Gorgeous Vintage Glassware To Style Your Wedding!

I'm a sucker for vintage glassware .. especially bottles. I happen to collect old perfume bottles ... they are arranged haphazardly on my dressing table.
But I also think vintage glassware is amazing at weddings. It can add a relatively inexpensive personal touch to a vintage style wedding and looks so pretty!

Here are a few ideas I've found on how to use Vintage Glassware and bottles at your wedding ....
First up I love using glass and glass bottles to decorate your tables .. use old bottles or jam jars for displaying flowers, or create a retro feel with these sundae style glasses.

 www.crowhillcottages.co.uk

 www.naturalweddingcompany.wordpress.com

www.oceaninteriors.wordpress.com

Glassware is also fantastic on dessert tables and sweet buffets ... perfect for displaying your sweet treats ...

 www.notonthehighstreet.com

 www.simplylovevintage.blogspot.com

www.fancyvintagechina.blogspot.com

And finally what about this gorgeous idea for favours ....

www.hastings-crystal.co.uk



Wild Flower & Berry Wedding Inspiration - Lady Amy Design

Good morning, what a beautiful weekend we have had here in the Cotswolds. It all started bright and early Saturday, as I made my way to a Wedding at Kate Moss's venue with the fabulous Harriet, a gorgeous local make-up artist. Then we had a family afternoon, as we attended Noah's 1st nursery fete, where we took part in lovely fun and cute little games, had ice cream and a cheeky drink. Met a few parents and Noah's friends, they are all so adorable. Sunday we went to Tewkesbury for a long, relaxing walk along the river, a wander through the town and nose in all the quirky shops, where I found the most amazing hidden Antique Store, filled with amazing vintage treasures and sparkly stuff. We went raspberry picking, watched the boats sail up and down the dock and then headed home to an evening of cooking, yummie apple and raspberry crumble ;)

My weekend has heavily inspired this weeks wedding inspiration, a lovely home-made feeling, with wild flower and berry inspiration.
I love wild flower wedding bouquets, they have that shabby chic, less organised and more effortless feeling to them. Perfect for the less conventional, DIY bride or bride on a budget. They are great because you can pick single flowers out and replicate these colours, textures throughout the day, bridesmaids attire, small details and stationery. Which brings everything together with out having an obvious or heavy theme.

Its feminine, fruity and elegant, I hope you like..

Raspberry's bloom in July, so home-made jams (for yummie! afternoon teas), pies and cakes are perfect favours and details for a late summer wedding. With colourful picnic blankets laid out on freshly cut grass, the sun shining, live band in full swing and a glass of pink champers.. sounds like the perfect end to a special summer celebration.


Take a look through the credits, because I have found some really cute blogs with gorgeous inspiration

Credits

http://marriedwithmichelle.blogspot.com/2008/09/teal-raspberry-wedding.html

http://marriedwithmichelle.blogspot.com/2008/09/teal-raspberry-wedding.html

http://www.lovemydress.net/blog/2011/01/whimsical-wonderland-wedding.html

http://qsdaydream.blogspot.com/2009/05/ruffles.html

http://countrycrockery.co.uk/countrycrockery/Welcome.html

http://oldblog.lobsterandswan.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/think-pink/4050/

http://www.layoutsparks.com/1/227652/vintage-pink-design-floral-31000.html

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=raspberry+vintage+bridal+hair+accessories&um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7DSGK_enGB409GB410&biw=1366&bih=616&tbm=isch&tbnid=7K9agsKwzEe52M:&imgrefurl=http://www.glitz4girlz.com/christmas-hair-accessories.html&docid=nxNB0kWXVdbPgM&w=180&h=135&ei=nxMvTo7JGcy88gPukv1o&zoom=1

I have just launched my Ladyamy Events Page so please pop over to my website and take a peek.. I have been uber busy designing and directing events recently, as well as weddings..


http://www.ladyamyweddingdesign.co.uk/gallery-events.htm

I am still offering FREE On the Day Co-ordination so please get in touch

Enjoy your week peeps =)

Best Wishes

Lauren

x



A Midsummer Nights Dream Themed Wedding & Stationery

For my Monday Wedding Styling post this week I just had to base it around 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'!
My Other Half and I love going to see outdoor productions of Shakespeare and Saturday night we traipsed off, with a few friends and a lovely picnic, to see my absolute favourite A Midsummer Nights Dream performed at the stunning Waddesdon Manor.

I love this play so much I've now seen it at least 4 times and I think it makes such a wonderful theme to base your wedding around!

Inspired by Saturdays production I've come up with some ideas for wedding stationery and styling which could help influence your wedding.
Obviously fairies and woodland have a great part to play .. and I've designed this stationery below to have a beautiful rustic vintage feel .. reminiscent of flowers would in Peasblossom and Mustardseed's hair! In reality I think the lace would be real and I'd tie the stationery bundle up with parcel string.

This style of wedding reception would look fabulous in one of the few campsites in the country that are licensed for weddings to give you that real outdoors feel ... but you could just as easily recreate the look in a marquee, barn or big hat tipi tent.

I'd use lots of twisted wood as decor and in the centre of tables ... wrapped round with moss and beautiful wild flowers. Keep hair long and loose wound with flowers and give your little flower girls gorgeous pairs of wings for that real fairy look!

I'd string fairy lights and chandeliers through trees or in the ceiling to give a real magical look.



Beautiful Vintage Style Bridesmaid Dresses!

So .. I thought it was about time I shared with you some of my favourite suppliers and ideas for bridesmaid dresses for your adult bridesmaids, having covered flower girls and small bridesmaids on past blogs.
I always find that finding bridesmaids dresses for your adult bridesmaids is one of the most tricky parts of planning your wedding. Do you go all matching? Do you have a theme? How do you find a bridesmaids dress that suits all shapes and sizes? Do you pick something your bridesmaids feel comfortable in or force them into something that's spot on for the look of your wedding?
Its a minefield!

I personally am a massive fan of the current trend for mismatching bridesmaids as above .. not only does it look fab, you can easily buy dresses that each of your bridesmaids feel comfortable in and suits them, but also matches your wedding.
There are so many beautiful vintage style bridesmaid dresses on the market these days ... here are a few of my favourites ....

 gorgeous short bridesmaid dresses from www.bhldn.com .. these two would look brilliant mismatched as they are the same colour palette and tone but different styles.

Go for a fabulous 50's feel with bang on trend coral colours from www.courtesan-boutique.co.uk These dresses come in up to 60 colours!

If your prefer your bridesmaids in long dresses try these beautiful ethereal style dresses from one of my favourite dress designers www.joanneflemingdesign.com I adore the green!

Or go for a really retro look with these amazing dresses from www.vivienofholloway.com 

The perfect vintage dresses .. the floral print dresses would look fantastic mixed and matched!

I hope this has given you a few ideas for your bridesmaid dresses. Please share in the comments box if you have any other fab suggestions for Vintage Style Bridesmaid Dresses or let me know what you think of the ones above ... which would you pick?!

Nikki x 

Ladyamy's Most Desired Wedding Venues In The Cotswolds

Today sees another fabulous blog post from my Guest Blogger Lauren. Just a quick mention ... Lauren is currently running a special offer for wedding day co-ordination on her own blog. Drop by at http://ladyamyweddings.blogspot.com/ .. anyway over to Lauren ....

"Hello, how are you all? I hope you have been enjoying yourselves? I would like to Thank you for dropping by the Knotsandkisses blog and reading my wedding rambles. My name is Lauren, I run Ladyamy Bespoke Wedding Design which is a wedding planning business based in the Cotswolds.


Firstly I would like to say a huge Congratulations to Cass and her gorgeous hubby, as they celebrated their wedding last Saturday. A beautiful vintage inspired 'perfect peacock' wedding. I was so delighted to be involved and can't wait to share the pics with you all soon.. So stay tuned!!

This week I am chatting about all my fave wedding venues in the Cotswolds and sharing some top tips on choosing the perfect wedding venue.
There are so many beautiful barns, hotels, country houses and gardens so it really is tricky to choose but I have hot listed the ones I simply LOVE..

Top Tips I regularly go for lovely long drives around the Cotswolds with my other half and our little boy, viewing venues and sourcing hidden treasures, which do great food and drink, have lovely communicative staff, have gorgeous accommodation and are at a reasonable rate.

It's so important that the staff at the venue are communicative, informative, generally kind, helpful and understanding, as this is such a special time for you and you are spending a lot of money so you need as much information as possible to make the perfect decision. Try out the service, food and drinks to give you a real insight in to their standard and always ask for a walk around of the grounds and accommodation.

Key things to find out... Will the venue be exclusive to you on the day? Do they have facilities for children / people with disabilities? Is there enough accommodation for all your guests? If not, what about nearby B&Bs / campsites and hotels? Can we decorate and personalise the venue to suit? Who takes care of all the clearing up the morning after?

My Hot List

The Wheatsheaf in Northleach is a true beauty and such a golden find. Although I knew this 'public house' existed, I had never really thought of it as a wedding venue http://www.cotswoldswheatsheaf.com/ However, it really is so pretty and oozing charm and character, with a homely rustic feel. Having been recently refurbished being sympathetic to the original style and character of the building, the detail and finished look is just divine.

Sheldon Manor is situated in the beautiful back drop which is Chippenham, Wiltshire. This stunning country house is a family home, which is rented out for weddings and blessings. Its tranquil gardens aid the creation of a magical and peaceful setting for your special day. With the option of hiring Sheldon for exclusive use, this charming building and all its grounds offers a blank canvas to truly stamp your personalities on your wedding day.

http://www.sheldonmanor.co.uk/

Cripps Barn, which lies between the beautiful busy village of Bibury and the slightly more peaceful and quaint village of Fossebridge. Surrounded by rustic farm land, rolling hills and woodlands, this gorgeous venue is perfect for that less conventional wedding. With a lovely bonfire area and cute shabby chic hanging details in all the trees, original chunky wooden beams inside and an amazing fireplace creating a focal point, they also now offer the opportunity to marry outside, within the gardens under their pretty veranda. You really can create something magical and special here. http://www.crippsbarn.com/gallery.asp




Also take a peep at these..

Ellenborough Park

Temple Guiting Manor

Stone Barn

Whinkworth Farm

Matara

I hope you have enjoyed looking at a selection of Ladyamys favourite wedding venues here in the Cotswolds.

As a Wedding Planner / Bridal Hair Specialist I am here to offer advice and guidance so feel free to get in touch for a free consultation with me. Either drop me an email at enquiries@ladyamyweddingdesign.co.uk or give me a call on 07825988900"



Autumnal Florals For Your Wedding Stationery

I've recently been working on a version of my Country Garden Wedding Stationery range for a lovely couple in Scotland. You can see the original Country Garden invitation on my website www.knotsandkisses.co.uk.
The new design was to based around autumnal colours .. with plums and oranges in the floral arrangements and teal bridesmaid dresses.
This is the design I came up with below ...

I really love the vibrant colours in this stationery design and I've come up with a few styling ideas to go with it. I think its got a bit of a colourful harvest festival or fayre feel .. so I'm thinking fabulous barns, hay bales, lots of beautiful flowers and pumpkins. What do you think ?



The Most Perfect Vintage Icecream Van For Your Wedding!

I'm over the moon today as I'm featuring another of my favourite wedding peeps on twitter ... the lovely Hayley and her fabulously retro icecream van Betty!

I can't tell you how much I would want a vintage icecream van if I was to get married! It would probably be the first thing I booked! And I love Betty's retro styling and gorgeous cath kidston interior!

You can often find Hayley and Betty at various events around the country ... check out the website www.vintagescoops.co.uk .. but by far the best thing is you can hire Betty for your wedding!

I asked Hayley to answer a few questions about her lovely icecream van ... hopefully she'll give me a free mint choc chip when I see her ;-) ....



What Inspired You To Set Up Your Own Business Selling Icecream?

"My Mum passed away Feb 09 and I was at my absolute lowest. I am a Nursery Nurse and had previously owned and run a kindergarten in Northants with my best friend.

We moved back to the Milton Keynes area to be close to our families.... I just wanted more than anything to be me again!! I wanted to smile, be jolly and make others smile x
I announced to my lovely hubby and two boys that I had bought an ice cream van, they thought I had finally flipped! I wanted my van to be an extension of me and all my loves.... I hope that is what people feel and see...

I wanted to provide my local community with a slice of Hayley... pootle along in my van named after my Nan 'Betty' supplying my local area with locally made ice cream, excellent customer service with a huge smile....

The day I left my Nursery position I found out we had won Country Homes Magazine 'New Country Business of the Year' I literally skipped round the building!!! I really felt like my Mum was looking out for me, helping me along the way x
Running Vintage Scoops is a journey and one I am loving, it is hard work but very rewarding, I have met some amazing people and everyday I know I am truly blessed"

What Do You Sell?

"As well as the locally sourced ice cream we also supply a range of vintage ice lollies and traditional soft drinks. All served from a 50's style ice cream van festooned with bunting, by me in my best floral frock!

It was all about revisiting my childhood, I sell lollies such as Cherry Brandy, Lager and Lime, Cider lollies etc and old fashioned sweeties from the jars such as sherbet lemons, rosy apples, Rhubarb and Custard...

The Ice Cream I sell is a produced on a local farm and is oh sooo pretty x I carry flavours such as Strawberries and Cornish Clotted Cream, Rum and Raisin, Vanilla Pod, Sticky Toffee Fudge!"



Do You Do Special Requests?

"Yes, If there is something you would like that you haven't seen in the menu. You may, for example, have a specific flavour of ice cream in mind for your event, or perhaps you have a favourite sweet. If you have any request, no matter how big or small, I would love to hear from you, you might have a favourite I've overlooked!"

How Can Couples Book Betty For Their Special Day?
 
"Betty loves nothing more than to dress up for a special day out. Decked out in her colourful bunting she can help make your event truly memorable. Special flavours, such as Pimms and Lemonade or Bailey's, as well as all of the traditional favourites, can be provided to suit your particular occasion upon request.
Betty can travel up to 30 miles, or farther by request, from her home in Whaddon which is close by Milton Keynes. If you are unsure of the distance please do not hesitate to get in touch as you may be closer than you think!


You can call us on 07968987930 if you have any further questions or just want to have a chat. Either way we would love to hear from you. Alternatively fill in the contact form on the website www.vintagescoops.co.uk "

Thanks Hayley! I'm off to dream about a sunny afternoon wedding with Pimms and Mint Choc Chip icecream!
Nikki x

Rustic Reception Stationery For Your Wedding

Hello all ... hope you enjoyed Lauren's fabulous guest post yesterday on safari styling for your wedding.
I just wanted to quickly share with you today some of the Reception Stationery I've been designing for couples lately.
I often get asked whether couples can just buy their reception stationery from Knots & Kisses, as they've previously sorted their invitations elsewhere or made them themselves. The answer of course is yes! I'm more than happy to help ... and in all honesty its probably this bit of your wedding stationery you don't want to be doing yourselves, as you'll have more than enough to be getting on with in the run up to your wedding!

Below is some rustic style reception stationery I designed earlier this week. Hope you like them as much as I do!

Fabulous Safari Wedding Styling from Guest Blogger Lady Amy Design

Hi all! I hope you're all enjoying the posts every Wednesday from my Guest Blogger Lauren.
Lauren is a wedding planner and wedding hair specialist who runs Lady Amy Design .. you can click on the link on the right hand side of this blog to have a look at her website.
I personally am loving all the blogs so far! Its great to get view points and styling ideas from a wedding planner ... I especially loved the peaches & cream styling post, and ideas for a rainy wedding.
Anyway I'll hand back over to Lauren for this weeks post .....

Good morning! How are you all? I hope you have all had an awesome week / weekend? and a Huge Huge congratulations to those couples who tied the knot. I wish you the very best of luck in your future together..lots of love and happy thoughts going out to you all.

This week on the Knots and Kisses blog I am going to share with you my most recent finds and inspiration. Feel free to pop over to my blog, http://ladyamyweddings.blogspot.com/p/ladyamys-story.html to follow my wedding rambles and keep up to date with the Weddings I am planning and all the latest wedding goss ;)

I am currently running a special offer too so don't miss out, anyway...

Bringing Cultures Together.. Inspired by Marie Claire Magazine's Fashion section, World Party! Whilst doing a little research and reading some magazines, I across a lovely vibrant and colourful piece on a gorgeous selection of clothes, patterns and natural materials.. Which deeply inspired this weeks blog post.
So when I got home I did loads of research into Wedding Inspiration, using natural materials and bringing cultures from all around the world together.

I love to travel and go abroad on holiday, visiting new places and dipping my toe into other cultures. Trying new foods and ways of life. It fascinates me how we are all so different. We eat differently, dress differently, speak differently and have very different interests, yet we have all adapted to our surroundings.

http://www.themed-homedecor.com/African-Safari-Decorating.html

How uber gorgeous and sexy is this picture. The golden tones and rustic charm glows beauty.. a simply stunning safari inspired look http://www.polyvore.com/safari-inspired_wedding_dresses_brides/thing?id=23482440

How awesome are these accessories and wedding details? Very simple to create and extremely effective. I recommend Knots and Kisses for all wedding stationery. Nikki is fabulous.

Gorgeous - take a peek at this wedding http://www.beau-coup.com/blog/news/jungle-safari-wedding-theme


http://lemiga.blogspot.com/2008/12/safari-chic-decor.html

http://todayimwearing.com/2011/05/trend-safari-shoes/

How gorgeous is this Jenny Packham dress? http://www.jennypackham.com/ I am a huge fan of hers anyway and adore this style. The details and embellishment around the neckline is so pretty and really creates that traditional Kenyan jewellery look. Its the perfect choice for a summers wedding dress, light weight, floaty through the bottom and slightly more fitted in the waist area, allowing a bride to really show off her curves and feel girly, just lovely!

http://www.brides.com/wedding-dresses-style/wedding-dresses/gallery/dresses/editors-pick/designer/jenny-packham/detail/224887

http://www.wedfully.com/

I hope you have liked this weeks colourful creative post. Its such a fab idea to include in your wedding a mixture of cultures, maybe from all the wonderful places you may have visited and holidays / traveled together before the big day. You may have somewhere special to you as a couple, like where you got engaged or your first trip away together.

Bring some culture and colour to your big day and look further afield for inspiration..

All the best
Lauren
x

Pretty Floral Wedding Styling & Stationery

I spent most of Saturday morning this weekend making some lovely samples of my Ditsy Print wedding stationery for a new client who is getting married in 2012. So I thought I'd share with you the pictures I took of the samples and come up with a few new styling ideas for the range. You can see the full details of the Ditsy Print range on my website http://www.knotsandkisses.co.uk/

When I first came up with this range I styled it with lots of white linen and pretty bunting and foliage .. which I still think would look amazing! But I also love the idea now of mixing something this pretty up with dark woods and more Victorian style vintage for a bit of a contrast. Here are some styling ideas below...

Credits :

first & last image, styling and vintage hire ... http://www.vintagestylehire.co.uk/

cake stand & pretty floral bunting ... http://www.vintageamethyst.co.uk/

cupcakes in teacups ... http://www.cottonandcrumbs.co.uk/ 

Wedding Flowers From A Fabulous Florist!

I'm chuffed to bits about today's Supplier Spotlight .. as one of my favourite people on twitter has agreed to write a little bit for you about what she does! Her name is Steph and she's the lovely lady behind Fairynuff Flowers! I really love Steph's style as her flowers compliment my love of all things vintage perfectly. I particularly love her use of peonies .. which quite frankly are my favourite flower!
So enough about me .. I'll hand over to Steph! ....

"The gorgeous Nikki has asked me to waffle on about fairy nuff flowers for all her lovely lovely readers. For those that know me well, or in fact just know of me, will know that was slightly foolish of her! There's no stopping me most of the time!

When I was young I always wanted to be one of three things. A florist, sports journalist or undertaker (the least said about that the better). Obviously. My biggest love was sport - mostly rugby and cricket, and that's what won through first, having worked for a sports marketing company, and then for five amazing years, BBC Sport at TV Centre.

When they told us though that the whole of BBC Sport were moving to Manchester, I knew that the time was right to move on and do something else that I had always dreamt of. The memories of me and my brother in my Grandparents garden picking blooms off of her stunning Hydrangea and yummy smelling Rose bushes will live with me forever

I did all my flowery training at a Central London florist and on 1st July 2005, fairy nuff flowers (named after my tooth fairy) was born. We were based in one of the cutest shops ever in Church Square, Shepperton - just down the river from Hampton Court and Weybridge, selling a range of beautiful blooms along with gorgeous gifts, vases and cards.

We had a brilliant five years there, and in that time my love of weddings grew and grew. So much so that I decided to take the leap, rent out my lovely shop (to a fab hairdresser) and concentrate on beautiful bespoke blooms for people's big days. And thank goodness, it couldn't have worked out better for me and the fairies!

With the help of twitter, in the last year, I have met some of the most amazing suppliers, brides, and just a bundle of wonderful people, who have opened up so many doors for fairy nuff flowers. We've taken part in beautiful photo shoots, both appeared and write for various wedding blogs and sites, my flower designs have appeared in a number of magazines, and I've also met a whole gang of lovely new brides too!

I honestly believe that flowers play a massive part in people's weddings, and that's why we love them so much. We have been lucky enough to make hundreds and hundreds of weddings extra pretty, concentrating on perfect petals, but also the teeny tiny touches that matter so much.

My advice for any newly engaged couples? Shop around and visit a number of florists. When you find the right person, or company, you will know. I think it is so important to like and get on with the people involved in one of the most important days of your lives. Take with you as much information as possible. Pictures of your dress and and any bridesmaids dresses, venue details, and any pictures you have found in magazines that you particularly like. The more information the better - even if it's just a theme or colour.

And most of all, enjoy planning the flowers and don't stress. Flowers are amazing and beautiful things, and no matter what your budget for blooms is, will transform your wonderful wedding day. x"

You can contact the lovely steph via her website http://www.fairynuff-flowers.co.uk/

She's also fab to chat to on twitter @fairynuffflower !