Cras porta fermentum enim. Praesent vitae augue. Cras vel magna sed quam iaculis faucibus. Nulla dolor mauris, suscipit aliquet, laoreet egestas, vestibulum in, felis. Maecenas nec tortor quis erat euismod pulvinar. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Posted in HCW News
Helen Carter Weddings will be closed for Christmas from 12 noon on Christmas Eve until 4th January 2010. Before I shut up shop I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your company over the last few months. The blog was a new venture for 2009, so I hope you have found it interesting, informative and inspiring.
I wish you a very Happy Christmas, and a peaceful and prosperous New Year – see you in 2010!
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Posted in Real Weddings
On Saturday I was privileged to be involved in the wedding of Emily and Tim, and what a beautiful wedding it was to end the year on. As Tim is in the army, the wedding was held at Wellington Barracks in central London, with a ceremony in the Guard’s Chapel and a reception in a large marquee. I’ll have a full report and hopefully some professional photos in the New Year, but for now I thought I’d give you just a little taste of the beautiful festive decorations that were used to decorate the marquee…
The military blue decor was perfectly complemented by the subtle touches of red and green in the centrepieces, place cards and favours.
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Posted in Design Concepts
This will be the last inspiration board for 2009, and with Christmas only a few days away I couldn’t resist creating a festive design. In contrast to the contemporary styles of the last few winter boards, today I’ve opted for a more traditional palette of berry red, holly green and warm gold that would be perfect for a Christmas wedding.
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Posted in Photography, Planning Advice
As part of our regular Wedding Planning Advice series, today we’re examining the key things to consider when choosing a wedding photographer. Your photographs will be a lasting reminder of your wedding day for years to come, so you want to be sure that you choose someone who is going to capture those special and emotional moments.
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Posted in Design Concepts
With temperatures below freezing and white-over frosts in a morning, winter seems to have now well and truly arrived. Even as I’m writing this there are large snowflakes billowing around outside my window! So today I’ve taken my inspiration from the seasonal weather and have designed a cool, wintry board that would be perfect for a December or January wedding.
Friday, December 11th, 2009
Posted in Photography
If you’re a regular reader of the blog you might remember that a couple of weeks ago I posted a feature about engagement sessions (see the full post here). Engagement, or pre-wedding, shoots seem to be incredibly popular in the States, but are starting to appear more often over here in the UK, with many British photographers offering them as part of wedding packages or for a one-off fee.
You’ll see from my last post that I think they’re a fabulous way of celebrating your engagement, and also are a lovely way of starting the ‘story’ of your wedding. I was, therefore, delighted when the super-talented Pippa Mackenzie sent me these beautiful shots of Natalie and James’s engagement session down in Brighton.
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Posted in Planning Advice, Wedding Planner Q&A
In our weekly Wedding Planner Q&A we look at how to deal with common anxieties, questions and problems that often crop up when you’re planning a wedding. Today I’m offering advice on what to do when your bridesmaid announces that she’s pregnant part way through your planning.
I’ve chosen my bridesmaids and bought their dresses, but my chief bridesmaid has now told me that she’s expecting a baby and will be 7 ½ months pregnant by the time of the wedding. She knew she was pregnant when I asked her to be a bridesmaid and didn’t say anything, but she’s still expecting to fulfil her role. I’m really pleased for her but I’m quite upset that she didn’t tell me from the outset. I don’t want a heavily pregnant bridesmaid in my photographs, but how can I tell her without upsetting her or losing her friendship?
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Posted in Best Blogs, Wedding Press
Little Miss Wedding is one of my favourite wedding blogs, and I was super-excited when its founder Emmie recently asked me to create a winter design board and offer some advice on how to plan a winter wedding. You can see the board here, and my top winter wedding tips here.
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Posted in Wedding Press
The latest issue of You and Your Wedding is now on sale, and we’re delighted to see that our top tips for planning a marquee reception have been featured in the accompanying Dream Venue Guide – you can read the article here.
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Posted in Design Concepts
Our new monthly design board can now be viewed here. As an alternative to the traditional red and green colour schemes that are so popular at this time of year, I’ve used a silver, gold and eucalyptus colour palette combined with elegant decorations to create a Christmas-themed design. I hope it puts you in the mood for the festive season!
Friday, December 4th, 2009
Posted in Wedding Planner Q&A
In our weekly Wedding Planner Q&A we look at how to deal with common anxieties, questions and problems that often crop up when you’re planning a wedding, and today I’m offering advice on asking for money as a wedding present.
We already have everything we need for our house so we’re not having a gift list. Instead we’d prefer to have money that we can put towards our honeymoon or a DIY project. How do we tell our guests this without sounding rude or greedy?
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Posted in Readings
I think this is a beautiful reading that sums up what it is to be married – to take the rough with the smooth, to enjoy life’s pleasures and suffer its pains together, and to always be there for one another.
Love is giving, not taking,
Mending, not breaking,
Trusting, believing,
Never deceiving,
Patiently bearing
And faithfully sharing
Each joy, every sorrow,
Today and tomorrow.
Love is kind, understanding,
But never demanding.
Love is constant, prevailing,
Its strength never failing.
A promise once spoken
For all time unbroken,
Love’s time is forever
Anon
Photo Credit: Joe D Miles