Miscellaneous Monday: Spring Wedding Tweet up

Today we're turning our attention to the wonderful wedding suppliers who help our brides and grooms with planning every details of their wedding as smoothly and stress-free as possible. Last week, West Weddings had the privilege of joining many of the local business owners for the Spring Wedding Tweet up, which took place on Tuesday evening at Goldbrick House, Bristol. 

Organised by the wonderful Kirsten Butler from The Little Wedding Helper - our creative director for the West Weddings photoshoots - the Tweet-ups are a chance for wedding businesses within the area to catch-up over a glass of champagne and canapés. As always, everyone was wonderfully looked after by the fantastic team at Goldbrick House.  

Having met many of the South West's wedding experts at events, shows and, of course, on our quarterly editorial photoshoots, we can honestly say the wedding industry abounds in talented, creative and above all supportive people. Our engaged couples going through the all the stages of organising a big day (venue, dress, entertainment, cake, photography, etc) can enlist the services of experienced vendors whom we absolutely love and respect! 

Jacqui from West Weddings with Jane from Beez Neez Bunting Hire 

Wearing the elegant red hat (see picture above), Jane from Beez Neez Bunting Hire is skilled at making beautiful bunting available to buy or hire as well as studying millinery and creating beautiful bespoke pieces. Take a peek at her website if you don't believe us! 

Throughout the evening Jacqui had a lovely chat with Susan from Portishead Wedding Flowers and caught up with Martin from Martin Dabek Photography, whose beautiful and fun images feature regularly in our real weddings pages and photo gallery. He also helped us create the editorial 'love story' in our recent issues!

Later on, the West Weddings team also spoke to Harriet from Harriet de Winton Illustration and Louise from Maison-du-Macaron and we're looking forward to working with both of them on our next photo shoot at Clevedon Hall!

Before the night was over, we also managed to talk to Grace form Grace Kingsley make-up and of course the host - Kirsten from The Little Wedding Helper! Aside from being a fun and relaxed networking opportunity, the event also raised money for the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation - a charity that organises and funds weddings for terminally ill people.

Took part in last week's event? Let us know on our Twitter and  Facebook pages! And don't forget to check the Little Wedding Tweet ups page for information on the upcoming events! 

Behind the scenes: Winter photoshoot at The Battleaxes

On this fresh winter’s day, we offer you an exclusive view from this issue of The West Weddings photoshoot. So it’s time to get cosy, as you poor over these stunning images taken by the talented Martin Dabek, from PhotoDabek - the hot chocolate is optional!  

The location of our photoshoot was The Battleaxes in North Somerset – a charming English pub that instantly lures you in with its cosy open fireplace and rooms full of character. With an idyllic countryside setting, the venue oozes charm and period features, making it ideal for wedding day celebrations. 

 

Our ‘bride’ Rachel looked stunning in the gorgeous gowns from The White Collection in Clevedon, which were complemented beautifully with superb accessories from Bridezillas. Her ‘groom’ David tried on a selection of suits, waistcoats and cravats provided by Anne Harding. 

           

Every detail was planned to perfection by our stylist Kirsten Butler, owner of the Little wedding Helper, incorporating seasonal features and maximizing the surroundings. 

We couldn't have created this issue without our talented wedding suppliers: Jax-Glam Beauty, Hairoics Mobile Hair and Beauty, Mim's Flower Shed, Pretty Amazing Cakes, Triggols Vintage Cars and Lighthaus Events. 

 Loved these images? For more ‘Behind the scenes’ looks, check out our previous post here, then come over to our Twitter and Facebook  pages and let us know which looks inspired you for your big day!

Behind the Scenes: Autumn Photoshoot at Old Manor Hotel

We know you've been waiting for this and we're now delighted to share with you some of the 'behind the scenes' photos that created the romance-filled story of our West Weddings autumn editorial. The most exquisite details and amazing people from the West Country have come together to showcase their work in a beautiful country location - Old Manor Hotel. 

With the sun shining, the hotel looked charming and warm - the perfect place for an intimate get-away wedding weekend. 

**Little known fact!**Did you know the site of the Old Manor is mentioned in the Doomsday Book? Its history stretches over centuries yet it feels current and cosy.    

Surely you'll agree with us that our bride and groom look a picture of happiness - and who can blame them? They were looked after by a host of wedding experts and had a chance to experience some of the joys of getting married! 

With hair and make-up professionally done by Grace Kingsley and wearing the gorgeous gowns from Solitaire Brides, as well as accessories from Bridezillas, our bride looked truly breathtaking. That's not to say that the groom wasn't dashing in his smart suits kindly provided by Anne Harding. What's more, the couple enjoyed a ride in the Jag and Morris Minor provided by Vintage Classics. 

                       

                              

                           

The finishing touches - wedding cake from Pretty Amazing Cakes and flower arrangements from Tin Can Floral - were styled with love and creativity by the talented Little Wedding Helper. And you would not be looking at these stunning pictures if it wasn't for the skills of the photographer Martin Dabek. 

Want to see more 'Behind the Scenes' posts? You can also browse through some of our previous shoots and come over to our Twitter and Facebook pages to get in touch! 

Miscellaneous Monday: Love, Autumn,Weddings

Welcome to a new week, month and even season (not to mention school year). We’re sad to wave goodbye to yet another summer filled with sunshine and weddings, but we’re also excited for all the couples who got engaged over the past few months. Like exuberant children heading back to school this week, we can’t wait to share with you our latest issue of WestWeddings magazine – find all the latest news, planning tips and the best local suppliers. Here are our top reasons why you should get your hands on a copy of the magazine. Today.

• See our country romance editorial at the picturesque setting of Old Manor Hotel, featuring the gorgeous models Stacey Jade and David Hill-Souch (including a cute dog), and photographed by the talented Martin Dabek. You’ll also discover all the details featured and the team of experts behind the photos, including the wonderful wedding stylist Kirsten Butler. 

• Get reception inspiration for all those finishing touches in an array of shades and colours – pink, red, green and gold. And if you happened to miss our behind the scenes post from last year’s autumn issue, you can revisit it here.

            

• It’s free! As always, West Weddings magazine is free of charge, and this issue comes with 2 complimentary tickets to this season’s Wedding World events, in association with West Weddings. Find out everything about the September and November dates in our previous blogs. 

• We have 5 real weddings from the South West, where the happily married couples share all the special details from their big days – enjoy! 

• Keep up to date with the wedding industry news and find out where the wedding fairs are taking place this season. Don’t miss our Gown Inspiration pages featuring the latest bridal trends and styles!

• Find out everything there is to know about how to choose your wedding photographer and the best tips on getting perfect snapshots of your big day.   

Don’t forget that you can also read West Weddings magazine directly on our website. If you’d prefer to have your own copy, check out our list of stockists across the South West. We’d love to hear your thoughts, answer any questions, so come over to our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter – we always love a chat! 

Behind the Scenes: Winter photo shoot at Hestercombe Gardens

West Weddings chose Hestercombe Gardens, with its stunning views across the Somerset countryside, for our winter photoshoot, directed once again by Kirsten Butler of the Little Wedding Helper. Our theme for this shoot was 'secret garden' - and for that we had the perfect venue!

The gorgeous photos are all courtesy of Martin Dabek of PhotoDabek.

Our model (for two shoots running, now!) was Rachel Harvey. She had her make-up done by Grace Kingsley, and her hair was styled by bridal hair specialists from No 3 Hairdressing, Victoria Lovell and Jess Singer. 

The wintry-hued flowers were provided by Amy Cottington from Tallulah Rose Flower School.

This one-of-a-kind birdcage cake was created by Celia Adams, owner of the Bath Cake Company. Bonus fact: Celia hand-painted the bird herself!

Accessories - like these beautiful headpieces - were provided by Bridezillas.

Our groom model, Jonathan Lloyd, even made it in front of the camera a couple times!

Lizzy May, of Lizzy May Photography and Design, was the mastermind behind this beautiful bespoke stationery.

The groom's suits were provided by Anne Harding in Bristol. For this shoot we chose a navy blue morning suit with grape cravat and waistcoat.

Our bride's wardrobe for the day were gowns designed by Sassi Holford, from the company's So Sassi range. Here Rachel is wearing 'Veronica' - a Hollywood-inspired look.