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Keeping it local with suppliers for the Journey to the Centre of the Earth shoot

by Hanami Dream | 2, January, 2018 | blog, styled shoots

Inspired by Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, this modern winter barn wedding shows the stunning hidden interior of volcanic rock in the form of slick agate and timeless marble. Acres of gentle, ethereal and floaty tulle were placed wonderfully alongside tactile sheep skin rugs and the tendrils of delicate air plants (a wonderful evolution on the succulent trend) in glass suspended baubles.

It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.

Thanks to all these wonderful suppliers #keepitlocal

Photographer – Squib Photography

I’m Steven, a full time professional photographer who set up Squib Photography in 2002 and is lucky enough to photograph some beautiful weddings in the Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. I also cover pretty much the rest of the UK and have even been lucky enough to be booked to cover some destinations recently overseas.

After completing my studies at Oxford Brookes University I started Squib Photography and have photographed in excess of 450 weddings to date. I like to provide a professional, yet flexible service offering a mixture of formal and reportage photography to perfectly capture the atmosphere of a wedding day.

Every wedding is important to me and I will strive to tell the story of the day using natural light and little posing as possible. I do so in a relaxed, informal way so the couple can enjoy those special moments and leave me to document that for them.

I am always open to new ideas, input from couples and understand that every wedding day is very different, so will always work carefully with them to make sure you receive a personalized, bespoke service.

@squibphotography

@squibphoto

Location – Oxleaze Barn

At Oxleaze Barn we endeavour to offer a venue and service that is relaxed, friendly and flexible. Oxleaze is a family run business located on a working farm surrounded by Cotswold countryside. The Barn is a beautifully renovated grain store dating back to 1702. Whilst we have maintained its original features which give it such rustic charm, we have adapted it to run as an efficient event space.

We only have one wedding a weekend to ensure you have the time to decorate and enjoy your day without feeling rushed. The Watering Hole manage the bar exclusively and can offer a variety of drinks packages and a cash bar to suit your requirements. We have a list of recommended suppliers with whom we work closely, but you are not obliged to use them, and can choose your own caterer.

Oxleaze Barn comprises of The Barn and The Milling Barn. The ceremony and the wedding breakfast take place in The Barn. The Milling Barn is available for the drinks reception and dancing. The Barn opens onto a stunning landscaped courtyard and fire pit, with a wide garden gate available for late night street food vans.

@oxleazebarn

Hair & Make up – Blushing Brides

Blushing Brides Hair and Makeup, Hair and Makeup Artists are based in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.

With Blushing Brides you make one booking and get two artists working for you, two artists with individual skills, ideas and experience.

We are firm believers that with specialists who have honed their individual skills over many years you get a superior experience, the look you have always wanted and better value for money.

Lauren (Makeup Artist) and Laura (Hair Stylist) have many years experience working for brides and bridal parties, we bring all this to help you achieve the most beautiful look for your special day. Far better, we believe, than one person pushing themselves to do both.

@blushingbrideshairandmakeup

@blushing_brides_

Furniture – Cotswold Event Solutions

@CotwoldEventSolutions

Stationery – Emerald Paper Design

Emerald Paper Design is a wedding stationery and modern calligraphy studio based in Cheltenham, UK. We specialise in bespoke watercolours, illustrations and calligraphy to create stationery you and your guests will love. Whether you are looking for something modern, something floral, or something completely different, we can help create something with an individual touch.

@emeraldpaper

@emeraldpaperdesign

Florist – Enchanted Floristry

Enchanted Floristry is an innovative, bespoke high quality floral designer. Highly talented, incredibly passionate and driven by a complete love of flowers. Along with training by top floristry schools and an impressive array of qualifications, is her eye for detail and creative new ideas.

Operating out of a beautiful Shepherd’s hut and workshop in rural Oxfordshire, Enchanted Floristry creates and produces incredible customised floral designs with the WOW factor for weddings.

Their impressive moongate, a freestanding 2 metre high wreath, provides a spectacular backdrop for your ceremony and can be dressed to suit the theme, season and colours of your wedding.

@enchantedfloristry

All the Air plants were supplied by Andy’s Air Plants

@andysairplants

Chair covers and table runners – Everything Covered

Chiffon Vertical Drops for Chivari chairs and Organza Table Runners.

Ellie Tanner is a venue stylist who started out in the industry in 2005 with chocolate fountains and soon found her passion for beautiful wedding decor. She has built up many years of experience working with many various venues around the South West, transforming venues into memorable and stunning weddings and providing excellent customer service to couples.

@EverythingCov

@EverythingCoveredWeddings

@everythingcoveredweddings

Dresses – Fairytale Occasions

Our quaint little bridal boutique is based in Highworth, Swindon, Wiltshire and we currently stock designer wedding dresses, prom dresses & a full accessory collection.

We aim to make the whole experience of finding and purchasing your dream dress relaxed and stress free, whether it be a wedding or prom dress. We offer a friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere for all our customers and operate an appointment system to ensure that everyone receives an exclusive one-to-one service to help build your dream look.

@FairytaleGowns

@FairytaleOccasionsBoutique

Lighting – Oakwood Events

Oakwood Events supplies stunning lighting for stylish couples. We design and install lighting schemes for barn weddings using fairy lights, festoon lights, bare bulbs, paper lanterns, chandeliers, drapes, uplighting, bunting and dance floor lighting.

Lighting is a unique addition to your wedding and can be used to highlight features like beams or stone walls, change the atmosphere between day and night or make a colour or design statement to match your theme. We pride ourselves on top quality design, professional installation and amazing features; explore our Pinterest boards for inspiration and to see how our lighting adds wow factor to barn weddings.

See your wedding in a different light!

@OakwoodEventsUK@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents

Cake – The Pretty Cake Company

The Pretty Cake Company offers a friendly, personal and bespoke wedding cake design service to produce breath taking wedding cakes that will be remembered for years to come. Our aim is to produce a wedding cake that is individual to the bride and groom – always focusing on the attention to detail that makes all the difference. We have over 10 years of experience in designing and creating wedding cakes and work closely with numerous prestigious wedding venues in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and The Cotswolds. We will work with you and take your ideas and inspirations in order to create a truly memorable wedding cake. We pride ourselves on using the finest quality and freshest ingredients available.

Unlike many other cake companies, we now specialise only in wedding cakes, as this is our true passion. Now we are able to focus on keeping up to date with current bridal trends and ensuring that our clients receive expert advice in the wedding cake field.

Clients are guaranteed a friendly, efficient service where quality is never compromised. Consultations by appointment only. We are based in Minster Lovell, Witney, West Oxfordshire and can deliver to a wide area.

@Prettycakeco

@The-Pretty-Cake-Company-Witney-Oxfordshire

@theprettycakecompany

Bar – The Watering Hole

The Watering Hole Events offers a range of superb mobile bars, including the latest edition – the ‘Edison Light’ bar – creating the perfect atmosphere for any event. We have a wealth of experience in the industry, with our event cocktail bars and staff attending a multitude of functions, including: weddings, corporate functions, and milestone birthday parties all across the UK – particularly focussed around Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Birmingham.

A range of your favourite cocktails can be chosen, along with real ales, cider and lager on tap. We can also arrange your daytime drinks package, which includes welcome drinks as your guests arrive, a toast drink and table wine, chilled and served, until the evening cash or free-bar opens.

Our event teams recycle all bar waste, from glass bottles to plastic cups, at every event. So you can continue to enjoy your party with a “green” conscience. Every event is unique, exclusive and exciting, so we believe that every bar service should reflect just that!

@WateringHoleBar

@The-Watering-Hole-Event-Bars

@wateringhole_eventsbars

Jewellery – We Three Kings

We Three Kings was established by Bill and Nicola Maddocksin 1995 and is situated in a 17th Century listed building in the Cotswold market town of Witney, Oxfordshire. The gallery workshop in Bridge Street is where Bill and Nicola Maddocks design and make beautiful pieces of jewellery at the bench. They offer a specialist jewellery service, their bespoke designs allow them to tailor the design and materials to suit your style and budget.

Working closely with other specialist trades enables them to offer hand engraving and an assortment of other services including CAD, casting, plating and stone cutting of the highest quality. We Three Kings also offer to service and repair your jewellery whether it is a general check-up or complete overhaul.

Bill is a goldsmith working in residence within the gallery and is happy to discuss design ideas. Appointments are free and you are not committing yourself until you are happy with the design and the price. After that a deposit is required if you decide to have the piece made up. It takes approximately six to eight weeks after designing to create the finished piece.

They work in gold, silver and platinum and can source practically any stones you require from the highest quality diamonds to semi-precious stones and beads. It is also possible to remodel existing pieces of jewellery. Bill can melt and reuse old gold if it has a sentimental value and old stones can be cleaned and reused to create a new unique piece.

They make jewellery for all types of occasions and appreciate it can sometimes be difficult for customers to be confident when having a piece made as a surprise so they offer a service where you can present a sketch in a box allowing the design and materials to evolve so the final piece is exactly what you want. Another option is to choose a stone which can be given in a presentation box and you can come in and design the piece together.

@wethreekings

@wethreekingswitney

Cutlery, glasses, candlesticks, candles, glass bowls – Vintage Gold China

Vintage Gold China is a boutique vintage china and gold cutlery hire company based in Gloucestershire. We specialise in hiring elegant, fine china, bronze candlesticks and genuine vintage gold cutlery. From small tea parties, village hall get-togethers, hen party evenings, showy dinner parties, wedding breakfast or celebrating your golden wedding anniversary, Vintage Gold China will help you create the perfect, glamourous vintage setting.

With access to our beautiful collection of elegant tableware consisting of quality vintage English fine bone china, French porcelain, vintage bronze gold cutlery, Victorian style glass dessert plates, bronze and glass candlesticks and many styles of votive – you will find all the tableware accessories you need to tastefully style your event. We can also supply luxury table linens from our sister company, Table to Dine For.

We supply to events in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Avon and Wiltshire areas. For weddings, parties and events, contact us for your tailored quote.

@VintageGoldHire

@vintagegoldchina

Rugs and throws – The Witney Blanket Hall

Witney Blanket Hall was built in 1721 by the Company of Blanket Makers. For over 120 years, every blanket woven in the town came to the Hall to be weighed and measured, and upstairs in the Great Room the Company set the Rules for the Trade. After 1845 the New Mills established their own measuring, and the redundant Blanket Hall became variously a Brewery, a Lemonade Factory, Engineering Shop, Office of births marriages and deaths, Dancing School, and latterly, a distinctive gentleman’s house. During most of its history, the Hall is also where many of the town’s Public Meetings took place, the death of Kings solemnly commemorated and the birth of Princes celebrated with great feasts. In the 18th Century, the Hall housed the town’s Fire Pump. In 2015, the Hall reopened its doors to reveal this illustrious past and offer woollen blankets and throws, coffee pies and assemblies, both commercial and cultural. Visitors are always welcome and are invited to come and find out more about the infamous Witney Blankets.

The Pie Shop offers its famous pies and platters, as well as tea, coffee and cakes. We are licenced so wine and Blanket Hall Beer are always available. The Hall can also be open outside hours by arrangement and is often available for hire by Companies and Societies.

@theblankethall@witneyblankethall@theblankethall

Take a look at a behind the scenes look at the briefs that were given to these fabulous suppliers and how the Journey to the Centre of the Earth theme came to life with their designs and products.

Dates for your 2018 diary

by Hanami Dream | 1, January, 2018 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips

Happy New Year! And huge congratulations to you if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.

Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.

So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).

Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:

Public holidays
Sporting events
Royal occasions
Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)

Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2018 that could influence your choice of dates:

New Year’s Day 1 January
Epiphany 6 January
Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
Orthodox New Year 14 January
Burns Night 25 January
Winter Olympics 9-25 February
Shrove Tuesday 13 February
Valentine’s Day 14 February
Chinese New Year 16 February dog
St David’s Day 1 March
International Women’s Day 8 March
Mother’s Day 11 March
St Patrick’s Day 17 March
First Day of Spring 20 March
Boat Race 24 March
Clocks go forward 25 March
Good Friday 30 March
Passover 30 March – 7 April
April Fool’s Day 1 April
Easter Day 1 April
Easter Monday 2 April
London Marathon 22 April
St George’s Day 23 April
May Day Bank Holiday 7 May
Ramadan begins 15 May
Royal Wedding 19 May
FA Cup Final 19 May
Spring Bank Holiday 28 May
Trooping the colour 9 June
Eid 14-15 June
Father’s Day 17 June
Royal Ascot 19-23 June
First Day of Summer 21 June
Wimbledon 2 – 15 July
Independence Day 4 July
Henley Regatta 4 – 8 July
British Grand Prix 8 July
Summer Bank Holiday 27 August
First Day of Autumn 23 September
Diwali 19 October
Clocks go back 28 October
Guy Fawkes 5 November
Remembrance Day 11 November
Thanksgiving 22 November
St Andrew’s Day 30 November
Hanukkah 2-10 December
First Day of Winter 21 December
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December

Enjoy celebrating in 2018 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Trend predictions for weddings in 2018

by Hanami Dream | 13, December, 2017 | blog, trends

Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.

Despite some couples’ originality, there are always trends that appear and popular themes that epitomise a particular era (think puff ball sleeves from the eighties). Sometimes fashion, films, television programmes, interior design, celebrity weddings and even current affairs influence these trends. Of course, there are some timeless and classic themes that never seem to go out of favour like a ‘romantic’ theme and personalisation is still key at the moment.

So what does 2018 hold for the world of weddings? Here is a curation of some of the top trends to look out for next year.

Choices
Making your special day all about you is the name of the game. With Pinterest at our finger tips, there are lots of ways to personalise your nuptials and break from tradition. In particular, I think that alternatives for the following aspects of wedding days will continue to be more and more original:

Alternative stationery – go beyond paper with different material types such as perpex, denim, wood or agate slices
Alternative guest books – think about things you’ll use or see every day such as recipe books, furniture and artwork (see more ideas at alternative wedding guest book ideas)
Alternative florals – the greenery trend has meant less flowers and more plants and foliage. Along with paper florals and other lasting alternatives to bouquets, consider new ways to wear flowers such as corsages, floral rings, anklets and chockers. My personal floral alternative favourite is succulents and air plants, as well as foraged items such as moss, fruit, vegetables, feathers, cones and other seasonal items from the environment around us. Plus the archway will be superseded by the ceremony wreath. And urns, vases, bell jars and different ways to show flowers will be big next year.
Alternative rings – mixed metal trends will start to be seen in wedding rings as well as décor, plus more finger tattoos are emerging as another option to wearing a ring at all.

Culling
Uncertain times, call for purse strings to be a bit tighter. So I believe that budgets may be slightly dwindling in 2018. This could result in trends for:

More couples to diy and create, source or design elements themselves
Using industrial, blank spaces or open spaces as a blank canvas
Minimalist styling with one accent or monochrome colour schemes
Smaller guest lists
Later weddings held at a different time of day so couples don’t have to feed people twice!

Clothing
Bridal wear is continuing to see a shift in trends to provide new, innovative and unusual styles to make sure the bride makes a statement and is different to any other on her big day. Fashion trends that are appearing on the catwalks (that will surely influence weddings next year) include:

Covering up the arms with arms warmers, long sleeves or capes
Adornments on dresses such as cascading shoulder bows, butt bows, feathers, shirt collars and 3D flowers
Skirts will have plenty of drama with high/low hem lines or slits
Whilst the backs of dresses will continue to wow with the 18th century style Watteau backs (a section at the back of a dress that is gathered or pleated at the neck and falls unbelted to the floor)
Fabrics will be structured and sheer
With metallic detail and even black accents
Soft colour dresses will continue to grow in popularity
Accessorise with big earrings and embellished shoes

Colour and styling
So much influences our daily lives which in turn spills over to the world of weddings, including decorative elements from different arenas such as interior design, architecture, graphic design, lighting, furniture and textiles. One part that overarches these elements is the importance of colour.

The Pantone® Colour of the Year always plays a big part in influencing popular colours and I don’t think next year will be any exception. In 2018, the colour of the year is a striking blue-toned purple called Ultra Violet . Pantone are citing it as ‘optimistic and empowering color” for “originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking” [take a look at my report about the colour of the year – https://www.hanamidream.co.uk/pantone-announce-the-color-of-the-year-2018/] and I’m pretty pleased as purple is my favourite colour! I think it will work particularly well teamed with the greenery colour of 2017. Here’s my take on the other colours to look out for in spring/summer 2018 – https://www.hanamidream.co.uk/top-spring-2018-colours-from-pantone/.
Textures – crushed velvet will become more prevalent for more luxurious styles
Transparent – Perspex chairs, tables, menus and signage will continue to grow in popularity for a modern style and this is evolving further to iridescent details
Metallic – the metallic trend isn’t showing any signs of tiring just yet. Next year will be the turn of copper to take to centre stage
Gem stones – agate (or hollow geodes) are still going to be at the forefront of designs, as well as marble. Plus pearl details are set to come back into the limelight in 2018.
Mix and match – you don’t have to settle on one style for a great fusion of modern/vintage, different cultures and mixed colours. I’m hopeful for vibrant folk art style weddings to be a great evolution of the boho festival trend.
Foraged items – my personal tip is for peacock feathers and all the bright associated colours of this beautiful bird

Catering
Family style serving is still a great way to share the wedding reception which works so well on long, large banquet tables lining the room. Plus couples want their food to look amazing so that it is Instagram worthy.

Other food and drink highlights to support emerging tends include:

Local produce – organic, farm to table that supports local suppliers
Cakes – marbling icing, amazing geode crystal detailing and metallic cakes
Unusual catering vans, dessert tables and interactive stations at the reception – think gin bars, hot chocolate stations and make your own pudding
Dietary requirements – upsurge is requests for vegan desserts so that it caters for all guests
Personalised cocktails – have your own cocktails created and served as the ‘house’ aperitif instead of Pimms or Buck’s Fizz when guests arrive. Or how about two different personal cocktails to represent the different tastes of the couple.

Culture
The world of films and tv always influences trends and 2018 looks set to be a year of blockbusters to choose from such as:

Comic book films like: Incredibles 2, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Avengers: Infinity War, and Fantastic Beasts 2
Children’s classics including: Jungle Book, Arctic Justice, and Mary Poppins Returns
Sci-Fi movies such as: Solo: a Star Wars Story, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Black Panther, and Aquaman – wouldn’t an Atlantis underwater wedding be amazing!
Action movies including: M:I 6 – Mission Impossible, and Ocean’s 8 – a brilliant female reboot set in New York
Love stories like: Fifty Shades Freed, and Love, Simon

Plus big tv shows such as Peaky Blinders, Dr Who (complete with a new female doctor after Christmas) and a new adaptation of Vanity Fair (set in the 19th century around the Napoleonic Wars) will help some wedding themes.

Film and video will continue to be more prevalent at weddings with couples choosing 360 videos, virtual reality experiences and drones to capture their big day. Along with social media being a part of the day and a way to capture everyone’s pictures of the day (it’s just the modern version of the disposable cameras on the table!) with personalised snap chat geofilters and your own hashtags for the day.

Celebrities
As well as the wonders of Pinterest, couples are inspired by seeing others doing something first. So it’s no surprise that details from celebrity weddings will influence wedding trends. Here are some famous engaged couples that could make it up the aisle in 2018 and their special days will be ones to watch:

Prince Harry & Meghan – need I say any more! This will be THE wedding of the year and will surely spur some British street party style themes
Candice Brown & Liam Macaulay – she is a former Great British Bake Off winner so I’m sure there’ll be some wedding cakes goals emerging from this day!
Kate Mara & Jamie Bell – perhaps some Fantastic 4 or Billy Elliot themes
Matthew Lewis & Angela Jones – he played Neville Longbottom so will we see some more Harry Potter themes?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley & Jason Statham – surely an action packed wedding expected there
Stephen Webb & Daniel Lustig – these guys are stars of Gogglebox and sure to have some original details to aspire to
Robert Pattinson & FKA twigs – Twilight themed weddings are still popular and great outdoor weddings

Current affairs
You may be living and breathing your wedding and everything else in the world is taking a back seat. However, things are still going on around you and some national, local and annual events may have an impact on your guests involvement, availability and enjoyment. Here’s some events around the world that could influence your choice of dates and could also influence wedding trends:

Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea 9-25 February 2018
Commonwealth Games in Australia, 4-15 April 2018
World Cup in Russia 14 June – 15 July 2018

These are a few of my predictions for wedding trends in 2018. I’d love to hear what you think are going to be popular wedding trends next year. Email me with your predictions and take a look at more of my curation and inspiration on Pinterest.

May I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Are you getting married in 2018? Is your wedding going to be following one of these trends? Let me know if you’d like to share the detail shots of your day on my blog to inspire other couples who are wedding planning. If you (and your photographer) are happy, then take a look how to submit your wedding.

Pantone® announce the Color of the Year 2018

by Hanami Dream | 7, December, 2017 | blog, trends

Pantone® have picked a deep purple ‘Ultra Violet’ as their colour of the year for 2018!

What a wonderful, vibrant colour that I can’t wait to see couples incorporating into their wedding colour schemes next year.

For me, it was always going to be a toss up between a bright yellow or a brilliant shade of purple. I’m over the moon that Pantone® have gone for such an attention grabbing and bold purple to be the colour of the year. It is a remarkable blue-toned shade of purple called Ultra Violet (also known as Pantone® 18-3838) and I’m pretty pleased as purple just happens to be my favourite colour!

As Pantone® Vice President Laurie Pressman said, it is an “optimistic and empowering color” for “originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking”. It feels futuristic, magical and regally majestic – which is quite fitting for the year of another royal wedding in the UK.

Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

I’ve been desperate for a yellow or an orange colour to get top billing for a couple of years and my guess for the Color of the Year 2018 was for Meadowlark (see my Spring 2018 report). But I’m so pleased to see a vibrant, bright colour leading the way again in 2018.

See more about my Ultra Violet mood board from the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning’s SS18 Pantone® mood board competition from earlier this year.

#COY2018

Inspiration: festival wedding

by Hanami Dream | 9, November, 2017 | blog, inspiration, styled shoots

This festival wedding was a real break from tradition – full of alternative ideas for couples to get inspiration for their big day. It showcased an abundance of hanging greenery and was really tactile using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.

The colour palette had a 70s vibe full of Fall 2017 colours of a pale blue Bluebell, a soft Copper Tan coral, Navy Peony blue, brown and white. It was planned and designed by Hanami Dream and fantastically captured by Cat Stephens Photography.

On Sunday 17th September 2017, Cogges Manor Farm held a festival styled Wedding Open Day that Hanami Dream helped to organise. But this was not a traditional wedding fair – the Barn was dressed as if it were a real wedding.

Think dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl. It was a different take from the norm to provide options and open people’s eyes to the huge spectrum of ideas to bring their dream to life.

For example, there weren’t any real flowers at this wedding. They were either paper flowers or house plants showing couples that they can achieve this look by making (or borrowing) things themselves – this is great for any diy wedding couples.

Plus, all the stationery was embroidered on to denim rather than traditional paper – menus were on the napkins, name places were sleeves around the milk bottle glasses, table plan labels were hung on Portuguese laurels plants.

It was a relaxed and informal open day showcasing a truly personal wedding option – not a cookie cutter approach at all. Take a look at some of the testimonials from the day.

Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding as it offers the perfect blank canvas to add personalised details. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.

The festival vibe was hailed from the entrance with impressive towering festival flags (from Event Flag Hire) – signalling the way to the party.

Couples walked in to the Wheat Barn down a tree lined aisle. The vintage mismatched chairs (courtesy of Linda’s Vintage Hire) were beautifully decorated with macramé chair coverings (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and the Portuguese Laurels (kindly provided by Bampton Garden Plants) guided the way right to where the ceremony would take place under a stunning macramé backdrop (wonderfully created by MacrAmy’s Macrame) and framed by two beautiful olive trees (also from Bampton Garden Plants).

One side of the barn was decorated as a seating area to enjoy a sumptuous wedding breakfast. The vintage tables and chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) were laid out below an impressive array of trailing plants in spectacular hanging macramé holders (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and under spectacular festoon lighting (from Oakwood Events).

They were set with denim napkins (gorgeously embroidered by Little Pickle Creations) containing the menu, mini macramé favours (from MacrAmy’s Macrame), milk bottles (from Mabel & Rose) acting as drinking glasses with an embroidered denim name place (by Little Pickle Creations), placed inside were stripy straws (from Little Cherry), plus amazing natural biodegradable tableware (also from Little Cherry) – a perfect accompaniment to our street food reception.

The tables were also decorated with more terracotta pot plants and impressive paper flowers (from Pretty Big Flowers) that lit up for an incredible atmosphere.

The delicious ombre ruffle cake (by The Cake Element Bakery) echoed the colours of the denim stationery and sat beautiful on a vintage barrel (from Mabel & Rose) and amongst a display of framed absent friend photographs, crates and potted plants. The wonderful props from Mabel & Rose really brought the place to life and were dotted around adding features to every area including the bar which had a vintage tin bath and giant wooden barrels.

The other half of the barn was dedicated to the entertainment and dance floor – lit to accompany a party – including an impressive 7 square metre lit paper flower wall (constructed by Pretty Big Flowers).

Over the dance floor hung a white chandelier adorned with coral and denim ribbons and a 4-point drape star that flowed to the dance floor (from Oakwood Events), along with 4ft tall light up LOVE letters (wonderfully contributed by Gilt Edge Events).

There was also a chill out area complete with a comfy brown leather sofa, bales of hay as well as more vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire). These were strewn with gorgeous lambswool wide-herringbone throws in mandarin and azure (from The Witney Blanket Hall).

Outside the party continued with a firepit to sit around, garden games and chalk boards highlighting the events of the day.

On top of all this, there was delicious food to try (courtesy of Goujon Monkey) such as beer battered cod, Cajun breaded chicken and deep-fried brie, along with paprika dusted chips. Plus, cake tasting from The Cake Element Bakery, drinks from Firkin Mobile Bars, live music from Joely Rendle and Natalya Williams, owl ring bearer from J.E.T. Falconry, a fashion show from Rosie Red Corsetry, plus two workshops on how to make some of the décor that was on display, expertly delivered by MacrAmy’s Macrame and Pretty Big Flowers.

There was a real festival vibe with macramé, hanging plants, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl.

Thank you to all the wonderful suppliers that made this such an amazing wedding open day. It was lovely to meet excited couples in the midst of wedding planning – all the best with your special days!

Take a look at the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot – Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

And take a glimpse behind the scenes at the how the theme and designs came to life – Behind the scenes: Festival shoot

#keepitlocal

Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

by Hanami Dream | 9, November, 2017 | blog, styled shoots

Thanks to all these wonderful suppliers #keepitlocal

Photographer – Cat Stephens Photography

Award winning, Oxfordshire based wedding, family and lifestyle photographer. Full day coverage wedding packages available from £750

@oxfordshirephotography

@catstephensphotography

Location – Cogges Manor Farm

Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add loads of personalised details to make your special day complete. Your wedding can be as individual as you are with your own choice of catering, furniture and decoration.

The magnificent and spacious Wheat Barn can seat up to 200 guests, with refurbished stone floor, and portable heating included in the cost of hire. The more intimate and adjacent Barley Barn can seat about 60 guests or is an ideal choice to use as a dance or ceremony area. Each barn can be hired separately, or as a combined hire. Cogges offers a civil ceremony license and is next door to Cogges Parish Church.

In addition to any indoor space you hire, you and your guests can use the charming outdoor space to wander and enjoy (and after 5pm you will have exclusive use of the site). Cogges has many perfect locations for your wedding photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or the orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos.

Tree hire – Bampton Garden Plants

We are a retail nursery in Bampton, West Oxfordshire. We have a passion for plants and our friendly and knowledgeable staff are always happy to help you find the plants or give you the advice that you require. We pride ourselves on having a fantastic range of plants small and large including beautiful home grown summer and winter bedding.

We also boast a fabulous café serving hot lunches everyday. The shop offers further products including hand tools, furniture, pots and planters and gardeners supplies area as well as gifts and our food shop, stocked with local produce.

@bamptongarden

@Bamptongardenplants

@bamptongardenplants

Flag Hire – Event Flag Hire

At The Event Flag Hire Company we design, manufacture, hire and install beautiful handmade flags, bunting and banners, perfect for your festival wedding. Our lightweight self-install telescopic poles and flags were designed to be a visually stunning but simple and cost effective way to decorate any venue. We also offer a full bespoke service which allows flags, banners or bunting to be made to a particular specification.

Our stunning flags and bunting will make your festival wedding stand out from the rest, plus we offer a 10% discount for weddings. All styles are available in hues of white and made specifically with weddings in mind. Alternatively our bright colourful silk flags will equally compliment a festival-themed wedding. We use over 70 colours of silk so can match any colour scheme.

Our flags and bunting hire represent a quick, effective and environmentally friendly way of creating a festive atmosphere. We have created simple wedding packages to make it cost effective for you to decorate your venue yourselves using our self-install flags and bunting. Prices include flags (style and colour of your choice), 6m telescopic poles and ground fixings, bunting and return next-day courier service direct to your door. All these packages are portable and will fit in a standard car.

We have been making flags for 15 years and keep coming up with unique designs to keep up with demand. Each flag is a unique work of art hand crafted to an extremely high standard in our Bristol Studio. We cover the entire of the UK and abroad so please get in touch where ever you are!

@TheEventFlagHireCompany

@eventflaghire

LOVE light up letters – Gilt Edge Events

Specialists in Bespoke Wedding Venue Decoration From Centrepieces to Flower Walls, Candy Carts to Starlit Backdrops, Garlands, Fairylight Canopies, Giant LOVE letters, Disco’s Grand Floral Arch and much, much more.

A Complimentary Design Consultation to transform your chosen venue into something magical for your big day. Working with you we can create the theme of your dreams, all installed & removed with the minimum disruption to your big event.

We can supply Starlit Backdrops, Table Decorations & Centrepieces, Chair Covers, Fairylight Canopies, Garlands, Grand Floral arches, Candy Carts, Sweet/ Dessert Dressers Flower Walls, Giant LOVE Letters and much, much more.

Karen, with many years experience as a fashion designer in London, combined with Phil, with a career in the Graphic Design, Signwriting and Event Industry will deliver a bespoke wedding, leaving you to concentrate on having the Best Day of your life.

@GiltEdgeEvents

@giltedgeevents

Food van – Goujon Monkey

Goujon Monkey are an Oxfordshire based gourmet street food caterer offering traditional favourites with a modern twist.

They pride themselves on serving the finest quality street food available, using only the freshest ingredients. All of their food is cooked from scratch and served from a lovingly restored vintage Citroen H van.

With menus to suit different tastes including their hand prepared Beer Battered Cod, Goujon Monkey offer a unique addition to your big day.

Our prices start from £750 for private event catering for 75 guests. Contact details Tim 07469710373 or Matt 07917284944.

@goujonmonkey

Chairs & tables – Linda’s Vintage Hire

We provide a stress free vintage hire service for all occasions. If you are organising an event with a vintage flare we can supply furniture, crockery and a range of props and accessories to give your event that much loved nostalgic vintage feel.

We work with theatres, corporations, event and wedding planners, caterers, photographers and festivals to mention but a few.

So if you’re planning your vintage event whether it’s afternoon tea, the wedding of your dreams, a magazine shoot or creating something inspirational for a large festival there is no end to what can be achieved with the help of Linda’s Vintage Hire. We can deliver up and down the country so just give us a call on 07532 184174 for a quote.

Cutlery & crockery – Little Cherry | https://www.littlecherry.co.uk/

Little Cherry are an online supplier of natural biodegradable tableware and a wide range of ethical and stylish party supplies for weddings, street food, festivals and events throughout the UK.

Our aim is to make food look fabulous on our environmentally-friendly tableware. Ranges include the ever-popular Palm Leaf plates (made from naturally fallen palm leaves in India), compostable Sugar Cane and the largest selection of Wheat Fibre tableware in the UK, including a new takeaway range.

We cater for any size of event and offer discounts to caterers for bulk orders. We also have a dedicated Trade Site, can offer next day delivery and offer a sample pack service allowing customers to “try before they buy”.

Our fantastic selection of cups, cutlery, napkins, picks and skewers are the perfect accompaniment to any of our ranges of tableware.

@LittleCherryLtd

@littlecherryltd

@LittleCherryPartySupplies

Stationery – Little Pickle Creations

Nicola from Hanami Dream approached us to provide wedding accessories that she had imagined, but never seen made before – that’s our ideal brief!

We love a challenge, and love making unusual items that no-one has ever produced before. The wedding items we produced were around a denim theme, so we embroidered guests names onto handmade denim bottle sleeves, and made individual hanging name labels for the table plan along with napkins embroidered with the menu.

Really unique and personalised, just as it would be for any couple planning their own special day with their own ideas and themes that they wish to use. Sometimes these unique items aren’t ordinarily available from traditional wedding suppliers and that’s where we come in – creating special unique items tailored specifically to our clients requirements.

@lpc.ltd

@littlepicklecreations

Props – Mabel & Rose

Mabel & Rose has a lovely array of original vintage and rustic props available to hire. Our large range includes old apple crates, oak barrels, chalkboards, vintage suitcases, rustic wheelbarrows, an old delivery bicycle plus lots of smaller items like vintage bottles, jars, jugs and pots. So whether it’s large milk churns filled with flowers or a selection of vintage tin baths to keep your drinks cool we would love to help you enhance your venue and create the perfect look and feel for your wedding. Styling and on the day venue dressing services are also available.

@mabelandrose

@Mabel and Rose

@mabelandrose

Macramé – MacrAmy’s Macrame

Macramé artist

Keeping it natural!

Workshops and evening classes…

@MacrAmysMacrame

@macramysmacrame

Lighting – Oakwood Events

See your wedding in a different light!

@OakwoodEventsUK@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents

Paper flowers – Pretty Big Flowers

Our self-assembly kits let you create stunning giant paper flowers. Why settle for factory made sameness when you can create a totally unique display at a fraction of the cost?

We’ve taken the guess work out of self-assembly – even a crafting beginner can get professional and consistent results.

Paper flowers add a touch of feminine glamour to lots of situations. Enjoy creating your own decorative accents with our giant paper flower self-assembly kits for a wall at home, a stunning backdrop for wedding photos or an eye catching motif for an important event. And of course you can take the credit because the flair you add is all your own (we’ve just made it effortless!)

@BigPaperFlowers@pbigflowers@prettybigflowers@prettybigflowers

Cake – The Cake Element Bakery

We are a successful duo of husband and wife working together to produce a really superior product.

Any size and any design, we love making wedding cakes. We offer a variety of delicious flavours and fillings. We use the best ingredients and passion to create a beautiful and delicious wedding cakes, making your special extra special.

We are committed to quality and excellent customer service. Our cakes are fleshly baked to order and crafted by hand.

@SiedlerMichelle@miauller@thecakeelementbakery@thecakeelementbakery

Blankets – The Witney Blanket Hall

@theblankethall @witneyblankethall@theblankethall

Delivery – Global 360 International Freight Forwarders

@Global-360-International-Freight-Forwarders

Take a look at a behind the scenes look at the briefs that were given to these fabulous suppliers and how the Festival theme came to life with their designs and products.

The holy trinity of wedding planning – Part 3: how much

by Hanami Dream | 16, October, 2017 | blog, holy trinity of wedding planning, tips

So far in the series, I’ve introduced the three key aspects of planning a wedding that pretty much affect every other thing that is connected with your big day. These are who, where and how much (otherwise known as your guests, venue and budget). This group of three things are very much intertwined. Plus when you hold your wedding is connected too! As previously covered (in the who and where posts), nearly all the decisions you have to make about your wedding will come back to one, two or all of the elements in what I class as ‘the holy trinity of wedding planning’.

This post deals with the tricky topic of money and how to allocate and prioritise your budget.

For example, where you have your wedding will affect the cost, as a wedding abroad, a local hotel wedding or a rustic barn venue will all vary considerably in price.

Likewise, when you have your wedding will incur different price structures, especially for venues. Different times of the year vary in price and peak season (summer months in the UK) will be more expensive than winter or off peak times. Less popular days of the week are often cheaper than weekend days.

Finally, who you invite or how many guests will obviously have an impact – the more you invite, the more it will cost.

There’s often a perception that anything labelled ‘wedding’ will be more expensive. In certain areas, I don’t believe that the type of event that you’re holding should affect the costs. However, I do understand that a wedding is a really special day and so it demands a certain level of consideration, time and effort to create the special day the couple have envisaged. Couples do have a greater expectation for this life changing event (that they’ll hopefully only do once) and so this will mean more attention from suppliers which can often increase costs to cover additional involvement and interaction.

So, how much will your wedding cost?
Well, this is like asking how long is a piece of string? Because everyone has a different sized budget and it can vary based on what you choose for your day.

As with most elements of the wedding day, each component can be prioritised in order to put the focus where you want it to go. Bear in mind that within each category of your budget you have a range of price points you could choose depending on the quality (ie you could pick caviar or chips for your food! You could arrive by helicopter or have your mate’s dad drop you off in his car.)

Overall wedding budgets are on the rise. The average cost of a wedding in the UK (outside of London) is currently £27,000. The largest part of the wedding budget is spent on catering, the venue, photography, the wedding dress and entertainment – in that order.

As a guide, I tend to suggest to couples that they allocate around 35% of their overall wedding budget (£9,450 of a £27,000 budget) to cover all aspects of the reception (to include cake, décor, drink, favours, food, furniture and venue hire costs).

Other areas of the budget should include these categories:

Ceremony
Reception
Entertainment
Attire
Rings
Photography
Flowers
Stationery
Transport
Gifts
Hen/stag parties
Honeymoon (optional)

Take a look at an example of a wedding budget in percentage terms and please contact me if you’d like to see a further breakdown of costs.

Fixed costs
Pivotal to all your planning is how much money you have to play with. This will determine whether you can go to town or be a bit more creative and diy some elements yourself. How much you have to spend will definitely factor in to how many people you can invite, where you can afford and what they can eat.
There are some costs that won’t change no matter how many people are at your wedding. These are called fixed costs such as:

Ceremony fee
Decorations
Entertainment
Insurance
Photography
Rings
Venue hire costs
Wedding dress

Variable costs
There are a number of costs that will alter depending on how many people are enjoying them. As well as the number of guests, you should also consider the size of your bridal party too. These variable costs include:

Accommodation
Cake
Drinks
Favours
Food
Flowers (for attendants)
Gifts
Stationery (such as invitations, menus, orders of services, name places etc)
Suits and dresses for the bridal party
Transport

Here are my top tips for planning and managing your wedding budget:

Ascertain how much money you have available
Determine who is paying or contributing and by how much
Decide whether to include your honeymoon in the wedding budget costs
Set a budget
Stick to the budget
Have a contingency of about 10%
Determine the size of your bridal party (and who is paying for all elements of their attire etc)
Calculate number of guests attending
Prioritise the budget categories to ascertain your ‘must haves’ versus your ‘nice to haves’
Adjust the budget according to your priorities
Research costs – get at least three quotes for each item for comparison
Work out your fixed costs
Calculate the difference in variable costs depending on the number of guests attending
Confirm when and how much deposits and instalment are payable
Ask about cancellation fees and timings
Write down what you’ve paid, when you’ve paid it and what you’ve still to pay
Include tips for waiting staff etc
Remember it’s just one day and focus on what is really important – your life together!

With the who, where and how much at the fore front of your mind, you can set the date and everything else can fall in to place so you can start planning all the other finer details. Take a look at this handy wedding planning timeline to see when you need to plan for other elements of the wedding day.

Please contact me if you’d like further help and guidance with your budget allocation and a budget spreadsheet template to help with all aspects of your wedding planning.

Top Spring 2018 colours from Pantone®

by Hanami Dream | 6, September, 2017 | blog, trends

The children are only just back to school today so I was surprised to see the news from Pantone® about Spring 2018 colours landing on my desk already – how exciting!

Their timing to announce the next season’s colours has been much earlier this time around and ahead of all the fashion weeks. In February, we were left waiting until after both New York and London Fashion week to announce their Fall 2017 fashion report. But the Spring Summer 2018 New York fashion week isn’t due to kick off until tomorrow so I wasn’t expecting Pantone® to announce their colour forecast just yet. It’s great to see their report is going back to being a forecast rather than a colour counting exercise from the catwalks though.

So not only is their timing unexpected but so are the colours – both in quantity and palette.

This season, instead of the usual 10 colours, we’ve been given an extra 2 to make 12 colours that Pantone® forecast to be the colours for Spring/Summer 2018. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also thrown in 4 bonus colours that act as neutrals and core basics.

I am so pleased to see yellow featuring high on their list – it’s such a comforting ray of sunshine. Does this mean that we’ll finally see a yellow as the colour of the year in 2018? I’ve been desperate for a yellow (or an orange colour) to get top billing for a couple of years and I cross everything for a bright colour like Meadowlark to take the top slot.

These Spring colours are certainly attention grabbing and there’s even a neon yellow amongst them. For me, I love that they are continuing the Spring 2017 trend away from pale pastels. This palette is right up my street! I love the blues (Little Boy Blue and Sailor Blue) and how these evolve in to my favourite colour of purple. With Pink Lavender, Ultra Violet, Almost Mauve and Spring Crocus.

The pastels that are used are barely-there colours and really work with the trend for gentle, ethereal and floaty materials and textures that are featuring in bridal attire at the moment.

I also like the food based colours that show a real culinary influence of Cherry Tomato and Coconut Milk, with a bit of added spice from Chili Oil.

Along with this is some wonderful floral inspiration for a beautiful spring meadow such as Blooming Dahlia, Spring Crocus, and Pink Lavender.

Plus the evolution of green continues in to this season. From the freshness of Greenery for Spring/Summer 2017 (and colour of the year in 2017), to the evergreen foliage of Shaded Spruce from Fall/Winter 2017, to a wonderful teal colour in Arcadia next Spring/Summer 2018 that mixes calming blue in to the green mix.

There’s also some unexpected earthy autumnal colours (like Chili Oil and the rich chocolatey brown of Emperador) that seem a little out of place from a traditional Spring palette but will act as great transitional colours to take us in and out of seasons.

The top twelve colours from NYFW for Spring 2018 are:

Meadowlark 13-0646
Cherry Tomato 17-1563
Little Boy Blue 4132
Chili Oil 18-1440
Blooming Dahlia 15-1520
Pink Lavender 14-3207
Arcadia 16-5533
Ultra Violet 18-2828
Emperador 18-1028
Almost Mauve 12- 2103
Spring Crocus 17-3020
Lime Punch 13-0550

Plus these from LFW (which are pretty similar to the ones from New York apart from the addition of another blue, a couple of wonderful dusky pinks, a warm burgundy and a fresh green):

Cherry Tomato 17-1563
Palace Blue 18-4043
Ash Rose 17-1514
Nile Green 14-0121
Meadowlark 13-0646
Blooming Dahlia 15-1520
Ultra Violet 18-2828
Spiced Apple 18-1325
Pink Lavender 14-3207
Almost Mauve 12- 2103
Rapture Rose 17-1929
Lime Punch 13-0550

Pantone® have also created a Spring 2018 Classic Colour Palette. These are a group of neutrals that are core basics in the form of navy, grey, beige and off white (of Sailor Blue, Harbor Mist, Warm Sand and Coconut Milk respectively).

The bonus classic neutral colours for Spring 2018 are:

Sailor Blue 19-4034
Harbor Mist 14-4202
Warm Sand 15-1214
Coconut Milk 11-0608

It’ll be great to see how couples incorporate these colours in to their weddings next year. I can see how the classic neutrals will play a big part in coupling up with some of the more vibrant choices.

Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

See some of my trend predictions for weddings in 2017 and look out for my report when the 2018 colour of the year is released later in the year.

Top local wedding transport suppliers in the Cotswolds – get me to the church on time!

by Hanami Dream | 27, July, 2017 | blog, tips, traditions

I’m gettin’ married in the morning
Ding-dong the bells are gonna chime
We’ll have a whopper, pull out the stopper
Get me to the church on time

I’ve got to get there in the morning
Spruced up and lookin’ in my prime
Pull out your compass, kick up a rompass
Get me to the church on time

As the old Frank Sinatra song says, it’s important to know where and when you’re getting married so you can get there in plenty of time. It’s worth thinking about how far away you live from the venue/s as well as the distance in between the ceremony and reception locations too. Think about how far the venues are not only in terms of miles but also timings. Depending on what time of day you’re getting married it may conflict with rush hour or school runs that could affect traffic and people travelling between locations. (See more about when and where in my Holy Trinity of Wedding Planning series.)

Traditionally, couples used to walk to the church together (and then on to the reception too) or splash out on a horse and carriage (just like in the famous Daisy Daisy song below). Then before people owned cars the ushers were responsible for organising transport for all guests.

Nowadays, here are some of the wedding party that you need to consider transport for:

From home to ceremony

bride and giver-away
bride’s mother & bridesmaids
groom & best man

To reception

bride & groom
bride’s parents & bridesmaids
best man & other guests

From reception

bride’s parents
bride & groom
best man

Another tradition of tying cans or shoes to the back of the going away car stems from the old tradition of throwing boots at the newly weds. It was considered lucky if you managed to hit the carriage as they rode off. Before then, shoes were given to the groom by the bride’s family to symbolise handing over the responsibility of the bride.

Nowadays couples choose to have at least one special mode of transport to make a statement for the bride’s entrance (and again for after the ceremony). Whether that is horse drawn carriage, an old fashioned car, a limousine, a vespa, a big red bus for your guests or something a little more unusual.

Here’s my pick of some brilliant local suppliers in and around Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds that can help get you to the church on time:

2CV Wedding Cars

If you are looking for something truly unique for your wedding day then look no further than our 3 beautiful Citroen 2CVs.

Established in 2011 and having just celebrated our 5th Anniversary, we are a family run business with bases in Hereford and Leicester supplying our iconic Citroen 2CVs to weddings across England and Wales.

These chauffeur driven cars are available for hire exclusively to yourselves for the day, we do not book more than one wedding per car a day.
They are decorated with Ivory ribbons and bows as standard but can be requested in any colour to match your theme, just married sign in the back window following the ceremony and vintage style bunting in the car if requested.

So whether your wedding be classic, vintage, French themed or something completely different we will be happy to discuss all details and options with yourselves.

Bainton Bikes is an independently owned cycle hire and tours company with a shop in Oxford and self-service hire hubs throughout the Cotswolds & Cheltenham. We have been operating since 2009 and we specialise in offering cycle hire, tours and holidays for all ages and abilities providing a safe, fun and memorable experience for everyone. Take a look at our reviews on Trip Advisor.

Here is where you get your bicycle made for two!

@baintonbikes

@BaintonBikes

@baintonbikes

British Classic Car Hire

From a life full of motorsport and petrol-headism, and a love of classic cars, British Classic Car Hire was born. Angela, your chauffeuse, is owner-operator and see’s to it that every bride and groom get to enjoy the ride and feel extra special for their first wedded journey.

Angela’s “girls” are stunning examples from a different age… true vintage beauties, and having been built in Coventry are true British Classic cars. “Hester” the 1935 Humber 16/60 is gorgeous in her Black and Old English White Art Deco styled splendidness! (and also featured in my Wind in the Willows shoot as seen above) “Dolly” the 1938 EL24 Daimler is resplendent in French Navy and Old English White. The young lady of the bunch is “Ruby” the pictured Classic 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I. Travel in classic style with Angela and her “girls”.

@britishclassiccarhire

Cotswold Balloon Safaris

We attend a lot of weddings but not in the capacity of transport. We provide a unique and fun entertainment for guests to take tethered rides and to go inside and explore what makes balloons work. We find what we provide works best in between the end of the wedding breakfast / speeches and the start of the evening phase. Most guests appreciate a chance to stretch their legs, get a bit of fresh air and the staff also enjoy being able to clear away and re organise the room ready for the evening’s events.

@CotsBallSafaris

@CotswoldBalloonSafaris

Cotswold Tuk Tuk

Cotswold Tuk Tuk was launched in 2017 by Chris Webb as an alternative form of wedding transport. The brand new Thai style tuk tuk is stunning blue with beautiful ivory seating. It can seat up to 6 passengers so is ideal for a range of options including bride and bridesmaids; groom, best man and ushers; or shuttle runs for guests between a ceremony and reception venue.

Chris can decorate the tuk tuk with different bunting and ribbon, or anything else you want to make your day bespoke. He takes great care to make sure it is looking on point, and if the weather does turn it has fitted rain covers. Discover the rustic charm of the tuk tuk for your big day.

@cotswoldtuktuk

Kushi Cars

Getting married in and around the Cotswolds? Looking for a totally unique way to get to your wedding? Well, you’ve just found our fabulous and ever so kitsch Indian Ambassador wedding car. Kushi means happiness in Hindi, and with our vintage Ambassador, our mission is to make you even happier on your wedding day. Reminiscent of a Morris Minor on the outside, our Kushi Car has bumpers festooned with exotic flowers and an interior decorated in rich fabrics of red and gold.

Established in 2010, we have been hired for weddings at venues all over the Cotswolds and beyond, including Cripps Barn, Kingscote Barn, Stone Barn and Pitville Pump Rooms to name a few. Previously a London Karma Kar, we changed our name to Kushi Cars in 2013.

Based in the regency town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, we travel throughout the Cotswolds. We also drive to Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, The West Midlands, Bristol and Bath. Further afield is possible on request.

Rusty & Roses – Classic VW Camper Wedding and Event Hire

Rusty and Roses is a vintage events and hire company. They have two restored classic camper vans, a campervan photo booth, ice cream hire and venue decorations services. Located in Thatcham Berkshire. Hiring unique split screen camper called “Rusty” and a VW Bay window “Roses”. Covering all areas and love to assist your wedding in any ways we can.

@rustyandroses

Quirky Gertie Vintage Caravan

Looking for something really special for your wedding day? Do you love everything vintage, and the classic English countryside? If so, meet Quirky Gertie!

Gertie is a 1968 Carlight Cassetta caravan, beautifully restored, and ready to be the part of your special day.

She will make a beautiful setting for your informal, behind the scenes photos. Pre-wedding or post wedding family and friends photo shots.

New for 2017, we can provide a photo booth option, with a photographer, and on site printing. Producing quality post card photos for your guests to take away on the day.

We can also provide bespoke catering with anything from a cream to one of our ‘Proper Hampers’ for sharing. All our food is locally sourced and home- made to order.

If it’s unusual transport to and from your wedding venue that you need, we have just added another 1960’s classic to our stable. Molly the Morris Minor, who can be hired with a driver for your special day.

If you are interested in hiring Gertie, or Molly please have a look at our website or any of our social media, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch….we are here to help make your day how you see it.

@quirkygertie

Quirky Gertie Vintage Caravan and Photobooth

@quirkygertie

The Wedding Chauffeur

Award-winning wedding chauffeur car hire in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Royal Forest of Dean, Worcestershire, Wye Valley.

1960s design British carriages of distinction including Rolls-Royce & rare 7-seater limousine

Tip – Dooooo book a car (or two or three), fabulous added value for memorable photographs (especially dare it rain) & that priceless time straight after being married, just the two of you.

Tradition – getting it right, being just so … alike the Butler in Downton, it is the expert chauffeur who ensures that the Bride, the priceless gem of the day, arrives suitably & appropriately late.

Trend – For quite a time now the in thing has been to choose something whacky, a Beauford, a Camper Van, a red London bus, a helicopter or a parachute, so the classic white Rolls has become the cool rarity, the head-turning wow-factor.

Tastefully done, The Wedding Chauffeur takes pride in being the quintessential English gentleman, immaculately turned out in tweeds, cravat, sober suit, your choice, The Wedding Chauffeur devotes time and attention to every detail, from brushing the sheepskin over-rugs to providing emergency needle & thread & confetti, ‘you name It’, getting it right for you is the rewarding challenge on your very special day.

It is not just driving a car that won The Wedding Chauffeur the ‘Best Transport’ Three Counties Supplier Award 2016.

The Wedding Chauffeur

And not forgetting these selection of other modes of transport too:

Fabulous Occasions | http://fabulous-occasions.co.uk/
Hire Herbie | http://www.hireherbie.co.uk/home.htm
Love Bus Weddings | http://www.lovebusweddings.com/
The Ostler | http://www.theostler.org.uk/Wedding_Services.html
The Oxford Limo Company | http://www.theoxfordlimocompany.com/
Oxford River Cruises | http://www.oxfordrivercruises.com/
Salter’s Steamers Ltd | http://www.salterssteamers.co.uk/
VW Do Weddings | http://vwdoweddings.co.uk/
Vintage and Classic Car Hire | http://www.vintage-classics.co.uk/wedding-hire.asp

Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer, do!
I’m half crazy,
All for the love of you.
It won’t be a stylish marriage
I can’t afford a carriage
But you’ll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle made for two.

Inspiration: modern Edwardian Secret Garden wedding

by Hanami Dream | 15, July, 2017 | blog, inspiration, styled shoots

Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (published in 1911), this modern Edwardian styled wedding shoot is a perfect harmony of traditional and contemporary elements brought together with sheer glamour and sophistication. Planned and designed by Hanami Dream and wonderfully captured by Squib Photography.

This elegant and delicate wedding is set in the grounds of a local English Manor House in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds of the UK (also used in the filming of another 1910s drama, Downtown Abbey). The lush greenery of a walled garden is discovered behind a secret locked door and its unseen natural beauty is unearthed after being concealed for many years.

Complete with an intimate ceremony on the croquet lawn, drinks in a secluded corner of the garden, followed by a celebration in a stunning Cotswold stone barn, this wedding features modern twists on traditional wedding styles with a real sense of rejuvenation.

With clear acrylic ‘stationery’ and signage with white brush lettering (where the greenery of the garden can be seen through), a hoop bouquet, a fresh take on the time-honoured wedding dessert of a croquembouche, vintage pearl details, antique keys and a friendly robin redbreast motif. Mary and Colin would be proud to attend this stylish wedding.

The colour palette is soft and understated so nothing distracts from the abundance of sumptuous cascading foliage. White is accented with hints of pink Pale Dogwood and plenty of the Colour of the Year of Greenery. There’s a definite nod to the Pantone® Spring/Summer 2017 colours with some subtle inclusion of blues (a navy Lapis for the groom’s suit and a denim Niagara of the manor house internal doors), Hazelnut and more greenery in the form of Kale.

Cogges Manor Farm  was the ideal location for this wedding with its very essence in this era. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.

The couple got ready in the peaceful setting of the Manor House, strolled romantically through the walled garden, encouraged their families to ‘choose a seat not a side’ on vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) on the croquet lawn, and enjoyed the perfect blank canvas of the Barley Barn where modern, personalised details make this wedding complete.

Hanging from one of the impressive beams is a large rustic wooden cartwheel from Oakwood Events, adorned with greenery along with stylish bulb cages around Edison type filaments, plus some added alliums (from Lark Rise Flowers).

The top table is awash with greenery running down the whole of the table and spilling off the ends to the floor, courtesy of Lark Rise Flowers. Plus, the fragrance of the foliage was a delight to the senses with hosta, hedera, honeysuckle, laurel and hebe. Along with gentle inclusion of white flowers in the form of campanula, astilbe, lady’s mantle, sweet william, viburnum, rambling rose, helleborus seedheads and valeriana.

The sturdy wooden table, along with vintage chairs from Linda’s Vintage Hire, is set simply with white crockery and silver cutlery, plus clear acrylic menus sit on green moss. Alongside each setting is a clear acrylic place name (with guest names paying homage to the character names from the book) attached to vintage keys, along with favours of charming wooden robins by Muffat Prague.

Guests are directed around the farm with stylish clear acrylic signage and find their places by referring to the reclaimed window pane table plan with white brush lettering thanks to The Paper Hare, completing the stationery suite of clear acrylic invitations and clear acrylic table number tubes.

In the garden, the couple relax and enjoy a smooth glass of brandy whilst listening to the gramophone and admiring the remarkable cake by Cotswold Baking, a reintroduction of a traditional wedding dessert. This impressive croquembouche plays on the trend of wedding cake alternatives and sits on top of a plain white cake. The choux balls are decorated with edible pearl balls of varying sizes.

The bride chicly carries a hoop bouquet by Lark Rise Flowers leaving a beautiful scent of jasmine wherever she sashays. She has strong smoky eyes, pinched cheek blush and barely-there pale lipstick reminiscent of the times and beautifully recreated by Blushing Brides.

Her hair is ornamented with a delicate pearl hair vine by Designed to Sparkle and gathered up to reveal the breathtaking backless dress.

She perfectly fits the glamourous, champagne coloured bridal gown, made from Lux Charmeuse, featuring a high neckline, flutter sleeves, low back, attached silver beaded waistline and godet train by Justin Alexander, provided by Proposals of Witney. This 1910s styling is teamed with a multi-strand bracelet and necklace by Designed to Sparkle, made with navette set Swarovski crystal stones and pearls, in creamrose light shade.

The suave, slicked-back groom suited the era with a blue three-piece suit made from a British fabric 100% wool, cut in a traditional style but more modern in shape from The Cotswold Tailor.