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

Supplier Spotlight - Fantastic Wedding Planning

Today I'm delighted to introduce to you on the Friday Supplier Spotlight a lovely lady called Val Mattinson who also happens to be a fantastic Wedding Planner! I've asked Val to tell us a little bit more about herself and her company Benessamy Events www.benessamy.co.uk

How I Got Started


I launched Benessamy Events in 2011 after a career in the public sector in legal and corporate affairs.

I guess I got “the bug” for organising events when I worked in Chief Executive’s Office at Nottingham City Council and then became the Head of External Affairs. In this role I was responsible for the planning and co-ordination of ministerial and other special visits to Nottingham. I stayed in that role for three years before taking up the position of Director of Corporate and External Affairs at New College Nottingham (NCN) where my responsibilities included PR, communications and marketing.

I have enjoyed organising many special occasion events over the years but I think that the one which helped me to realise that it was time to put my passion, organisation (and list making!) skills into business was my brother and sister in law’s wedding in Barbados a few years ago. My initial curiosity and interest in the detail of their plans turned into the need to literally roll my sleeves up (or kicking off my flipflops!) and assisting in the on the day co-ordination to ensure that their dream wedding ran smoothly and in accordance with their plans. I loved every minute of it!

In 2010 I left NCN to set up Benessamy Events – The name ‘Benessamy’ is a combination of the names of my children and daily inspiration, Ben and Jessamy.

Services Offered by Benessamy

Many of the services we offer are bespoke and as such are priced according to the scale and size of a client's wedding or special event. We do not accept commission from suppliers and any discounts obtained are always passed onto our clients which will often mean a saving for them. This helps us to maintain our independence and ensures that we provide advice, support and recommendations which are appropriate to our clients' tastes, priorities and budget.

We are proud to affiliated with the UKAWP as an Associate Member and subscribe to their Code of Ethics.

All of our services start with an initial no obligation complimentary consultation. Our services include (See our website for more info on each):

Full Wedding Planning
Wedding Day Management including supplier and guest co-ordination
Rescue Service
Budget Management and supplier negotiation
Venue finding
Supplier sourcing
RSVP and Guest Management
Wedding Etiquette Advice

We specialise in weddings but are also offer for party planning and co-ordination for other special occasions and celebratory events.

USP

I think that the skills that I’ve developed as a lawyer – organisation, tactfulness, diplomacy, negotiation and attention to detail are incredibly useful to my wedding and events clients.