I thought it would be rude not to dedicate a post to some of the lovely inspiration that we discussed. We’re also focusing on outdoor and woodland weddings on Dotty Vintage Weddings this week, so I wanted to include some alternatives to the traditional wedding shoe. Oh, and if you love everything vintage and everything wedding, then make sure you join in the Twitter Chat #VintageWedHour – it’s every Monday from 8pm-9pm. Find out more here.

If you haven’t heard of Weddington Boots, then you must have been living under a rock. They are the most fabulous wellington boots that are dainty and just perfect for your outdoor wedding. I’m getting married next year in Cornwall, and with the majority of our wedding day focused around the beach, I’ll definitely be purchasing some wedding wellies for the occasion. Wellies are a great option for bad weather and rough terrain; bear in mind the fabric/material of your shoe when making a decision. Satin or suede are lovely options, but could you cope if they got ruined?

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of high heels; I’ve always been happier in a pair of flat shoes. Plus from a practical perspective, high heels and the beach don’t really go hand in hand. I’m therefore also planning on sourcing some cute flip flops, in the hope that we get glorious weather of course! I adore these Paisly Floral Flip Flops, which retail at Accessorize for just £12.00. Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune on your wedding shoes – as long as you love them, that’s all that really matters.

One of the recommendations on #VintageWedHour came from Dani Forbes { @DaniForbes1 }. Dani is a professional hair-stylist, make-up artist and beauty therapist who specialises in bridal and retro styling, you can find out more on her website. Dani tweeted, “Lots of my retro brides have worn Irregular Choice shoes under their gowns!”

I absolutely adore Irregular Choice shoes – they are so unique, so quirky, and completely break the mould. “Fresh Cut Grass” comes in a choice of three colours, but my personal favourite is the colour-way shown below. Adorned with blue swallows and bows, this style just screams “wedding!” to me, and the suede T-Bar design offers a chunky heel for practicality.

Great Day Productions { @GreatDayProd }, who offer amazing audio guestbooks, also took part in #VintageWedHour and gave some advice to a few brides who were searching for shoes with low heels, “Have you tried Orchabelle? Gorgeous shoes, some with a little or no heel.”

I hadn’t come across Orchabelle before, but they offer a lovely collection of vintage-inspired wedding shoes, ranging from pumps and kitten heels, to flower girls shoes and accessories. They also offer a fully bespoke colour matching service. The flower girl shoes below are so cute!

I had to suggest that the lovely brides on #VintageWedHour take a look at Figgie Shoes, who remains one of my very favourite discoveries within the wedding industry. Deborah Thomson is the artist behind the brand, which as described as “wearable art, a one-of-a-kind fashion statement of luxury, style and individuality.”

Stacey, a 2014 bride-to-be, tweeted during the hour, “I am now fully obsessed with Figgie Shoes. Why aren’t all my shoes hand-painted?! Too beautiful.” The concept behind Figgie Shoes is simple – you select your desired wedding shoe, and send it to Deborah to be fully customised and painted to your exact requirements – you can’t get any more bespoke. Honestly, I could just post and post about these shoes – love love love!

The post Beautiful Wedding Shoes – and how to make that all important decision appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

We’re reconnecting with nature on the blog this week, and first up is a beautiful woodland wedding moodboard by the fabulous Faye.

Woodland weddings can be full of bohemian mystery and I just adore the vibe that Faye has created in her moodboard this week. Utilising the natural environment can be incredibly effective, and just shows that you don’t need to spends thousands on expensive venue decor – let the outdoors speak for themselves. Embrace the natural earthy tones that are around you – from shades of green and brown, through to wild flowers with pops of gentle colour.

I must say that my favourite feature from the woodland wedding moodboard is the picnic hamper wedding breakfast. I cannot think of anything more magical than a picnic at sunset, with glasses of locally sourced bubbly, surrounded by your nearest and dearest. The daisy bouquet is also a particular love of mine – something that I’m very much considering for my wedding next September. And have you realised that cake is actually make from wood? Just magical stuff.

Woodland Wedding

**  Dotty Loves**

** Picnic Hamper  **  Boho Chic  **  Daisy Bouquet  **  Custom Cuff-links  **

You can find more of Faye’s wonderful design work on her Facebook Page. She also has the most beautiful bespoke and vintage range of Wedding Stationery, an absolute MUST if you’re organising a vintage wedding!

If you’re stuck with your wedding day theme, and would like to chat to other brides and wedding suppliers, then please remember to sign up for the Vintage Wedding Forum on Dotty Vintage Weddings. The Forum is the perfect place to discuss your ideas, your worries, and even your pesky relatives if need be!

Until next Monday!

L x

Credits:

Woodland Wedding:

(1): 100 Layer Cake

(2): Andrea Lindquist

(3): The Sweet Occasion

(4): Love my Dress

(5): Ruffled Blog

(6): 7 Year Wedding

(7): Block Party Press on Etsy

(8): Elizabeth Anne Designs

(9): Oh So Beautiful Paper

The post Moodboard Monday – Woodland Wedding appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

Since setting up the blog last year, I’ve been amazed at the little communities that have built up on social media. Networking hours on Twitter, dedicated ‘Likers’ on Facebook – there are people that I now regularly connect with and they have become genuine friends. But there’s no doubt that these contacts have been very business orientated, and I wanted to set up a place where brides can get well and truly involved – and The Vintage Wedding Forum was born!

As a bride-to-be myself, I know how challenging wedding planning can be, particularly when you’re also trying to juggle a job, a family, life, the universe and everything in between. When you come up against a problem in your wedding plans, if your friends and family can’t help you to resolve it, or you don’t have a wedding planner on tap, where do you turn?

There’s no doubt that the internet is a valuable resource for brides. But if you don’t have the time to be trawling through pages and pages of information, articles and blogs, then an advice forum might be the perfect solution for you. I know that there are some very established forums in place already, that brides utilise on a regular basis. But I wanted to introduce a forum for the vintage bride-to-be, or for those brides who feel that they just don’t ‘fit in’.

The Vintage Wedding Forum is the perfect place for you to chat if you’re planning a wedding with a difference, whether it be DIY and Handmade, Vintage, Alternative, Festival – the possibilities are endless. If you find the larger forums to be too ‘mainstream’, then I have created a place where the ‘out of the ordinary’ is fully embraced and encouraged!

As a forum in the very early stages, I’ve kept the categories quite limited to start with. But as the word spreads and the forum grows, I will be able to expand the categories to accommodate the new discussions. Forums rely on discussions and advice, so please – use it, read it, share it, tell your fellow brides-to be! Registration is free and simple, and you can post as little or as often as you please.

This also opens up a new avenue for brides and suppliers to connect. If you’re looking for something specific, then just ask! I have a huge network of fabulous suppliers that I hope will partake in the forum too. I want The Vintage Wedding Forum to be the place to go for brides and wedding suppliers alike.

Please bear with us over the next few weeks as we iron out the creases and make more improvements. If you have any suggestions, then just let us know – this is YOUR forum! Email forum@dottyvintageweddings.co.uk with your thoughts.

Visit The Vintage Wedding Forum and start the conversation!

Look forward to chatting with you soon,

Laura xxx

The post Introducing… The Vintage Wedding Forum! appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

This iconic brand was first established in 1911, in Sheffield, when travelling confectioner Joseph William Thornton tasked his two sons to open and run the very first branch of Thorntons, “Make this the best sweet shop in town!” he said.

I don’t imagine he’d have realised quite how popular his little shop would become.

Although I’ve always enjoyed Thorntons Chocolate, the company has never really been on my ‘bridal radar’. However, when the opportunity came along to review the Thorntons Wedding Range, I of course jumped at the chance! Thorntons offer a delightful selection of chocolate wedding favours, stationery and beautiful finishing touches to enhance your wedding day, all for a refreshingly reasonable price.

I was sent a selection of wedding favours, and a lovely bottle of Taittinger Champagne. However, I wanted to approach this review in a different way, so I enlisted the help of several bride & grooms-to-be, along with a couple of friends, to give my Dotty Vintage readers a real sense of the products.

The first set of favours comprise of four Continental Chocolates – The Diplomat, Orange Seville, Viennese Truffle and Vanille Truffle – nestled in a sturdy but cute box, adored with a ribbon and a little sparkly bead.

Available in a range of colours, these wedding favours can be personalised to suit your theme, and would provide a luxurious treat for your wedding guests. I’ve always been a fan of edible wedding favours, as you can almost guarantee that your guests will enjoy them, and they certainly won’t go to waste!

I particularly loved the Orange Seville chocolates; zesty, crunchy, delicious. You can also purchase these chocolates in dedicated bags if you develop for a taste for them like me!

Thorntons describe The Diplomat, “Peel back the gold foil and bite into an amazing blend of crunchy sugar-roasted almonds, crispy hazelnut bits and super smooth praline.” Karl, who is getting married next year (to me!) really enjoyed this one, “I adore nutty chocolate and The Diplomat ticked all the boxes! For me, these favours are perfect. Laura thinks they look beautiful and I think they taste great!”

Another addition to the Wedding Range at Thorntons are the Dotty Boxes which also come in a pretty range of colours. Emma, a 2014 bride, reviewed the Pink & Brown Dotty Box, filled with 4 chocobeurre hearts, “I was immediately drawn to the colour and pattern of the box – they would be perfect for my 1950’s themed wedding next year.”

Emma continues, “The chocobeurre hearts were filled with a smooth chocolate and I loved the pink wrapping. So cute!” What I really like about these favour boxes is the little ribbon – meaning you could hang them up around your venue and allow your younger guests to search for them.

Moving onto a more contemporary design now, and the Oriental Boxes incorporate gentle shades with intricate patterns.

Helen and Tom are getting married in June 2014, and reviewed the Pink Blossom Oriental Favour Box. Helen really liked the presentation of the heart chocolates, and says, “The quality of the chocolate was really good!” I think that this particular colour-way would be beautiful at a spring time wedding.

The couple, who plan to marry in Cornwall, loved the idea of being able to have the personalised letters to suit your wedding guests. The three alphabet Truffle Cups are filled with a smooth chocolate truffle and can be hand-iced with any letter or heart symbol.

To me, it’s really important that a wedding day is personal to you, so out of all the favours I sampled, my favourite were the personalised letter chocolates. The process is simple, just contact one of the helpful Wedding Coordinators at Thorntons by calling 0845 121 1911, and your chocolate wedding favours will be posted via next day delivery.

If you’re looking to treat some of your guests, or maybe send a thank you gift, then the Taittinger Brut Reserve NV Champagne could be the perfect option for you. Harriet and Wesley are getting married in May 2014, and were more than happy to review the bubbly for Dotty Vintage! Harriet says, “I love a good bit of bubbly, and the Taittinger didn’t let me down. You can tell that this is a premium product from Thorntons, and the taste was refreshingly acidic with hints of fruit.”

If you’re looking for some delicious chocolate wedding favours for your special day, then I’d strongly recommend you take a look at the Weddings Section of the Thorntons website. I’d also suggest that you ‘Like’ them on Facebook, and ‘Follow’ them on Twitter – as they regularly run promotional offers and competitions!

Laura xx

The post Thorntons Wedding Range – Chocolate Wedding Favours appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

What prompted you to start the business? Who works ‘behind the scenes’?

I started the business for 2 reasons:

1, I had some inherited jewellery collecting dust in a box, thought “What a shame, sooooo pretty, I need to wear it!” but it wasn’t my thing, so I made it my thing by recycling it into something unique, me and now!  Friends loved it, I made more, more people commented and asked me to make stuff for them from their inherited pieces! Voila! Bijou Junkie was born!

Dora

2, I am obsessed with jewellery, accessories, fashion and anything different related to it!

I work from my studio at home on the sunny south coast of Portsmouth. Me and my blue Staffy for company, can be found here creating Bijou Junkie loveliness!

Edwina

Where do you find the inspiration for your work? And why vintage?

I am inspired by anything bijou, pretty, old, with history behind it. Call it vintage, call it heritage, call it what you will!

I am inspired by current trends, old trends, diverse trends, people who surround me, people who like to be different! I am particularly inspired when someone comes to me with an item that has a story behind it. I make something for them, with them in mind, with their history in mind very personal!

I was recently inspired by jewellery designer Cathy Waterman’s collection produced for the film ‘Snow White and the Huntsmen’. Her designs are amazing and really captured the character of ‘The evil Queen Ravenna’ played by Chalize Theron.

Gwenndy

I’m a vintage bride-to-be – what can you offer me for my special day?

I can offer you something you will not find on the high street. You can adorn yourself in a unique statement piece from my collection or make it really sentimental by having something designed and made especially for you. I can use your own inherited or sentimental pieces! We will work together to create a design that truly reflects who you are, your wedding theme, reflects your heritage and becomes a cherished keepsake!  Whether its a necklace, headwear, bridesmaids gifts or anything else you have in mind, it will be a truly unique piece of bijou!

Ivy

Do you have an ‘off-the-peg’ range as well as offering bespoke commissions?

My collection can be viewed and purchased from my website www.bijoujunkie.co.uk as well as offering bespoke commissions.

I have a meaningful piece of jewellery that I’d like incorporate into a design. How would I commission a design from you?

Get in touch, I’ll try my best to meet you in person! We talk though your wedding, your likes, dislikes, look at example pieces, look at any items you want me to include. I take into account everything you tell me, from your history, style of dress, wedding venue, anything!! I then send you a design, you approve it, I crack on and produce your unique and very personal cherished luxury Bijou Junkie piece!

I don’t just do weddings either!  Have another occasion in mind? Lets talk!

Julianna

Can I find you at any wedding fairs or events this year?

You can find me at the following events:

Belles Bridal Bazaar, The Dome, Worthing,  2 June 2013

The Vintage Parade Wedding Fair, The Guildhall, Winchester, 16 June 2013

Selina Lakes Handmade & Vintage Summer Fete, Market House, Kingston Upon Thames,29 June 2013

Lovely and Vintage Wedding Fair, Alverbank Hotel, Gosport, Hampshire, 7 July 2013

The Festival of Vintage, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, 24th & 25th August 2013

Queenie

Further information and contact details -

If you’re interested in finding out more about Bijou Junkie, please visit their website, Facebook and Twitter.

The post Bijou Junkie – Vintage Inspired Jewellery appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

For Moodboard Monday this week, I’ve decided to revisit one of Faye’s beautiful boards from the very first Moodboard Monday back in March!

Officially a board for the Spring Time, ‘Spring Greens’ used a fabulous colour clash of green and yellow. However, this bold look could easily be applied to a Summer Time bash as well. The palette feels fresh, clean, and by utilising the natural colours of the flowers and foliage, it just shows that you don’t have to go overboard with the rest of the wedding venue decor.

Spring Greens

**  Dotty Loves**

** Pinwheel Bouquets  **  Yellow Peep Toes  **  Chiavari Chairs  **  Custom Converse  **

You can find more of Faye’s wonderful design work on her Facebook Page. She also has the most beautiful bespoke and vintage range of Wedding Stationery, an absolute MUST if you’re organising a vintage wedding!

Until next Monday!

L x

Credits:

Spring Greens:

(1, 2 & 13): stylemepretty.com

(3): ideastosteal.com

(4): ohsobeautifulpaper.com

(5): thingsfestive.blogspot.co.uk

(6): tasteofhome.com

(7): projectwedding.com

(8): weddingbycolor.com

(9): theknot.com

(10): onlinefabricstore.net

(11): weddinggawker.com 

(12): Dekanimal on Etsy

The post Moodboard Monday… Rewind! appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

I was delighted to hear from Marie and Andrew, who run their lovely business from their base in Bristol, and I was so surprised that I’d never come across their selection of gifts before. The silk bridal accessories and lingerie are luxurious and really quite special – perfect for a bride looking to treat themselves on their wedding day.

Blue Stripes also stock the most adorable selection of baby accessories, so you can treat your little ones too, “With more and more bridal couples including their little ones on their special day, many of them are looking for quality fashionable jackets and accessories to enhance the bride’s gown. Blue Stripes has taken this on board and has developed a range of luxury glamorous baby items in gorgeous, natural fibres such as cashmere and silk, specially designed just for them.”

I received the most indulgent gift set from Blue Stripes that I was more than happy to review! It arrived in a sturdy, high quality box with an adorable heart ribbon, with a cute Blue Stripes label. The gift boxes can be made up to include anything from the website, you just need to contact Blue Stripes with your specific requirements; the gifts can be bespoke to you.

When I opened the box, I was met by the most beautiful aromas. The little lavender bags were filled with Pembrokeshire Lavender Flowers. Made from pure silk, even the gift bags and ribbons are special. The ribbons are made from high quality satin and are not made in China. The flannel is organic too.

The Moussant is completely natural, made from organic Cocoa and Shea Butters, and Essential Oils. Perfect for a relaxing soak in the bath before your big day, add this to your Pamper List!

The highlight of the gift set for me were the soaps, which are handmade with natural ingredients. Marie, from Blue Stripes, has seen the soaps being handcrafted and was attracted to them by their unique content. I was sent a fabulous selection; Liquorice & Aniseed, Lemongrass & Mai Chang, Kiwi Lime, Olive & Lemon and Red Sandalwood Sage & Amber.

I would absolutely recommend you taking a little peek over on the Blue Stripes website to see all of their beautiful bridal gifts and accessories. There are more items being added onto the site every day, so keep checking back!

The post Blue Stripes – Bridal Gifts & Accessories appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

Image Credit – Lucy Turnbull Photography

From 6.30pm-8.30pm, Sarah Drew Jewellery and County Cream Bridal House are hosting an evening where you’ll be able to try on some of Sarah’s brand new bespoke bridal accessories and jewellery. Sarah Drew is a fabulous Cornish designer who specialises in contemporary jewellery and eclectic vintage headdresses made from items such as driftwood, slate, pebbles and other lovely quirky finds.

Join them for a glass of wine, and enjoy a consultation with Sarah if you’re looking for a bespoke piece of jewellery for your wedding. Sarah will be bringing along a whole host of beads, vintage pieces, feathers, lace and fripperies to help you create your own special design.

There will also be combs, headdresses, tiaras and jewellery available to purchase on the evening. You’ll be able to try on shoes, wraps and other bridal accessories from Amanda Wyatt and Elements Silver.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your wedding make-up and hair, you’ll be able to chat with make-up artist Natasha Flower and Hair by Holly Louisa to help you try things out and complete the look.

County Cream Bridal House is situated on 1, Church Walk, Truro, TR1 1JH.

Image Credit - Lucy Turnbull Photography

*PRIZE DRAW*

Sarah Drew has also give one very lucky Dotty Vintage Weddings reader the opportunity to win a fabulous vintage necklace!

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is email – laura@dottyvintageweddings.co.uk – with the subject *Prize Draw* to be entered into the draw! Entries must be received by midnight on Friday 14th June and Winners will be announced on Saturday 15th June.

Good Luck!

The post Bespoke Bridal Accessories & *WIN* A Vintage Necklace! appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

We are beyond thrilled to be attending the finals at Fazeley Studios in just a few short weeks! If you’re a lover of all things vintage, we’d strongly recommend you coming along – it’s just £15 to attend and see the Awards! Buy tickets here!

We’d like too say a MONUMENTAL thank you to everyone who voted for us. Without you, we wouldn’t have got this far – so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Another exciting development is that Laura, from Dotty Vintage Weddings, will be live blogging the Awards Ceremony too! So if you can’t make it in person, you’ll be able to keep up to date with the winners as they’re announced live! More details to follow in the next few weeks….

But for now, we’re off to celebrate with a well deserved glass of wine!

Heaps of love,

Laura & The Dotty Vintage Weddings Team

xxxx

The post The National Vintage Awards – We’re a Finalist! appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.

From save the dates and invitations, to table plans and venue decorations, it’s important to work alongside a designer who understands your requirements perfectly, and provide you with beautiful vintage wedding stationery. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet the fabulous Danielle, of Eden Craft Project.

How long have you been running the business? Who works ‘behind the scenes’?

Eden Craft Project has been up and running for just over 1 year. It is run by me, Danielle Eden, currently by myself (which is of course very demanding!) I do have a helping hand from my lovely hardworking husband, when he isn’t at work, he helps me out greatly by packaging the stationery for delivery to my lovely brides and grooms.

What inspired you to start the business? And why vintage?

Back in 2010, I designed my own wedding stationery for my wedding and had so many amazing compliments about them. At the time, however, they had taken me such a long time to put together (and I think I made them slightly more difficult than they needed to be) that I shrugged off all of the ‘you should do this for a living’ comments and I firmly said I never wanted to make another invitation!

I absolutely love everything vintage and find inspiration for new designs everywhere I look! The difficulty is finding the time to get all of the ideas bouncing around in my head down onto paper!

What’s your background?

I have absolutely no professional design background!

My passion for creating cards actually came when I was very young. I always used to love creating birthday cards and Christmas cards for my family. Then when I was 13 we had our first computer and I would spend hours designing personalised cards for special occasions.

I then got caught up in life and forgot all about my hobby. I got a job at a Solicitors as an office junior and worked up to become a legal secretary. I then came to the realisation that I had fallen into a job that I couldn’t imagine doing for the rest of my life. I started playing around with design programs at home on my computer and decided to start selling some of the invitations on Ebay. It took off really quickly, I was going to work 9-5 then coming home and working on customers stationery sometimes until 3am.

Then came the point where I had to make a decision and I took the very brave step of leaving full-time employment and becoming self-employed.

Do you offer a bespoke service, as well as an ‘off the peg’ range?

I do offer a bespoke service. I think it’s really important for customers to be able to choose to have something created specifically for them, incorporating their ideas and themes. It’s something I love to do, there’s nothing better than creating something from scratch that customers can feel really proud of!

I do also have an extremely versatile ‘off the peg’ range – all of my current designs can be customised. Every part of them can be changed, colours, fonts, layouts, ribbon colours, string, card and envelope types. This gives customers a feel of a bespoke invitation without the extra charges or time of something created from scratch.

Can I order a sample?

Yes, of course! I would always recommend ordering samples. They can be ordered from my website and come will a full price list for all invitation designs and accompanying stationery. I also include full details of what will happen should customers wish to go ahead with an order and a list of the different fonts I can use.

I’d love to order my wedding stationery from you – what’s the process?

First of all, I’m always really honoured to hear those words as I know there is a lot of choice out there and someone has chosen to use my work for their special day!

I email a list of the details I will need to get started, once I have those I then take a small deposit to cover proof design time. As soon as proofs have been agreed after any changes have been made etc, I take the balance payment and begin printing. Depending on quantities, my lead time is 4-5 weeks.

The final stage is for customers to send the invitations out to their friends and family and make sure they have an amazing wedding day!

Can I find you at any wedding fairs or events this year?

Absolutely! I am attending my very first wedding fair later this year – VERY EXCITED!

The Midlands Chic Wedding Fair on 22^nd September 2013 at Malmaison Hotel, Birmingham – please come along to see me and pick up a sample pack!

If you’re interested in finding out more about Eden Craft Project, please visit Danielle’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Folksy, Etsy, Ebay, Instagram and Pinterest.

The post Eden Craft Project – Vintage Wedding Stationery appeared first on Dotty Vintage Weddings.