Buttoned up ... On the Isle of Wight

Now for those of you that know me you will understand my love of all things different. (my ever changing hair colour testifies to that) I adore the weird, wonderful, whacky and unique. We are always looking for ways to help a bride make her wedding special and different but also within budget ... and this week I met a lady who showed me some amazing creations and I fell I love - Button bouquets from I Heart Buttons on the Isle of Wight.



Images are kindly supplied by Lesa, owner of I Heart Buttons and some are shot by Chris Cowley, www.isleofwightweddingphotographer.co.uk I hope you enjoy them as much as I do ..



Beautiful and personal, Lesa can incorporate items of jewellery, buttons and broaches from family members to really enhance your bespoke bouquet.




Thank you Chris for this wonderful shot, simply stunning work.




This is my favourite. So colourful and lots to look at, I want to have this if I ever renew my vows ... Hmmm when can I book that in for ?!




Button (what else!) holes too .... Fabulous and perfect for those allergy sufferers.









Plenty of ideas for the little ones too ..


And the home ..



Use all your favourite colours ..




And when the wedding is over, why not break it down and have it transformed into perfect button jewellery to give as gifts to your bridal party.

I love this idea and hope to see much more of Lesa's work in the future. To visit her website pop over to www.iheartbuttons.co.uk or visit her shop on the Isle of Wight soon.

Now I'm off to convince hubby to renew our vows .... Needs must!

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, see you in January with lots of news and projects at many of our favourite venues.

Marie

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Location:Isle of Wight

Kev & Vicks Happy Country Wedding

In October we were lucky enough to be part of Kevin and Victoria's wedding at the gorgeous Hill Place in Hampshire. Below are some of the images their fabulous photographer Andrew Squires captured for them.








It is easy to see how Hill Place won the recent award for Best Regional Wedding Venue, it truly is a stunning house and lovingly looked after by a fabulous team, Isabella Weddings are proud to be part of that team.










The feel for this wedding was fun, with classic children's stories as table names and a touch of scrabble here and there the house looked excellent.










Victoria had out together some amazing personal touches, which suits this venue perfectly, it is a real home from home.










Everyone enjoyed this wonderfully warm October day and made the most of the grounds that surround the house, Vanilla caterers served some delicious treats and the feel all day was relaxed and chilled.













So despite the Channel 4 film crew being there (!), the day went smoothly and calmly, we thoroughly enjoyed being part of their day and I'm glad to say I have personally gained some fabulous friends from this day.






Enjoy more of Andrew's work at http://www.andrewjrsquires.blogspot.com/

See our website for more information on how we can help on your day www.isabellaweddings.co.uk or drop us an email to marie@isabellaweddings.co.uk

Do also pop over to see Hill Place and read about our exclusive packages and offers www.hillpace.co.uk

Have a lovely weekend :-)

Location:Hill Place, Swanmore

Inspiration

Good evening, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year? Doesn't it feel like ages ago now? I feel back into full work mode and I'm amazed how quickly the festivities have been long forgotten, ah well it might just snow and that will make us all excited again!

I am often asked what inspires me and more often than not I am also asked what a bride can do to 'be inspired'. Be it for a theme or maybe a style of dress, some ladies find it hard to decide or to indeed choose between styles, colours, themes and trends. I don't think I have a particular style or love of one specific genre or theme, in my home we have some vintage pieces (my current fav), some bright orange retro and some gorgeous bright modern pinks and of course the obligatory 70's fireplace ... So nothing we have fits one style, we just like to surround ourselves with items we love and enjoy.






So how does a bride find her own style for her wedding, there is a risk of having to spend a fortune starting from scratch buying everything to 'fill' your wedding venue and then what do you do with 25 cake stands afterwards? Like us many people like different things at different times, so what's to say that although in the winter you love warm, cosy, browns but by the time your summer wedding comes you may be totally in love with soft satiny summer blues?






You may like vintage and modern, country and city, how do you combine these? What if you like the deep reds and oranges but would love a soft, lace dress? Will this work, do you have to be loyal to just one theme?

Well my golden rules are these :

1) Don't feel pressured into choosing just one 'theme' and sticking with it, you can mix and match ... A vintage bouquet might work well with deep colours if you choose the right flowers, or a vase of country garden flowers can still be housed in modern tin drums. You just have to be a little creative!






2) If you still don't know what you truly love the most try this test ... Imagine you have been given a blank cheque and are allowed to decorate your home with anything you wish with no limit on spending ... What would you do? This will show your true styles through....all you have to do is mix them both (yours and your partners!) and adapt them to fit your wedding.

A mood board is ideal, this can be created by yourself or even better ask a trusted wedding planner (like us!) to put one together with some good value and budget - worthy ideas to decorate your room.







(flourish studios.co.uk)







(flickriver.com)







(the wedding community blog)

There are lots of ideas out there, a recent bride of ours was so worried that her theme wasn't taking shape that we decided between us to scrap the theme and just buy things that she loved, her 'theme' was what we now call country retro ... It was a hit in Brides magazine that month!

Enjoy your creative time , see you soon

Remember you can contact us anytime, we offer lots of affordable help without the pressure x
www.isabellaweddings.co.uk
marie@isabellaweddings.co.uk

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A different ceremony - the world is waiting

In the UK to get married under civil licence you have to exchange your vows within the boundaries of a licensed room, venue or space, this space must be of permanent structure so in other words you cannot marry legally in an unlicensed venue, outside or in the open air .... Or can you.



In many other countries like America it is the celebrant who is licensed not the venue, so as long as you have one of those he or she may marry you wherever and whenever you wish (I was married in California in a garden for this exact reason). In the UK we don't have this luxury, not that we would want it sometimes with our unpredictable weather and wet summers.



However it is now a totally possible thing thanks to independent celebrants offering freedom of choice and a chance to take our nuptials outside (or in the forest, up a mountain, down by a lake ...). How does this work? There are 3 important factors you must consider before deciding to get married outside in the UK....

1) You MUST do the legal bit! Your ceremony with an independent celebrant will not be legal no matter how authentic. However this is simple, simply pop along to your local registry office (appointments etc are of course needed) and sign the legal paperwork, there is no need to dress up, exchange rings, say vows or anything that would make it feel like a real ceremony, you can wear jeans, take just your witnesses (these can even be the staff at the office!) and as long as you say one particular sentence and sign in the right place you are then legally married!

This lasts around 15 minutes and is very informal, you can do this before or after your ceremony and totally in secret so your family and friends don't feel like the service has already happened - it hasn't, it's just signing of papers.

Alternatively if you find a lovely licensed venue that perhaps isn't big enough or suitable for your wedding ceremony, you can have the legal part carried out within the licensed area inside and take your actual ceremony outside, making the most of the venue!



2) You should have somewhere indoors or under cover should the great British weather play unfair. In other words if you want to get married on the beach, have somewhere nearby indoors or have wet weather gear lined up for you and your guests (and your celebrant) just in case. A row of gorgeous umbrellas look fab in the photos!



Remember also to always gain permission from the person/company/organisation that own the land you wish to marry on.


3) Find a good independent celebrant. These should come recommended by someone you know well (we happily recommend the following two) and meet with them to chat through your day. The freedom of choice is wonderful, they will talk you through your options (of which there are loads!) help to design a service that looks and feels just like the real thing. You will still be pronounced husband and wife and you can have readings, songs, traditions etc anything that you wish to include is usually no trouble.

We love Orchid ceremonies and have worked with them in one of our venues in Alresford, Hampshire. They are so accommodating and experienced registrars so they know exactly how a ceremony can be performed to ensure you have the day of your dreams.
http://www.orchidceremonies.co.uk


Also Tailor Made ceremonies are excellent at understanding a couples needs and helping them to achieve a truly wonderful ceremony for themselves and their guests.
http://www.tailormadeceremonies.co.uk



These guys (and there are more and more now) will also be able to offer baby naming ceremonies, funeral services and renewal of vows plus much more.

So if you are struggling to find a venue, a fan of the outdoors and secretly wish you could be a little different, why not have an independent celebrant and get married at a place of your choosing! That stunning house, castle, gallery, mountain ... That you wish were licensed can now be a reality for your dream wedding.

At Isabella Weddings we have lots of experience of organising unique and unusual weddings using independent celebrants so why not meet us for a coffee soon to find your perfect location.



www.isabellaweddings.co.uk
www.Facebook.com/isabellaweddings
www.twitter.com/isabellawedding

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Move over cake pops!

There's a new pop in town.



As a Wedding Planner I am always thinking of new and unique ways to treat your guests or make your wedding memorable. A subtle touch here and there goes a long way and your guests will remember the love you have for each other and the way you express that love for your family and friends.

It doesn't have to cost a fortune and usually home made touches don't, so why not get together with some friends and think about how you can make your wedding a true reflection of you as a couple and the things you love.

The latest in cake treats are cake pops, something like these gorgeous little sweet nibbles ...




But the 'pops' don't have to stop at cakes, I had a look around to see if there were any other pops that could be used as something a little different throughout your day, these are some of the gorgeous treats I found (all of them easy to make too!)



Sausage rolls on sticks with chutney or pickle, perfect canapés!




Treats for the kids maybe, home made jam dodgers for favours or for adding colour to any dessert tables.




Hot cherry pie pops, perfect for a warming pudding at a winter wedding. Serve with mulled wine for a delicious Christmas reception.




Or the typical British apple pie pops, served here as treats on a cake table.




Easy to make marshmallow pops, melt some chocolate and make a hole in the mallow, then pop your melted chocolate into the hole and place a stick inside. Perfect! Ideal for favours, looking pretty on a sweet table or in the children's tent for a sweet offering.




How lovely are these truffles, ideal for after dinner or served with coffee. Ask your caterer if they can offer these in your colours or theme.




Why not involve the children and get them to help you decorate some heart shaped biscuits and then pop them out with your evening buffet or coffee.

One thing we do know is that your guests will love a treat, be it by supplying a few sweet jars of traditional sweets (remember we can supply these for you) or something like I have shown above, a sugar input to keep your guests up and dancing will be a happy result every time.

Happy treating!