An Amazing Wedding Stationery Filled Year!

I hope you're all having a fantastic time over the holidays.
As its New Years Eve I wanted to look back on how amazing 2012 had been and look forward to 2013!

The last year has seen Knots & Kisses grow so much! I'm incredibly proud of some of the work I've done and have loved meeting and talking to some amazing new clients and lots of new friends in the Wedding Industry :)
We also made the move from Essex to Devon which has been fantastic! I'm loving my new life down here in the South West ... so much more relaxed .. even though I've been busier than ever!

I've launched several new ranges including my Sketch and Candy Stripe ranges, below, which have prooved to be incredibly popular this year!
What was so great about these 2 ranges was how easily they could be adapted to any weddings colour scheme and I did lots of different colour variations for couples to match their wedding.
Visit the website http://knotsandkisses.co.uk for all the details on these ranges.

I've also had the pleasure of providing stationery for some fantastic styled shoots organised by others in the Wedding Industry, including the pastel shoot below which was organised by Sara at www.underthevintageveil.com and the Summer Berries & Narnia Shoots organised by Lauren at www.ladyamyweddingdesign.co.uk .. thanks Ladies!

I've had some amazing feedback from people this year and I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you for your continued support!
If you are new to the Knots & Kisses blog then Welcome! Here's some of my favourite bespoke wedding stationery work from 2012 ...

I've also had the privelege to work on some logo design work for some incredibly talented people in the Wedding Industry .. so thank you to Mrs Scoops, Lady Amy Wedding Design, Sprig & Cecil and Billy One Horn for entrusting this to me :)

I'm incredibly excited for 2013 as I have lots planned for Knots & Kisses , including 2 new ranges .. Vintage Travel and Magical Woodland ... which will be launching on Monday 7th January! So make sure you keep an eye on the blog over the next week or so for all the details.

Thank you and Happy New Year! Nikki x

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas!

I hope you're all ready to go for a perfect festive day tomorrow.
My family have been down from Birmingham all weekend and we have been spending a very festive time making crackers with my Niece and Nephew and cooking lots of yummy things for tomorrow's big day!

So I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of Knots & Kisses readers, customers, friends and fellow wedding peeps a Very Merry Christmas! Thank you all so much for your support this year .. it has been amazing!

And to leave on a very festive note here's a picture of the amazing Gingerbread House which my lovely other half Anthony has made for us to tuck into over the Christmas period ... needless to say the kids were blown away!

A Narnia & Secret Garden Inspired Wedding Styled Shoot

Anyone else getting very excited about Christmas!?! Me too!
Anyway back to Weddings! ....

Earlier in the year I had the pleasure of creating some wedding stationery designs for a shoot organised by the lovely Lauren of www.ladyamyweddingdesign.co.uk .
I've worked with Lauren before and was really excited by the theme and moodboard she sent me for the styled shoot she was working on.
The theme was an inspiring blend of Wild Narnia & Secret Garden to create a magical woodland feel for a wedding.

I created a few different items of stationery, including a hessian and decoupage booklet style invitation and some velvet and lace embellished placecard tags, menus and table names. I loved the items I created so much they are going to be the basis for a new range of Wedding Stationery which I will be launching in January! So keep your eyes peeled in the New Year :)

Here are pictures of the stationery along with more images from this gorgeous shoot!

The suppliers involved included...

Lauren from Ladyamy Bespoke Wedding Designs

Jenny Davies - Bridal hair and Make - up

Charlie from the Flower Fairies

Me! Nikki from Knots & Kisses Wedding Stationery

Natalie Welner, a successful sculpture and hair piece designer

Charlie from House of Istria

Danielle, of the White Rose Bridal Boutique in Chipping Camden

Spencer and Phil, from All in the image photography

Charlie from CKB Photography
Oates of Cheltenham provided men's wear

Gorgeous Vintage Inspired Bridal Hair Accessories!

I love it when I find a lovely supplier who creates beautiful pieces for all you lovely couples out there getting married. Especially if they are a small business like myself who gives that really personal touch.

I came across the lovely Rachel who is the designer behind Penny Brown http://www.etsy.com/shop/PennyBrownBridal?ref=ss_profile on Twitter recently and immediately fell in love with the hair accessories she produces for Brides to be! So I asked her along to the blog to share her story and what she does ....

"My name is Rachel, I'm originally a Derbyshire girl but I'm in Manchester studying Business Enterprise at Uni. It's me in the photos if you'd like to put a name to a fringe :) I've always had a huge love for anything crafty - As soon as I discovered old millinery techniques to make flowers from silk I knew I had found my path and headed off to Manchester to learn about the boring bits in order to make sure I could do what I loved for a career.

I started Penny Brown just recently at the start of November 2012 - Although I've been designing products and developing my millinery skills over the past few years- my little etsy site is very organic! I'm so excited to make more and more pieces.

The name is inspired by my favourite poem by William B. Yeats. It's playfully alluring and really embodies the whimsy I want Penny Brown to represent and the charm in my pieces.

I WHISPERED, "I am too young,"

And then, "I am old enough;"

Wherefore I threw a penny

To find out if I might love.

"Go and love, go and love, young man,

If the lady be young and fair."

Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,

I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing,

There is nobody wise enough

To find out all that is in it,

For he would be thinking of love.

Till the stars had run away

And the shadows eaten the moon.

Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,

One cannot begin it too soon. - William B. Yeats

Lovely isn't it? :)

My flower crowns are made from all silk and cotton lace, hand dyed sewn and assembled by me - There's a lot of skill, time and love that goes into each piece and I really hope it shows!"

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PennyBrownBridal?ref=ss_profile

New Wedding Stationery Ranges Launching in January!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I'm starting to get very excited now about Christmas ... my family will be descending at the weekend so lots to do!
And before all of that kicks off I've got to finish work on the two new ranges of wedding stationery that I will be launching in early January!
I can't wait to share them with you ... they are called 'Vintage Travel' and 'Magical Woodland' and are very different, so something for everybody, but both have a beautiful vintage feel with a Knots and Kisses 'twist' :)

Want a sneek peak ? Oh go on then! ...

Wedding Planning By The Hour!

I'm delighted today to introduce a new service to all of you who are planning a wedding yourselves but might need a few hours of help from a professional .
The lovely Val from Benessamy Events http://www.benessamy.co.uk/ contacted me about the new service she will be offering as part of her Wedding Planning and Co-ordination services and it's a fantastic gift idea for a Christmas present for those planning a wedding!

Over to Val to explain more ....

"Looking for a special Christmas gift for a newly engaged couple? Then how about a gift voucher for an hour or two with a professional wedding planner.


Benessamy Events have this week launched Benessamy by The Hour - a new wedding planning service.

Wedding Planning Services by the Hour

This new service is great for couples who want to plan everything themselves but would like a helping hand from a professional wedding planner to ensure their wedding plans get off to a flying start. It's also perfect if wedding plans have stalled or have hit a tricky stage. Benessamy by The Hour can be used to get things back on track.

You can book 1 hour or blocks of 2, 3 or 4 hours.

Benessamy’s Wedding Planner and Director Valerie Mattinson says:

Planning a wedding can be very exciting but also quite daunting for couples. This new service is a great way to get a helping hand - Couples can use the time to focus on a topic of choice - budget planning, design ideas, guest list nightmares, venue second look - whatever suits!

Give the Gift of Time and Organisation

What a great gift for an engaged couple and just in time for Christmas too!

You can purchase a Benessamy gift voucher for 1 hour or a block of hours. The couple can either use the voucher to book a wedding planning consultation or as a part payment for any of our wedding planning services

So why not treat someone, treat yourself or add it to your Santa List!

To purchase a voucher and to find out more contact Valerie on 07787 422451 or events@benessamy.co.uk  

A Vintage Colonial Themed Wedding & Invitations

Today I'm sharing with you a design for some wedding stationery for a lovely couple that I did last month. It was quite a complicated design as the bride was Catholic and from Botswana, and the groom was Hindu. This meant a huge family on both sides, a whole weekend of wedding ceremonies and an order for well over 300 invitations!

To incorporate both of their heritages they asked me to come up with a Vintage Colonial theme which would reflect both. They wanted it to be rustic and loved the idea of using hessian and twine in the design, and also wanted to incorporate some of the coral colour which would be seen in the bridesmaids dresses.
I decided on a set of vintage style postcards which could easily be adapted and added to depending on which part of the wedding the guests were being invited to, which were then wrapped in a hessian band, tied with string and packaged in a brown manilla posting box.
If you would like me to design a bespoke invitation set for your wedding I would love to hear from you .. visit the website at http://knotsandkisses.co.uk or drop me an email at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk

Here's a photo of the finished design and images of the fronts and backs of each of the individual cards in the pack ...

all stationery by Knots & Kisses http://knotsandkisses.co.uk

I absolutely love the idea of the Colonial wedding theme! It suits so many people .. whether you have an African or Indian heritage or not. The style harks back to days of vintage glamour and you can add in really nice elements of the Art Deco or Edwardian. Here is a mood board I've come up with to incorporate some ideas you could use for your Colonial style wedding .... use dark woods and old trunks for decor, and team with pretty lace and vintage jewellery to keep it looking bridal. Orange and coral colours are perfect as are hessian details ... perhaps you could wrap you napkins in hessian as I've done the invitation above.
The colonial look wouldn't be the same without some greenery so perhaps think of decorating your marquee or venue with palms and ferns for that authentic look!

credits:

artdeco inspired dress from www.boho-weddings.com ; www.weddingchicks.com ;

www.pinterest.com ; www.oncewed.com ; www.brides.com ; 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

For those of your that don't know I'm a bit of a Christmas obsessive!
Therefore please excuse me for dropping the wedding chat this morning and indulging my Christmas obsession by sharing with you my decorations this year!
I'm incredibly excited about this Christmas as, after the move to Devon earlier this year, its the first time we've had a house big enough to invite the family here for Christmas. So I've got my Mum, my sister, her husband and my gorgeous niece and nephew decsending on us on the 22nd.
I've therefore gone a little bit crazy with some craft projects which will make the house as Christmassy for them as possible!

My first project was to make everyone Christmas stockings. I was determined that now we have a fireplace that I would hang a stocking up for everyone .. but they are so expensive to buy! My partner Anthony and I already have bought stockings so I used those as a starting point and stocked up on felt and hessian and embellished with ribbons, buttons and homemade kraft tags to decorate them.

I also made some fabric heart bunting to string around the top of the curtain pole along with some fake green foliage ...

Alongside my tree this year, which myself and my other half made and decorated gingerbread men to hang on to, I think the overall effect in the dining room is great and I can't wait to eat Christmas dinner in there!



I've also made some bunting for over the fireplace in the lounge ... again out of hessian and felt and stencilled or cut out letters.

I'm definately in the mood for Christmas now! I hope you are all too ... would love to hear about your Christmas Craft projects!

Nikki x

Weekly Wedding Inspiration

Well the Christmas decorations are up here at Knots & Kisses HQ .. just! I've been so busy with orders to get out before Christmas that I'm needed some severe help from my lovely other half to prepare for Christmas aswell! Typically this is the first year we have invited the whole family to us for Christmas so I have loads more to do than normal and it happens to have coincided with the busiest December I've ever had here at Knots & Kisses! Not that I'm complaining ... I'm loving some of the wedding stationery I'm working on at the moment!

I've also been working on 2 new designs of wedding stationery which I will be launching in the new year. One is based on a Vintage Travel theme and the other has a Magical Woodland feel. I can't wait to share them with you .. so keep your eyes peeled for sneak peeks over the Festive period!

To round up the week I wanted to share with you some of my favourite wedding ideas from Pinterest this week...

Firstly some fantastic and unusual ideas for wedding favours. I have to say I'm not a massive fan of the traditional little boxes or bags filled with sugared almonds or chocolates so its great to see people being a little more inventive and give something that is useful to their guests!



Becca Rillo Photography via www.pinterest.com

Fabulous Little Shawls to give your guests ... especially great at an outdoor wedding!



www.stylemepretty.com via www.pinterest.com

Little Bags of Midnight Snacks for those late night wedding guest munchies!

 I also absolutely adore this idea of creating a runner for your tables using black and white images of the couple or your family!



www.engagedandinspired.com via www.pinterest.com



Guest Post : Being A Good Maid of Honour!

Today I have a fab guest post for all of you planning a wedding from the lovely Rebecca at www.chillisauce.co.uk . Amongst other things Chilli Sauce organise some fantastic hen and stag weekends ... so defiantely worth checking out if you are stuck for ideas.
Rebecca contacted me with a fantastic idea for a post to discuss your 'duties' when being a Maid of Honour at a friends wedding. I think its a great read, not only for the maid but also the bride .. as many people have very conflicting ideas as to what these roles should or should not involve! ....

7 Steps To Becoming A Better Maid of Honour !

"Being asked to be a maid of honour is a sign of true friendship, but walking the line between friend, assistant and organiser can be tricky! That is why I have written this post for you, combining my event organising experience from www.Chillisauce.co.uk but also my experience as a maid of honour for my sister.

In order to make it through the planning and ensure the hen party and the big day go as well as possible for your friend, follow these tips to becoming a better maid of honour. And always remember, true friendship is worth more than any unflattering bridesmaid dress.

1. Don’t steal the limelight

Let this be your mantra: it’s not your wedding. Be content to manage everything from behind the scenes, and you will be rewarded by the happiness you bring your friend. Let her take the credit; your turn will come.

2. Be honest (but not too honest)

As maid of honour, you are undoubtedly one of the bride’s most trusted friends. As such, while the bride is wrapped up in wedding plans, it falls to you to be the voice of reason. The dress she loves doesn’t flatter her? The table arrangements she HAS to have are tacky? Say so! However (and this is a very important however) always remember this is not your wedding. You have the best interests of your friend at heart, but pick your battles and be tactful.

3. Get away from it all

Planning a wedding is stressful. Take the bride away from it all, whether it’s just for a cup of coffee or a day at the spa and remind her that it’s only one day. As an outside party you can put things in perspective and allow her to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

4. Drinking

At a hen party, it’s almost mandatory to have a drink or two (or a lot). But as maid of honour you should try and stay sober whilst having fun. This way, you can keep the party organised and prevent any messy incidents. If everyone is moaning at you for being a spoilsport, ask the bartender for a drink that looks alcoholic but isn’t, like a virgin cocktail or plain tonic water with lemon.

5. Be prepared

Any number of disasters could happen to someone wearing a big white dress. Be prepared with stain remover, needle and thread, touch up make up and tissues, and you may just save the day!

6. The speech

You may want to tell everyone about the hilarious time the bride made a fool of herself, but save those stories for a more private occasion. Keep the speech short, simple and sweet – saying only nice things about the bride and the groom will reflect well on you, and prevent any drama that could derail the happy day.

7. Run interference

At the wedding, all the guests will want to congratulate the bride, but if she gets stuck talking to weird cousin Mabel for hours it may dampen her spirits slightly. Keep an eye on the bride and rescue her from any tricky situations. And make sure that she gets a chance to eat, drink and dance without interruptions – after all, you’ve both worked hard to make this happen!

I hope this has given you at least a tips to guide you through your maid of honour duties and best of luck!"

Win 50 Free Save the Date Cards for Your Wedding!

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend and have had fun with the start of Advent! I can't believe it's the start of December already!! Its been a manic few weeks here at Knots & Kisses but I took a few days out over the weekend to put up my Christmas decorations and go to a lovely Vintage christmas fair in Torquay with friends who were visiting from the weekend. I'm definately feeling a bit more festive now!

And speaking of festive I am currently running a very special promotion through the http://www.mrandmrsunique.co.uk/blog.aspx website, as part of their Advent Calendar promotion!
Every day in December will see a different wedding supplier offer a discount, prize draw or offer to win something for lucky readers! So definately worth having a look if you are currently planning your wedding!

My offer was on yesterday ... but you still have all of December to enter! I am offering one lucky reader the opportunity to win 50 free Save the Date cards for their wedding!
All you have to do is go to the Mr & Mrs Unique site and follow the instructions on how to enter and I will pick a winner and notify them by the end of January :)
Good Luck!