Inspired? I Certainly Am

There are many parts to being a wedding planner, you have to be organised, creative, and certainly a people person. I have always enjoyed meeting new people and after being a teacher in a nursery school for over 20 years i am used to meeting, greeting and dealing with people from all walks of life. My biggest claims to fame is i used to teach the daughter of the drummer in depeche mode, see so i have even rubbed shoulders with celebrities!

Establishing a good business also means that you need to network and get to know other reputable businesses within your area (this is where being a people person helps).
As a wedding planner i really want to make sure i am able to provide couples with choices, I believe that one size does not fit all, and that each bride is an individual and want's to put their own personal stamp on their special day. After all its often those personal touches that people remember. With so many choices, themes and locations availible it can be at times a little overwhelming, so this is where i come in, and in my bid to offer an exceptional service to my clients i do my best to source other small and large businesses for my database.

So today off i went to Northallerton, only short drive away from where i am based. Here i have found a little jewel, hidden away in a little yard just off the high street is the studio and gallery of Sue Simpson.
Sue runs a business called Inspired by script.
A Calligrapher, lettering Artist and Creative bookbinder she has over 20 years experience, she offers a Bespoke service.
Wedding Stationary, Guest books, Place Cards, Photo Albums, and Seating Plans to name but a few.

What struck me instantly about Sue was her warmth and how she welcomed me into her gallery. It is instantly obvious to anyone that she really cares about her work and really puts her heart and soul into everything she does.

The standard of her work is really high and i was very impressed by what i saw. So for anyone who is looking for someone to take care of their wedding stationary and wants that personal touch then Sue Simpson is your lady. So why not check out her site or even go and visit her gallery in person as i am positive you will recieve a warm welcome.


http://www.northyorkshireweddings.co.uk/7.html

Lily Allen & Sam Cooper, Congratulations!

It's lovely to see a beautiful smile on the face of Lily Allen as she marries Sam Cooper at St James the Great Church in Cranham, Gloucestershire.

She looked radiant in her dress by french designer Delphine Manivet, a 1920's inspired dress which had some echo's of the Duchess of Cambridges wedding dress back in April.
With long lace sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, lace overlay and long train she looked a picture of happiness.

The ceremony took place with less than 100 guests, and Lily was given away by her father Keith Allen. During the Ceremony the couple announced the happy news that Lily is in fact 4 months pregnant, which is delightful in the wake of her previous miscarriage.

Lily and Sam continued with a reception held at their country home, an All Night Garden Party for 300 guests too place. At the reception there are reports of a red telephone box full of beer,  a pimms stand, cupcake stand and a roast pig. Lily was apparently looking after her guests by handing out kebabs  at 3am.  I must say " i like your style Lily"

Inspiration for wedding venues

With so much choice nowadays its sometimes a little overwhelming thinking of what will make your perfect venue. In the UK couples have to marry at a licensed premisis, which does rather restrict outdoor weddings, but hopefully this will be something that will change in the near future.
Deciding on a venue is something that you should carefully consider,do you already have an idea of a venue, what kind of wedding are you planning? formal traditional or more casual and relaxed? think about your personalities, and interests? consider the amount of guests that you are planning to invite, will it be suitable. Access for all those with disabilities.

Here are some suggestions and inspiration for you

A Traditonal Church Wedding

A Civil Ceremony in a local hotel

How about a Chic and Glamourous Marquee

Something more formal perhaps? a Grand Stately Home

Now let us start thinking a little outside the box

How about an Amusement Park

or

                                                                      An Aquarium

How about getting away from dry land and consider a reception or ceremony onboard a boat

Art Galleries

Or even a Museum - fancy having a dinosaur as a guest?

Traditonal Castles

A real fairytale wedding

or beautiful and tranquil Botanical Gardens

Or a Yurt if you want that Outdoors feeling

A peaceful Woodland Wedding

Or funtime at the Zoo

Or why not Steam Ahead with this option

Heritage Sites and National Trust locations provide a beautiful backdrop for any photographs

or if you really want that outdoor feel, a farmyard or barn wedding for that Rustic Feel.

The options are endless, and dont forget its your personal touches and style that are added to the day, that will be the ones that all your guests remember.

Big Budget doesnt always mean the best weddings,

Congratulations to the Bride and Groom

Here are some photos of a very beautiful bride on her special day, Kirstie is just one reason why i do my job, to see the joy and happiness on Kirsties face, i hope she gets her call very soon.

Inspirational Bride

Cystic Fibrosis is an illness that is close to my heart, my little girl Caitlin is 9 and was diagnosed when she was 3 yrs old with this awful life threatening condition. Being so powerless to change things i decided that i really wanted to do something that could help them directly. When your challenged with any kind of illness day to day life can be a struggle let alone planning a wedding. I began to think that as a wedding planner could i be of any help to any couples with Cystic fibrosis? So i jumped onto the CF Trust forum in the UK and offered my services to any future brides and grooms who needed any help in organising things for their big day. I had thought i would only get one response but was amazed and touched when i heard from 6 couples! of course i was going to help each and every one of them.
Kirstie, came to me for some inspiration, a little lost after doctors had told her she was not well enough to travel abroad for her dream wedding she did not really know what to do next. I called her and after a long chat we came up with some ideas, we needed a perfect venue. After looking at lots of places we found one, and today months down the line her wedding became reality.
You may think that this is nothing out of the ordinary until i tell you that Kirstie is waiting for a double lung transplant, is on permenant oxygen and has been told that she has around 6 months to live without that transplant. The last 4 days she has spent in the High Dependancy Unit of her local hospital with her lungs struggling to take a breath. No one really knew if today was really going to happen.  Well i am so happy to say it did. Even though i only played a small part in helping her to turn her wedding into reality, i am touched and inspired by this young woman's bravery.  I have made good friends with many people with CF and they all have one thing in common, they are such fighters and wont let anything bring them down.

Below i have posted the link for anyone to see a clip of her wedding which was filmed for the local news.http://www.itv.com/westcountry-west/

also here is the link if you wish to know more about the Cystic Fibrosishttp://www.cftrust.org.uk/

Silver Jewelry Cleaning Tips

It is known that silver gets tarnished after being used for some time, and this makes silver jewelry require a lot of attention and care. It is possible to clean silver jewelry at home using techniques that require just few tools. The method that is used to clean the sterling silver jewelry in the house is simple.

The first thing to do is to collect all the ingredients that are needed for the cleaning. The necessary ingredients are baking powder, salt, water and an aluminum plate. These are things that are commonly used for the household chores hence it is effortless to collect them. Once the ingredients are in place, put a tablespoonful of baking powder and salt onto the plate, add some lukewarm water to the plate and stir it until the mixture of baking powder and salt gets dissolved. Place the silver in the solution for a moment. Ensure that you do not use boiling water as that might end up causing damage to sterling silver jewelry. The time that the silver takes before losing the black stains will depends on how it was tarnished in first place.

If it was very tarnished, it will need a lot more brushing. You should use a brush that has soft bristles and run it gently on silver for around ten minutes after it has been immersed in the solution that was prepared earlier. When cleaning jewelry that is plated with silver, the brushing should be minimum and done gently in order to prevent the scraping off of silver plating.

This method should not be used when cleaning the antique silverware, as it could have been oxidized to have the vintage look. Putting it in a concoction that has salty water will make the oxidization peel off. The other affective way of cleansing silver jewelry is by using toothpaste. A gentle layer of the toothpaste should be applied on silver followed by scrubbing for about a minute.

After the scrubbing, the silver should be washed using lukewarm water and then wiped with a clean towel. After the cleaning, it will get its shine back. When drying the sterling silver jewelry, it is important to choose the right cloth material. The cloth that is used should be 100 percent cotton like sweat shirts and T-shirts. The other materials that can be used for drying are cotton balls, silver materials or soft flannel material that is unbleached.

Silver Jewelry Care Tips

Since the prices of platinum and gold are very high there are many who have turned to buying sterling silver jewelry. Silver is the most white metal and the whiteness of silver even exceeds that of rhodium or platinum. This is the reason why a silver surface that is flat and polished resembles a perfect mirror. The only problem with silver is that it gets tarnished.

This is because the molecules of silver on its surface combine with oxygen and the result is the formation of silver oxide that is blackish in color. This is a big contrast with the whitish appearance of silver. That is why when making a mirror; the silver is usually covered using glass. Glass is used to block oxygen and this prevents tarnishing. Since it is not possible to buy silver jewelry that is coated with glass, it will tarnish after some time.

There is some silver jewelry that is plated using rhodium to prevent the tarnishing. This kind of silver should not be polished as this will remove the rhodium plating. Although rhodium is in the platinum group of metals, it does not have a whitish appearance as silver does, so it is at times an advantage to acquire silver jewelry that is in its natural state. When buying silver jewelry from a store, it is important to ask whether the piece is coated with rhodium so that it is clear about how it should be cleaned.

There is some silver jewelry that does not need to be polished regularly because tarnishing is prevented by the skin oils and frequent washing. This means that jewelry that is worn close to the skin like a chain, a ring or cross tends to remain untarnished. The tarnishing only occurs when the jewelry is exposed to harsh chemicals that increase the rate of oxidation.

A good illustration is when someone who is wearing a silver cross on the neck swims in a pool that has chlorinated water, the jewelry will quickly turn black. Swimming in a pool that draws water from a spring or a lake does not tarnish the sterling silver jewelry. Silver is highly reactive and it reacts when it gets into contact with oxygen, chlorine or sulfur.

The reaction leads to formation of compounds that are blackish. Those who use water that has a high content of sulfur or has traces of chlorine will notice that their silver jewelry will keep tarnishing. The same thing happens if the person wearing the jewel has chemicals in the skin oil due to diet or body chemistry

Winter Wedding Theme

Here is a little inspiration for Winter Themed Weddings, Silver, White, Pale Blue all colours that are a popular feature of this theme.

                                                                Silver, White & snowflakes

                                              Simple and easy to put together table decorations

                                                                 Blues and Silver

                                                    perfect outfit for a winter wedding

 Beautiful effect of Trees, these can be sprayed silver or white and to add a little extra sparkle use  fairy lights and crystals

Looking at Themed Weddings

Thinking of a Wedding out of the ordinary? Don't want to follow tradition? why not consider some of these themes

Wacky wedding Themes

 

                                                                              Super hero Weddi

              Fancy going green with a Shrek wedding

                                                      How Sweet, Hello kitty

~New Designs~

My new silver medallion earrings. Aquamarine, iolite, pearls and black spinel. So fun for Summer!
A simulated yellow diamond and recycled silver ring.  The bezel has 22k gold melted over it.

A recycled bronze and leather necklace. Texture and words make this piece lots of fun to wear.
You can see all of my designs in my etsy shop, peacesofindigo ~

Pearl Wedding Jewelry

Pearl is always a good gift for giving to a bride to her wedding. Pearl jewelry usually includes a necklace, bracelet and earrings. All types of pearl jewelry is white. There are many pearls that can be used at the wedding, such as jewelry Akoya, South Sea and freshwater pearls for the female wedding party. Many pearls are gifts before the big day, thus adding to the class of wedding gown. As these pearls are white or cream to go with any computer and add elegance to wedding dress. The pearl is a gift of love and purity which are perfect for any ceremony.

Mens Wedding Rings Unique | Mens Wedding Rings White Gold

Mens wedding rings can come in traditional or contemporary designs. wedding rings and custom fashion designs reflect the personality and character of the carrier. Therefore, they must be carefully chosen to meet with approval in the material, style and design. You will find cheaper in all kinds of precious metals including yellow gold, white gold and platinum. Gold is still the number one choice of most metals, although many others are also available.

Features stunning gold appearance and a clear value is very attractive for wedding rings. But there are other positive qualities of this metal also. Gold can be easily recorded in the event you want a text inscribed on her ring. You can also purchase the matching bride and groom types of gold for greater unity and togetherness. Other popular metal used for gold wedding bands are made of silver, titanium, platinum and tungsten. Each of these metals show of class and distinction in choosing a man wedding ring.

Mens Wedding Band Diamond | Mens Wedding Bands Cheap

A gold ring with a diamond expresses his love for her man. You can get bands men wedding in 14 - or the white and yellow gold 18 karat, and platinum PT950. Men used to prefer a simple band, but these days you want a diamond. Men are more interested in traditional wedding bands. Mixing modern creations with precious diamond fashion makes stylish now properly to last a lifetime.

Wedding rings for men are also showing the changing tastes of people.

If you are getting your lady a band, do not have to stick with just diamonds. This is something that has come to be adopted on the wedding bands for men. The bride and groom choose a wedding ring robe which appears as a mate to that given by the bride. This makes the long endurance of traditional wedding favors.

The fact that bands of men diamond wedding are not as developed as those of women, you can still find a wide assortment of bands of men with class and beauty from which to choose. Add a personal touch and charm with engraved names, initials or words of love in them.

Mens Gold Wedding Ring | Mens Rings Cheap

Handmade wedding bands are an art that is as old as the wedding. bands of 14 karat gold hand made in your finger will be reminded of the person who lives in your heart. Your spouse is the most special person in your life and so must be his wedding ring.

Machine-made wedding rings are like cookie cutter jewelry. Moreover, wedding bands handmade is famous for its variations and how thick fluid. They are unique in itself and have a wonderful and design. They are perfectly crafted by jeweler and give them the perfect shape and design.

The simplicity of design wedding jewelry is crafted in highly polished surface that makes it a suitable wedding ring. Handmade 14k gold wedding bands are available in three colors. rose gold, white gold and yellow gold are some common colors. But there are also many other rare colors.

Couples who want a wedding ring is unique and different that usually go on a gold wedding ring handmade. As for the wedding band gold handmade power reminiscent of the natural world. Today, couples prefer handmade rings rather than machine-made rings.

Rhinestone Wedding Jewelry Sets | Rhinestone Wedding Jewelry

Something to consider is the ornaments of her dress. Does your pearls or precious stones function, little dress? Maybe you have a Swarovski encrusted brooch attached. These materials are used in the creation of your dress can be accented with jewels. Look for bridal jewelry that have these same materials including pearls, crystals and rhinestones. This can help supplement and remove the beauty of her dress. Just keep in mind that jewelry is to customize and not to remove the main focus of her dress.

Note the style of your dress. If you are using a V-neck dress, and style necklaces are a great option. Many brides with a strapless opt for a bold necklace or necklace cubic zirconia.

Think about the theme or style of wedding you have. If you're exchanging vows on the beach, the selection of jewelry featuring freshwater pearls and mother of pearl is a great option. These natural materials add to your beach themed look. Having a wedding in the spring? Consider floral inspired jewelry designs. Many bridal jewelry designs feature flowers of pearls and rhinestones embedded vines.

Do not be afraid of color. Many brides are adding touches of your wedding colors directly on your bridal jewelry. Whether your color is a deep eggplant or a subtle champagne gold, adding color to your jewelry can add diversity and beauty.