Welcome to the Helen Carter Weddings blog. We provide professional, bespoke wedding planning to couples in London, Essex and the surrounding areas, and are passionate about distinctive and stylish celebrations. Our blog is designed to provide practical advice alongside creative inspiration, and we hope you enjoy our mix of planning tips, design ideas and featured wedding services.
Helen Carter Weddings provides bespoke wedding planning throughout London and the South East. We have a wide range of services available, from full wedding co-ordination to venue or supplier sourcing and wedding day management. We’re passionate about creating distinctive and stylish events, and are dedicated to ensuring our clients enjoy a unique, personal and stress-free wedding day.
We love everything to do with weddings, and we’ve created our blog to share advice, ideas and inspiration. We try our very best to credit everything we show both here and on our design boards page. However, if you see something that hasn’t been properly referenced and you know who it belongs to, or you see something that is yours and you would rather it didn’t appear here, please contact us.
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Posted in Planning Advice, Wedding Flowers
Floral arrangements are a key element of any wedding. Whether you’re looking for grand, elaborate structures or simple posies, flowers provide beautiful focal points and contribute to the overall style and look of your special day. As part of our Wedding Planning Advice series, today we take a look at the things to think about when it comes to choosing your wedding flowers, and what to look for in a prospective florist.
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Posted in Wedding Press
Monday, June 21st, 2010
Posted in Design Concepts
Today’s design board is a concept that I created a few weeks ago for one of my August brides, and is based on the idea of an elegant English country wedding. I’ve teamed dusky shades of pink and purple with soft sage green for a real summery feel, with a smattering of peach in the floral arrangements to add depth to the colour palette.
Friday, June 18th, 2010
Posted in Music
It’s been far too long since I showcased some music on the blog, so today I want to highlight Jon Bon Jovi’s “Thank You For Loving Me”. Two of my oldest friends chose this for their first dance at their wedding five years ago, but I actually think that the acoustic version would work really well during the signing of the register. If you listen to the lyrics I think it sums up what being married is all about…
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Posted in Real Weddings
Katherine and Nic’s wedding (our first of the season!) took place at the end of last month on a beautifully warm and sunny spring day in central London. Katherine is originally from America, whilst Nic’s parents originate from Belgium and Cyprus, so this was a real international affair with guests flying in from around the world in the week leading up to the big day (fortunately the volcanic ash cloud moved just in time!). It also meant there were lots of personal touches reflecting their backgrounds, including Belgian chocolates for favours, a scrummy dessert bar and some highly entertaining Greek dancing later in the evening! I’ll post a full report on the day shortly, but for now here are a few pictures to whet your appetite…
The ceremony in St James’ Church, Clerkenwell…
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Posted in Ask the Expert, Fashion Focus
Every bride wants their wedding to be unique and personal to them, and a personally-tailored dress is the perfect way of injecting your character and personality into your special day. So, as part of our “Ask the Expert” series, I’m delighted to invite Catherine Shaw, wedding gown designer and founder of Allbone and Trimit, to explain more about what goes into creating a bespoke wedding dress.
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Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Posted in Wedding Press
The latest issue of Brides is on the shelves, and along with the regular fashion features and reception ideas there’s a fantastic budget special, which offers some great advice if you’re trying to watch the pennies. There are tips from industry experts, as well as advice from real brides on how they’re making their money go further. You can check out my tips on planning a wedding for £5000 on page 130, or read the full article here.
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Posted in HCW News
It’s been a little while since my last post, so I thought I’d check in to let you know I am still alive and haven’t forgotten you! I can’t believe it’s nearly April already – spring has finally sprung down here in Essex, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the warm sunshine and daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops that have suddenly burst into bloom.
With wedding season fast approaching it’s been super busy over the last few weeks and we’ve been heads down hard at work planning this summer’s weddings. I’m privileged to be working with some wonderful couples and fabulous designs, so I can’t wait to see everything come together on the day. Purple seems to be a particularly popular colour this year, so watch this space for some real-life design boards and more wedding inspiration!
Photo Credit: Flickr
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Posted in HCW News
I’m very excited today to announce that we are currently running a competition with An Essex Wedding Magazine to win a Final Weeks wedding planning service, with a runner-up prize of a Wedding Day Management package.
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Posted in Design Concepts
I’ve just about had enough of the miserable weather lately, and as I’m eagerly looking forward to spring I thought today I’d share this blue and peach board with you. This is actually one of the design concepts that I recently created for a client’s wedding in August, but I think it would work just as well for a March or April wedding.
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Posted in Design Concepts
Our new February design board can is now live here. Slightly belated for Valentine’s Day, this board is all about creating an air of romance with a modern twist – I hope you like!
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Just before Christmas I was approached by Elodie, the marketing executive of a new London wedding venue, to assist with an upcoming photo shoot for their wedding brochure and website. 58 Princes Gate is owned and managed by Imperial College London, and is a beautiful Edwardian building that is tucked away in the heart of South Kensington. It already successfully hosts corporate meetings, seminars and private dinners, but this year is looking to open its doors to brides and grooms who are looking for an exclusive and intimate central London venue.
