I've got love for you if you were born in the 80's...

An 80's inspriation board to get your hipster dreams flaring.

Clare, Lee and White Willow

Please join us for one of the best bits of a Wedding Blog, the sticky beak. And the best bit of this sticky beak is that the bride has talent, and it's on display. Clare Jones is the lovely young bride in this article and the woman behind White Willow. Clare has started making her own specialized bridal jewellery, under the name White Willow, after working as a jeweller in Sydney and the UK, were she meet her now husband, Lee.
Her amazing dress is by Clarissa Grace and the bridesmaids dresses, as well as her daughter Freya’s are from Monsoon in the UK. The Wedding was held at the very old school Ranelagh House in the Southern Highlands and these beautiful images are thanks to Fusion Photography. 

All of Clare's stunning pieces are completely handmade using beautiful raw materials such as gold, silver, Swarovski crystals and Swarovski pearls, and who doesn't love a good ostrich feather.
Her jewellery has a unique nostalgic feel to it, like it's from another era and wouldn't be out of place in a sepia photo on a bride with some serious bustle, while still having a modern delicateness about it. These pieces would enhance a gown or add personality to a bridesmaid outfit and ooze elegance, if it is elegant to ooze.

To have a browse of Clare’s delicate and detailed creation go to her online store at madeit.com.au/whitewillow

What's in Season?

Sweet Pea:

If you are planning a country cottage feeling to your wedding, the Sweet pea is the flower of choice.

The Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant that is actually in the legumes family. Sweet peas have been cultivated since the 17th century. Henry Eckford, a nurseryman of Scottish descent, cross-bred and developed the sweet pea, turning it from a rather insignificant, if sweetly scented flower, into the floral sensation of the late Victorian era.

The stems spin and twine around themselves and the flowers resemble delicate fringed butterflies. The old-fashioned varieties are selected for their vibrant colours and intense fragrance. Sweet peas are available in almost every colour, red, pink, blue, white and lavender, but never in yellow.

Sweet peas lend a cottage feel to gardens. They are often grown on bamboo tripods, walls, trellis and any other garden feature. If you are planning a garden wedding in a family garden, having sweet peas growing on such structures would be a beautiful way of bringing colour and shape to your unique day.

I want that one.

A little unknown fact :


Topsie has a cat. She got it as present from her husband. Her name is Vera.

Not to be outdone, I myself (Susie) have a cat. He was a rescue cat that had been at the pound for six months before I came along. His name is Wang Chung.

Meaning: Our cats names are Vera and Wang.

Conclusion: We’re dedicated… and hilarious.

This dress is dedicated to these amazing creatures.

Vera Wang Bridal Collection Summer 2010

Shake it up baby now.

An inspiration board for a 1960's Mod style wedding.

Know a good dress maker?

If you do, I have a site for you!
http://www.sovintagepatterns.com/bridalpatterns.html

This site has an amazing collection of vintage wedding dress patterns. The best thing about getting a dress made is that if there's a puffy sleeve or lace bustle that you're not that happy with but love the rest of it, it's not hard to alter it to the most perfect dress for you, without the insane expense of having a retail made to measure dress made.
One of my favourites...

This dress is so beautiful it makes my heart hurt. I know your thinking "that's a lot of tulle", but without making this blog totally Carrie Bradshaw obsessed, guess who thinks that there's no such thing as too much tulle on a single dress...

No one likes a stinky bride

There are many things we do every day to make ourselves feel beautiful.


We think about the way we look on our wedding day, but how often do we think about how we are going to smell on our wedding day?

Picking a perfume for the big day could be a tricksy business. You could choose to go with something new, because it’s a great excuse to go shopping or get that one you’ve been thinking about for a while. Or you could go for something that is classically you. Either way there are a few tips to make sure that sent lasts all day.

First of all when you’re buying perfume you should know what the difference is between perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette and eau de cologne. The basic difference is the concentration of the aromatic oils and compounds each contains and the lower the concentration the shorter the scent life.

Another great trick which Topsie did for her wedding, is to layer the scent. There are often great gift packs around that include a body wash and body lotion as well as the spray. Using these in conjunction with each other will intensify the smell and increase it’s longevity.

If there is a perfume you’ve been wanting to buy for a long time, but still feel a bit guilty because you already have one or more, here’s a great excuse! On stawberrynet.com you can get amazing bargains. And no one can argue with a bargain! As an example:

Chanel Chance Toilette 50mls retails for over $150, and on StawberryNet you can purchase 100ml Parfum for $146. So double the amount and strength for $4 cheaper and postage is free! I vote yes to that.