so sweet! Helen's pictures make an ideal and unique wedding gift, as they feature the names of the bride and groom and their wedding date, and can be personalised further with colours or details from the wedding's theme or invitations.

Helen's illustration stems from a love of drawing and combines original hand-produced drawings with some Photoshop wizardry to create a distinctive style. She also has an amazing range of baby name pictures and greeting cards - visit her Facebook page to see for yourself!

Wedding greeting card, by Helen Leslie, £2

Powderham Castle Wedding Show

The Powderham Castle Wedding Show is coming up in a few weeks, which reminds me, I wanted to blog about the show after I went in 2009! Better late than never...

It was the first wedding show that Mum and I went to back in the early days of wedding planning, and was our introduction to a whole new world to us...the wedding industry!

The castle, which has been there in one form or another since 1066, is an amazing location for a wedding show. Bagpipes were playing some merry tunes as we crossed the moat, and then we were presented with some shiny vintage wedding cars and camper vans in the courtyard.

Inside, a wedding reception display set up in their grand hall, trying to entice people to have their wedding reception there. We'd just come from visiting Cadhay so there was no chance of that (and no budget for that)!

There was a great array of wedding suppliers in the castle and even more, maybe hundreds, in a huge marquee in the garden. From wedding florists and jewellery, to a Master of Ceremonies and venues, everything you could need was there.

Halfway through Mum and I needed a cuppa and a nice sit down! Lucky there were plenty of caterers and vintage teacups handy. After watching the lively bridal fashion show and dance demos, we were pleased to see Liz Armitage of Lumen Photography was there so I could show Mum her beautiful albums.

We came away from the show feeling inspired by the lovely vintage ideas we saw (see pics above), as well as being a bit bombarded by lots of sales people!

Powderham Castle Wedding Show
Saturday 26th - Sunday 27th March, 2011
Open 10am to 4pm
Tickets are £5.00 in advance or £7.50 on the day
Powderham Castle, Kenton, Exeter, Devon, EX6 8JQ

Choosing our church

It was by chance that we found the lovely church that we chose to get married in, when Mr B spotted it's spire through trees, as we drove back from Budleigh Salterton one day. We had churches on the brain, having spent a few weeks doing a tour of East Devon churches, using our now cherished book, The Pilgrims Guide to Devon's Churches.

Clyst St George is a very small village (a church and school, no shops!) set close to the A376 and surrounded by fields. We went to have a closer look and the quaint church appealed to us immediately. Once inside, we knew it was the one for us!

Clear glass windows create a light and airy atmosphere, with only a few featured stain glass windows in Pre-Raphaelite style. The simple and light wooden decor suited Mr B's more modern tastes, while I was in awe of the medieval tower and traditional relics. As we learnt more about it were both facinated by the history of the church and how the community came together to rebuild it after being bombed in WW2.

After attending a service there we enquired about getting married at the church and were put in touch with the Church Warden to make arrangements. As they were in the process of getting a new vicar at the time we had to wait patiently for a few months to meet them and to confirm our date, but it was worth the wait.

There aren't a lot of references to the church online, so I'll be sharing some details and photos in case you're interested!

For those looking for a church online try Find a Church - The UK Church Directory.

Choosing our venue

Choosing your venue is one of the most important parts of wedding planning, and until it's booked you can't give wedding suppliers or guests the date!

We knew we wanted to get married near to where we live in Devon...but how would we find a venue that suited all of our requirements? We needed somewhere big enough for us and a bunch of family and friends to stay; with a garden big enough for a marquee; and in an historical setting! Not much to ask? Ha ha!

Luckily, it was while my Mum was looking on holiday lets websites that she came across Cadhay - an Elizabethan Manor House - with two holiday cottages on the grounds. On their website it looked beautiful and when we went to visit, it was even more so!

Cadhay was perfect for us. Near Ottery St Mary, set in lovely East Devon countryside, its only around 20 minutes from our church. As well as the stunning house packed with history and an inner courtyard for alfresco dining; the large gardens and lake are stunning.

The best thing was that we had the place to ourselves, and were able carry out our DIY wedding reception in the garden (I'll write more about this in other posts).

After we fell for the venue and started looking at available dates in summer, we then hoped that the church we wanted to get married in was also available on the same day. This was quite nerve-racking to be honest as we had our hearts set on both!

It all worked out fine, but mostly because we did this 17 months before the wedding! It's hard at first to believe venues when they say you need to book soon, but it is in most cases true that they are getting booked up way, way in advance.

My advice is when you start looking at venues have your deposit ready, to hold the venue and date you want! And if your ceremony is in a different location get your name down asap for that too (after some possible juggling!).

A good venue directory can be found on the weddings site by South West Tourism; where you can search by type of wedding, amount of guests, and by area.

Photo credits: Lumen Photography and our friends The Warrens

Love is in the air

It's my first Valentine's Day as a newlywed...so I thought it was about time I started blogging again about our wedding last June!

It was a huge success and we had a wonderful time thanks to all our family and friends who made it so special. Here's a selection of our romantic moments beautifully captured by Liz Armitage from Lumen Photography.

I'll be sharing how we made our dream vintage English countryside wedding come true on a budget, with DIY ideas and signposts to great local and online suppliers. I hope it's of use to any couples out there planning their big day...Kate and Wills watch this space!