Two Words Gay & Lesbian Wedding Magazine
Issue No. 1 S/S
Laura Photography 01273682202 studio@lauraellenphotography.co.uk www.lauraellenphotography.co.uk Advertisement
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome
“I like to mix quirkiness with a clean cut style” Welcome to the first issue of Two Words magazine, and we can not wait to share it with you. Inspired by the new law now allowing same sex couples to marry in England and Wales, I wanted to create a wedding magazine taylored to you. Two Words is a crafty inspirational wedding magazine and with each issue you can expect to explore a new place, learn a new craft and meet a new friend. We showcase some of the very best suppliers in the industry, from small businesses, to big brands. We’re here to help you make connections, inspire, and inform you of the latest wedding trends, so that you can be sure to have a day to remember. With Love Charlotte Lilley Editor
Talk To Us! 07526462846 charls_1992@hotmail.co.uk charls1992.wordpress.com facebook.com/2words2
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Two Words Contents..
MEETING..
LIVING..
MAKING..
LOVING..
5. Chaper one - Meeting
19. Chapter two - Living
35. Chapter three - Making
49. Chapter four - Loving
7. Perfect union
21. Londons in love
37. Bright spark
52. Tables and ties
9. Leading lady
23. Bouquets and button holes
41. It’s all in the detail
53. True talent
45. Love and laughter
25. Here comes the brides
58. Her honeymoon wish list
29. Quaint, queer & weird
59. The back page project
31. Here or there?
62. Save the date
11. White Mischief interview 15. Dainty details
A gift from us to you To celebrate the first issue of Two Words magazine we wanted to welcome you with a gift. Inspired by our meeting with Ellie Bond who handmakes these beautiful Betty Dolls, we decided to give away all the materials needed for you to create your own. Inside our magazine you will find the step by step tutorial written by Ellie herself. These dolls can either be used as a table decoration, wedding gift or as a keep sake to yourself. We wish you good luck with your sewing and hope you have fun getting creative. We would love to see your finished results so please feel free to email pictures of your finished dolls.dolls into us.
Chapter One. Meeting
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Join us in celebrating one of Englands first gay married couple as they tie the knot in Brighton. Meet the leading lady of wedding dresses, Christine Marchant who shares her experties with us, and be inspired by our dainty details.
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The Perfect Union Recently history was made on the 29th March 2014, officially legalising same sex marriages in England and Wales, thousands of people celebrated as the fight for equal rights was finally achieved. Various couples up and down the country had been anticipating this day, but one couple that would be sure never to forget this date was Neil Allard and Andrew Wale. After a seven year relationship and plans to marry when the law changed, the couple entered a competition which had a priceless prize. The chance to be one of the first gay couples in England to marry at exactly one minute past midnight, but while not expecting to win they didn’t give much thought to the practibility of this prize. ‘I didn’t think about the timing when we applied as I never expect to win”, said Neil. Suprisingly to them, they won due to the couples real fondness of the City and soon became the centre of a marriage and political worldwind. The music room in Brightons Royal Pavillion is where the wedding took place while crowds, media and press anxtiously awaited the couples apperance. Arriving in a smart black car, the couple posed for a picture before entering the Pavillion where the beautiful but no doubt emotional wedding took place. However their exit also got heart strings tugging, when faced with hundreds of people that had gathered outside, both husbands started to well up but happily stood for pictures while the flash bulbs and cheers continued. Crumbling to the public chant of “speech, speech, speech!” Andrew said a few humble words about his love for Brighton, the new law and peoples growing acceptence for same sex couples, “I feel it’s an honour and a massive step forward for gay people and society as a whole.” They left as Mr and Mr to a roar of cheers and confetti and danced the night away with close friends and family.
Chic glamour, this dress features the most flattering relaxed fit and flair silhouette. Details include a delightful, pretty V neckline with a lace trim, however the surprise comes with the back, revealing a gorgeous open keyhole. Sketches sourced from White Mischief
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Leading Lady
White Mischief can simply be described as elegant, beautiful and bespoke. As one of the UK’s premier bridal boutiques, it’s situated in the heart of Sussex only 10 miles from Brighton. This boutique have carefully chosen a selection of stunning wedding dresses from 10 cutting edge designers just for you. These include names such as Eclectic, Lou Lou and Enzoani and styles range from the classic to the glamourous. However if you are looking for a more bespoke design, White Mischief also offers dresses from Charlite Brear, Jenny Packham and Augusta Jones. These designers ensured that you have the versatility and flexability to create your own individual look, whether thats chic or contemperary. With all these dresses avaliable under one roof your guaranteed to walk out with a dress you love. As well as a huge range of designer wedding dresses they also supply every bridal accessories you’d ever need. Including tiaras, veils, shrugs, shoes, strapless bras, bridal lingerie and much more, and you ‘ll be pleased to know all of these are avaliable to purchase through their online bridal store. They also have a selection of outfits for your wedding party too, from the bride maids, to mothers and friends, your wedding guests will also find what they need here and are always welcomed along with you to visit the boutique. White Mischief knows that every bride has a unique story to tell and understand that it’s key to match your personality to your dress. On the most important day of your life you will want to feel special but also comfortable, that is the best balance. Visit the White Mischief blog for the latest information on events, media and to see previous couples celebrating their big day. http://www.whitemischiefbridal.co.uk/blog.php
White Mischief
Q &A with Christine Marchant 1. How long have you been running White Mischief and how did this lovely career come about for you? I started in the bridal industry by becoming an Agent for the Augusta Jones label, selling to bridal stores throughout the UK, Ireland and into Europe. After a couple of years, I saw a gap in the market for gowns at the Augusta Jones price point and decided to open a mid to high end boutique in an area that is easily accessible for brides located in London and the South East. 2. What can customers expect from a trip to one of your shops? Choosing a wedding gown should be a serious but fun experience and at White Mischief the team are trained to ensure that both are achieved in harmony. Brides will be presented with some of the UK’s leading designers, they will get the opportunity to spend time with a consultant who will endeavor to find the correct style, embellishments and accessories to suit the individuality of each bride. 3. Some brides know what they want but for those who don’t have a clue where to start, how do you go about narrowing the search? It’s all about matching their personality. If someone is timid and shy you don’t go and shove them in a pink sparkly meringue! A person’s personality speaks volumes in their dress and it needs to reflect their style. On entering the store we can certainly gather ideas about their taste and the type of dress that will suit them. Sometimes you can be surprised though and it unleashes a person that even they didn’t know existed! So they might end up going for something that they had never thought of before. It’s a process of trial and error more than not. Start with a few fundamental key looks, and then narrow down the styles until you find the perfect one! 4. As the new law allowing same sex marriages comes into play this month is your company doing anything to celebrate and welcome this change? Not particularly. We already happily cater for any sex marriages. We strive to celebrate women in a fashionable way, that their partner will love no matter what sex.
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“A person’s personality speaks volumes in their dress and it needs to reflect their style.”
“Enjoy it and don’t stress too much. Remember the reason you are getting married!”
5. Your overall style is very classic and feminine but do you have any particular outfits or items that are a little more outgoing? For example: patterned ties, top hats, colourful dresses? We have a few creative looks. One being a black lace wedding dress by designer Miquel Suay! We have a few fashion forward styles with high-low hems and wacky peplums. But most brides tend to stick with the classic and less OTT look! 6. For the more creative customers that want to tweak or personalise parts of their outfits themselves, is this possible? We’re always customizing gowns. It’s important for brides to feel like they’ve had choices and options when choosing their wedding dress. And many of them find they like different elements of different dresses so it makes sense to be able to incorporate elements of a few dresses into one. It’s part of the process of creating the individual dream wedding dress for the individual bride. 7. In the past gay women have brought wedding and bridesmaid dresses from you and this is bound to increase in the future. Are you going to start advertising towards this market too? The advertising we carry out is aimed at anyone wanting to find their dream dress, whether they’re homosexual makes no odds to us or the way we market our dresses. It’s about creating an image for the individual bride.
8. Do you cater for males or ladies that want to wear suits? If not, why? And do you have any companies that you might suggest? We don’t get asked much for suits so we haven’t felt it necessary to branch into this area. It may well be an area that we look into. Most people looking for a suit would usually hit a high street store or find a seamstress who could create the look they want. Not many, if any, of the designers that we carry in store hold suits in their collections.
9. Where can we find your stores and how can we get in touch? We have one independent boutique in Henfield, West Sussex, ideally located not far from bustling Brighton. We can be accessed by car or the nearest train station is Hassocks, but a short taxi ride will be required. 10. Weddings can be a stressful but also amazing time, what advise would you give to both brides and grooms to be? Make the most of the planning process. I can’t stress enough how useful the internet is for research and creative ideas. Pinterest and Instagram are fantastic tools for collecting virtual ideas for your big day. Enjoy it and don’t stress too much. Remember the reason you are getting married! It’s meant to be a fun, once in a lifetime process- so don’t have any regrets!
A stylish strapless and lace wedding gown that floats with every step. The bodice features a beautiful lace that cuts diagonally from the hip with layers of translucent organza on the skirt and train.
A classic A-line wedding gown with a lace bodice, paired with a pleated organza skirt. Look out for the lovely details such as the lace scallop trim on the neckline, and the floral detailing at the waist.
Photography, stylist & creative director: Charlotte Lilley MUA: Lauren Morgan Model: Paige Anthony
Dainty details
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I t’s the little details, that will make you stand out
Chapter Two. Living
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Discover Londons biggest wedding show, visit the City and the seaside with our favourite get away destinations and then be blown away by Brightons very own Alternative Wedding Fair,
What they said.. “I think last year no one wanted to set a date until the law changed,” she said. “This year is much busier and everyone is really happy and excited. - Rhiannon, 27
“For me, it’s about being comfortable and happy on my wedding day, not looking like a beauty queen.” - Claudia, 29
“Where else can you witness power ballads, pink tequila and beautiful wedding cakes.. .hanging upside down?” - Charlie, 42
“To get married means everything to us, it’s about having equal rights. We want to be treated just the same as everyone else and civil partnership doesn’t quite cut the mustard.” - Simon, 25
“I have been to other wedding fairs but the atmosphere here today was truely fantastic.” - Sue , 36
“It was certainly livelier than a traditional wedding fair, but still had the caterers, party planners and photographers.” - Richard, 30
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Londons In Love Celebrating their 10th anniversary last year, The National Gay Wedding Show left not only lasting impressions but also high expectations for this years show. With over 60,000 couples already entering a civil partnership, and with gay couples now able to legally marry in England and Wales the demand for suppliers within this brand new, but highly competative wedding industry is rapidly increasing. The show which visited Londons Camden Town this year, helps same sex couples arrange their special day and visits a selection of other Cities including Glasgow, Cardiff and Manchester. It’s aim is to deliver the very best suppliers to you where ever you are, and 7,000 of you have attended since the shows launch in 2004. Each year the room fills with colours, tastes and sounds and theres simply no doubting the passion and dedication from everyone involved, as excitment for the day ahead fills the room. With each company hand chosen by the Founder Gino, only the best showcase what they have to offer, suppliers from this years show include a beautiful taylor called KG Bespoke, talented jewlers, Josef Koppmann and decor suppiers, For The Occassion. Along with support from the public, The Gay Wedding Shows also attracts positive attention from the press, including journalists, bloggers and the BBC who have covered it in past years. The Founder Gino and his husband Mike were determined to impress the city once again and show the true popularity and demand of a show like this, and I think you will agree it’s a great success.
“All love is shared” - Gino Meriano, event founder
Bouquets & Buttonholes Flowers may not be one of first things on your mind when tackling the wedding list, but there potential involvment in your wedding day is certainly bigger than you might realise. Traditionally we think of the bridal and bridesmaids boquettes and buttonholes first. However with the way we display wedding flowers evolving, and the popularity of more modern flower arrangements increasing, the flower business is flourishing. There are now endless flower arrangements, colours, styles and extras such as berrys, butterflys or bows to choose from, and with flower trends emerging depending on the time of year and most popular wedding colours of that time, we understand that all of these options can be daunting. However with some careful consideration and help from a professional florist, that will bring you further inspiration and guidance, you will be able to perfectly match your personalities or the theme of your wedding to your flower arrangments. There are numerous talented florists avaliable, including Flowers4, Bryd and Spry and Findon Flowers, that will bring your visions to life, however you may also want to consider non traditional options as well as the traditional. Think outside the box with headdresses, aisle decorations and chair covers to create unique statement pieces, this is your chance to create something tailored to you and your wedding, so remember to have fun in expressing yourself through the beauty of flowers.
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Flowers4 0800 1383 222 www.flowers4.co.uk offers@flowers4.co.uk Advertisement
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Photography: Fredrika Staf Styling & creative director: Charlotte Lilley MUA: Bryony Wakeford & Samantha Wyatt. Dresses sourced from Velvit Birdcage
Here come the brides..
I t’’s kooky, quirkey, funky, punky & off beat! 29.
Quaint, Queer & Weird The Aternative Wedding Fair is most certainly that, with guests dressing to impress and over 60 exhibitioners on show your guaranteed to be inspired and find something you love. Unusual designers including Oh My Honey and Victorian Gotic, professional cake makers and many talented photographers all attend in hope that they can be apart of your big day and offer you their specialised skills. However if your thinking that all sounds a little too ‘normal’ the fair also offer you the world class body painter Victoria Gugenheim, Doggy Doodles who make highend doggie wedding wear, Sussex Falconry with their display of live birds of prey and free body art and glitter tattoos in exchange for a small donation. Throughout the day there is also hourly entertainment including singers Paul Roberts and 50’s singer and entertainer Dawn Gracie who goes by the name of Starlet Daze. Along with some slightly risky but comical entertainment by Ruby Deshabillie who performs a striptease called ‘Cupid’s Blind Date,’ which involves audience participation. Organiser Lesley Taylor said “the varied folk of Brighton and surrounding area really appreciate such an alternative wedding fair, the Corn Exchange is a magnificiant venue and we are quadrupling exhibitor space too.” Overall this wedding fair certainly lives up to its name and will not disappoint, find out when and where the next event is on at their website. http://www.quirkyweddings.co.uk
Here or there? Whether your engaged and looking to splash out and celebrate or newly weds looking for a cheaper getaway destination, we have some options you might not have thought about. Sussex is renowned for it’s sunny seaside image, and if you catch the weather right it’s just that. With the option of pebbly and sandy beaches to choose from you’ll have the choice of sunbathing with a picnic, or taking a dip and lighting the barbeque. During the day if you fancy some culture you can wonder through the several theatres, museums, art galleries, and even visit a pottery cafe. As the evening dawns, theres endless places to eat, from highend to quaint restaurants in Brightons busy lanes, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. Then there’s Brighton pier, a beautiful place to visit, especially when the sun sets, with endless amusments to keep you busy. However if you fancy travelling over seas, with a very short flight of less than an hour you could be in Paris and able to explore this big City. During the morning you can visit the local markets, which sell fresh baguettes and pasteries. During the day you can bike it through the streets as there is various book shops to browse, or if it’s bigger shops you are after, these are situated along the Champs - Elysees highstreet. To keep yourself busy in the evenings there are beautiful gardens to stroll through or if you don’t mind heights theres the top of the Eiffel Tower to explore. We hope you realise that whatever the size of your budget there are always new experiences to have together and exciting places to explore, so enjoy your getaway whereever you choose.
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..the choice is yours
Chapter Three. Making
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Learn how to make your own Bridal Betty Doll with our exclusive tutorial from Ellie Bond. Meet the couple who brought the fairground to their wedding and add personal touches to yours with our DIY ideas for both the ladies and the gentlemen.
Bright Spark Q & A with Ellie Bond We caught up with Ellie to find out where it all first began, more about her business and how she created her own dream day by putting her and her family’s crafty skill to good use. 1. Describe Elbojobo’s creative style in a few words? Observational & humorous 2D & 3D characters inspired by real life people. 2. You’re so young and run your own business, when did you start and how did it come about? I’ll be 35 soon so ‘so young’ sounds very nice to me! We started the business in summer 2011 but we had been selling our wares at craft fairs and online before this since 2001. John is a freelance illustrator/animator and I am an Art and Design Tutor. At the moment elbojobo is a hobby that we hope to grow and develop as a business. We plan to add new lines, sell in more shops and generally build up our company into a brand and gain more of an audience. 3. With many of our readers preparing to get married and looking for those perfect personal gifts, what does your business have to offer? Personalised fabric Dolls, given as a wedding present or used as cake toppers or table decoration. John’s hand illustrated pictures or cards can make great wedding stationery, requests taken. 4. Your obviously a very good seamstress, is that a natural talent or were you brought up in a creative household? My mum is a seamstress and I have grown up with fabric, scissors, pins and ribbons all around the house! I’m in no way a professional sewer, I like to think I have a good imagination and can create works of art with fabric. Give me a pattern to work from and I get a bit stuck! I usually make it up as I go along. 5. The dolls are adorable, who and how did you come up with their distinctive look? Just by playing about and experimenting with different looks. A bit like my own fashion sense, I will try a new ‘look’ or ‘Era’ every now and then. I think at the time I was donning the 1940’s victory roll at the front of my hair so hence the Betty Doll was born! 6. Where do you and your husband usually like searching for crafty and inspirational ideas? From everyday life, we are people watchers. I am usually inspired by John’s drawings and want to try and create them in 3D form.
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7. You’ve kindly made Two Words magazine a beautiful bridal doll, what other themed dolls have you made? And is there a particular request that stands out? Representations of wedding couples or work colleagues have definitely been the most popular. I also make peoples pets, and just recently I created a mini belly dancer out of bright Indian silk and sequins. She will be used to promote Belly Dancing Classes. 8. You and your husband obviously work well as a team within a business and your day-to-day life, what’s your marriage secret? We have both worked within a Team environment, myself as a Window Dresser and John as an Animator. The more ideas there are, the more creative you can be. Luckily we both share the same taste in most things, whether this be for the home or fashion. After 13 years together we can now draw upon these years of experience to create an up to date and a cutting edge style.
9. As a creative couple, were there any crafty or handmade elements to your wedding? Absolutely! John illustrated all of our wedding stationery, my mum made the dress, the bouquets and my headpiece. We decorated the venue ourselves too; in fact we were featured in two magazines because of our unique Style! 10. For all our readers that are about to attempt making the other bridal doll what advice would you give them? To have fun, when you are sewing around the body, leave enough fabric around the edge – you don’t want the stuffing popping out. Use lots of stuffing, you will be surprised how much they take. Good luck!
Ellie Bond and her husband John are two very humble, happy individuals, whos upbeat personalities can’t help but rub off on you. Their incredibly creative and crafty talents have allowed them to run a business from their home on the South Coast, while also looking after their growing family. Elbojobo produces limited edition fabric dolls, original prints and art work, which are all very reasonably priced. While Ellie takes care of the sewing, John is a brilliant illustrator and they have worked hard as a team for 5 years to get their business to a place they are happy with.
“I am an arty girl through and through.”
Your step by step With this step by step guide and your exclusive free gift from us you’ll be able to have a go at making one of these cute Bridal Betty Dolls yourself. They are perfect as a special gift, centre piece or just a keep sake for yourself, so you’ll always be reminded of your special day.
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1. Making sure you have two layers of skin coloured fabric, pin the pattern on top & cut around. You will now have two cutouts. 2. Sew these together leaving a good half a centimetre of fabric around the very edge.
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3. Turn your fabric the right way round (using a blunt pencil helps to get into small areas). 4. Stuff your doll – the pencil helps with this too! Then cut four leg strips and sew together, rounding the feet. 5. Turn the legs the right way round and pin inside the bottom of body. Stitch with the machine neatly across. Your Betty Bride is taking shape! 6. Now using the white felt, cover the body from under the arms, down to the middle of the legs and hand sew a running stitch up the back. 7. You will need to measure the lace around the body and pin to fit. Slide the lace off and sew up where you have pinned. 8. Turn the lace the correct way round and slide back on to Betty. Create shoulder straps by stitching white cotton front to back on each side. 9. Using your circle of felt, place on top of the head and flatten around the edges – pinning down. 10. Use the other bits of felt to roll up and create hair. Using the same colour cotton, stitch all felt down.
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“Use lots of stuffing, you dont want that popping out.”
11. Your getting there! Now for the veil – sew up the top of the lace piece and draw the cotton together to form a gather. Roll this under neatly and stitch down behind the hair roll. 12. Cut two very small circles from the eye colour felt. Pin down in the correct position and sew onto Betty. You can use black cotton to create eyelashes too. 13. Two pink cheeks – I have pulled the circles apart and teased the felt slightly to make them seem softer. Fabric glue for these works best. 14. Finally those mini red lips – cut them to size and use the tiniest dab of fabric glue to stick them on. 15. One Betty Bride – Done!
Images sourced from Ellie Bond
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Photography, styling & creative director: Charlotte Lilley MUA: Lauren Morgan Model: Simba Shan
I ts All In The Detail
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The finishing touches
Love & Laughter 1. You and your partner look very happy together and well suited. How did you meet and was it love at first sight? We met at a friends engagement party, we have mutual friends & we’d heard about each other for a few years, but we never actually met. We were introduced at two very good friends engagement party & yes, it was LAFS, (although for Pete I think it was about 24hrs later) 2. Who proposed to who? Where, when, how? We want all the details. For our anniversary Pete took me away to Venice, but I didn’t know until I boarded the plane where we were going. He waited until the last day to take me on a Gondola ride, I should have realised then that something was up when we were booking as I suggested going with a group of Japanese tourists (the cheaper option) but Pete insisted we went on our own. Good call, as I’m not sure the Japanese tourist would have coped with my reaction. 3. The location and shear size of your wedding looks very impressive. Did you both always want a big wedding and why? We both wanted a Wow Wedding: It’s the biggest day of our lives & we wanted to really celebrate this. We both wanted the celebrations to last through the night & to have a get-together the next day so that we had ample opportunity to spend time with all our guests.
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Orchardleigh was the ideal place for this as they had plenty of rooms for everyone to stay & best of all, they would were happy to keep the dance floor/bar open until everyone had gone to bed. As for the budget, it had the potential to spiral out of control, but we managed to (kind-of) keep to it. We had to scale back on numbers, it would have been wonderful to invite everyone we knew, but these things cost quite a lot, so we stopped at 120. Fortunately, as we had the wedding over two days, we were able to invite a few extras on the second day. 4. Your wedding looks like it was a lot of fun, who came up with the the fair ground theme? Pete came up with the theme. I wasn’t even sure we needed a “theme” but Pete did so much research & it was evident that weddings have themes. I’m originally from Brighton so we wanted something fun, colourful & something that reflected our personalities and history. So the Fun-Far theme seemed to fit this perfectly. 5. Where did you look/find inspiration for your big day? We found it really difficult in the beginning as there really isn’t much inspiration out there for same-sex weddings. Pinterest, Rock&Roll Bride and Unique Bride were great, although the best ideas were from USA so we had to do a lot of stuff ourselves. Luckily a lot of a friends work in creative jobs, so they all pitched in.
Enjoy it, it goes so quickly so take time to really take it all in. Have Fun.
6. The bright colour scheme running through the balloons and ribbons looks like it matches the time of year and weather perfectly. What month did you choose and why? We got married in September predominantly for financial reasons, venues etc cost are almost double in June, July, August. We really wanted an outdoor wedding so opted for September as we thought we’d get lucky with the weather. We did. It was a bit touch & go though as when we arrived at the venue on Thursday, it was raining & overcast. Luckily the weather picked up. 7. There are some really unusual elements to your wedding, like the orange bow tie on the statue. Who thought of these details and do you think they reflect your personalities? One of our very dear friends offered to help decorate our wedding. We briefed her on colour etc (Pete’s favourite colour is Orange, mine is Blue so this was always the colour scheme) but then gave her carte blanche, we just wanted colour & fun & she did us so proud. We’d been to see a Tim Walker exhibition at the design museum & he did a shoot where he illuminated dresses hanging from trees, we had a woodland walk area to decorate so the idea to hand lampshades in there came from there. The bowties were Kate’s idea. We’d bought bowties/ties from Liberty’s for our best-men & Kate decided that the statues at the venue needed dressing up too. We loved this idea.
8. Theres a lot of crafty, handmade goodness in your wedding, like the decorated jars and painted tin centre pieces. Did you create these yourself? If so where did you learn this from? The idea for the glass jars came from Pete, he’s seen something similar on the internet & really wanted these to hang from the chairs as we walked down the aisle. These could then be easily moved to the tables as centre pieces. The tins were entirely Ella’s (Byrd & Spry) idea. I’ve been very good friends with Ella for years & was so excited when she very generously offered to do the flowers for our wedding. Ella is incredibly talented & I must add patient. We had tendencies to turn in to groom-zilla’s & she dealt with our tantrums really well. Like Kate, we only asked for the colour theme to be present & the glass jars on the chairs, the rest was entirely up to her & I hope you agree that the flowers were sensational. We were so so happy with how it all looked. 9. Now that same sex couples can legally get married in England and Wales, is that something you and your partner might think about for the future? We will definitely “upgrade” to a full marriage when we are permitted to.
10. What top tips would you give to couples about to embark on their wedding journey? Stick to your budget, it will be far to easy to get carried away. Decide what you can afford & stick to it. Do your research. you can do lots of things yourself & get inspiration from as many sources as possible. Don’t compromise, you only get one shot at it, so if you really want it, have it.
Images sourced from Bryd & Spry blog, Illustrations by Stephanie Chadwick
Chapter Four. Loving
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Fall in love with our Spring inspired step by step make-up. tutorial, find out what’ should be on your honeymoon wish list. Before lighting up the room with our final DIY tutorial on the back page project.
Tables and Ties With this step by steps the gentlemen will certainly be able to dress to impress. The Trinity Knot is an alernative way to suit up on your big day and for this DIY trick all you’ll need is a complimenting shirt. Then for the ladies, you’ll be able to learn how to make this simple but beautiful centre piece in know time! What you need A helium filled ballon, ribbon, clear tape, a basket (without a handle) and something to fill it with like flowers, sweets or toys. Step 1. Cut two 48inch lengths of ribbin Step 2. Lay these across one another in an X shape and tape at the cross. Step 3. Fill your basket with what ever you wish, think about your wedding theme or style for inspiration.
Step 1. Place the tie around your neck (thicker side on the right) and pinch the right side to make a dimple.
Step 4. Lay the ribbon over the top of the ballon, with the ends hangig over the sides, and tape the X of the ribbon onto the top of the balloon.
Step 5. Then to finish taoe the ends of the ribbons to the sides or cornors of the basket, and your done.
Step 2. Take the thin side and bring it across and over the dimple. Step 3. Next bring it up thorugh the loop and pull to wards the same side. Step 4. Now bring it under to the other side Step 5. Bring it up and loop through, and pull it to the same side (you should see a heart shape forming.) Step 6. Cross over the heart to the other side Step 7. Now bring it under and up through the loop, then through the knot (but keep the upper loop a little loose.) Step 8. Then bring the thin tie under to the other and pull it through the loose loop. Step 9. Straighten it out by keeping it loose and tuck the thin tie under the neck line. Step 10. Finally pull your shirt collor down and you are complete!
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Images sourced online
True Talent Q & A with Toni Todd As a talented hair and make-up artist who has more than 10 years experience, Toni Todd is the lady you’ll welcome with open arms on the morning of your wedding day. We went to meet her and asked all the questions you’d want the answers to. 1. Toni, how long have you been a profesional hair and makeup artist? And was this a career you always wanted growing up? Funnily enough, I never dreamed that I would ever be a makeup artist or hairdresser. When I was a child, I wanted to be everything, from a journalist to a scientist, from an author to an actress. I guess I just wanted to do something where I was free to be all of those things, and in some small way I am all of those things in one. I have always had a knack for hair and makeup ever since I was really young, I use to practice on my sisters and myself growing up. When I was 18 I enrolled on an NVQ hairdressing course and haven’t looked back since. 2. Most brides love getting their hair and make-up done for their big day, but there are many artists out there. What makes you different? I recently won ‘Star of the Future’ business award last year at the Chichester Gazette and Observer Business Awards, and was a runner up at the Southern Region business awards, I feel extremely proud of my achievements and I am still striving to make myself a better artist. I always ensure my clients are 100% happy with the job that I have done, even if it means not getting home until late, because I love leaving my brides with absolute confidence in me and themselves.
I feel extremely proud of my achievements and I am still striving to make myself a better artist. I always ensure my clients are 100% happy with the job that I have done.
3. You’v become a popular choice for brides to be, and these jobs must be so enjoyable. What would you say your favourite part of the day is? For me it’s arriving first thing in the morning, seeing the bride with her bridesmaids all fresh faced from a nights sleep, setting up my equipment and getting started. I am the most experienced person in the room when it comes to wedding mornings, so I generally take control of the room. Im the one who sets the pace for the morning to ensure everyone is ready in time and seeing the bride as relaxed as she can be, makes me happy. 4. Where do you get all your ideas and inspiration from for different looks? I get my ideas from literally everywhere, especially pinterest which I am in love with at the moment. I also gain inspiration just walking through town or when I’m out with friends in the evening, I see women’s everyday hairstyles and it might inspire me to create something casual, effortless but glamorous for a wedding. Sometimes brides will give me 4 or 5 pictures of styles/ elements they like in each. I can often create a bespoke hairstyle designed just for them which women love.
Images sourced from Toni Todd 53.
“Living near Brighton it can only be a matter of time before males start requesting my services. I t’s about time they can tie the knot!”
5. What’s the most requested look you get from brides? And why do you think that is? At the moment, I am finding a very popular style is a textured and relaxed looking, low chignon (bun). The reason for this is because it’s a style that is classically beautiful, romantic and soft. There is a lot of room for personalisation with this style as plaits and twists can be added into the style to make it unique to each person. 6. Now same sex couples can legally get married, men might want a little make-up too, how would you feel about this and have you had any of these requests yet? It’s about time same sex couples can now legally tie the knot, im so pleased for them!! So far I haven’t had any requests, but living near Brighton it can only be a matter of time. I have already started looking into male makeup and styling courses in London for the end of this wedding season so that I am prepared for wedding season 2015. 7. If a bride is unsure of what kind of look she wants, how would you go about helping her decide? This can often be quite a scary thing for a bride, as often there is so much choice that they can sometimes feel overwhelmed. For me, prior a bridal trial I will always have a lengthy chat on the phone to discuss this type of thing. If I can identify that someone isn’t sure what look they are after I will advise them to get a Pinterest account. It doesn’t matter how different the styles are from each other it just gives them a starting point. When it comes to the trial, I have an indepth consultation with the bride, and more often they know what they dont like, so by a process of elimination we can begin to narrow it down.
8. As a young women yourself starting up a career, are there any other areas of hair and make-up you work in, or want to work in? Eg: theatre, commercial and why? For the next few years I’m happy to continue improving my skill set, widening my knowledge courses and concentrating on mastering my craft. When the time is right I would love to work in film, TV and theatre, especially on something like downtown abbey or the great Gatsby, I absolutely love period hair because it looks so intricately beautiful. 9. What look do you think you might go for on your own wedding day? And will you do your own hair and make up? I have been engaged to my partner for 2 years and with my studies coming to an end this year I will be able to (hopefully) start planning my own wedding. I’m pretty simple, I love the soft romantic almost fairytale style, kind of pre Raphaelite inspired no fuss hair and makeup. I’ve just been thinking I’ll have a flower garland or an elegant headpeice in the hair. I think I would get one of my makeup artist friends to help me on the day, as I’m pretty sure I won’t have a steady hand on the morning of my wedding and I would hate to risk not getting it right. Even as a professional, I would definitely get a professional to do the job on the day as it’ll also be one last thing to think about on that morning. 10. How can people get hold of you for bookings ect? I have my website www.tonitoddhairandmakeup.co.uk, email tonitodd@ live.co.uk, mobile 07500703194, Facebook/tonitoddMUA, Twitter/tonitodd_mua and Pinterest/tonitoddmua so there are plently of ways. I would love to hear from all you brides and grooms - to be, so please feel free to get in touch.
Spring Summer Sensation 1. To start add a little moisturiser to your face, this helps (we used Clinique moisturiser surge.) Then using a small brush add a little concealer around the eye area, this brightens the skin and over any blemishes you need to conceal. (We used ) 2. Using the airbrush tool (No.3 medium-dark) spray the face evenly while moving your hand in a circular motion. You can apply this as thin or as thick as you prefer. 3. Then you can use the mechine to enhance the sockets and cheeckbones of your eyes because this is where you naturally have shadows and structure.
6. Now apply your eyeshadow (we used Mac, gold mine) because this will create a nice base colour. Then use a light colour (we used Brulay and Geto) to hightlight under the eyebrow bone. 7. Using a small socket brush apply a slightly darker shade of eyeshadow (we used House baked by Urban Decay, Naked 2.) Then add your chosen colour (we used Mac, green matalic) to the outer eyelid and close to the upper and lower eyeline, naturally blending as best you can. 8. You can now add a touch of gold eyeshadow to the
4. Using highlighter, apply a little down the middle of your nose, inner corner of the eyes, this will really open the eyes up. tops of your cheek bones and eyebrow bones. This will help reflect light and give you a natural glow. 9. Then using a dry mascara brush lightly comb your 5. Now in a circle motion apply your chosen blusher (we
eyebrows and using a thin eyeliner brush apply a thin line of eyeshadow, (we used Illamasqua, liquid metal colour.)
used Airbase’s bronze/pink colour) to the apples of your cheeks. Then using a primer pencil fill in your eye lid, 10. Now using eyelash curlers, press firmly down on the this will stop your eyeshadow from creasing up, (we used top lashes. Illamasqua 8H1 medium.)
“I love the soft romantic almost fairytale style, kind of pre Raphaelite inspired no fuss.�
11. Afterwards use a fan brush, (we used Mac 205) and brush it along the mascara wand. If you apply the mascara this way you can get closer to the roots of the lashes without ruining your eyeshadow. 12. Now using the very end of the mascara wand (we used Mac black) you can apply a little to the bottom lashes and corners by lightly brushing. 13. Then using a angled eyebrow brush, apply a little eyebrow powder (we used Crown, medium brown) by lightly brushing in the direction of the hair. 14. You can now use a lip liner (we used The Body Shop, clover pink) to frame the lips and fill them. This will stain the lips and help your lipstick last longer. 15. Lastly add your lipstick (we used Charls Fox make-up international 3) with a small brush and then coat with lipgloss (we used Nards, pillow talk.)
“The very second I saw you everything was better.”
“I think you look best when you speak from the heart.” “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt
If I get married, I want to be very married. -Audrey Hepburn
“I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They’ve “Vintage means pre loved.” experienced pain and bought jewellry.” -Rita Rudner
“Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together..” - Elizebeth Taylor “It’ is such a happiness when good people get together – and they always do.” -Jane Austen
“Forever is a long time but I woulldn’t mind spending it with you.”
“I love being married. It’s so great to find that one special person youa marriage want to annoy “I want morefor the rest of your life. ” -Rita Rudner beautiful than my wedding.”
“Do small things with big love.” - Mother Teresa
“Weddings to me are wondrous because they are so filled with tomorrows..” -Mary Forsell
Her honeymoon wist List
Botanic Bamboo Ring Swimsuit, Topshop £38. Wooden Platform Sandle, River Island £50. Skirt with a split, Urban Outfitters £45. Pink soft utility dress, Next £35. Images sourced online
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The Back Page Project Old things often end up losing their way over the years and spend their time in a dusty cupboard or garage. We love to find them and give them a new life as candles. We have been making these hand poured eco friendly soya candles for three years now and they make a lovely gift for Mother’s Day. They are less fattening than a box of chocolates, they last longer than a bottle of wine and our fragrances are divine. Prices start at just £3.00.
You Will Need (makes 3-4 candles) A large pan and a smaller pan to sit inside 450g (1 pound) soy candle wax flakes Coloured wax chips (optional) 4 tablespoons of candle making fragurence oil Cooking themometer Teacups/glasses Waxed wicks with sustainers (little round discs at the bottom) Chopsticks, pegs, pencils
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“If any air bubbles form once the candle has
set, simply blast with a hairdryer and melt the top of the candle and it will re-set smooth.“
1. Pour water into the bottom portion of a large pan and bring to the boil, and then put wax flakes in the top part. Reduce the heat to low and stir carefully. Next heat the melted wax to around 175 - 185 degrees celsius. Then you can add the coloured chips which are optional. 2. Remove from the heat and add your fragrance oil, (check the manufactures instructions) and dont be tempted to use too much as it could disrupt the flame or cause grease spots on the candle. 3. Stir, stir, stir and stir again, then let it cool to around 140 degrees celcius and pour into your teacups. 4. Put a wick in each teacup and support it upright by resting it on a pencil, chopstick or anything similar. 5. It will take 4 - 5 hours for the wax to cool and set compleatly.
Images sourced from the Darby & Joan blog
The Brighton Cake Company 07954440092 sales@brightoncakecompany.co.uk www..brightoncakecompany.co.uk Advertisement
Save The Date.. KENT 4th May: The Wedding Experience at The Kent Showground, 10:30am - 4pm 11th May: Princes Park Wedding Fair, 11am - 3pm, free entry 1st June: The Wedding Experience at Ashford International Hotel, 10:30 am - 3:30 22nd June: Mercure Hotel, Maidstone 29th June: Mercure Hotel, Maidstone
SUSSEX 4th May: Wedding fair, 11am - 3.30pm 11th May: The Quirky Boutique Wedding Fair, Brighton 1st June: Barcombe Villiage Hall, Barcombe 7th September: Wedding fair, 11am - 4pm 5th October: Fair and venue open day, Hollingbury park golf course, 10am - 3pm
LONDON 11th May: The Royal Chace Wedding Fair, 11am - 4pm 18th May, The National Vintage Wedding Fair, 11am - 4pm 5th June: London Docks Wedding Fair, 11am - 4pm 26-28th September: The National Wedding Show - Earls Court 9th November: Wedding Fair in aid of Cancer Research UK, 12:30pm - 5pm
ESSEX 18th May, Canons Brook golf course, wedding fair, 11am - 3.30pm 8th June: Greenwoods Hotel & Spa Wedding Fayre, 10:30am - 3:30pm 14th September: Ivy Hill Hotel (Furze Suite) Wedding Fair, 11am - 4pm 28th September: The Lawn Wedding Fair, 10am - 4pm 5th October: The Thurrock Hotel Wedding Fair, 11am - 2pm
HAMPSHIRE 7th May: The Potters Heron Hotel Wedding Open Day, 5pm - 9pm 7th June: Veils and Bales Marquee, fair and open day, 12 noon - 4pm 11th May: The Royal Marines Museum, Wedding fair, 10.30am - 3.30pm 25th May: Thorngate Halls, Wedding fair, 11am - 3pm 3rd September: The Potters Heron Hotel, Wedding Open Day
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