Staircases With A Difference

Get creative with staircases to make them into unforgettable, grand, beautiful stairs.  Our examples show stairs with flowers, stairs with faux flowers, stairs with foliage, stairs with balloons and stairs lined with hurricane lamps.   Hope this inspires you!

Credits:

Inside Weddings

Lloyd Dobbie

Source

A Winter Wedding in London

Bride-to-be Kayleigh Brannan is one of the friendliest, personable, funniest and caring people I have ever met.  She's only 21 years old and has cancer from a brain tumour.  Kayleigh is thought to have two to six months left to live but with her positive attitude and ability to love everyone around her, there is hope.

In October 2010 there was an article in the South London Newspaper and The Evening Standard about Kayleigh's condition and how she wanted to get married to Dan as soon as possible.  Since the articles, many wedding vendors have come together to offer their services or products on a complimentary basis.

Kayleigh and fiance, Dan, have set their wedding date for 29th January 2011 as the 30th of Jan holds great significance for them as a couple.  They will have their reception on the 29th then be whisked away in the wee hours of the morning on the 30th and spend the entire day together as Mr and Mrs.  

There will be a fund-raising for them this Saturday the 27th of November in South London.  If you'd like to attend, or donate any services, please contact Erika at weddings@flutterflyevents.com or on 020 536 9160 / 0787 217 1660.  

Wedding Planning Begins

I ask Kayleigh to describe her perfect venue.  She gives me words such as, "greenery, beautiful, princess, castle, water".   I knew right then that Eltham Palace would be the perfect suitor in this fairlytale wedding. 

17 November 2010

Myself, Kayleigh and Dan's parents meet at Eltham Palace.  Kayleigh says, "Erika, you read my mind. I can't believe it. This is perfect!"  Sarah from the Events team showed us around then we had a two hour meeting to discuss the suppliers that have come forward to offer their services.  We haven't signed a contract with Eltham as of today because we need to work out the honeymoon to see if this fits with the overall budget.     **All suppliers will be mentioned in an upcoming blog post.  

Wedding Party

8 bridesmaids, 6 groomsman, 4 flowers girls and one pageboy.  

Design Ideas

- Rose Pink and Ivory colour scheme

- Bride loves Peonies, Gerberas, stocks and delphiniums

- Kayleigh would love to add height to each banqueting table.  She wants the vase stem filled with swarovski crystals and the bowl filled with impact flowers such as stocks and delphiniums but also some round feminine flowers like a rose.   

Music

- A Rat Pack band will play during the canapes reception, followed by a DJ for after dinner dancing

Catering

- We're currently working on the catering but it looks like some canapes, a two course meal and a cheeseboard around 9:30pm.  

Next big task to tackle:  The Honeymoon.    

The honeymoon is extremely important to Kayleigh and Dan as they want to spend good quality time together after the wedding.  

More to come on Kayleigh and Dan. 

Ask Our London Wedding Photographer

Jemma Watts from Pearl Pictures has been shooting London weddings for over 10 years.  With a contemporary style that will last a lifetime, Jemma's work has been featured in various magazines.  She has a charming personality that will make sure you're at ease in front of the camera, and her albums are truly one of a kind.   I asked Jemma a few questions about the photography industry in the UK and here's what she had to say:

Brides can spend anywhere from £400 to upward of £4,000 on their wedding photography depending on their budget and priorities. Price excluded, what should a couple look for in their photographer?

Couples should look for Personality and Professionalism, and of course the style of photography.

In my opinion, personality and the ability to connect with the couple is just as important as photographic talent. The images always reflect the feelings of the photographer on the day. Most couples don’t realise until the wedding day how much time they will be spending with their photographer, and a lot of this time can be quite intimate.

It is especially important to get on well with the bride. The bride needs to feel comfortable and the photographer more like a ‘friend’ than a supplier. When I walk into the room where the bride is getting ready, it is important that she feels like I am part of the party, we get on well and she can totally relax with me at this very nerve-racking stage of the day.

Together with the importance of personality comes the high level of professionalism. This comes in the form of how knowledgable the photographer is about shooting weddings and the service that they offer. Each couple must feel that they are the only photographer’s client. The majority of couples will not have commissioned a photographer before and will not know what to expect. The photographer’s job is to put them at ease, make them feel special, and guide them through the proceedure of the day’s photography. Of course, at the end of this, the photographer has to produce a wonderful set of images that will last for a lifetime of happy memories!

The couple should always ask how much experience the photographer has. With my years of experience I know more about the proceedure of the day than they do. Quite often I am helping them all as well as photographing – answering phones, doors, directing where to put the flowers, at what point the bridesmaids should get ready, where a button hole goes. Once I even had a groom call me and ask what he should say in his speech! I like to think that I offer a service that goes way beyond the duties of just photographing the day.  Lovely

There are some exceptionally talented photographers who shoot weddings as a part-time job.  What do you think of this?

Nearly all wedding photographers have started out as part-time. Many commercial photographers will shoot their friends’ weddings which lead them on by word of mouth to shoot more weddings. This is exactly how I started out. It was only after many years of shooting weddings part-time that I decided to start a business dedicated to this, in fact I run two businesses side by side now – Jemma Watts Photography for my commercial work and Pearl Pictures for the weddings. It means I am extremely busy but I get the best of both worlds!

One major difference between the full-time and part-time wedding photographer is the sevice and products that they are able to offer. The full-time wedding photographer will be emersed in the business, their marketing will be more prolific and influential, their knowledge of the wedding industry will be more in-depth. They will be up-to-date with all the lastest developments in products that they can offer. Above all they have more time to devote to the service they offer their couples.

For example, I offer a lot of ‘after care’ to my clients in the form of album design, meeting to discuss how they can best display their images, and getting all their prints sorted for them. I am also available round the clock to answer any questions leading up to their big day.

How far in advance does someone need to find their wedding photographer?  

The sooner the better so that they can be assured the photographer is free on their date. There is always a hierachy in the order in which things are booked for the big day. I would say that photography is best booked once the venue has been sorted.

There are some dates in the year that are more popular than others, i.e. bank holidays, July, August and early September. These dates need to booked as soon as they are known.

What's your thought on a second photographer during the wedding day?  

I always recommend using a second photographer once the number of guests exceeds 120. Any more guests than this and it gets difficult for one photographer to capture as many of them as possible throughout the reception.

It is always great to have a second photographer if the couple would like to have both of them photographed during the getting ready stage of the day and they are in separate locations.

I've noticed that a lot of photographers aren't offering an album with their package or service price anymore.  Why is that?

One major issue, I feel, is that the quality of some of the albums offered within the price package are not of a good standard. An album must last a lifetime and longer, you want your grandchildren to be able to look through it, and for this you need to purchase a high quality product. Couples do not want one where the binding or quality of the cover disintergrates or fades with time. A good quality album is expensive, and therefore is an expense that should not be decided without much thought. I offer Queensberry albums which are the best on the market today.

An album is a very considered decision and there are a few different styles on the market these days – classic, photobook, contemporary etc. It may be hard for the couple to decide early on which style they would like. Sometimes it is better to wait until they have seen the photos, to see which style best suites the look of their wedding. I always offer albums which can be bought at any stage before or after the big day.

Also, it is quite common for albums to be given as wedding gifts. Many guests might want to use this instead for their album.

Is it important that the photographer who shoots the wedding do the post production and re-touches afterward?  

In a word, yes. Each photographer has their own style and this can be shown in the final image after post production. Now that we are in the digital age, images always need to be adjusted to give them depth and contrast, otherwise they are very ‘flat’ looking. In the ‘old days’ this was determined by which film the photographer chose to shoot on. Each photographer would have their preference to film type depending on their style. Now we have to do this in post-production.

What's included in your packages/services?

I offer an online gallery where friends and family can purchase prints. I offer a preview book which displays all images from the day as thumbnails with reference numbers. This is very useful when choosing images for the albums or for enlarged prints. I offer six prints of the couple’s choice at an enlarged size of 9x6, and finally a CD with all images from the day as low resolution, good for viewing easily on screen and for email.

I offer a discount on the album if purchased at the time of booking and a lesser discount if booked within two months of the wedding.

I also offer a high resolution disc as an extra cost, or a reduced cost if ordered at the time of booking.

Excellent advice and information.  Thank you Jemma!

Pictures by Jemma Watts of Pearl Pictures

Wedding Design- Wedding Tip 1

Wedding Tip 1:



In my first series of wedding design tips I've decided to talk about decorating the bar.  You can always tell if my team and I have helped plan a wedding by looking at the design of the bar.  I always suggest that some sort of decoration go on each end of the bar so it doesn't look like an ordinary bar at an ordinary pub. Place large vases on each end and fill them with flowers or fruits that are in theme with the rest of the decor.

A Treat for the Ladies

I came across these unique hats during an office clean out over the weekend.  Kate Davison has been a Milliner for 11 years with a client base in the UK and internationally.  These hats would be suitable for brides, mums, bridesmaids and guests with a vibrant and bold personality.

Sri Lankan Elephants meet Canadian Maple Leafs

One of the best things about being a wedding coordinator in London is working with International couples and learning about their customs and traditions.   One of our recent couple's flew in from Canada to get married at the Royal College of Greenwich in London.  The bride had been living in Canada for the past few years but grew up in London so decided the best place for her nuptials would be in her home city.  



The couple met in Cuba so they jazzed up the cocktail reception with a hot shot Cuban Band, Tony Danger, and continued with the Cuban theme by surprising the guests with a sexy Cuban dance for their first dance as husband and wife.   The ceremony started with traditional Sri Lankan Buddhist steel drummers dancing down the aisle, followed by the groom, bridesmaids, father of the bride and bride.   During the signing of the Registrar, the groom had the song Brown Eyed Girl playing on the speakers, but rather than playing the traditional vocals, "Brown Eyed Girl" he had dubbed it to sing,  "Brown Eyed Amanda" which is the bride's first name.   Guests were crying and laughing.



After the swanky Cuban cocktail reception, 190 guests made way to the dining room where they found a hand carved wooden elephant with a maple leaf tied to the foot.  The elephant is a symbol of good luck in Sri Lanka, and the Maple Leaf is the national symbol in Canada.  It was the first time I'd seen every single guest take their wedding favour home.  The after party was moved to the undercroft where there was an open bar, a video booth and a 12 piece band all the way from Sri Lanka!  The venue closed at midnight and many of the guests hopped on the Thames Clipper to take a midnight cruise down London's River Thames.  It was a magical evening.

Photographer: Peter Darvin

Wedding Stationery Tips

When talking to newly engaged couples, whether they're based in America, Canada, Australia or the UK, the same topic always comes up: "Erika, what is your opinion on wedding stationery?"   I could go on and on about the importance of stationery for an entire day but instead I'm going to furnish you with some of my favourite wedding stationery tips.  If you want some further information on wedding stationery wording and etiquette, then visit my previous post.

1. Your invitation sets the overall tone for the wedding.  Be sure it reflects the style or theme of your event.    Example: If you're having a formal and elegant wedding, make sure your stationery is elegant and formal in terms of font, paper stock and embellishments, so your guests know what to expect.

2. Though not necessary, save-the-date cards increase excitement for your special event and will give you a better sense of how many people to expect at the wedding.  Plus, more people are likely to show up at the wedding as they won't book plans during your wedding week/end

3. The envelope is the first impression of the wedding so make sure it stands out by using a calligrapher, good penmanship, exquisite stamps, or a gorgeous embellishment

4. Create a consistent look across all your wedding stationery, including: save the dates, invitations, order of service, place cards, menus, and Thanks Yous 

If you'd like any creative ideas please feel free to contact us.  Happy New Years Eve!