UK Alliance of Wedding Planners - Member Focus

The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) was founded for one purpose: to promote professionalism in wedding planning. A wedding is the most personal and important event in a couple's life and those involved have a duty to act with integrity and honesty.

Having undertaken training with the UKAWP I am an associate member. This means that I have met strict entrance requirements and adhere to a strict code of ethics giving you the reassurance you are using a wedding planner you can rely on.

I was recently asked to answer a few questions for a members focus on their blog. To find out what I had to say please visit the UKAWP.

Strawberry and lime

Call me an old romantic but I do not think pink will ever go out of fashion where weddings are concerned. Rather than subtle pastels, this colour board shows vivid splashes of hot pinks with a twist, mixing it with a quirky citrus green. This board shouts fun fun fun and I would love to be a guest at this wedding.

Photo credits:
Bride and bridesmaids: The Brides Cafe
Gerbera flower on chair: ivillage
Butterfly cake: Nicky Grant
Bride with bouquet: My Toronto Florist
Ring cushion, Pink dress with green shoes & Green bridesmaid with bouquet: Brides.com
Table setting: Tickled Pink Brides
Cookies: A Dozen Eggs
Button hole: Sarah's Flowers
Pink shoe: Christian Louboutin

Velvet Weddings

I have some very exciting news about Velvet, a family run business in Brighton & Hove. Velvet has two lifestyle stores offering a beautifully unique range of furniture, lighting, clothing and accessories. More importantly, they also stock a range of items for brides but with such a large range of fab items to offer there was no space to fit everything in. So, great news for all you brides, they have recently launch an online website 'Velvet Weddings' totally dedicated to weddings.

Velvet Weddings stock everything from cake stands, bird cages, favours, table decorations, frames and photo holders as well as fairy lights, chalk boards, wooden letters, photo albums and much much more. Here are a few of my favorites.

The website is also great for searching for items of a particular colour or more importantly a particular theme. Here are some of the themes that you can choose to search with.


For more information visit either Velvet or Velvet Weddings or why not pop into one of the Brighton & Hove stores to have a look round for yourself.

Peach chic

I am just loving the colour peach. While peach can come in many shades and some look a little on the garish side I think this pale shade of peach looks fab. Why not use the design board below as inspiration and go for a vintage peach style for your bridesmaids.

Photo credits:
Jin Ja Brocade Bustier Dress - Oli
Shoe - Kurt Geiger
Earrings, bangles, aliceband and hair clips - Miss Selfridge
Parasol - ModCloth
Wallpaper - Graham & Brown
Lip gloss & eye shadow - Jane Iredale
Paris Hilton - Starpulse

Happy Anniversay to us!

Today I celebrate my second wedding anniversary and cannot believe how quickly these past two years have gone. We're off to celebrate with a day of shopping, a romantic night at the Hilton followed by afternoon tea.

I loved my wedding day so much that I would like to do it all over again (with the same person of course)!!!! Here's a picture of me and my hubby on our honeymoon in Miami.

Paperchain Wedding Sationery

Some stationery samples have just dropped through my letterbox and were so lovely that I just had to share them with you. Paperchain is a family run business set up with aim of bringing an extra bit of glamour and sophistication to your wedding day. Offering a range of personalised wedding stationery to fit with your theme or colour scheme, you can choose a design from one of their collections or go for something bespoke.


I asked them a few questions and here is what they had to say.....

What do you consider to be your USP?
Paperchain has recently formed after a long professional career in graphic design and marketing, therefore we understand how to introduce products to the market place that are differentiated making the most of the latest design, concepts and trends. Our strategy is based upon exceptional service and placing the bride at the centre of the service offering. We provide innovative designs and allow the stationery to be personalised in many ways - this includes colour matching, full personalisation of text and design text, printing of guest names and addresses on envelopes/relevant items. The stock that we use is from traditional paper mills and only available to the design industry, therefore we are really leveraging our expertise and relationships with suppliers to ensure a superb outcome.

Our bespoke service involves an upfront consultation with the bride and groom to establish their requirements, they can also choose from our vast collections of available paper stock.


How would you describe your style?
Friendly and professional, we believe in delivering what we promise. Our designs are inspired by our teams classical training, experience and passion for print and leading contemporary artwork. We are aiming for the higher end sector with a bespoke feel and look that portrays the individuality of our clients.

What are the current wedding stationery trends?
Given that brides are currently purchasing for the Summer Season we have designed a fresh new Love Birds Range, however the Flourish in the Olive colour is proving to be extremely popular.


What are your top three tips to the wedding couple when choosing stationery?
We don't actually offer tips as such, we tailor our approach to the needs of the client to ensure they get exactly what they want. We have a guidance section on our website for the process type issues however, we feel it is important to listen to the couple so that we can offer our advice based upon years of experience and the best way of dealing with protocol/formatting issues. Whilst we have a range of collections the options are unlimited. There is also the option of designing bespoke stationery.

To find out more visit their website or contact them direct.

Monochrome Magic

A black and white wedding theme is a timeless look which can make a striking statement at any wedding. Whilst in stark contrast, these colour combinations ooze chic sophistication and memories of the forties Hollywood glamour. This is a fairly simple colour theme to bring to life and you can add a twist by bringing in polka dots and different textures for a truly modern look.


Photo credits:
Table linen and napkins: Nuage Designs
Wedding cake: Peggy Porchen
Wedding dresses: Legends by Romona Keveza
Hand tied bouquet & cheesecake: Martha Stewart
Stationery: Designer Wedding Days
Teapot and black and white zen lounge area: Props for Today
Damask mint tins: Wedding Things
Shoe: Jimmy Choo
Candelabra: Miss Audrey
Table setting: Bridal Guide