A Quick Apology!

Just a quick post this morning to apologise for not having any new blog posts up this week for you to look at!
I'm afraid I've been really unwell for the last couple of weeks with a horrible cold and this week I've had to prioritise my clients stationery orders and haven't had time to write any blogs for you :(

Hopefully normal service will resume next week and in the meantime here's a couple of photos of the Bejewelled stationery order I shipped out to a client on Monday ...

New Accessories to Wear On Your Wedding Day

Just a quick one for you today but I wanted to round the week off by sharing with you a couple of fantastic websites I've come across over the last couple of months with gorgeous accessories and jewelley for you to wear on your wedding day.
I have to admit now I've never been a 'delicate' jewellery person! So I much more inclined to large statement pieces of modern or Vintage Jewellery and headwear.

I met the lovely Sarah from http://www.roseandaster.com/ at the Milton Keynes Vintage Wedding Fair ... and had to keep my credit card firmly in my pocket otherwise I may have bought her entire stand!
I especially love the gorgeous statement necklaces ... and such amazing value you must have a look! The website also has lots of other gorgeous jewellery and other accessories.

My other website crush at the moment is the fabulous http://www.rocknrose.co.uk/ ... gorgeous jewellery but also fantastic headpieces. I absolutely love the rustic floral headbands which would look so beautiful at a relaxed country style wedding.

http://www.rocknrose.co.uk/headwear-c6/bandeaus-c8/rock-n-rose-bella-floral-bandeau-headband-p144

http://www.rocknrose.co.uk/headwear-c6/bandeaus-c8/rock-n-rose-madison-floral-crown-headband-p140

Have a weekend everyone and enjoy the sunshine!

Nikki x

Brilliant Ways With Bunting For Your Wedding!

Hello all!
I wanted to look today at bunting. Bunting has been quite popular at many weddings for a little while now as a form of decor. Its great for creating a relaxed feel .. and perfect for festival, rustic or village fete style weddings. But I wanted to look at alternative decor ideas with Bunting that could be adapted to almost any style of wedding or venue.

I personally LOVE bunting ... I have several strings of pretty or union jack bunting just waiting in my cupboard for the day I have a lovely garden and can string it up for a garden party :)
Here are some of my favourite buntings I've found ....

 Pretty Lace effect bunting from Baloolah Bunting on www.etsy.com

 Gorgeous Bunting from old crochet lace doilies available from Bekhadu at www.etsy.com

Silk Scarf / Handkerchief Bunting from esther2u2 at www.etsy.com

I especially love bunting made from doilies at the moment ...

image from www.100layercake.com

 

Of course you can use bunting in a traditional way and string it up from the ceiling of your venue. I think it looks best on mass for the best effect ..  so string lots of it from beams, posts and poles!

images from www.stylemepretty.com and www.emmalinebride.com

An alternative is to use small bunting .. either paper or fabric .. as a decoration for the backs of your chairs.

I think every other chair looks best if you're going to do this across your entire reception venue ... or each chair with a slightly different look or colour. Alternatively just use it to decorate the back of the Bride and Grooms chair for a special touch!

image from www.moonlightandwhimsy.com.au 

image from www.elizabethannedesigns.com

Finally why not use a touch of bunting to decorate a cake or over your dessert table as a finishing touch ....

image from www.sweetestoccasion.com

cake bunting available from www.etsy.com

I hope this gives you a few ideas for your wedding decor!

Nikki x

Birdcages & Barns ... Rustic Wedding Stationery & Styling

I don't know about anyone else but I can't believe its almost the end of March! Its been such a busy year and I've been working on such a lot of lovely orders of wedding stationery lately the time has flown by!

One of those orders was an adaptation of my Sketch range of wedding stationery http://www.knotsandkisses.co.uk/sketch.html for a lovely couple who wanted it to suit their rustic barn wedding. They really wanted a birdcage motif ... rather than one of the standard motifs I use on my Sketch range so I drew out a Birdcage and Hops line drawing to match in with their theme and teamed this with the existing mushroom colourway in the range to suit the rustic feel.

Here's a picture of the existing mushroom colourway with the Butterfly motif and the adaptation I did with the Birdcage Sketch ....

Following on from this theme I've put together some Rustic Barn Wedding Styling ideas to go with this adaptation of my Sketch range ... I'm thinking lots of hops on beams, wheat filled bouquets and doily decorations against wooden trestle tables.

credits :

http://flowerwildevents.blogspot.com ; www.heygorg.com ;

http://inspirationforhome.blogspot.com ; www.marthastewart.com ;

http://myweddecorations.blogspot.com ; www.newenglandfineliving.com ;

www.pinterest.com ; http://simplynaturalevents.blogspot.com ;

www.studiofleurette.com ; www.stylemepretty.com ; www.theweddingofmydreams.co.uk ;

www.victoriamade.com

Friday Supplier Spotlight - Photo Booth Fun For Your Wedding!

Delighted to introduce another company on the Supplier Spotlight today who I met at the Milton Keynes Vintage Wedding Fair .. in fact they had the stand next to mine .. which was a constant buzz all day as so many people wanted to have their photo taken or enquire about booking a photo booth for their wedding!
Stuart from Retro-Me Photo Booths kindly gave me some information about their services to share with you all ....

"Are you looking for something a bit different at your wedding reception? A Retro-Me photo booth will turn your special day into something extra special for you and for your guests! It’s a really fun and unique way to capture the memories of your wedding day and create a fantastic atmosphere where people are guaranteed to mix and mingle!


• Want to step back in time with a fully original booth? Choose our stunning ‘chemical’ photo booth restored to its original glory for a truly nostalgic atmosphere. We are the only company in the UK able to supply an absolutely original photo booth. These unique booths produce beautiful black and white images in the original strip layout with four individual images per strip. Unlimited photos with the thrill of waiting for the magic photo strip to appear!

• Or maybe the retro with a twist of modern? Choose our ‘digital’ retro booth that combines the original look and style with all the functionality of a modern booth. These booths provide full colour, black and white or sepia finishes as well as double prints for an unusual and very personal guest book. You’ll have a lasting visual memory of all your guests enjoying your wedding. Unlimited photos, printed in seconds!

Our friendly and knowledgeable support team will deliver a fully assembled booth and set it up to your exact requirements. They can even customise the panels for you. And they’ll be on hand throughout your wedding reception – discreetly, of course – for your complete peace of mind.

A Retro-Me photo booth will add an unusual twist to your wedding celebrations and make the day even more memorable. Imagine the fun your friends and family will have, laughing and chatting together as they take turns to have their pictures taken in a photo booth!

That’s not all. With all Retro-Me booths you will receive a digital copy of every image taken in the booth. We will also supply a box full of props for your guests to play with. As festivities reach their peak you’ll have a constant background of giggling and laughing as people get more adventurous with the props and their photos!

Wedding Guest Book

All wedding bookings include a free guest book. Capture all your wedding booth images with our special guest books where images and messages will bring you smiles for years to come. The Retro-Me team will manage this book for you on-site at no extra cost and add the images to your guests’ messages. So if you still have enough energy after your busy day you can flick through the guest book before you head off on your honeymoon.

If you prefer to supply your own book, we will fill it full of great images for you and your guests can fill it full of great messages.

If you’d like more information about hiring a Retro-Me photo booth for your wedding, please email us at info@retro-me.co.uk  We’d love to help make your big day extra special! "

Designing Logos & Business Cards

Hello all .. sorry again for the lack of new post yesterday ... my lovely computer was having a few glitches, but everything seems to be fine again now!

I wanted to quickly share with you today something a little different which I've been doing lately .. which is some design work for other wedding companies.
I was approached by the lovely Nic at florists Sprig and Cecil, who really like the design work I'd done for myself at the Milton Keynes Vintage Wedding Fair. She wanted a new look for her company and I agreed to help her out.

I absolutely loved coming up with a design for someone elses company and here are the results.

 Business Card Design

 Postcard Design

Letterheads

I hope to feature more about the lovely Sprig and Cecil on the blog soon but in the meantime you can follow Nic on twitter @sprigandcecil

Beautiful Pale Blue & Cream Vintage Roses Wedding Stationery & Styling

Hope everyone's had a lovely weekend! Mine was especially busy getting a few large stationery orders finished off and I also had a lovely visit from one of my clients to pick up their reception stationery for their wedding this weekend ... they absolutely loved their bespoke table plan so was incredibly pleased!

Today I want to share with you a design I produced with a few others for a client a few weeks back. They ended up going for a different colour scheme in the end but I really loved the classic combinations of pale blue and cream, given a pretty vintage twist with lace and roses.

The design is a pocketfold and looks like this inside .. with handy RSVP postcard ready for your guests to send straight back to you and an information card with all the directions etc ...

Here are a few wedding styling ideas I've found that would match this colour scheme beautifully.

credits top to bottom left to right : Biba at House of Fraser ; www.cottonandcrumbs.co.uk ;

www.bride.com ; www.pinterest.com ; http://28magnoliaavenue.tumblr.com ; www.chezbec.com ;

http://jldesigns.blogspot.com ; http://delightblog.blogspot.com ; www.iloveswmag.com

If you are interested in a bespoke invitation like this or would like to enquire about having a pocketfold style just contact me via the enquiry form on the website www.knotsandkisses.co.uk or drop me an email at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk

Friday Wedding Supplier Spotlight - Daisy Cupcakes

I've got a fantastic supplier to share with you today! I met the super lovely owner of Daisy Cupcakes at the Milton Keynes Vintage Wedding Fair I exhibited at recently. She provided gorgeous cupcakes for Vicky Trainor's stand and was buzzing around all day being lovely and trying to persuade my other half to make a display unit for her cakes :) I couldn't wait to share her gorgeous creations on the blog immediately!
Daisy Cupcakes is a little gem of a business based in the heart of Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire. Owned and run by Alison Goddard, known to most people as Daisy (!), it was formed 18 months ago and continues to become more and more popular amongst those looking for something a little different.

Alison creates exquisite little cakes, often described as edible works of art. Her cakes make a stunning statement served on a tiered cake stand at a wedding or special event, always memorable and always delicious. Daisy Cupcakes can also be sent by post – the perfect gift and a delicious alternative to flowers.

Alison is passionate about attention to detail and as a perfectionist, her cakes are meticulously decorated to look amazing. She loves working closely with her customers to coordinate the colours and decorations with the theme of the occasion – a wedding dress, flowers, a birthday - and has been asked on several occasions to create cakes for photoshoots, working with an inspiration board to create a perfect colour palette. Alison adores pushing the boundaries and trying new techniques, always loving to blend new colours and hand craft new decorations.

Recently, she has added sugar lace making to her skills and the cakes decorated with the edible lace have been incredibly popular, particularly for weddings. The Jubilee celebrations later in the year have inspired ‘The Jubilee Collection’ – faded red, off white and vintage blue decorations all overlaid with lace – gorgeous.

When she is not baking and creating, Alison is a Peripatetic Registrar, travelling around the licensed wedding venues of Warwickshire conducting Civil Ceremonies! She loves it, and it gives her an opportunity to be nosy – to people watch – and to keep up with trends in the wedding world. She always has a peek at the cake table and on several occasions has been fortunate to not only make the wedding cakes for a couple, but to then also take the wedding ceremony. What a privilege!

At the end of her garden is The Daisy Studio, a beautifully converted summer house, full of vintage pretties, an oasis of tranquillity and calm. Here, customers are invited for tea and cake to discuss their orders and students come to learn the tricks of the trade ... workshops are regularly held teaching others how to create beautiful adornments for their cakes.

Alison also writes a blog – The Journal of Daisy Cupcakes ( http://daisycupcakes.wordpress.com ). There are three entries a week and on a Friday, she includes a delicious recipe with step by step easy instructions for perfect results. It has become a bit of a hit on a Friday, ‘Something For The Weekend’.

You can see lots more information and trillions of photos on her website www.daisycupcakes.net  and a daily diary of Daisy happenings at www.facebook.com/daisycupcakes .

Give Alison a call when you next need an original gift or you are planning an event, she will love to bake for you and you will love her baking!

Alternative Honeymoon Ideas - Part 2

Hope you all enjoyed my alternative ideas for your honeymoon yesterday ... as promised here is Part 2!
As I said yesterday I have travelled quite a lot and spent a few years working as a travel consultant ... so this is a subject I love :)

My first idea today for an alternative honeymoon destination is ....

Sri Lanka
As a travel agent I was always recommending Sri Lanka as a fantastic alternative to the traditional beach holiday as its such good value and has amazing scenery! Sri Lanka has had a turbulent past ( I would always recommend checking latest foreign office advice ) ... but really has some of the most beautiful scenery and beaches in the world ... plus amazing food!
If you don't want to spend your entire time on the beach you can also go Elephant trekking or visit local tea plantations.

Flight Centre are currently offering packages at the stunning 5 star Eden Resort & Spa in Beruwela from £799 p/p.... but more budget hotels are available also.

Croatia
If you want somewhere a little closer to home but that is fantastic value for money, compared to the traditional beach destinations in Spain & Greece ... I'd thoroughly recommend Croatia. There are various areas ... the Dubrovnik Coast in the south being the most popular. There is also great value to be had in the north of Croatia as well ... flying into Pula with the budget airlines.
There are also some amazing sailing trips on beautiful old boats around the Croatian islands which are definitely worth a look ... one of the companies I would recommend is http://www.onthegotours.com/

My final suggestions is a little left field but bear with me!

Nicaragua

This is my number one place I've yet to visit which I really want to in the next few years! I actually organised a honeymoon trip for a couple to Nicaragua whilst I was a travel agent and I've been obsessed with going ever since! As well as the amazing history, ruins and volcanic lakes you can visit it also has some absolutely spectacular beaches ... and you can guarantee your not going to be overrun by tourists!

This is definitely not the budget option on my list but a once in a lifetime experience as far as I'm concerned.

I'd recommend booking with a specialist company like Journey Latin America who have a Nicaragua Honeymoon Itinerary for about £2000 per person including a stay at the beautiful Morgans Rock Eco lodge.

I hope you've enjoyed my look at alternative options for your Honeymoon! By the way I'd also thoroughly recommend other places I've been such as Malaysia, Australia, China & Antarctica ( for those with lots of cash and a sense of adventure!).

Would love to hear where you're planning on Honeymooning or where you went :)

Nikki x

Alternative Honeymoon Ideas

Many of you may not know that as well as a previous life as a Visual Merchandiser, I also spent 3 years as a travel consultant when I returned from travelling myself for a year.
On this note I wanted to spend today's blog exploring some of my favourite places in the world and some alternative ideas you may not have thought of when looking for somewhere to go on your honeymoon.

Hopefully I've covered a wide variety of budgets here so there is something for everyone.

Tuscany, Italy

Fairly normal you might say ... but very few people visit Italy on Honeymoon and get off the main city routes of Florence, Rome and Venice.
I'd suggest hiring a cottage or farmhouse in rural Tuscany and exploring some of the historic countryside and towns around Lucca & Siena. You can fly into Pisa quite cheaply with Easyjet, hire a car and get exploring!
This gorgeous little converted barn just south of Siena can be hired this year from around £750 a week and you get a private pool. Available on http://www.italian-country-cottages.co.uk/

Cambodia, South East Asia

Ok a bit more exotic here. Many of you may have travelled to Thailand as it has got more and more touristy, but not considered crossing the border over into Cambodia ... in my opinion a travesty! Cambodia has a rich and diverse history and landscape and is possibly my favourite place in the world I've ever travelled to.

As well as amazing food, there are of course the stunning temple areas around Siem Reap which are worth 3 days of exploring either via bicycle or tuk tuk. The famous Angkor Wat is beautiful, but I actually prefer the more ruined temples which have stunning Banyan Trees growing out of them ( Its where Tomb Raider was filmed if anyones interested!). Siem Reap itself has an old colonial charm and some beautiful hotels ...and you  can also take a trip down the Mekong river to Phnom Penh if you want to discover more of the countries more recent past .. although bring plenty of tissues as the Killing Fields are quite harrowing.

Hotels are such good value in Cambodia I'd splash out and stay at the Raffles in Siem Reap, where a week costs around £800 .. but there are plenty of beautiful alternatives such as the Angkor Sayana Hotel & Spa which I found a week at approximately £200! Obviously prices vary massively depending on the season. Be careful to check the weather in South East Asia when you travel as you don't want to be going in monsoon season!

Any good travel agent .. such as http://www.flightcentre.co.uk/ or http://www.trailfinders.co.uk/ will be able to sort you out a fantastic trip to Cambodia. 

I'm going to be exploring more Alternative Honeymoon Ideas tommorow ... including my number one place I want to go to in the world Nicaragua! So make sure you check back in the morning :)

Nikki x