Doily Days Loves Weddings

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#01

spring 2013

FREE

WEDDINGS the great balloon debate 22

Love or hate balloons at weddings? We discuss why we’re lovers!

DIY Details 17

Top tips from an industry expert

MY life is beautiful 21 A Sussex based photographer shares her life in photos

QUIRKY UNIQUE vintage ECLECTIC FESTIVAL KITSCH

www.dOILYDAYS.CO.uk



From the editor... Features & Regulars

Helen Ruff - Doily Days

W

elcome to our very first issue of Doily Days Loves Weddings. We’ve been delighted by the response from suppliers and interest from brides (and grooms!) to be. I’m thrilled it’s finally here and I’m looking forward to networking my socks off while distributing at wedding fairs this spring. We’ve got some cracking events in the Doily diary this year. We’re doing our first village hall weddings. Can you believe this is our fifth summer of weddings and we’ve barely set foot in a village hall? There’s going to be lots of hog roasts, bunting, cake and ice cream so I’ve got my fingers crossed for glorious sunshine. I’m also donning my ‘L’ plates as we’ve got plenty of hen parties booked in at Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton. We’ll be back at our favourite barn venues and Craig’s going to be busy polishing three campervans! Yes that’s right; we’ve recently added ‘Lola’ to the fleet. A gorgeous ’65 splitscreen campervan in ‘sealing wax red’. I have some little helpers this year for vintage china duties who will spend the summer surrounded by soap suds and bubble wrap! They’ll also be on ‘hatting’ duty - tying the cute fabric hats onto the top of our jam pot wedding favours. A satisfying job that can easily be done while consuming vast amounts of chocolate, red wine and watching trash tv. I hope you enjoy this issue. I have put my heart and soul into it and am extremely thankful to all contributors.

Helen

Helen Ruff : Editor helen@doilydays.co.uk Twitter: @DoilyDays

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Doily Days Loves Pearls Props Doily’s Big Scoop Pretty Things Vintage Photo Booth Love Emily Unique Ideas Life is Beautiful Intimate Celebrations Stand on Ceremony Featured Venue - Grittenham Barn Featured Caterer - Egg & Spoon Find your Free Spirited Wedding Venue The Wedding Planners Breathe a sigh of relief...

DIY BRIDE 10 13 14 17 19

DIY Doily Pom Poms MAKE your fabulous wedding Bunting, Bouquets & Budgets DIY Details Would you sell your wedding dress?

INSPIRE 22 25 26 32 38 46 48

The Great Balloon Debate William Morris Tent DIY Wedding from across the pond Blooming Lovely Keep Calm and Eat Cake Vintage Makeover Shop till you drop

And to finish 50 53 53

Mr & Mrs Unique Competition Ginty’s Fizz Cocktail The All Important First Dance...

A special thanks to Photo Madly for our amazing cover image - www.photomadly.com


pearls props F

elicty Hayles from Pearl’s Props is a girl after my own heart. Her take on vintage is exactly what I love – her props and accessories are a delightful mix of vintage, retro, kitsch and quirky. Props include crockery, colourful recycled fabric bunting, large vintage lampshades, an ever growing collection of framed tapestries and embroideries, glass decanters and quirky vintage ceramic ornaments. ‘Booze Boutique’ is a bespoke cocktail service using fresh seasonal fruits and classic spirits, all served to perfection by professional mixeologists in vintage style glassware. #Swoonworthy.

F

Helen

’ BIG Scoop

ounded in 2005 and the first of it’s kind, boutique label Dollydagger is well known for pioneering the UK vintage revival. In 2010 Dollydagger opened their first bricks and mortar boutique in the heart of Brighton. Inside you’ll find a treasure trove of vintage style dresses and accessories, an eclectic mix of designer treats and exclusive collaborations. So what’s next for Dollydagger? Well a little birdy tells us that they will be launching their first bridal collection this spring. A collection of classically styled dresses with a twist for all women irrespective of age and price tag. Customers will be able to buy off the peg or opt for a more bespoke service, with a choice of fabric options. They’ll also be tailoring their popular VIP evenings to include bridal parties. #Watchthisspace!

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Helen


Launching Spring 2013

UK Wedding Blog, Events & Online Planning tools for Creative Brides

es.co.uk hello@creativebrid creativebrides .co.uk Create your perfect wedding day by using our unique online planning tools... Bridal diary Budget calculators Supplier directory To-do list Inspiration boards Wedding fairs Competitions

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PRETTY THINGS Pretty Things in Horsham is, well it’s very pretty! And jam packed with pretty things... and jammy things like cakes and scones. It’s a haven of girlyness: bone china teacups, rose bud tea, chandeliers, different wallpaper on every wall and a host of retail products such as coffee table books, cards, soaps, cushions and so much more. It’s the perfect place for a hen party afternoon tea and they hold craft workshops such as knitting and crochet (happy hookers!). There’s the potential to hold a bespoke party at the venue, wine tasting or vintage hair and make up perhaps? So give them a call on 01403 257 574.

vintage booth Having recently appeared at a number of niche wedding fairs, Brighton based Photo Booth Boutique noticed a demand to offer something a bit more specialized so they have launched their fabulous VINTAGE BOOTH. Still keeping all the benefits of its digital technology, online galleries and instant Facebook and Twitter options, this booth is beautifully decorated with a handmade ivory & lace backdrop and comes with a selection of original and replica vintage accessories including bowler, aviator and cloche hats as well as boas, pipes, glasses and even introducing a few Steam Punk inspired items for a touch of alternative sophistication. The PBB team are a creative bunch, making a number of their own props including the classic ‘moustaches on sticks’. Local jobs start at £395 off peak. To find out more about Photo Booth Boutique or to obtain a quote visit www.photoboothboutique.co.uk or call Chris on 07739 719639.

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With
Lace
Backdrop
&
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Props

With
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Props


LOVEEmily by Emily Pick

Six months into my marketing job for a decor and styling company I realised I had been planning my wedding subconsciously since I started. Now, I must let you know at this point, I have not proposed, nor have I been proposed to, and a wedding is not on the cards in the near or even distant future. So, it came as a bit of a shock, to be honest, to realise I have planned a candlelit ceremony, a Grecian style gold plated Goddess dress, a reception full of branches adorned with fairy lights and hanging paper decor that would twirl gently in the breeze... Is the internet to blame? This subtle new marketing method filling us with intoxicating images, good enough to devour and wrap yourself in. There’s certainly something highly addictive about modern wedding imagery. Or is it just my age, and really it’s just the same as writing - apparently ‘Everyone has a book in them’... does everyone have a wedding in there too? And if so, what are they to do with their dreams of walking-down-petal-strewnpaths-and-gazing-up-in-awe-at-paper-lanternsset-free-en-masse-into-space-to-celebratethe-sacred-union-between-themselves-andtheir-sweetheart, if that sweetheart doesn’t materialise, or if the person they fall in love with doesn’t want to get married at all? Luckily, I can put all this into my work, and get more involved in the styling and creation side, but what about everyone else? How often does the wedding come before the proposal these days? Emily Pick can normally be found chatting on Twitter; @Social_Berry

photo by Jessie Rose Clifford

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Unconventional, alternative photography for weddings, portraits and fashion shoots

Email

heather@brighton-photo.com website

www.brighton-photo.com Telephone

+44 (0)7782 315 393

Coco BELLE s t y l i n g

Coco Belle Styling understand how important the look and feel of your wedding is and how hard you’ve worked to achieve it, so we focus on creating the perfect hair style for you.

as seen in

07540 300 801 cocobellestyling@gmail.com www.cocobellestyling.co.uk pinterest.com/Cocobellestyle

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Weddings 29/01/2013 9

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DIY Brides These amazing DIY doily pom poms should take no longer than 5 to 10 minutes each

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TIP: Using patterned and printed doilies looks great but remember both sides show so avoid ones where the front is a complete contrast to the reverse


A Quick easy Budget Friendly Tutorial Tutorial by Jenny Keegan - www.inthetreehouse.co.uk

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www.ladylovesbeauty.com Beauty Treatments Bridal & Hen pamper packages available

CALL SALINA ON 07941 129225

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Unique and alternative bouquets, meticulously created with vintage buttons and beautiful trimmings. Contact Amanda on 07540 360158 or buttonsdevine@gmail.com

buttonsdevine.tumblr.com


MAKE Your Fabulous Wedding by Donna Hogarth

Photo by Tino and Pip In my job as a florist I’m lucky enough to work on some lovely weddings all over Sussex. Recently I’ve noticed brides are wanting a more creative and handmade feel to their special day, so in response to that ‘MAKE Your Fabulous Wedding’ was born. With over 17 years of experience in floristry I thought I could share some of the tricks of the trade and help brides on the path to a flowery and inspiring wedding.

Photo by Tino and Pip Fabulous Flora can also supply beautiful flowers for any occasion. We have a selection of retro and vintage containers available to hire. We also specialise in unique, alternative bouquets using vintage and new fabric, buttons, ribbon and lace. You can find ‘MAKE Fabulous Events’ on facebook

The first MAKE events are being held this spring at Belle’s Events wedding fairs across Sussex. Brides to be will be able to try making bunting, jewellery, cake decorating, all things floral and more! A whole range of MAKE events are planned for this year including a collaboration with Doily Days to offer a hen party package in Brighton - DIY flower tutorial and a colourful, eclectic afternoon tea!

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Bunting, Bouquets & Budgets Helen Ruff from Doily Days shares her tops tips for creating your perfect day on a tight budget. As featured in 91 Magazine - www.91magazine.co.uk a big batch of homemade jam and distribute it as wedding favours. You can buy jars online. Handwrite the labels and tie circles of fabric around the lid.

To keep costs down maybe you can hold a marquee reception in a friend or family’s garden. Barn venues on farms can also be cost effective and are a great choice for a rustic/blank canvas. You might know some local land that would work. It’s time to think outside the box and track down the land owner.

roasts are a nice option for a rustic wedding. Prices vary from £6-£25 per head. The former being a man with a knife and a bun and the latter will include staff, crockery and an array of accompaniments. A cost effective solution might be to book the man with the hog and ask your friends and family to bring big bowls of coleslaw, potato salad, bread rolls etc. Maybe you can ask some guests to bring salads and some to bring a cake or dessert. Set up a cake table, fete style with whole cakes, trifle and fresh berries. No need for an elaborate wedding cake then. Simply cut one of the cakes and allow your guests to tuck in.

A big chunk of your budget will go on feeding your guests. Hog

Is your Mum or Auntie itching for a task? Ask them to make

Shop for flowers at a local wholesaler – you don’t need

There’s so much to celebrate! And so much to do... how will you ever plan a wedding on top of work commitments? And how much will it all cost? If you’re organised, creative and budget savvy you can save £££££’s and have the wedding of your dreams.

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Make bunting to decorate your venue. Invest in a pair of pinking scissors, cut big flags of fabric from your dad’s old shirts and attach them to long lengths of ribbon. For a more eclectic look you can tear strips of fabric, use vintage scarves and handkerchiefs or even old doilies. Fairy lights can be bought cheaply at DIY stores and strung up to create a magical effect.


All photography by www.brighton-photo.com to be trade, you just need to buy in bulk. When choosing flowers make sure you have a good balance of colours and shapes i.e. rounded (roses and peonies), spires (Delphiniums and Stocks) and fillers (such as waxflowers). You can collect jam jars and bottles to display your flowers. Soak off the labels, add some pretty ribbon, or wrap with lace. You can pick up vintage glass bottles on Ebay but you can also use teapots, jugs, tins and crystal cut vases. You can even make handtied bouquets for the bridal party. Start with one stem in your hand and add to it, gripping the stems tightly and making sure the arrangement looks good from all angles. Secure with a rubber band, wrap with ribbon

or lace and cut all stems to the same length.

10p each at boot fairs. Grouped together they look fantastic.

Mismatching china adds colour and interest to your dining tables. Vintage main plates are great for a hog roast. Hire some and raid your friend’s cupboards. The eclectic mix of old and new, patterned and plain will look great.

You can search for a second hand wedding dress online on sites such as preloved.co.uk and Oxfam.org. Save money on bridesmaids dresses too give them a loose theme i.e. pastel colours/florals and let them buy their own dress. They’ll still look the part with their rustic bouquets.

Plain tablecloths can be livened up with lacy runners and doilies. You can pick them up at boot fairs for pence. They can be arranged along trestle tables in a haphazard way. Make a tableplan using a mix of old frames. You might have some knocking about at home or you can pick them up for

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Spread the love – jam favours

Love letters – light up initials You blow me away vintage handkerchief bunting

DIY Details As a supplier in the wedding industry I’m used to spending time looking after the details of other people’s big days so when it came to organising my own wedding in September last year I already had some pretty firm ideas on what I wanted it to look like. I’m not a naturally ‘crafty’ person so the thought of hand-sewing lavender bags for 80 guests only for them to languish in a sock drawer gathering dust or, gulp - even worse - be LEFT BEHIND ON THE TABLES filled me with dread. They say the devil is in the detail but that doesn’t mean you have to spend hours at the kitchen table making tissue pop poms or learning how to write in calligraphy. What I did want was to put our own personal stamp on the day. And funnily enough, stamping was where we started. We hand stamped luggage labels with each guest’s name and the words

by Rosie Watson, Roses all Over www.rosesallover.co.uk

‘Spread the Love’ and tied these around mini jars of jam. That quickly ticked two jobs off the list – place settings and favours. Vintage handkerchiefs folded in half and pegged onto lengths of garden string became beautiful, original, bunting, which guests were encouraged to help themselves to during the speeches. A plain white barn wall was transformed into a focal point by three large wooden letters (our initials) that we had drilled holes into and threaded with white LED fairy lights. None of these details took long to put in place but what made them really special is that my then husband to be and I had spent time together making them – he’s a dab hand at stamping now! The devil may well be in the detail but you don’t have to be a budding Martha Stewart to pull off personal touches

Photography: www.joannabrownphotography.com

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A MOST CURIOUS

WEDDING FAIR

19 - 21 April 2013 The TrumAn Brewery

91 Brick Lane, London. E1 6QL

23 mArch 2013 ST AndrewS hAll

Norwich. NR3 1AU

www.AmostcURioUsweddiNgfAiR.co.Uk

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most curious truman 88x125 final.indd 1

09/02/2013 21:34


by Jackie James

www.oohmrsjames.com

I, for one, wouldn’t dream of selling my wedding dress. It took me a long time to find my dream outfit and fall in love with it, a bit like my husband, and I won’t be taking him to the charity shop anytime soon! I was asked recently what shop would buy a preloved wedding dress, and even though I know where sells them, I was stumped for a second! It just hadn’t really occurred to me that people would want to sell such a precious dress. I mainly concentrate on vintage dresses, so always think that someone’s relation has sold it as they don’t appreciate the history behind it or would rather it go to a loving home instead of it being stuck in a loft. And if someone is selling a new dress, I’m sorry to say that my first thought is that something must have gone wrong.

dress, it works a little like eBay, you can state the price you want to sell at or accept nearest offers. A very cool addition on this site is an option to rent a dress. A company that do buy wedding dresses to sell on is ‘Worn Once With Love’. With boutiques in Worcestershire and the West Midlands, Claire the owner, will buy and sell designer wedding dresses that have been worn before or are ex-sample sale. You can buy online if you are happy to ‘buy before you try’, just be aware that returns are not accepted so you need to be sure you can get it altered before you make the commitment. www.wornoncewithlove.co.uk

Would you sell your wedding dress?

If you are looking to buy a preloved dress you can’t go wrong with either Barnardo’s or Oxfam. Barnardo’s, the children’s charity, have bridal boutiques in East London and Shropshire and offer preloved and designer dresses at great prices. Oxfam have an online bridal shop that caters for the groom and other members of the bridal party too. All dresses are donated, so not one for the bride who is looking to sell, but great if you can’t afford to splash out. Well, I might be wrong. There www.oxfam.org.uk is a romantic notion about www.barnardos.org.uk keeping wedding dresses for your children, but life happens and it doesn’t always have a Brides Dress Revisited not fairy tale ending, also fashions only has a great name, but a change and your offspring will great concept. The idea is they most likely baulk at the idea do all the hard work for you, of wearing such an out of date they won’t buy your dress but dress! will collect it and market it online and in their shop (based So, my search for a shop that in Sevenoaks in Kent). They will buy a wedding dress started forward the payment once it’s with www.preloved.co.uk but sold taking a 50% commission. they don’t actually buy the www.bridesdressrevisited.com

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unique ideas Amanda Champness-Kent (founder of Doris Loves) had the coolest wedding ever. It involved chair covers made from vintage, floral fabric and a moustache station with temporary tattoos. The chair covers are £1.85 each to hire (plus postage) and the tattoo stand starts from £150 including a member of staff (plus travel expenses). If you don’t fancy moustaches they’ll dispense custom tattoos of your choice from their brand new ‘Tattoo Station’. Maybe your wedding logo? Take a look at their website, they do other cool things too! www.dorisloves.co.uk Photos by Absolute Photography > These fun colourful signs are handmade using reclaimed wood, painted in your choice of colour and signwritten using your chosen words and font. Lauren, AKA Kitty Waikiki, loves colour! Pink cherry blossom, soft relaxing green or vibrant, juicy orange.​Her style is 1950s/ carnival but she can design a bespoke sign to fit the theme of your wedding. Prices start from £15 www.kittywaikiki.co.uk Photo by Brighton Photo > Hannah North runs The Shabby Cabin in Angmering. They sell bespoke furniture and vintage items... so of course she had a stylish vintage wedding! She made these wonderful confetti cones herself from vintage music sheets. She can make them to order for £1.50 each (unfilled). ‘The Shabby Cabin’ via Facebook Photo by Sacco & Sacco >


life is beautiful...

mories My job; capturing me most riend, the My best f er. husband ev supportive

Father & son bonding time

There is so much beauty in life and so much joy to be had and shared. What makes you smile? What lifts your spirits? What makes you stop and be glad you’re alive? US born, Brighton based photographer Erika Szostak shares her life in photos. You can see more beautiful photography by Erika online at www.photomadly.com

A magic show outside my window every night!

Idea inspired by Charis Warrell’s blog: www.life-is-beautiful-blog.blogspot.co.uk Mention this ad for a free £50 print credit with your booking

PhotoMadly Fierce * Fresh * Fun

{alternative wedding & partnership photography} www.photomadly.com

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Inspire

Photography credits, clockwise from top left: Andrew Squires, Nicki Feltham, Brighton Photo, Ula Soltys, Photo Madly, Ula Soltys

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The Great Balloon Debate Here goes – a topic I’ve wanted to broach for a long time. Balloons. Love or hate? I think there’s a fine line between deflated kids birthday party, and helium filled balloon happiness. Who remembers the 1990 film ‘Stella’? Where all Bette Midler wants is a room full of balloons. Crummy apartment. Room full of balloons. Classic romantic

proposal as far as I’m concerned. So yup, you’ve guessed it – I’m a lover. I go all doe eyed when I see balloons at weddings. Big bunches of pastel coloured balloons, single, oversized red balloon. In my mind they’re more effective that a bouquet, hell – walk down the aisle with your balloons, give balloons to the bridesmaids. Let’s go balloon crazy.

words by Helen Ruff photo by Brighton Photo www.brighton-photo.com

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web www.firstdancecreative.co.uk email info@firstdancecreative.co.uk tel +44(0)7983 643 882 twitter @1stdancecreativ

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f D irs

CR AN t EA CE TI VE


William Morris Tent

Interview with Katherine Hudson. www.arabiantents.com

D

oily Days loves the William Morris marquee designed by Katherine Hudson of The Arabian Tent Company, so we found out a bit more about the lady behind the tents... So, Katherine, we hear The Arabian Tent Company is going to be 10 years old next year, how did it come about? A trip to Morocco sparked the idea of buying a tent which I ended up driving back to England on the roof of my army truck! I then ran a festival café for a while before realising what I really enjoyed wasn’t catering but décor! Of all your stunning interiors, the William Morris marquee is our favourite, when was it designed and why? Our warehouse in Firle, East Sussex is situated close to Charleston, former home to William Morris and the Bloomsbury set. So when The National Trust suggested I might like to design a tent to mark the centenary of the founding of Morris & Co in 2011 I jumped at the chance! I have childhood memories of dusty furniture in attics with beautiful floral embroidery on them which I now know were his designs, so they’ve always seemed very familiar. I’ve realised since I made this interior that a lot of people have similar memories and I believe his designs are embedded in our culture. The root of a good party is to make everyone feel comfortable and familiar with elements around them. By bringing in a print (Golden Lillies) that so many people know from

Inspire

their childhood gives that familiarity in a beautiful inspiring environment. Do you see William Morris-esq styles being popular at weddings in 2013? Absolutely. I’ve noticed since the Royal Wedding that weddings no longer centre on flowers, but trees, plants and foliage. One of my favourite examples of this is putting herbs and even fruit (like stems of blackberries) into floral displays. We know you have a very unique style yourself.. what came first, the tents or the clothes? I’ve always loved clothes and have been known to blow £500 in one outing on tights alone! However like tents, it’s bepoke, individual clothes that interest me the most and I have to confess that when invited to an award ceremony where there was the inkling I might have to step onto the stage, I took it as an excuse to make a dress out of remements of William Morris fabric which is now one of my favourite ‘formal’ dresses to wear. What would you say is the most important thing to think about when planning the style of your wedding? I think that it’s important to feel comfortable – from the shoes that you wear, to the surroundings you’re in. Obviously we’re all different and have our own measures however, if you’re comfortable with each thing you’ve chosen then everything will fit together effortlessly and take on it’s own unified identiy. www.arabiantents.com

Katherine Hudson in her William Morris dress winning ‘Business Woman of The Year’ at the East Sussex Women in business awards

photo by Mark Sisley

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Inspire

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DIY Wedding from across the pond Sally and Chris are both designers. They’re from Brighton but they relocated to Asheville, North Carolina in 2011. They planned this fun, colourful wedding in just 2 and a half months.

Colour Scheme: Contrasting palate of bright green, pink, yellow, turquoise and orange First Dance: Mirrorball – Elbow Photography by W.Scott Chester www.wscottchester.com

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“I run a business designing and making interior products so I used the fabric for the bunting, the ring pillow, the sashes on the bridesmaids dresses, and wrapped it around the bouquets. I also made napkins for dinner and had my candles on the tables.” Sally’s online shop www.noodleonline.com

“I had an amazing couple of friends who used to come over for craft nights and we’d sit, nibble, and make hundreds of pom poms!” 28

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“My most memorable moment was when Chris’s niece sang a song in Welsh, their native language, and our little 3 year old held her hand and did a swaying dance all the way through, it was just so sweet.”

“I had a lot of inspiration from pinterest. It was my invaluable source for ideas and a great place to keep an online scrap book of how I wanted the wedding.”

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Intimate Celebrations Shoreham by Sea is a lovely little town. It is indeed where I call home. The beach is nice and quiet in the summer, the houseboats offer a quirky talking point and the farmers market is the best in the area don’t you know. In my opinion it’s not where you would expect to find a venue like West Street Loft. A fantastic space with wooden floors, amazing high ceilings, exposed brickwork and a wall of mirrors. I like to think of it as a mix of rustic and glamorous. ‘Industrial Romance’ is a term I’ve used before to describe the venue. There are rickety oil radiators and Moroccan rugs on the walls and gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Ian who owns and runs

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West Street Loft obviously has a flair for style and has injected extremely quirky elements such as a sprung mattress above the bar where the wine glasses hang from their stems, an old bike wheel with hanging baubles as decoration and vintage cinema seats he rescued from The Duke of York’s in Brighton. There is no parking (it’s tucked down a side street off the high street in Shoreham) but if you can overcome that it’s a great place for a small wedding celebration – maybe an engagement party, second wedding or just a small intimate celebration.

By Helen Ruff


viva verde

Florist in the Forest Country Style | Natural Designs

flowers, plant and gifts

4 Richardson Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 5RB tel/fax 01273 733321 e: viva@viva-verde.com | www.viva-verde.com

www.floristintheforest.co.uk Tel: 07984 540 893

Designed with you in mind At Frida & Sophia we work hard to ensure that your flowers will be unique, elegant and an inspiring and memorable feature on your special day. Crafted with passion and a personal touch our designs will help to make your day one to well and truly remember.

Frida & Sophia FloralDesign www.fridaandsophia.co.uk E-mail: flowers@fridaandsophia.co.uk Phone: 07725 048878

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Florist in the Forest www.floristintheforest.co.uk

Inspire

Blooming Lovely

Viva Verde www.viva-verde.com

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Violet & Thyme www.violetandthyme.co.uk

weddings

Frida & Sophia www.fridaandsophia.co.uk


Nowadays fewer people hold fixed religious beliefs, but this does not make the occasions we’ve always marked with ceremony any less important.

Stand on Ceremony

Q&A with river Jones, independant celebrant Where can my ceremony be performed? Anywhere you want! One of the best things about working with an independent is you get the freedom to choose. I’ve done ceremonies in people’s homes, on the beach… I’ll soon be doing one on the Brighton Wheel!

How can we involve our family and friends in our ceremony? You can have the traditional attendants and I always ask if there’s anyone special you want to involve. I always suggest including a moment when the whole gathering can express their support - it’s great for everyone to feel fully involved.

Is it legally binding? No – you need to deal with the legal aspect separately via your local council. This can be done in about 10 minutes for around £50. What kind of different ceremonies are there? As many as there are couples! The starting point is your outlook – whether that’s humanist, spiritual or includes some religious aspects – the ceremony has to feel natural and create the right atmosphere for your big day. What’s the most popular ceremony at the moment? There’s lots of interest in Handfastings, especially for outdoor and festival weddings. Handfasting is based on old traditions of our islands. Where do we start with our vows? I spend lots of time supporting couples to think about what this step means to you, what promises you want to make. Having won a few prizes as a poet and taught creative writing for many years, I can help - whether it’s putting words together for you or inspiring and supporting you to write your own. Find out more by visiting River Jones’ website at www.celebrantforyourceremony.co.uk

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d Feature Venue

Grittenham Barn words by Faye Spiller - www.grittenhambarn.com I am the eternal wedding guest. It’s official! After being a guest of 25 plus weddings, I think I know a little about wedding venues and what makes a good one. Take Grittenham Barn in Tillington, West Sussex for example. There’s something quite magical about this place. Maybe it’s the rustic surroundings with stunning views of the South Downs as far as the eye can see. Maybe it’s the freedom to wander through the orchard, languish by the lake or ponder the flower gardens. Or maybe it’s the donkeys that bid you a cheery ‘eeyore’ as you enter the grounds. There’s a warm and relaxing feel when entering the barn. There is something about the way the barn is lit. I distinctly remember ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ as I walked in with fellow guests. There’s an option to have specialised lighting to create the atmosphere you want

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and the barn’s high roof adds to the sense of space. It’s traditional but not tired. Rustic but not old fashioned. There’s a quirky feel to this place and a sense of freedom that breaks away from the stuffy, formulaic pomp of some venues. I like to explore when I’m at a wedding. It’s an opportunity to satisfy my wanderlust and at Grittenham Barn I felt like I could. Once we’d scoffed scrumptious sandwiches and cakes washed down with tea served in exquisite vintage china, it was time for speeches, a hog roast and a good old knees up on the dance floor. My boy, three years old at the time, loved it. After stuffing his face with cake and chocolate brownies galore he was whisked away to an onsite workshop, given an overall to wear and told to play with mucky stuff! What three year old wouldn’t like making a clay shark while the grown-ups got on

with the very important business of speeches, wiping away joyful tears and sipping copious amounts of champagne. And what’s more, Grittenham Barn has its own in-house florist adding to its rustic charm. Whether its native blooms picked from Grittenham’s own fair gardens or blossoms delivered fresh from Holland, Angel Like Flowers are on hand to create bespoke floral fancies for your special day. These folk know their flowers and what will enhance the rustic, natural and traditional feel of this magical Grade II listed venue. Contact www.angellikeflowers.com for more details. Grittenham Barn….a great place for a chilled out, garden party type wedding. A relaxed venue which has lodged itself in my memory and one that always crops up when wedding talk comes around.


Images by Joanna Brown, Sarah Legge and Helen Ruff.

Grittenham Barn Modern and Ancient , Beautifully Merged

www.grittenhambarn.com Tillington, West Sussex, GU28 0PG

For enquiries, phone Katherine on 07787 546 948 info@grittenhambarn.com

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d Feature r Catere

Mouthwatering morsels from our featured caterer Egg & Spoon

A Sumptuous Feast

photos by www.hansonimages.net

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O

ver the years, Ben & Fran, both halves of Egg & Spoon, reckon they’ve cooked pretty much everywhere; castle ruins, the middle of a field, under a tree, by the beach, historic houses, private gardens, barns, warehouses, galleries, museums, back stage at theatres, arenas, stadiums, festivals, marquees, boutique hotels and occasionally even real kitchens. After meeting at work in a Soho café, Ben & Fran began working for a large event catering company, mostly working in the music business feeding the masses backstage at festivals, concerts and out on tour with bands - Coldplay, the Police, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Snow Patrol, Belle & Sebastian, Foo Fighters... To name but a few. Intending to put their days of living out of suitcases

behind them, they set up Egg & Spoon in 2006 and while Ben can occasionally still be found on a tour bus heading off round Europe - most recently with Muse - most of their business is now in the South of England, focusing mainly on private parties and weddings. Over to Fran: “Most of our couples like to put their weddings together themselves, but they often don’t know where to start with the food. We encourage all our clients to go with their own favourites, rather than what they think they ought to serve. The great thing is that people aren’t scared of food anymore and don’t tend to play it safe with prawn cocktail followed by chicken kiev - well, not in a non-ironic sense anyway.

We’ve done all kinds of food for all kinds of weddings; formal three course meals in grand marquees, pimped-up ploughmans in a field of hay bales, Alice in Wonderland tea party in a nightclub and a cosmic nature themed wedding in a picture perfect village hall. Whatever the venue, whatever is on the menu, no matter how seemingly impossible, we can always make it work. And it’s not all just about the food - we have a fantastic team of friendly, professional staff to take care of every last little detail to make your big day run smoothly from the first glass of champagne until the final taxi of the night pulls away. Give us a call, we love a good wedding!” www.eggandspoon.net Telephone: 01273 233259 Or: 07932 402409

egg & spoon: outstanding food for extraordinary events

we’re never too busy to stop for a chat about your big day, call us on 01273 233259 or visit us at www.eggandspoon.net

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Flutterby Bakery www.flutterby-bakery.com

Inspire

keep calm & eat cake

Dolly Daydream www.dollydaydreamcakes.co.uk

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Egg and Spoon www.eggandspoon.net

weddings

Sylvias Kitchen www.sylviaskitchen.co.uk


Dolly Day Dream Cakes

Wedding Cakes, Giant Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Cupcakes & Favours

Charlotte Kenward | Tel: 0792 903 8169 Email: Charlotte@DollyDayDreamCakes.co.uk Visit: www.DollyDayDreamCakes.co.uk

Liz Chatfield, owner at Sylvia’s Kitchen, Hailsham, East Sussex specialises in the design and creation of stylish, elegant wedding cakes, paying great attention to detail both on the inside and outside of every cake, ensuring the taste is as good as the look, using high quality and local ingredients. With carefully hand crafted sugar and chocolate decorations, each cake has its unique style, bespoke to your wedding theme. A variety of flavours are available, and allergies can be catered for - for more information and a browse of Liz’s gallery, please visit www.sylviaskitchen.co.uk or contact Liz direct on 07816 766146 or email liz@sylviaskitchen.co.uk

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Find your Free Spirited Wedding Venue Festival Brides seek out some hidden gems

models and props by www.kirstenmavric.co.uk

F

estival Brides was launched in 2011 by Laura and Kelly, two childhood friends with a mutual passion for live music, mud and camping! Whilst planning their own festival weddings, the girls saw a gap in the market for a festival related wedding blog and decided to fill it! Since then the site has grown into a revolutionary blog that is breaking the mould in a crowded wedding industry. Promoting festival style and free spirited weddings, their aim is to inspire and encourage readers to push the traditional boundaries and plan a wedding that is reflective of their love, personalities and the things they enjoy. Most of all they want to bring the focus of a wedding back

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to its roots by reminding couples that celebrating with family and friends is enough to make their day memorable. They don’t need to feel pressured by the traditional wedding tick list and packages. One of the biggest stumbling blocks their readers face when planning a festival wedding is finding the right venue. It’s such an important decision and one that usually determines all other aspects of a wedding. From experience, Laura and Kelly both know that outside venues that lend themselves to a festival wedding are hard to find and the ones that do exist usually come with a huge list of limitations! After being bombarded with emails

from deflated couples asking for advice on where to find a beautiful woodland, meadow or field, they have made it their mission to seek out relaxed, fun, and free-spirited locations for couples to make their ultimate personality stamp. The girls are currently searching the country for the most beautiful untouched and secret locations for festival weddings. They are building a great network of quirky and fun suppliers and each day brings new excitement as they come across fantastic suppliers that could be the next best thing in the festival wedding industry! Check out venues at festivalbrides. co.uk/f b - v e n u e s l a n d - h i r e .


Kelly Cunningham & Laura Bailey

www.festivalbrides.co.uk They are expanding their coverage in 2013 with new sites coming up soon in Exmoor, Devon and Suffolk. They hope to have beautiful locations dotted all over the UK so you can get married in a beautiful place local to you and your friends and family.

If you are planning your wedding and looking for quirky and alternative wedding inspiration then check out www. festivalbrides.co.uk. If you are yet to find your wedding venue then take a look at their land hire/venue page and choose from festival fields, secret

Secret woodland in Kent

woodlands and real festival sites. For more information you can contact Festival Brides festivalbrides@gmail.com or on twitter @festivalbrides.

Retro festival field in Milton Keynes

If you own a field, campsite, farm or meadow that you think would be a great site for a festival wedding then please get in touch with the girls at Festival Brides for a chat.

Free spirited inspiration for your big day www.festivalbrides.co.uk @festivalbrides

irited

p Free S

ing d d e W log B

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Too many times we have heard people say that event planners are for the rich and famous – but we don’t agree. Whether it’s for 2 or 200, in a barn or in a ballroom, we want to work with you to bring your dream event to life

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The Wedding Planners

Why Colleen and Holly are ‘pretty pleased’ to be wedding planners

Jay Butcher Photography Holly Poulter from Pretty Please talks to us about why you should consider hiring a wedding planner, and explains exactly what it is they do! It’s happened, it’s finally here! The day you were dreaming of since you were a little girl. That heart-stopping moment when the love of your life asks those four little words. The ring is on your finger and the phone calls have been made - you’re engaged! Then the realisation that you have to plan a wedding sets in. For many of our clients, that realisation comes in the form of cold-sweats, particularly for the soon-to-be husbands. Weddings are one of those events in life that walk the tightrope between exciting and absolutely terrifying. Where do you even start? Planning a wedding takes on average ten hours a week, and with couples holding down fulltime jobs to pay for the big day, where is the time? We hire professionals to wash our cars, fix our clothes and cut our hair - why should the most

important day of your life be any different? Hiring a wedding planner is like having a personal assistant who looks after all the big tasks and tiny details so you can enjoy more of your time together as an engaged couple. With purses so stretched all over the country right now and wedding budgets ever tighter, it would be easy to dismiss a wedding planner as an unnecessary expense. In fact, one of the biggest reasons to hire a wedding planner is for the discounts they can provide with their industry knowledge and connections. Our kind is not afraid to haggle. When I started in this industry, I knew I didn’t want to cater to the couple who could afford to ship in the entire cast of a broadway show to perform at their reception, I wanted to help the couple that needed to make their money go further without skimping on style.

Which is why we are one of the most flexible and affordable planners working in London and the South East at the moment. I’ve been planning weddings since I was as young as seven, running around the playground finding someone to play the vicar for that week’s pretend nuptials. This is our passion, and we want to share it with you. Pretty, Please takes the wedding of your dreams and makes it work. We are your support system, your advice-line and your helping hand. Why not find out how we can help you?

www.prettypleaseevents.co.uk

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Breathe a sigh of relief, wedding planning just got easy...

While we’d all love to think that planning our dream wedding is a sunny, bridal walk in the park, the reality for many, can be a headache inducing nightmare. There’s the venue to find, makeup artists and hair stylists to hunt down, not forgetting getting your hands on that all-important, perfect, once in a lifetime dress... and so the, seemingly never ending, list continues.

But don’t fear. As Doily Days contributor, Shelley Louise Baker uncovers, help is on hand to ensure your big day goes without a hitch, in the form of personal wedding planner Me and My Wedding.com The recently launched site has made brides all across the country breathe a sigh of relief as for the first time, all the wonderful wedding suppliers you’ll ever need are just a finger click away. From bands and entertainment,

to honeymoon hotspots and save-the-date stationary, this free and easy to use personal planner certainly takes the hassle out of hunting down your vow-day vendors.

As all of you blushing brides may have found, there’s an array of information out there with wedding suppliers falling over themselves for your undivided attention and hard-earned cash, so how can you choose which one will be right for you? Created by a previously overbombarded bride, Me and My Wedding.com has been designed to take the stress out of searching for your wedding day services. Simply choose the category you are looking for, be it exciting hen do events, stylish shoes or vintage-inspired venue styling, pop in your postcode and voila; the searched services closest to your home appears, allowing

you to create that instant rapport with a local like-minded vendor, all from the comfort of your sofa. Hoorah!

Of course, there are plenty of bridal budget benefits from choosing local wedding vendors too. As local businesses are rapidly joining Me and My Wedding.com, you may discover a nearby stockist or seller, you would have never come across without them being listed on the ultimate wedding service site. For that reason, you could get more bang from your bridal buck and receive a more intimate experience to boot – not bad for just a few minutes of looking! So, ladies when the stress gets too much, make sure you pop over to www.meandmywedding.com to take the headache away and make planning your dream day the walk in the park it should be. Dare we say it; happy planning!


www.hazaarof london.com

ŠHazaar of London Limited

Hazaar of London adaptable gowns. Now available at Mathilda Rose Bridal Boutique, Lindfield, West Sussex. Please visit mathildarose.co.uk for more details.

hazaar ad.indd 1

08/02/2013 09:27

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Inspire

Vintage Makeover

Helen (editor) and feature writer Faye were invited for a vintage style makeover where bangs, peekaboo curls and victory rolls were the order of the day.

With Buddy Holly playing on the radio and once pin curls were set, Ingrid deftly applied foundation with an airbrush before moving on to eyes, lashes, brows and a perfect pout, transforming them into a pair of wannabe 40’s Hollywood starlets. With clothes, accessories and props carefully selected the photo shoot began. A few stiff and awkward poses were quickly put to rest as the talented Lynda gave clear direction and shared her top tips for relaxing and getting into character. So if you fancy yourself as a bit of a Dita Von Teese or a budding Rita Hayworth then Vintage Inspired Makeovers are the perfect team for the job. A great idea for a hen do or a special occasion or just for the love of vintage. www.vintageinspiredmakeovers.co.uk Vintage outfits supplied by Johnny Loves June www.johnnylovesjune.co.uk

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Weddings & other

Smashing Occasions

Styling - Planning - Decor & a rather charming vinyl disc jockey available

07931 224 449 www.dukeandlolly.com

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Jam/chutney favours £2.75 each www.doilydays.co.uk

Kids Colouring In £2.50 each www.russetandgray.co.uk

Kilner Jar Lighting £35 www.lostandfoundry.co.uk Name Badges £2.50 each www.russetandgray.co.uk

Linen Placenames £5 each www.thevintagedrawer.com

Inspire

SHOP TILL YoU DROP Summer Fayre Invite £3.45 www.abirdandabee.co.uk

‘Western’ stationery From £1.80 www.russetandgray.co.uk

Patterned paper straws £3.00 www.weddinginateacup.co.uk

Personalised Seed Packet Favour £1.50 www.weddinginateacup.co.uk

Clip-on scrapbook paper birds £4.00 www.weddinginateacup.co.uk


Violet And Thyme

Sharing life’s love stories BESPOKE WEDDING STATIONERY

www.violetandthyme.co.uk .We love your wedding.

Telling life’s love stories

www.rsvpcandy.com

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Mr & Mrs Unique - www.mrandmrsunique.co.uk

Competition

Mr & Mrs Unique is an online wedding directory featuring a colourful array of suppliers; a blend of the extraordinary, talented, the crazy and downright amazing!

Mr & Mrs Unique are offering readers the chance to WIN the starring role in a styled photo shoot using some of their very special suppliers! The lucky couple will be pampered and treated to some amazing experiences while having the chance to practice posing for their own big day! The day includes: Being photographed by the ever so talented Binky Nixon. Binky loves working with people and is passionate about capturing the special moments with a natural artistic style. You will receive minimum of 40 digital files with personal printing rights.(top left) Being dressed and styled by Charlotte from Wilden Bride. Charlotte is a bridal wear designer known for her intricately-made bespoke creations.(top middle) The chance to try on some of Isobel Hind Couture ready to wear collection- beautiful, unique bespoke jewelry and accessories.(top right)

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Spending part of the day on the glorious Hove seafront in your very own Beach Hut supplied By Vintage Events. A gorgeous bijou residence, which has been decorated in an eclectic vintage kitsch style. (bottom left) The chance to enjoy some raw chocolate hearts and champagne cocktails, a present from Wedding Yurts who usually serve these delicious treats in their fuchsia pink champagne yurt. (bottom middle) Scrumptious canapĂŠs and picnic treats from Social Pantry. With an impressive eye for detail and a team of dedicated creative professionals, Social Pantry offers delicious, seasonal treats and impeccable bespoke service. (bottom right) The opportunity to pose in an amazing Morgan Sports car, the quintessential English vehicle is supplied by Richard Thorne Classic Cars. (Opposite left)


To enter for a chance to win this amazing prize...

Email info@mrandmrsunique.co.uk with COMPETITION in your subject line. To be in with a chance of winning you’ll need to provide the following information: 1) A photo of the two of you together, 2) The planned date of your wedding and what unique plans you have, 3) Why you would like to win this prize, 4) Tell us a bit about you and your partner

Terms and Conditions 1) Closing date for entries is 31/08/2013, 2) The photo shoot will be in Sept/Oct 2013 at a date agreeable with everyone involved, 3) You must make your own travel arrangements to and from the photo shoot, 4) Only 1 entry per couple, 5) Winners must be willing to be featured on Mr & Mrs Unique website, 6) The images of the winners may be used in the press or for other promotional purposes by the suppliers involved, 7) The winners will be contacted via their email address within 2 weeks of the competition closing date, 8) No purchase necessary, 9) No cash alternative will be offered, 10) The judge’s decision is final.

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Ginty’s Fizz Cocktail A signature cocktail at a wedding is a lovely idea. Jam & Tea have been generous enough to share one of their inspiring recipes 1 bottle Prosecco (Or Champers if you’re feeling flash) 4 - 6 shots of Hendricks Gin (Add more or less gin to liking) 6 tea spoons of rose water 1 handful of fresh, seasonal berries (Jam and Tea love blueberries, strawberries and red currants) 1 - 2 Cups of pink lemonade 1 Lemon, sliced x A few sprigs of mint... A sprinkle of edible glitter Ice

You will need... A large jug or a punch bowl A long mixing spoon Champagne saucers/jam jars Cute little spoons (to dig out the berries)

Method... 1. About half hour before you would like to serve your cocktail place the berries, lemon, mint, ice and a very small sprinkling of edible glitter into the jug. 2. Add the rose water and Gin and leave to infuse 3. When you are ready to serve your cocktail, add the Prosecco and pink lemonade - ready to go... 4. Prettiest served in Champagne saucers or jam jars wrapped in lace.

Photograph by Kat Forsyth

The All Important First Dance... First Dance recommendations from The Stash DJs, Brighton 1. Etta James - At Last 2. Ella Fitzgerald - Fever 3. The Beatles - Something 4. Elvis Presley - I Can’t Help Falling In love With You 5. Al Green - Let’s Stay Together 6. Sam Cooke - You Send me 7. Nat King Cole - Love 8. Phil Phillips - Sea Of Love 9. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows 10. Santo and Johnny - Sleepwalk www.thestashdjs.co.uk

image by Photo Madly

01797 229167 www.pantilescatering.co.uk info@pantilescatering.co.uk

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stationery

favours

decor

gifts

DIY

bespoke

www.martletphotography.co.uk Lyn: 07713 247802 Lisa: 07739 967721

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LOVE

fancy advertising in the Autumn edition? 07795 076 553 helen@doilydays.co.uk Weddings

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Days you’ll remember all your life Vintage China Hire Wedding Favours VW Transport Flowers Retro Furniture Deck Chair Hire Hen Parties Networking Events Wedding Magazine

www.doilydays.co.uk

07795 076 553

helen@doilydays.co.uk


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