Alex Tenters Photography
WEDDINGS EVENTS FESTIVALS
ISSUE 005
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AUTUMN/WINTER 2016
MR & MRS UNIQUE www.mrandmrsunique.co.uk Mr & Mrs Unique celebrates the unusual, the quirky, the interesting and above all the unique aspects to weddings that so many couples seek these days; offering a colourful array of some of the very best UK wedding suppliers; a blend of the extraordinary, talented, crazy & downright amazing! Not only do we cherry pick the very best unique, eclectic and creative wedding services, our business has grown considerably to include a successful directory, a resourceful wedding and lifestyle blog, visual and inspirational online bi-annual magazine, supplier workshops and Tie The Knot- The Unique & Eclectic Wedding Carnival.
Photo by We Heart Pictures
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We aim to feature only the most unique services from the best suppliers across the UK. Businesses that are committed to the highest quality of products and service, integrity and value; ones that can demonstrate that their uniqueness is in keeping with the Mr & Mrs Unique seal of approval.
ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS If you are interested in joining Mr & Mrs Unique and have a service that would be of interest to couples that look for something a bit different and outside the box, please email us info@mrandmrsunique.co.uk
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Hello! Welcome back to our new Autumn/Winter Mr & Mrs Unique Magazine, which is choc full of inspirational wedding ideas and unique suppliers that you can use for your own big day. I’m really excited to show you this new edition as has it has 4 gorgeous weddings, a new real bride feature, unique bridal style, advice, DIY projects, recipes and key ideas for your wedding day. You’re going to love it!
Erica Willoughby-Smith Erica is Founder and Creative Director of aMr & Mrs Unique directory, blog & magazine. Erica works alongside some of the most exciting and innovative wedding and event suppliers across the country. Not only does she write content for the blog and magazine, she also loves to art direct and style inspirational bridal shoots.
Introducing...
I’m pleased to announce that this new edition can be seen both online and in print! If you would like a hard copy please email info@mrandmrsunique.co.uk or follow the link via our website. Plus a huge thank you to all our team who has worked on it…
Enjoy! XX
Alex Merri Style Consultant Alex is a renowned face within the Wedding Industry as an amazing wedding planner, stylist & blogger. A fellow glitter lover, Alex has been adding magic to various Mr & Mrs Unique bridal shoots and projects over the past year.
Katerina Meccano Picture Editor With over 20 years experience in graphic design, our magazine’s design and layout are in good hands. Kat works in fashion and is the owner of Rhubka Design.
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Photography: Rebecca Douglas Photography
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CONTENTS Natalie & Steve Wedding Yurts
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Canvas & Stone
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Celestial Luminosity Styled Shoot Bijoux Bride & Mr and Mrs Unique
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Seasonal Stationery
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Esther & Carlos Rebecca Douglas Photography
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Top Tips for a Stylish Wedding Not Your Average Do
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Rochan & Xeco Alexa Loy Photography
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There’s Always Time for a Cocktail Canvas & Stone
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Our Real Bride Jane Bowler
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Free Spirited Styled Shoot Kindred Photography
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The Rise of the Festival Bride... The Arabian Tent Company
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Ciara & Yoran We Heart Pictures
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Emma & Simon Assassynation
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Festi-ball DIY Fun
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Gold Quali Eggs Recipe
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Bubblegum Balloons
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Keep it Earth Friendly Lotus Love
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YURT WEDDING COLOURFUL FESTIVAL STYLE BOHEMIAN GLAMPING
Natalie & Steve
A Vibrant Festival, Yurt Wedding... Photos by Alex Tenters Photography www.alextentersphotography.co.uk Words & Yurt Styling by Wedding Yurts www.weddingyurts.co.uk Wedding Yurts... At Wedding Yurts, we’re a complete travelling wedding venue and at our heart are our four fabulous handcrafted yurts and our total commitment to creating the wedding day you’ve always wanted. Our complete luxury Wedding Yurt package guarantees you a truly wonderful experience from start to finish. We’ll support you through the planning and, most importantly, we’re with you for the week before setting up the yurts, dealing with suppliers, making sure everything is in place and of course, styling the yurts to perfection and managing the wedding day itself. We are totally yours for the whole week! Our styling services and access to my prop collection (including lots of mirror balls) is also included in our luxury package AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | MR & MRS UNIQUE
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Our Couple... Natalie and Steve’s amazing yurt wedding was the absolute epitome of festival style. Natalie, a super creative bride made huge colourful flags, printed table runners, crafted cute succulent favours for everyone and she also created the most incredible colourful paper pom installation which we hung from the centre of the yurt wheel along with one of our giant mirror balls. The round top table was perfectly positioned beneath the poms with a gold sequin tablecloth and a gorgeous table arrangement, full of peonies, by Floraldeco of Nottingham. Natalie’s Eliza Jane Howell dress was also full of
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sequins and her glittery Betsey Johnson shoes were incredible – they came all the way from the US! The perfect finishing touch for this festival bride was her gorgeous flower crown! Around the rest of the wedding, there were tattoos, more mirror balls and loads of glitter. Outside, we installed sparkly lights outside and a fire pit, which was the focus point for the party until the early hours of Sunday morning. The party didn’t end there however because the couples packed up their wellies and some more glitter before heading straight to Glastonbury Festival for their mini moon.
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Photographer: Alex Tenters Photography www.alextentersphotography.co.uk Venue, styling & props: Wedding Yurts www.weddingyurts.co.uk Florist: Floraldeco www.floraldeco.co.uk Dress: Eliza Jane Howell from Georgina Scott Bridal www.georginascottbridal.co.uk Shoes: Betsey Johnson www.betseyjohnson.com
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Canvas & Stone
Five country house wedding venues that are shaking things up. www.canvasandstone.co.uk
In their place you’ll find modern thinking, open mindedness, flexibility and a happy juxtaposition of old and new. Our homes are your homes... It’s important to us that people have their own connection with the houses. When we say we open our houses as blank canvas venues for people to use as they please, we really work hard to make sure that feeling of home is there. Our style is relaxed but not imposing. We
We find out why one particular group of country house venues have recently collaborated and formed their own unique collective, Canvas and Stone, and how they’re doing things a little differently! Party time... If you haven’t had an excuse to host a party, your wedding or event at a country house venue, you may still have visions of traditional, stuffy places with old school rules. But when 40 is the average age of the owners you can vouch that anything resembling pink trousers or a butler for that matter, is out the window.
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Iscoyd Park
Wasing Park offer our houses to our guests in a way ‘so that the minute they walk through the door, they feel like this is their home.’ says Susie from Iscoyd Park. Every event is completely bespoke for you... We promote the fact we don’t do packages. We want to make everything is exactly how you have dreamt it. We have our well-trusted suppliers but if your heart has been set on having gold plated cutlery and bringing in the acrobats, our event teams can make it happen. “It means you aren’t forced into a format or spending any budget on things you haven’t wished for,” says Josh, Wasing Park. We’re always striving to improve... Dewsall has renovated the Wainhouse party barn to include kitchen, fully stocked bar, sealed in by large glass windows Elmore Court’s growing its sustain-ability agenda, with more of their food being sourced from the land than ever before. Iscoyd has opened up 6 more bedrooms making a total of 14. Pennard House is building up its programme of literary and music retreats.
Wasing Park has renovated its Stable Lodge and built the biggest bed in Europe! We choose collaboration over competition... When we all got together, we thought we were really doing this to help each other in the transition of turning the houses into venues, but the further down the line we go, we realise collaboration benefits everything we do. We combine our knowledge and share experiences with each other, so that collectively we raise the standard amongst our houses year on year and hopefully within the events industry too. “We have over 1500 events between us” says Anselm, from Elmore Court “which is a considerable about of experience in events!’ It would be dangerous to fix each of these houses too firmly into the same category. The variety amongst them is what reinforces the collective. Each brings a specific style and energy to the group, complementing the whole. So where you’ll find similarities in quality and ethos, each is totally unique. We asked them: AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | MR & MRS UNIQUE
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Photo: Emma Gardiner
Dewsall Court What is it you want to achieve by collaborating with each other?... Fundamentally to support each other in our decision making, to have a shoulder to cry on when it gets tough but most of all to set a standard amongst country house venues, to innovate and keep evolving, so that our houses are relevant to the audiences that want to use them and that we can offer some truly unique events and experiences. What’s the significance of the name Canvas and Stone? Canvas represents our flexibility, openness and love of the outdoors‌ Stone represents the history, house and their solidity. We hope their bricks and mortar will be on these sites for hundreds more years to come!
Article Written by Canvas & Stone http://www.canvasandstone.co.uk
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Venues: Dewsall Court Herefordshire www.dewsall.com Elmore Court Gloucestershire www.elmorecourt.com Iscoyd Park Shropshire www.iscoydpark.com Pennard House Somerset www.pennardhouse.com Wasing Park Berkshire www.wasing.co.uk
Pennard House
Elmore Court
Photo: www.mtmstudio.co.uk
Photo: www.robtarren.co.uk
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magical romantic rich dark tones golds
Celestial Luminosity Art Directed & Styled by The Bijou Bride www.thebijoubride.com Mr & Mrs Unique www.mrandmrsunique.co.uk Photos by Abigail Steed Photography www.abigailsteedphotography.com Venue: Elmore Court www.elmorecourt.com Styling tips from Alex at The Bijou Bride... Inky indigos and midnight blues come to life when teamed with shiny metallics. Copper and gold details add a warmth and romance that make the whole look thoroughly magical. Long tables are quickly replacing round set ups as the wedding dining option of choice and you can really go to town with your centrepieces when working with this format. Terrariums or luxurious silk runners can snake down the centre or cluster around table edges, hanging floral installations or varying height candles build ambience and intimacy. 22
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CREDITS Flowers: Early Hours Ltd www.earlyhours.co.uk Cakes: Nevie-Pie Cakes www.neviepiecakes.com Dresses: Morgan Davies London www.morgandaviesbridal.co.uk Stationery: Eighth & Autumn www.eighthandautumn.com Pompoms: Pompom Blossom www.pompomblossom.com Tablecloths: Table to Dine For www.tabletodinefor.com Shoes: Emmy Shoes www.emmylondon.com Crockery: Classic Crockery Event Hire www.classiccrockery.co.uk Gold cutlery: Vintage Gold China www.vintagegoldchina.com Assisting: Hannah Charlotte Weddings www.hannahcharlotteweddings.co.uk Hair: The Styling Lounge ww.thestylinglounge.co.uk MUA: Anni at Portraits www.portraitsbridal.com Model: Jessie from Lenis Models www.lenismodels.com
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Autumn/Winter Stationery Inspiration 1
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1. Norma & Dorothy 2. Russet & Gray 3. Russet & Gray 4. Hollyhock Lane
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5. Hollyhock Lane 6. Hollyhock Lane 7. Jennifers Papers 8. Claire Louise Creates
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Elopement vintage american downton ABBEY castle wedding adventure
Esther & Carlos
An American Downton Abbey Elopement... Photos by Rebecca Douglas Photography www.rebeccadouglas.co.uk
FINDING LOVE... “We met at 19 and 20 and have been together since. 11 years later we thought it was time to make the next step and continue building our lives together.” “Neither of us is British. We are both from Mexican decent - Carlos was born in Mexico, I, in Los Angeles but knew the only way to do our wedding was while traveling with friends and staying 100% true to ourselves. So we chose a Castle in the English countryside - nothing more beautiful then that.” 38
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CAPTURING YOUR DAY... “Rebecca did a fabulous job. She was at the upper end of our budget but it was well worth it! She truly made us feel special even before meeting us, and actually continues to make us feel special even after.”
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ADVICE... “Do a planned elopement like we did! Travel and spend the money on adventure rather then trying to please your 2nd cousin you don’t even care about.”
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Suppliers: Wedding Venue: Wadhurst Castle www.wadhurstcastle.co.uk Wedding Humanist: True Blue Ceremonies www.trueblueceremonies.co.uk Wedding Dress: Custom Made by Shop Tarantula www.shoptarantula.com Brides Shoes: Remix Vintage Shoes www.remixvintageshoes.com
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5 Top Tips to a stylish wedding... Written by Kelly from Not Your Average I Do www.notyouraverageido.com
“The proposal, the ‘Yes’ and then the whirlwind begun! I am sure you never imagined that THAT yes would lead to suddenly a new job title for yourself of ‘Wedding Planner Extraordinaire!’ There are so many elements to consider - the venue, the dress, the colour scheme, the food, the transport....the list just goes on and on! It is easy to get carried away but to also feel overwhelmed with the enormity of it all. And one element that
often gets overlooked or left until the last moment is the styling, decoration and overall look for your day. It can be an element that when it comes to budget and planning is left until the bigger parts are planned. Here at Mr & Mrs Unique we have asked the Award winning venue stylists at Not Your Average I Do to provide you with a check list full of hints and tips to make this part of your day stress free!
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Top Tips to a stylish wedding.... Kelly from NYA I Do says: “Often venue styling gets mistaken for hanging up some bunting or putting something in the middle of your tables. A lot of brides decide it is an element of the day that they can manage themselves and is not yet another service that they need to pay for. We often get brides contacting us a few weeks before their big day when they suddenly realise all of the different elements involved and they start to panic. Social media channels such as Pintrest and Instagram can be a blessing and a curse! They can help get your creative juices flowing but also can give you visions of your big day that are far removed from the budget you had in mind! Having 15 years event management experience, and having coordinated, styled and managed hundreds of weddings - we wanted to share our top tips with Brides to be - to show you can have a stylish wedding on any budget..... 1 Start BIG. Start with the large elements of the day and work down to the finer details. It is very easy to be constantly running a list through your head ‘what about the table plan, the table centres, the lighting, the outdoor area, the bar area etc etc’. It is often hard to know where to begin! If you start with the larger elements then everything else falls into place. For example, if you are having a marquee start with the ceiling decoration. Are you having a colourful paper lantern display, a twinkly fairy light ceiling or a rustic foliage display? This will then set the mood for the entire venue. You can then incorporate the same style into the finer details by having moss table centres or a colourful seating plan for example.
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2 Lighting is KEY. Lighting is often an over looked factor, but it really is the essential element to any successful event. It sets the atmosphere for the whole day - be it romantic and soft, exciting and loud, or somewhere in between. When you walk into your venue look at the lighting available. Does it do the job you need it to? Do you need up lighters to create a dance floor, or fairy lights to create a softer atmosphere? Do you need something fun but practical outside like festoon lighting to light up walk ways? 3 Styling is really just decorative logistics! For an event to run smoothly everything has to be in place. There has to be signage to tell your guests where to go and what to expect, you need the correct lighting to create the perfect atmosphere and you need a table plan to tell people where to sit for dinner! Getting the logistical details right through creativity makes your wedding day what it is - something your loved ones will remember for ever. 4 Think about your wedding day from your guests perspective. You have been organising THIS day for a year, or maybe longer. You know exactly how it is going to run and what to expect. But remember - your guests do not have a clue! They are turning up for the first time and wondering where to go, what to say, where to put their present, where to sit, where the drinks are etc etc.... Signage and other detailing can help with this. If your day runs smoothly then your guests will be happy and you will be happy!
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Photo: www.matildadelvesweddingphotography.com
5 Run through your day in your mind minute - by - minute when deciding what elements are important and what elements are not essential. Sit down and try to visualise all of the details as you do this. i.e. Your guest get out of their car and walk to the venue - do they need signage, will they know where to go? You walk down the aisle, how is the room lit? If you do this then we guarantee there will be no nasty surprises and your day will be exactly how you imagined!
Checklist Have you thought about these top 10 style essentials for your big day? 1 Colour scheme 2 Lighting 3 Signage 4 Seating / furniture 5 Table dressing - table names, table centres, place names, table plan 6 Ceremony area - aisle and alter dressing 7 Dancing / entertainment area 8 Outside areas 9 Floral displays 10 Ceiling dressing - paper lanterns, pom poms or draping for example?
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Surprise Wedding Outdoor Nature Bohemian Farm
Rochan & Xeco
A Surprise, Bohemian Wedding in front of 110 Photographers! Photos by Alexa Loy Photography www.alexa-loy.com Fforest is the perfect location for a relaxed, informal, weekend-long celebration with family and friends. The 200 acres of the camp and farm is exclusively hired for the whole weekend. With a beautifully renovated farmhouse, crog lofts, domes and bell tents; it provides the ultimate outdoor wedding location for nature loving, free spirited couples who love adventure!
Organiser of Snap Photography Festival… Laura from Babb Photo www.snapphotofestival.com When Rochan and Xeco got engaged at SNAP last year they joked about getting married at SNAP 2016. I thought that was a BRILLIANT idea, especially if we could somehow keep it a secret from the 110 photographers who’d be attending SNAP. SNAPsters were told there’d be a surprise before our big party and that they should dress to impress, then on the morning of the wedding they were all given their surprise wedding invitations. Rochan and Xeco were married in the quarry at Fforest with 110 wedding photographers in attendance!! 52
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Wedding Stylist, Alex from The Bijou Bride… www.thebijoubride.com This was one of my biggest planning challenges ever - organising a surprise wedding... at a festival... in front of over 100 photographers... with a bride and groom who live in Spain. Xeco and Rochan are very easy going and trusted me to create the informal and relaxed celebration they had both dreamt of. 100% of the wedding planning happened via email, pinterest and skype (gotta love modern technology). A shared Pinterest board is a great way to share ideas and brief suppliers especially when an ocean separates you! A picture says a thousand words. The styling of the wedding had to compliment the stunning rural surroundings of Fforest and be authentically Xeco and Rochan. To reflect their love story and free spirit attitude we used dream catchers and natural foliage, quotes from their favourite songs (Xeco is an incredible singer/songwriter) and a custom entwined foxes illustration. Watching everyone’s reactions to opening their invitations on the wedding day was priceless and the whole day from that point was very emotional and just so special. And when the wedding cake didn’t arrive, I found a new talent for stacking donuts and adding some wedding sparkle!
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Photographer: Alexa Loy Photography www.alexa-loy.com Venue and Catering: www.coldatnight.co.uk Design & Coordination: The Bijou Bride www.bijoubride.com Styling: Mr & Mrs Unique www.mrandmrsunique.co.uk Wedding dress: E&W Couture www.eandwcouture.co.uk Stationery: Hollyhock lane www.hollyhocklane.co.uk Flowers: The Great British Florist www.greatbritishflorist.co.uk Groom Apparel and Accessories: SirPlus clothing www.sirplus.co.uk DJ: The Wedding Smashers www.weddingsmashers.com Live Music: Elly Lucas and the Snapettes www.ellylucas.co.uk Celebrant: Love is Simple www.loveissimple.co.uk Cake topper: Miss Cake www.misscake.co.uk Signage & linen: Fleur de Lace www.fleurdelace.co.uk Guest book backdrop & ribbons: Kate Cullen www.katecullen.co.uk Guest book: Pen heaven www.penheaven.co.uk Light Up Letters: Doris Loves www.dorisloves.co.uk Giant Bunting: Emma Bunting www.emma-bunting.co.uk 60
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There's always time for cocktails Words by Canvas & Stone www.canvasandstone.co.uk Recipes by Jamie Stephenson Two delicious cocktails to ease you into Autumn courtesy of the team behind the five beautiful country house venues, Canvas and Stone. Both are so delicious you’ll want to to revive the redundant shaker from the cupboard and practice like a champ. Better still? Head to one of the five houses and ask for a demo.
ORCHARD MIST Refreshing and abundant. Stock up on ingredients ready for that Indian Summer! Mix all the ingredients below and serve from a large jug with ice. Ingredients 1 bottle of Kingston Black Apple Aperitif from The Somerset Cider Brandy Company 1.5 litres of ice cold lemonade Small handful of crushed fresh mint, added raspberries or strawberries 1 wine glass of Burrow Hill apple juice
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THE CANVAS AND STONE Amongst the Canvas & Stone team, is FIVE times World Champion Cocktail Maker, Jamie Stephenson. He has made an elegant coffee-based cocktail inspired by the indulgent past and the energising future of these houses. You can find it in all of the Canvas & Stone houses. Smooth and Indulgent. A stimulating blend of coffee, chocolate & vanilla cream Bottom Layer Pour the below ingredients into a mixing glass a mixing glass. Stir briskly with lots of ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass Ingredients 20ml Cold espresso 20ml Mozart Black Liqueur 30ml Black Cow Vodka 5ml Sugar syrup Small pinch of salt Top Layer Pour the below ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake without ice for 10 seconds and pour carefully over the back of a spoon onto the bottom layer. Garnish with coffee beans Ingredients 40ml Single cream 15ml Monin Vanilla Syrup Recipe by Jamie Stephenson
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Our Real Bride Jane Bowler- Head Designer at Jane Bowler Bridal www.janebowler.co.uk Photos by Joanne Warren Photography www.joannewarrent.co.uk part of the day, helping with deliveries, decorating, serving food and drinks and even singing for me as a surprise! We couldn’t have done it without them! We got married at 4pm in the beautiful Clissold House in Clissold Park, Stoke Newington. A short but sweet ceremony followed by a glass of bubbly overlooking the park. The reception was a small walk away, so we trotted along through the park with a glass of bubbly in hand! We arrived at the epic West Reservoir venue to be greeted by my ‘JB blinged’ Team Bowler, serving drinks and canapés. The venue looked stunning, huge white balloons decked the high ceilings with holographic orbes floating below each balloon.
First Day of School introduction of yourself... My name is Jane Bowler, I am a fashion and textile designer. I grew up in the Midlands and moved to London to study at the Royal college of Art in 2008… which is where I met my future husband – Alex! What was your plan of action for your wedding day? We were on a real budget, but this meant that we had to be more creative! My design team, ‘Team Bowler’ were a huge
Beautiful Malaysian street food, all you can eat ice cream and a non-stop help yourself bar led onto a night of non-stop dancing. We got our friends to DJ, which was amazing! It was such an amazing day filled with everyone we love. Best day ever! What did you wear? I wore a bespoke golden plastic outfit, which was handmade in our ‘Jane Bowler’ London studio. The dress was hand cut and hand constructed using gold plated fastenings and delicate chain detailing. The top and skirt where designed to look like one piece, as well as being reversible! We made the top AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | MR & MRS UNIQUE
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holographic on the inside and the skirt was black as I planned to turn it round for the evening party, however, I actually decided that I loved being gold so much that I decided to be a golden bride for the full day! The reversible element is also something that we are introducing into the new Jane Bowler Bridal collection! Allowing brides to transform from day to night. What did your bridesmaids wear? My Bridesmaids all wore bespoke Jane Bowler Bridal headpieces. My friend and business partner Heather wore our fringed macramé skirt, which looked amazing!
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What was unique about your day? I loved that everything was informal and untraditional, as we are both designers every last detail was considered. The dress, activity place mats designed by us, and an alternative wedding ‘cheese’ cake to name a few of the unique elements. Now it’s all over (boo!) what advice would you give to couples getting married: Just one thing, don’t forget if you have hired glasses for your wedding day, always remember to get some help cleaning them! …. We spent the first day of our married life washing hundreds of glasses on an epic hangover! Not ideal when your shaking like a leaf.
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Jane Bowler will be launching their new bridal collection at the National Wedding show in Manchester. For further information visit www.janebowler.co.uk
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moroccan colourful rich sheffield bohemian
Free-Spirited
A Bohemian, Moroccan Inspired Bridal Shoot…. Words & Photos by Shelley Richmond www.kindredphotography.co.uk The Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield is a beautifully eclectic place with a gorgeous Moroccan vibe. Our inspiration for the colour palette came from the style of the venue along with the rich and varied textured décor. It’s quite a dark venue so candles played a big part, as did the wonderful directional light that streamed in from the courtyard.
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Suppliers: Photographer: Shelley Richmond www.kindredphotography.co.uk Styling: Felicity Hoy www.innercityweddings.co.uk Venue: Yellow Arch Studios yellowarch.com Hair & MUA: Jenn Edwards jennedwards.com 80
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Gowns: Kate Halfpenny & Claire Pettibone @ The White Room www.whiteroombridal.co.uk Florals: Moss & Clover www.mossandclover.co.uk Models: Jaye Potter (The Model House) & Chris Bentley
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The rise of the Festival Brides (and Grooms!) Words & Marquee Styling by The Arabian Tent Company www.arabiantents.com
The Festival Bride, once synonymous with ‘WeddingFest’ or ‘Wedstival’ is now reaching a new era of sophistication. Here are some top tips from Wedding experts at The Arabian Tent Company who know a thing or two about festivals and weddings alike on how to create your perfect Wedding Festival. Outdoor Areas: For the Festival Wedding pay special attention to the outside areas, as it’s bringing the outside into the party that will truly recreate that festival-esque magic, and set a budget in mind for this. Use the Secret Garden Door as a grand entrance to your wedding – inspired by the one at Secret Garden Party. And create separate areas for your guests to explore either by using furniture or lighting or hanging décor or a combination of all three and incorporate a few different styled tents or optimum
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effect such as a large bell tent as a children’s tented area that will inspire their burgeoning minds. Chill out Areas: Weddings can be a somewhat tiring affair what the copious amount of champagne and food, so create a chill out area for those that do not want party quite like its 1999 just yet, but instead would like to take a little halfway rest between celebrating, and in style. The wrought iron day beds, which were inspired by Bestival’s Bollywood bar, may take your fancy, or a purple shamiana tent creates decedent shade. Why not place a cocktail table with parasols encourage guests to stand and chat outside. If on budget hay bales work well to create seating and can be covered with colourful blankets, combine with a fire-pit to keep guests enjoying the outdoors even when the night draws in.
Couple: Holly & Jake Photos: Jay Rowden Photography www.jayrowden.com
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Music: Ah. The makings of any great festival, the same can be said for the Festival Wedding and must not be overlooked. Do not be afraid to ask your friends or a local pub band or DJ or even talented busker you come across to play in accompaniment to the main band or DJ you have booked. The more the merrier when it comes to music at a Festival Wedding. Dividing the day up with different, dynamic live music choices is a great way to add a unique atmosphere to various parts of the day. Party Tent: For when your party is drawing to a close, create a secret side tent or separate bell for late night celebrations. A 6m-diameter bell tent is enough to hold 40 people on cushions on the floor and will provide the perfect chill out area and give an extra element to your night by providing a warm and dynamic setting for the celebrations to continue. Couple: Jaime & Matin Photos: Rory Lindsay www.rorylindsay.co.uk
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LONDON WEDDING AmANDA WAKELEY DRESS ELEGANT CHIC VINTAGE GOLD
Ciara & Yoran A Stylish, Music Hall Wedding… Photos by We Heart Pictures www.weheartpictures.com Finding love... “We met 8 years ago on Valentine’s day in Brighton. We were at a club and met through mutual friends, Yoran thought I looked like David Bowie in my outfit (and assured me it was a compliment), I invited everyone back to his for an after party and we have been together ever since.”
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“We wanted our day to be warm and cosy rather than the typical stark white wedding. I think we achieved this well with the use of bronze cutlery and napkins and the mahogany chairs. It worked well with the bronze pillars in the hall and warm fairy lights. We used the decanters for drinks and cut crystal glasses to keep the ‘old vintage’ look going and I think it worked really well in the end.”
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Capturing your day... “We booked Hector from We Heart Pictures at the very last minute and we are so glad we did! We love the pictures he has taken and I still flick through them all the time on the tube to work. He did a great job as I forgot to tell him what family and group shots I wanted, but he still got all the family in there.�
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Advice... “I wish we could have started the day earlier. Our ceremony didn’t start till 4pm so the day went by so fast! We had an after party later at an old traditional east end pub, but it would have been nice to have longer at the venue. I also planned the whole wedding, which was stressful! I was working 60 hour weeks and with a fortnight left to go I had hardly done a thing. I blasted most of it out during my lunch break, DO NOT try this at home!!!”
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Suppliers: Photography: We Heart Pictures www.weheartpictures.com Venue: Wiltons Music Hall www.wiltons.org.uk Caterers: Forrest Food www.picklecatering.co.uk Cider: Ampleforth www.visitors.ampleforth.org.uk/ abbey-beer-and-cider-2 Band: King Salamia and The Cumberland www.facebook.com/ KingSalamiandtheCumberland3 Flowers: Scarlet and Violet www.scarletandviolet.com Make up: Yunah www.yunah.dk Cutlery: Helene Millot www.helenemillot.com
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Rustic Futuristic D.I.Y Metallics Barn Wedding
Emma & Simon
A Rustic, Futuristic Wedding... Photos by Assassynation www.assassynation.co.uk
FINDING LOVE... “We found each other amid the overlapping circles of geekdom. Simon is a writer of novels and comics, Emma is a graphic designer and Doctor Who columnist. Our paths inevitably crossed – it just happened to occur at precisely the right time. We’ve been making each other laugh like idiots and setting off on adventures ever since.”
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“We decided we’d have a relatively no frills legal ceremony in the morning, then progress to the incredible 17th century barn at Hookhouse farm for a full day of food, drink, dancing, and a big communal “ceremony-ish” right in the middle. We spent literally months preparing a kaleidoscope of origami stars and spaceships, lego centre-pieces, glittering decorations and cocktails. It sounds insane but we like to think we found a way to invest that beautiful, rustic location with a bit of space-nerd fun, in a way that didn’t totally jar.”
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CAPTURING YOUR DAY... “Sassy’s a dream. Charming and cheerful to a fault, she drifts through the room with such an easygoing demeanor that everyone relaxes and nobody feels spied-upon. But for us her true gift – the reason we were so desperate to hire her – lies in her peerless eye for composition, and capturing those hidden moments of magic. A casual gesture which speaks volumes, a shy smile, an instant of unpretentious silliness, which perfectly punctures any pomposity.”
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ADVICE... “Delegate. DELEGATE so hard. Your mission is amazingly simple: you need to enlist a legion of trusted humans who can be programmed to perform literally every task that needs doing on the day itself. On your wedding day you shouldn’t need to think about anything – and in fact you probably wouldn’t be able to even if you wanted – except, y’know, getting hitched. So make sure everything else, no matter how big or small, is someone else’s problem.”
SUPPLIERS: Wedding Venue & Reception: Hookhouse www.hookhousefarm.com Wedding Dress: Aidan Mattox www.aidanmattox.com Grooms Attire: Ted Baker www.tedbaker.com/uk Cake: The Cheese Shed www.thecheeseshed.com Brides Accessories, Flowers, Stationery, Décor: Our own D.I.Y
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Festi-ball DIY fun Words & DIY by Alice at Fleur de Lace www.fleurdelace.co.uk Photography: Sharon Cooper Photography www.sharoncooper.co.uk Venue: Letchworth Healthy Living Centre www.enchantedgardenevents.co.uk For me nothing shouts festival wedding dressing than tassley, blow in your wind, colourful ribbons. Introducing a fun way to add a pop of colour to your venue. FESTIBALLS! Hang them from your ceiling, around the edge of your marquee, amongst your Paper Lanterns or in the trees.
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All you need is: Polystyrene Balls I used them in 3 sizes, 60mm, 120mm and 150mm (cheap online or available from large craft shops), Ribbon In mixed thicknesses and colours. Pins (You need a lot, around 50 per ball.) Scissors
Step one: Cut Lengths of ribbon half the diameter of your ball. I needed 18 lengths of 25mm width ribbon for this 120mm Ball.
Step two: Pin on the ribbons and push in the pins as far as you can. Start and end around the same point at the top and the bottom each time. Pull each ribbon quite tightly to make it lie smoothly on your ball. I found tapering it in a little at the bottom end helped.
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Step three: When you’re half way around, tidy up the ends at the bottom, to keep it as neat as possible.
Step four: Fold and taper in the last piece so it sits nicely and then tidy the bottom as in step three.
Step five: Cut a little piece of ribbon and neatly pin over messy base.
Step six: Make a hook by cutting a longer bit of ribbon and then pin to the top.
Voilà ! You can add tails, tassels, plaits etc. Even decorating with pins looks pretty! If you love them but don’t want the faff of making them contact me at Fleur de Lace. Always happy to help! hello@fleurdelace.co.uk
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Gold Quail Eggs with Black Lava Sea Salt
Alex Head at Social Pantry www.socialpantry.co.uk Adding a little sparkle to your canape reception will ensure your wedding is one to remember. Small but mighty these gold coated quail eggs never fail to impress and are super simple to create. Try our three step easy recipe and create this canape at home‌ Makes 12 Eggs Ingredients: 1.pack of quail eggs 2.tablespoons of colorant alimentaire metallisÊ (available to purchase on Sous Chef) 2 tablespoons of Viking smoked salt or black lava salt (available to purchase on Sous Chef)
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Three Step Recipe: 1.Gently place your quail’s eggs into boiling water and cook for 2 mins 40 seconds and then run under cold water to cool down before peeling. 2.Once cold, peeled and dry, sprinkle the gold powder over the eggs until they are evenly covered. 3.Fill a ramekin with Smoked Salt or Black Lava Salt and watch your guests reaction to your fun, perfectly cooked and beautiful gold eggs!
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Our Interview with…
Bubblegum Balloons! Bubblegum Balloons have been adding magic to weddings and events with their wide range of giant balloons and tassels for the past few years. This innovative team have helped transform the image of the balloon; creating incredible installations for people across the country. With clients ranging from Madonna to Mercedes Benz, London Fashion Week to the every day bride, we have watched to simple balloon turn into pieces of artwork! Over to the ladies to introduce themselves… Where did the love of balloons come from? We love a party! Between the 3 of us we have 6 children who inspire our creativity and keep us brimming with ideas. We also love pretty things so it was a given that we loved balloons – especially pretty ones. How did Bubblegum Balloons come about? We are 3 friends who wanted to create our own product and start a business. Laura and Sally are sisters and Meg is a school friend. We saw a gap in the market and ran with it... Tell us a bit about Bubblegum HQ: Bubblegum HQ is in Fleet, north Hampshire. Over the last 3 years, we have steadily taken over more and more of the building and this is set to continue! We have a team of around 20 ‘balloon ninjas’, 11 of which are office based and predominantly female. The atmosphere is full of fun and creative people; it’s the prettiest office ever!!
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What future trends do you see for balloons featuring in wedding world? More installations! This year especially we’ve been asked to style weddings and events with larger installations like balloon clouds, balloon windows (balloons cascading from windows) and balloon ceilings. Bold and bright colours that really pop continue to be popular and metallic, especially gold and silver orb balloons hung with fishing wire to give a floating effect. We did something like this for London Fashion Week near the beginning of the year and it seems couples want this glamourous looking effect, albeit on a slightly smaller scale!
Jessica Withey Photography Balloon & Flower arch created by Bubblegum Balloons & Early Hours www.earlyhours.co.uk
How do you keep your passion for creativity alive? We value our customers’ ideas and have always adopted a ‘can do’ attitude. This has seen us go in directions we never thought possible like The Carousel of Dreams for Europcar and Mercedes Benz, one of the highlights of the year. We also listen to the team we have - 20 heads are better than 1! We work hard and love what we do which shines through, keeps us motivated and has established our reputation for quality products and a reliable service.
Project you are most proud of? There are too many to mention, but at a push we would have to say The Carousel of Dreams for Europcar and Mercedes Benz. We were tasked with creating a cloud effect using white balloons on a moving carousel of luxury vehicles. It took our team 2 days and over 10,000 white balloons to build the installation in London’s Finsbury Square, through wind, rain and thunderstorms! But the results really do speak for themselves – the advert is incredible.
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What’s your top wedding advice? Be organised and delegate. Keep calm and remember what the day is really about. And, enjoy every second! What makes for a great wedding? Balloons of course! Family and friends; personal touches that make the day ‘yours’; good photography (you’ll have those images for a lifetime!) and throwing some shapes on the dance floor! For more information on Bubblegum Balloons visit www.bubblegumballoons.co.uk Barker Evans Photography www.barkerevans.com
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Keeping It Earth Friendly
Words by Love Lotus www.lovelotus.co.uk Photos by Claire Williams Photography www.clairewilliamsphotography.co.uk We’re not suggesting you walk down the aisle in a recycled paper dress but when it comes to planning your big day there’s nothing quite like keeping it earth friendly. You might be a regular carbon footprint checker or are trying to do your bit to keep our precious earth in tact. Either way, when it comes to your wedding it doesn’t mean you have to skimp to do good. Over at Love Lotus, their ethos is all about being green and glamorous
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without costing the earth. They always knew that when they created Love Lotus they wanted to give something back to nature, the environment and to those in the communities around them. Which is why being eco-friendly and ethical is firmly routed in the core of what they do. So what do they do? Well, as an eco glamping tent hire company they offer magical and unique camping packages created with their stunning ‘Love Lotus Belle’ tents and ‘Love Teepee’ tents.
From wonderful wedding guest villages through to glorious bridal tents, they can tailor make their glamping packages to suit any wedding or hen party. But why so eco friendly I hear you ask. Well, let’s start with the tent interiors. They certainly don’t skimp on making their tents super snug for you, with all the little creature comforts that make a glamping experience idyllic, but hidden beneath are pieces of lovingly up-cycled furniture, little charity shop bought gems and beautiful soft furnishings made using eco-friendly fabrics such as organic bamboo and hemp. Minimizing waste and using sustainable building materials whenever they set up their tents and villages is hugely important too, and they make sure to creep away without leaving a blotch on the landscape when all is done. They have even created their very own carbon footprint scheme, which means that for every tent that is rented from them, they plant a tree at their HQ and let you name it! Pretty cool huh? And it doesn’t stop there, their food hampers that they provide for breakfasts
or afternoon teas are made with organic, seasonal, locally grown foods and products from local companies, which means they aren’t lugging produce in from other corners of the world. These are just a few of the ways in which they are helping to give something back and hopefully it will give you a nice, warm fuzzy feeling knowing that when you get cosy in your Love Lotus tent you have also done a whole lot of good by helping to support local charities, reduce waste, up your low carbon living lifestyle and plant lots of beautiful trees. Our top tips to make your wedding ecofriendly… 1. Find a venue close to your guests Finding a space to have your wedding, and possibly pitch your glamping tents, closest to the majority of your guests will help reduce your carbon footprint. Also try to have your service and reception in one place to save your guests having to travel. 2. Share the journey Encourage guests to use public transport, car share or even get on their bikes to get to your wedding - every little helps your footprint! 3. Locally grown flowers Try to decorate your venue with locally grown flowers or wild flowers. Unfortunately a lot of beautiful and exotic flowers have to travel miles to reach you so help your footprint by choosing local. 4. Dim the lights Opt for soy candles, lanterns and low energy saving lighting where possible - not only will they look much more romantic and magical it will be helping the environment along the way. AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | MR & MRS UNIQUE 121
5. Upcycle and recycle When decorating your venue try to upcycle as many materials as possible and when you are done, don’t bin them - donate them to charity or list on
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Freecycle or other sites for another bride to use. Head over to www.lovelotus.co.uk to find out more and to take a look at their beautiful glamping tents.
LUCABUCA
WOOD FIRED PIZZA • Weddings • Festivals • Parties • Pop Ups Our love of fresh ingredients, a passion for Italian food and the great pleasure we take from helping people to celebrate the special times in their lives meant that setting up something that could combine all of these was a no brainer. We own a beautiful pop up that adds another dimension to your wedding and private parties that has our wood fired pizza oven, custom made gazebo and our pizza sign in bright lines. Our pop up is styled with various tomato tins and basil pots, crates, foliage, ladders, stools and beautiful Italian detailed furnishings making it all the more authentic with vintage charm. We offer additional full catering services for your wedding or party and look after your entire meal, with friendly staff to serve, tables and tableware and everything in between. Our team of wedding and event stylists can work with you to bring your wedding or event to life and help you create the day of your dreams while removing the stress factor. We work with your own props or those provided by your own suppliers to style your special day as an additional service. www.lucabuca.co.uk @lucabucapizza
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