I’ll let Tiffany and Daisy explain……..

We are two extremely passionate romantic girls that joined forces to create the first UK bespoke proposal planning service. Weddings breed pressure: a pressure to pick the perfect venue, choreograph the first dance, but above all – plan the perfect proposal!
The fact is, your girlfriend is expecting a fairytale. Believe us when we tell you every woman wants her proposal to be perfect.. Doing it in front of the box after a curry and a few beers just won’t do.
Men – here’s why you have to listen: Your proposal has to be unique, thoughtful and above all, one of the most memorable days of her (and your) life. And that’s where we come in. We can take the pressure off you and allow you to bask in the glory of the “yes.”

You may or may not have given it much thought but we’re prepared to bet your girlfriend has. So give her the dream proposal she has always wished for and get in touch, you’ve got nothing to lose (except your missus when she dumps you for an embarrassing proposal).

What made you start your business?
We met a few years ago when we witnessed a creative proposal ‘gone wrong’ in Hyde Park. The thought was there but unfortunately the spelling wasn’t. The Wannabe groom had decided to propose by writing Make me the happiest man alive and marry me” in candles on the grass. Unfortunately he had spelt happiest wrong. Luckily for him, Daisy and I spotted this and quickly amended it before the bride-to-be arrived – we also offered to take some photos for him whilst he was down on one knee. We stayed around to watch the magic happen and was delighted when she said YES.
Both being huge romantics and suckers for a good story, we spotted a gap in the market and decided to set-up The Proposers which offers bespoke proposal planning to anyone that just needs a bit of a helping hand.

When did you start the business?
We planned our first proposal in 2011 and have done many proposals since but the company officially launched in May 2012

Where are you based?
London but we work all over the UK, and can even arrange proposals abroad if that’s something people would like us to do. We have arranged proposals in Switzerland, Ibiza, Paris and Thailand

How would you describe your style?
The Proposers are a unique service that adds a personal touch to every proposal. We’re a modern creative company that creates each bespoke proposal as if it were their own. Tradition is still important to us so we’ve found ways of including tradition and proposal etiquette but with a modern twist. Personally we’re two girls with a passion for romance and eye for detail, we’re here to make sure that everyone has that special moment that they’ll treasure forever.

Biggest achievement so far?
Every day is an achievement; every time we help get a YES we gain a sense of pride and happiness. Seeing our creativity become a reality is an achievement too.

What makes you different to your competitors?
We don’t have any competitors! We are the First UK Proposal planners. Daisy and I saw a niche in the market place. The wedding industry is saturated with wedding planners but there is no one to help out with proposals. After all, the way he proposed is something you will want to tell your grandkids – so men have to get it right. Which is why we are here with a helping hand!

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Hearing about all the yes’s! It fantastic to work with people who are about to get engaged – you can’t help but share their excitement. And there is nothing better than hearing the excitement in the couple once the proposal has happened and she’s said yes. IT doesn’t feel like work at all. We also get to work with some fantastic supplies, wedding bloggers, wedding planners….

Pricing structure
We have three packages that we offer:

♥   Gold Package £100 - two tailored proposal ideas to match your brief. Youu are then free to take these ideas and run with them.
♥   Platinum £250 – Includes the Gold package but having chosen your ideal proposal we will then set about making it a reality. From negotiating the cheapest deal on a ring, booking a holiday, writing a poem, to getting the best seat in a restaurant, no task is too big or too small.
♥   Diamond Package – The full service of the platinum package with the addition of a qualified photographer or videographer to capture the big moment on camera. Why go to all the trouble of an elaborate proposal if you can’t show it to all of your friends and family?!
*These costs do not include supplier costs or props, only our time.

A bit more about Tiffany and Daisy

We we’re born to do this. You don’t just become a Proposal Planner overnight; it takes time to really know your stuff. In fact, over the past 10 years we achieved quite a few things we’re proud of, and here’s a few:
Written for top magazines such as Grazia, Marie Claire, Elle and Cosmopolitan to name a few, not discounting plenty of wedding magazines and blogs. As a result we know all of the best venues, stylists, photographers etc who can help with your proposal.
Extensive worldwide travel with time spent working in Australia, Greece, Switzerland and Ibiza meaning we have contacts worldwide so if you want to arrange a proposal abroad, we know how to do it.
Graduated with degrees in Advertising & Marketing and Drama & English, so when it comes to creative ideas, we’ve certainly got an imagination and think outside of the box – no proposal will be too much of a challenge.
Most importantly, we’re at the age where everyone is getting married so we’re in the ideal position to learn and share our knowledge

Latest work
We have recently arranged a proposal which involved a romantic treasure hunt around London. Having spoken to the wannabe groom, he explained that London was a special place for him and his girlfriend as they had shared lots of happy memories there together. We then decided to arrange a proposal where we set up a treasure hunt for his girlfriend taking her around iconic tourist attractions in London. At each attraction she found a photo of her and her boyfriend, or a memory that he has written out, and a clue. The clues eventually lead her to a VIP members bar over looking London where he was waiting for her on bended knee. Of course she said yes!

For more information go to:
www.theproposers.co.uk
info@theproposers.co.uk
Tiffany@theproposers.co.uk
Daisy@Theproposers.co.uk
TWITTER
0207 823 9119

It’s a really lovely shoot and Latisha has captured it all perfectly! from the moment he pops the question to the couples shoot that happens straight after the proposal, into a very very messy food fight. I love the content of shoot but I also LOVE Latisha’s use of black and white, the sharpness of the images is gorgeous and adds to the mood of the day perfectly.

Latisha tells us more about the shoot itself.

What a sweet time I had with these two. I spent the afternoon with Brenna at my house. Brittney Moreno (an amazing friend and hair/makeup stylist) came over to prep Brenna for what she thought was just a simple styled session… she had no idea what was to come. Drew was out setting up to ask her the “big question”..Drew and I had been planning this session for wks. Drew and I wanted to this moment to be extra special and to be sure it was all captured on camera. Brenna loves hearts, loves to bake and loves the color red!! Drew made sure all those elements were incorporated into the set up. Brenna and I arrived at the location, I than blindfolded her and Drew met us at the car… Brenna was lost for words but full of giggles. Drew guided her to the spot and grabbed his sweet sign that read “Hi Best friend”. Brenna took the blindfold off… and as she was still lost for words, Drew fell to one knee and asked her to mary him. Brenna fell into tears and giggles, and answered with a big “YES”. It was such a sweet moment. We than fell into an engagement session… and to end it, Drew had baking ingredients and they had a “baking ingredient” fight!!

Fore more information on Latisha’s work go to:
http://latishalyn.com
www.blog.latishalyn.com
latisha@latishalyn.com
FACEBOOK
TWITTER

• Today I got out of the office (something that hardly ever happens any more) and I went up the M1 to see my friend Shelly from Toast of Leeds and her oh so cute dog spike! Shelly is fab, she is straight talking, funny and always offers fab advice! I wish I saw more of her, as she is about the same age as me and we always have a right laugh! This time my visit also involved a trip to Country Baskets a big craft wholesale place, and lucky for my wallet Shelly kept me in line and made sure I didn’t spend too much money! we had lunch (thanks again Shelly) and spike joined us in the Garden……….isn’t he adorable! I met Spike when he wa a little puppy so to see him now 7 months old and fully grown is amazing!

• Getting out of the office did me the wold of good, and it made me realise that I need to do it much more often! it has cleared my head and made me work that much harder this afternoon!…………Oh and it’s still sunny! Yay!

Big Boho Happiness Love

Kelly xx

Some people choose readings for their weddings and some choose to leave this part out. Personally I think it’s always a nice touch to add a reading or two to a wedding ceremony especially if you are not in a church, as all too often the ceremony can fly by and be over before it’s has even began! A reading can really personalise a wedding ceremony and you can really add your own stamp to the proceedings. It is also a lovely way to involve your guests, anyone would be privileged to be asked to read at your wedding.

Now as a wedding planner I have been to a lot of weddings and I have to admit I do hear a lot of the same readings which can become a bit predictable, so today I wanted to share a few that have been suggested to me that are a little less traditional.
I’d then like to open up the discussion to you. I’d love to know what you have chosen, or if you are already married what you actually chose for your wedding day.

(photo credit Claire Penn)

So a few things to think about when choosing a reading

1. Is it appropriate? remember where you are! A Church reading may need to be different to an outdoor ceremony reading
2. Is it personal to you? there is no point choosing something if it doesnt mean anything to you, it has to have some sort of sentiment
3. Is the person giving the reading a confident public speaker? You may want your best friend to give the reading but if he or she is quite and shy this could be their worst nightmare!
4. Length, don’t choose something to long!………..or to short!
5. Presentation, always try to write the reading out on a nice piece of paper or card, a scrappy bit of notepaper doesn’t look good!

OK So to start the ball rolling I thought I would share with your first the readings I had at my wedding.

The First one is a poem I actually wrote for Nik when we first met. It was in our first 6 months of seeing each other and he was about to move from Sheffield to London, I never thought a long distance relationship would work but we did it and after that he moved in with me!

The second is a poem by Tracey Emin that Nik chose, I think it worked perfectly for us!

This Man – By me (For Nik)

There’s a man I’ve met recently,
That although younger in years,
Is as wise and true as our fathers.
He brings with him a genuine nature
And a respect for those around him.
He brings with him warmth and affection,
And humor that brings a twinkle to my eye.
He came without me knowing,
When I was least expecting it,
But when I close my eyes he’s still there,
In ever day dream and thought throughout the night,
And when I wake up next to him
I feel like I’m in heaven,
His touch is magical, His kiss like nectar.
The worlds a blur when I’m with him,
While no-one and nothing else matters,
With him there’s no pretenses, no games,
No heartache, no confusion,
Just a new breath of life, which has restored my faith.
There’s distance between us, many miles to travel,
But this man I’ve fund is always close to my heart,
And with every heartbeat a bond that grows stronger.
When he leaves me I grow sad,
But still happy in the knowledge,
That although the road is long,
The adventure in front of us is even longer.

(photo from my wedding  -  Photography: www.anniepeelphotography.com )

For Now by Tracey Emin

Hurry
But do not hurry me,
Push
But do not push me,
Hold
But do not crush me’
Love
But do not change me
Let us stay the way we are

Devour
But do not consume me,
Thrill
But do not frighten me,
Excite
But do not scare me.
Teach
But do not change me
Let us learn from the way we are

Kiss
But do not smother me,
Embrace
But do not break me,
Adore
But do not suffocate me,
Love
Let me love you
Just the way you are………..

(photo from my wedding  -  Photography: www.anniepeelphotography.com )

So those are mine, here are 6 that have been suggested to me, the first one is my favouiote and I had me in tears when I read it!

Edward Monkton’s Lovely Dinosaur story

The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur. The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.
I like this Dinosaur thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny. He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice. She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. He is also overly fond of things. Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly thought the Dinosaur. She is also uncommonly keen on shopping. Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.
Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old. Look at them. Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.
And that, my friends, is how it is with love. Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together. For the sun is warm. And the world is a beautiful place.

(photo credit Lee Allen )

Chaka Khan Ain’t Nobody

Captured effortlessly
That’s the way it was
It happened so naturally
I did not know it was love
The next thing I felt was you
Holdin’ me close
What was I gonna do?
I let myself go

And now we’re flyin’ through the stars
I hope this night will last forever

I’ve been waitin’ for you
It’s been so long
I knew just what I would do
When I heard your song
It filled my heart with your bliss
Gave me freedom
You knew I could not resist
I needed someone

And now we’re flyin’ through the stars
I hope this night will last forever

Ain’t nobody
Loves me better
Makes me happy
Makes me feel this way
Ain’t nobody
Loves me better, than you

I wait for night time to come
And bring you to me
Can’t believe I’m the one
I was so lonely
I feel like no one could feel
I must be dreamin’
I want this dream to be real
I need this feelin’

I make my wish upon a star
And hope this night will last forever

Ain’t nobody
Loves me better
Makes me happy
Makes me feel this way
Ain’t nobody
Loves me better
Ain’t nobody
Loves me better, than you

And first you put your arms around me
Then you put your charms around me
I can’t resist this sweet surrender
Oh! My nights are warm and tender
We stare into each other’s eyes
And what we see is no surprise
Got a feelin’ most with treasure
And a love so deep we cannot measure

Ain’t nobody
Loves me better
Makes me happy

(photo credit Christine Meintjes )

The owl and the pussy Cat – Edward Lear

In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
‘O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!’

Pussy said to the Owl, ‘You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?’
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

‘Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?’ Said the Piggy, ‘I will.’
So they took it away, and were married nest day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

(Photo credit Eye Capture)

Baz Luhrmann Lyrics – Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will
look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…

(photo credit S6 Photography)

On Marriage Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

(Photo credit Jay Mountford )

Us Two by A A Milne

Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.

“What’s twice eleven?” I said to Pooh.
(“Twice what?” said Pooh to Me.)
“I think it ought to be twenty-two.”
“Just what I think myself,” said Pooh.
“It wasn’t an easy sum to do,
But that’s what it is,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what it is,” said Pooh.

“Let’s look for dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“Yes, let’s,” said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
“Yes, those are dragons all right,” said Pooh.
“As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That’s what they are,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what they are,” said Pooh.

“Let’s frighten the dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“That’s right,” said Pooh to Me.
“I’m not afraid,” I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted “Shoo!
Silly old dragons!”- and off they flew.

“I wasn’t afraid,” said Pooh, said he,
“I’m never afraid with you.”

So wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
“What would I do?” I said to Pooh,
“If it wasn’t for you,” and Pooh said: “True,
It isn’t much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. “That’s how it is,” says Pooh.

(photo credit Photos by Zoe)

If you don’t like any of these suggestions then why not try a few of these websites, they all offer a host of suggestions.

• Wedding Magazine – Wedding Readings
• Hitched – Perfect Poems for a Wedding Reading
• Confetti – How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Reading
• I Take You – Wedding Readings
• You and Your Wedding – Readings and Poems

So now it’s your turn, I’d love to hear your suggestions! Join in the discussion below and either add the title and the author into the comment box of if you have access to the whole reading  copy and past it in so we can all read it.

Big Boho Love

Kelly xxx

The lovely couple is Amy and Liam who held their pre wed shoot in March at the home in Ilkley, and they stayed in their Pyjamas for the whole of the shoot! talk about relaxed! The shoot itself shows of Amy and Liam’s chilled out personalities and shows off their sence of fun! Shelly has shot it perfectly with some lovely soft tones and some great shots of their cute home!
Their wedding sounds amazing as well, and I’m sure it will be as relaxed and fun as this shoot is!

How they met
We met at high school, and knew of each other from being about 13, but it wasn’t until year eleven that we made friends properly. We were at my best mate Sally’s house for a party, when we had our first kiss – about 12 years ago now! (with Craig David playing in the background – classy!) Apart from a couple of short breaks at the beginning, we’ve been together ever since. We both went off to separate uni’s – me in the south west, and Liam in the north east (couldn’t have been much further apart if we tried), but we made it work long distance for 6 years, with lots of fun weekends and holidays. Then we both moved back to Yorkshire, bought our little house, and are living happily ever after with our lovely cat Molly!

The proposal
It was Christmas morning, and we were in our pyjama’s (obviously) in our little house. Liam went downstairs first to see if Santa had been – and he had!!!  Liam spent ages downstairs putting all the fairy lights and Christmas tree lights on, and made everything look all pretty. We opened all our presents and had a generally lovely time, then he said he had another special present for me – and whipped out a beautifully wrapped box. I opened the first layer of wrapping, and inside that was a beautiful wooden box – It was a bit bigger than most jewellery boxes, so I just thought it was a nice box (I like stuff like that – daft I know) until I opened it and saw a diamond ring. Then he asked me to marry him, I said yes, and we opened (and drank)a stashed away bottle of champagne which he’d put in the freezer earlier on. We spent the whole day with both our families in a drunken haze (all the champagne) – best Christmas ever!

Tell me one the thing you love most about each other
Liam’s daftness – he just says silly things, and makes me giggle all the time!
Amy’s cooking – the best way to a man’s heart and all that.

The wedding is to be held on 2nd June 2012, ‘the ceremony will be at our lovely little church – scared heart in Ilkley’ with the reception at East Riddlesden Hall, in a big old barn!’

Theme
Not one theme in particular – a mish mash of loads really – a bit vintage, a bit pretty, fun, lawn games, harry potter, sweeties, and ice-cream! Lets hope it all works on the day!

Which part of the wedding are you looking forward to the most?
I know we should say something romantic here, but frankly, I’m just looking forward to a big party with all the people we love the most in the world – especially my new husband (eeeek!) Oh, and wearing a pretty dress!

For more info on Shelly’s work go to:
www.toastofleeds.co.uk
http://toastofleeds.com
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
shelly@toastofleeds.co.uk
0113 3560157

• Today I saw this quote and it made me smile to muslef…….true words!

Big Boho Happiness Love

Kelly x

The Cosmo Blog awards are very prestigious, and there are a lot of different categories for up and coming blogs as well as the more established ones to get nominated. Last year I didn’t enter as I didn’t think there was a wedding catagory……it turnes out there was (silly me!) so this year I thought I would give it a shot and see if I coud at least get into the short list for wedding blogs

Last year it was won by my riend Kat at Rock n Roll Bride, so it’s a tough competition, but if you guys could at least get me to be nominated, it would make me SO happy!

So if you have a couple of minutes to help me, you need to go to the website HERE  (or you can us the big Cosmo button above) and do the following

1. Add your email address
2. Add the URL of the blog http://www.boho-weddings.com/
3. Select a category (I’m guessing for lifestyle blog?)
4. Tick that it isn’t your blog
5. Tell them why you love the blog
6. And tick that the blog is older than a year.

And that’s it!…..simple!

If you could nominate me I would be soooooooooooo happy! and I promise to love you all forever!

THANK YOU!

Big Boho Love

Kelly xx

This is a pretty simple DIY feature so hopefully accessible for everyone and it can be adjusted for your own taste in terms of colour and also the shape you decide to use for the names and numbers. For this tutorial Hazel has chosen heart shapes with blues and greys but you can choose what ever you like to go with the theme of your wedding.

You Will Need

 Old Picture frame with no glass
Ribbon thick
Ribbon thin
Card
Decorating Hooks
Paint
Scissors

How to Make the Seating Plan

1) Get your self a picture frame, from a charity shop or from a picture framers (they often have miss shaped and 2nd’s that they are more than likely going to throw away) take the frame and sand it down  and then paint.

2) Decide what shape you want your names and numbers to be, draw out on card and then cut out. You could also use luggage tags

3) Take the  thin ribbon and thread it through the place names, string them together to create rows.  An alternative to threading the names onto ribbon is to buy miniature pegs to clip them on with. This is great if you have last-minute changes.

4) Take each row of ribbon and attach them to the picture frame using decorating hooks, Hazel has used 3m Command decorating hooks, which need no hammering or screwing .

5)  Using the hooks again on the back of the frame, take the thicker ribbon and thread it through the hook and then tie in a knot to finish so the table plan can be hung up on a wall.

6) And you’re finished!

Big Thanks to Hazel Ball, from Velvet Brown for this fab DIY Tutorial.

The wedding took place on  3rd Sept, and was shot by Ickootu.The ceremony was held at St Pandionia and St John the Baptist Church in Eltisley with the reception at Anna’s mother’s house in Cambridgeshire with 100 guests. It took 9 months to plan. They describe their wedding as ‘Traditional personal ceremony in local village church followed by fun, creative, informal reception in marquee in the garden. We aimed for a festival atmosphere at the reception and it really felt like everyone was having a great time’

How they met
I worked in London at an events company and Dan came to work there as an intern whilst at Bournemouth university. We’ve been together for 8 years

The proposal
Sunday night at home over chicken curry (my favourite meal) the evening before our 7 year anniversary

The venue
I grew up in Toseland so it has good memories. Having a marquee in my mum’s garden meant we had complete freedom regarding the whole reception – we could do whatever we wanted!

Dress
Was by  Cymbeline. I made my hairband, borrowed big sister’s veil and bought shoes online from Next. I bought matching bracelets each for myself and my three bridesmaids and also had a small locket containing a photo of someone very special to me who had passed away the previous summer.

The suit and bridesmaids
Brown tails hired from Jack Bunney’s in Barking and bridesmaid’s dresses from Dessy.

Theme
Very natural colours – browns, cream/white and greens for wedding party and in church, however, for the reception we wanted it to feel relaxed, fun and informal so the more colours the better!

Food
Roasted veg tart, Locally reared sausages with veg, mash and gravy (we wanted the vegetarian option to look the same as the others to avoid food envy for any anyone!). Ice-cream man on a bike cycled into the marquee to give away ice-creams for dessert.

Entertainment
The Kounterfiet Kinks and then local DJs (then Dan later on)

Flowers
One of my bridesmaid’s close friends, Zannah, is an Art teacher and wants to get into floristry so offered to do the flowers free of charge (apart from her costs). She did an amazing job and managed to create my dream flowers– absolutely perfect.

Decoration
In the Church: Pews ends made by Zannah, pots of ivy (grown by my auntie) and candles and white flowers on window ledges,
Marquee: Paper garlands round the marquee, artificial flowers on the table in little jars and vases (sourced from family, friends, car boot sales and charity shops), jars of sweets we filled and hand-topped with material, hand-made napkins made of approx. 14 different floral fabrics, floral clips on napkins (which looked so pretty as all the guests had them clipped on throughout the night),
Garden: Re-useable light-up lanterns in trees, decorations and artificial flowers in trees, bunting in trees, ‘campsite’ and tents decorated with wedding and pretty stuff!

Personal touches
• Cake – made by the mum of one of Dan’s best-friends. The cake was delicious, 3 tiers of fruit cake with colourful, delicate handmade flowers and then on the top-tier an exact replica of our campervan with us sitting next to it. Unbelievable!
• Cider bus – our campervan with help yourself cider and real ale in tubs and old iron bath outside.
• Table with pickled eggs and nuts and crisps.
• Haystacks for people to sit on.
• Royal wedding scene – surprise from my aunties and cousins. The royal wedding scene was re-created with all the guests shouting for ‘the kiss’ and my family wearing masks of the Queen (definitely more shambolic and amusing than Will and Kate’s)
• Ice-cream man cycling into marquee to the sound of ‘just one cornetto’
• Campervan as transport for bride and bridesmaids to church and then bride and groom to reception
• We made the seating plan – had a photo of each guest as well as their name. Great source of amusement and ice-breaker as everyone was laughing and trying to work out when/where the photos had been taken.
• The place names were coloured cardboard made into tiny campervans with people’s names on – all hand-cut, hand stuck and hand-written.
• Paper garlands round the marquee bought online and hung up by my cousin,
All tables decorations:
• Artificial flowers on the table in little jars and vases (all sourced from family, friends, car boot sales and charity shops)
• Collected more jars to be filled with sweets and hand-topped with material,
• Hand-made napkins made of approx 14 different floral fabrics, tied with different ribbons, floral clips on napkins (which looked so pretty as all the guests ended up wearing them throughout the night),
• Candles in more jars and tiny lanterns

Special moments
The church ceremony – really personal, beautiful, touching, funny – just perfect and so special. Also, that Dan and I were the last people standing at about 5am. We had our last dance, last glass of wine and then walked round the marquee and turned off the generator together. It was good to know we’d made the most of it!

Planning Advice
Remember to enjoy all of it – the planning, the day and then the good memories. Don’t leave things till the last minute or even the week or month before. If you’re planning creative touches stop planning and start making!

Biggest surprise of the day
The balcony scene… and just how much fun and special the whole day and night was.

Supplier Shout Outs

• Flowers: Zannah in Bedford
• Cake: Dave’s mum
• ICKOOTU Photography www.ickootu.com
• Catering: Charis Wedgwood at Chef de la Maison Ltd
• Marquee:Kate from Concept Marquees www.concept-marquees.co.uk
• Catering equipment: Whittlesey Catering Hire Limited www.cateringhireuk.com

For more information on Eleri’s work go to
ICKOOTU Photography
www.ickootu.com
http://ickootu.blogspot.com
FACEBOOK
07966 594 603

ICKOOTU are Caroline Addison and Eleri Tunstall and have been shooting weddings together for 7 years (not to mention being best friends for 15 years too!). Caroline is expecting a baby so from the next few weeks Eleri will be going it alone for a while! See her new Facebook page  for details of her new website coming soon. Looking back at this wedding not only brings back memories of a great day for a wonderful couple but for Caroline and Eleri it also reminds them of the great times they’ve had working together.

• Today my happiness comes from the words of a women I had a huge obession with when I was a teenager. Marilyn Monroe was a hugely misunderstood women and she spoke some very wise words.

Big Boho Happiness Love

Kelly xx