We have been getting a lot of coverage through various means and we want to thank all our supports.
Earlier this year we had a lovely piece written about us on Joy and Me a website that 'wants to spread beautiful ideas and images far and wide. We have a bit of a unique outlook on events in that we believe every day is cause for celebration, life is precious and time with loved ones is an event in itself so why not make the most of it?'
Polka Dot Bride helped us launch in Australia with great coverage on our very first day! They posted a competition and we had one happy bride who had her account upgrade. I do love the whole feel of this website and the different topics they cover from dresses to cakes, from cufflinks to flowers.
Bride Magazine has also run a competition on their facebook page and we have had another happy bride. We have since taken up advertising on their new designed website.
I-do.com also has an ad of ours on there.....OK so the last two places we are paying to be on there, but we hope they will support us over the coming year with other little specials!!
We also hope to be in an eco friendly magazine later this year. It is 100% online but you turn the pages like a magazine. This is an American publication, but it often features articles of Australian suppliers and mentioned Polka Dot in its last edition.
Our Paperless Wedding Twitter page has over 700 followers now and is often getting retweeted. Check out our feed on the right handside. Plus we have the Facebook page which gives a great summary of what we are doing week to week.
If you want to feature us or help promote a new start up company that supports Green Weddings, then please do get in touch!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Traditions - A Post War Wedding
My Nanna, Joy Wight, has been writing her memoirs and I as I have been covering traditions in my blog, I thought this piece about her wedding was perfect and I thought I would share it with you. It is a great insight into a post war wedding and the honeymoon!
July 3rd. 1948 - The Wedding at Last.
So the great day arrived, and all went according to plan, a lovely service conducted by our friend Rev. Mulholland and reception afterwards in the church hall for about 60 people and with outside caterers. The wine was provided by Grandpa Hall who had been laying it up for years for such an occasion. (As I was 25 when I married he must have begun to give up hope.) He heard the caterers say what excellent port it was and was highly annoyed when they took all the remaining bottles away after the wedding.
Compared with modern weddings the whole affair was over quite early. There was no evening entertainment. Many guests had to make long journeys home and we were due to get to the Grand Hotel in York for our first stop on the way to Scotland. When we arrived it was a large almost empty hotel and they had finished serving meals and could only provide a few sandwiches . By this time we were very hungry- one rarely eats much at ones own reception! Our only recourse was to go out into the empty litter ridden town and get fish and chips.-Never mind the room was good and the bed big and comfy! -£1-12s-0d B&B for two.
Honeymoon
Next day we left early, using some of our petrol coupons to go up to North Berwick where we were booked in for a week at a little boarding house run by a couple known to Mum and Dad Scotland. lt cost us £9-19s.0d for the week full-board -iron bedstead and capock mattress! We toured around and visited some distant relatives of Johns one day for 'high tea'. Another day we dropped in on an N.A.B.C. youth conference in Edinburgh . We were really obliged to do this as we had obtained the petrol coupons on the grounds of attending the conference. As you can imagine we were not in there long!
Thank you Nanna for this piece and letting me share it with everyone. x
July 3rd. 1948 - The Wedding at Last.
My parents had been disappointed when we said that we wanted the wedding to be held in Birmingham. It was not the custom to wed away from your home town, and I know Mother would have liked her Church friends to have been at the celebrations. We wanted my University friends to be present before they all dispersed to jobs, and John wanted his Youth Association and Moseley Church friends to be present, and of course it was halfway between Edinburgh and Reading.
I bought some white satin-backed material for my wedding dress and some material for the bridesmaids dresses. Because I was not near home and the bridesmaids were in Birmingham, it seemed only sensible to get a local dressmaker to make the gowns. In retrospect this must have been terribly hurtful to my Mother, after all the wonderful clothes she had made for me in the past. How thoughtless one is when young and fancy free!
We booked rooms at a Moseley hotel for the two sets of parents, the Osbornes (friends of Mum and Dad) and myself for the evening before the wedding, and some theatre tickets for them after we had gone away. This was another faux pas. I booked for a very modern play - next to no scenery and a psychological plot - which upset the mentally frail Harold Osborne! I did not learn about that until much later.
Jim, who was to be best man, cycled down to Birmingham from Edinburgh and stayed at the caravan for the night. John had borrowed a jacket to wear with his scout kilt, as clothes were still on coupons and when a man was demobbed from the services he could have either a suit or a casual jacket and grey trousers. John wore his Harris Tweed jacket and flannels for years.
We booked rooms at a Moseley hotel for the two sets of parents, the Osbornes (friends of Mum and Dad) and myself for the evening before the wedding, and some theatre tickets for them after we had gone away. This was another faux pas. I booked for a very modern play - next to no scenery and a psychological plot - which upset the mentally frail Harold Osborne! I did not learn about that until much later.
Jim, who was to be best man, cycled down to Birmingham from Edinburgh and stayed at the caravan for the night. John had borrowed a jacket to wear with his scout kilt, as clothes were still on coupons and when a man was demobbed from the services he could have either a suit or a casual jacket and grey trousers. John wore his Harris Tweed jacket and flannels for years.
So the great day arrived, and all went according to plan, a lovely service conducted by our friend Rev. Mulholland and reception afterwards in the church hall for about 60 people and with outside caterers. The wine was provided by Grandpa Hall who had been laying it up for years for such an occasion. (As I was 25 when I married he must have begun to give up hope.) He heard the caterers say what excellent port it was and was highly annoyed when they took all the remaining bottles away after the wedding.
Compared with modern weddings the whole affair was over quite early. There was no evening entertainment. Many guests had to make long journeys home and we were due to get to the Grand Hotel in York for our first stop on the way to Scotland. When we arrived it was a large almost empty hotel and they had finished serving meals and could only provide a few sandwiches . By this time we were very hungry- one rarely eats much at ones own reception! Our only recourse was to go out into the empty litter ridden town and get fish and chips.-Never mind the room was good and the bed big and comfy! -£1-12s-0d B&B for two.
Honeymoon
Next day we left early, using some of our petrol coupons to go up to North Berwick where we were booked in for a week at a little boarding house run by a couple known to Mum and Dad Scotland. lt cost us £9-19s.0d for the week full-board -iron bedstead and capock mattress! We toured around and visited some distant relatives of Johns one day for 'high tea'. Another day we dropped in on an N.A.B.C. youth conference in Edinburgh . We were really obliged to do this as we had obtained the petrol coupons on the grounds of attending the conference. As you can imagine we were not in there long!
Thank you Nanna for this piece and letting me share it with everyone. x
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Traditions - The changing face of wedding photography
Written by Auckland photographer Isaac de Reus, from Perspectives Photography.
Wedding photography today is a fast changing, evolving, creative field – many elements of a contemporary wedding album will be somewhat different from our parents’ wedding photos!
Bridal Party location shoot
To some extent, this has been happening for years – going off for some nice shots after the ceremony. In recent times though, it’s common to spend around 2 hours doing location photography, with much more focus on ‘artistic’ images that incorporate elements of landscape, fashion, and editorial photography. Gone are the days of a few full length portraits in front of a flowerbed – replaced with ever more adventurous locations, pushing the boundaries of how far you can go in the allocated time & keeping the dress somewhat clean!
Photos before the ceremony
This is another relatively new concept – the bride & groom meeting up with one another pre-ceremony to do the majority of the photos, so that the time after the ceremony can be spent with guests & family.
This is another relatively new concept – the bride & groom meeting up with one another pre-ceremony to do the majority of the photos, so that the time after the ceremony can be spent with guests & family.
It allows the opportunity for some fantastic “first look” shots – as the bride & groom usually have a private moment with just the two of them, where they see each other for the first time.
Types of locations for photos
It’s becoming more & more common to have wedding photos taken in what, 20 years ago, would have been considered “unusual” locations.
It’s becoming more & more common to have wedding photos taken in what, 20 years ago, would have been considered “unusual” locations.
Things like graffiti walls:
Sweeping farm paddocks:
Even getting the dress wet on the day!
Some things never change
Regardless of the rapidly changing styles, and the ever widening boundaries – some things never change.
Good, classic photography will always look beautiful. A father with tears in his eyes as he gives away his daughters’ hand will always make a powerful image. Good composition, anticipating, and capturing the decisive moment will always play a vital role in wedding photography.
To conclude
I’ll finish off with one more image. Observations from bridal forums, and people that have been married who I’ve talked to, raises one common issue. People these days commonly get plenty of the gorgeous, arty, landscape inspired shots… but regret that “There isn’t one nice shot of the two of us smiling at the camera”.
So I’ll end with that. What I like to refer to as “the Grandma shot” (because it’s always the one that ends up on Grandma’s mantelpiece). Not arty, not boundary-pushing, but just as important in every way.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Traditions - Wedding Flowers
Written by Rachel Rothwell:
Throughout the many years I have been a florist I would compare wedding flowers to fashion as they change constantly season by season. Brides vary so much in their ideas and are influenced by numerous things when choosing their bouquet style and flowers. One of the main factors I think a bride chooses a particular flower is down to sentimental reasons. For instance flowers that were given to them on a first date, childhood memories and remembering a loved one add that little personal touch and make that bouquet special and meaningful to the bride. I remember a bride a few years ago who wanted her flowers to be influenced around a tropical holiday that she had been on when her boyfriend had proposed to her. After several appointments with the bride we chose suitable flowers from the bride’s holiday photos and also brochures we had and personalised her wedding making it a day to remember.
Many people associate roses as a wedding flower and we use a huge variety of them when creating a bride and grooms special day. People over the years have given certain roses meanings and this is another factor that’s considered when choosing flowers for the special day. The red rose has been a symbol of passionate love since ancient times, the white rose is a symbol of purity. Another flower that is traditionally linked to weddings is orange blossom, the meaning of this is fertility, purity and eternal love.
Some brides see flowers used in celebrity weddings so they know exactly what they want and just bring in a photo which is easy for the florist to copy, but on such a special day it is worth looking up the meaning of flowers and creating something which is not only beautiful but has meaning for the couple. Maybe you are not very good at this, but it is easy to think of your favourite colours and go to ask the florists advice armed with a few ideas, you will find that they will be able to expand from this
and come up with all sorts of lovely possibilities.
Throughout the many years I have been a florist I would compare wedding flowers to fashion as they change constantly season by season. Brides vary so much in their ideas and are influenced by numerous things when choosing their bouquet style and flowers. One of the main factors I think a bride chooses a particular flower is down to sentimental reasons. For instance flowers that were given to them on a first date, childhood memories and remembering a loved one add that little personal touch and make that bouquet special and meaningful to the bride. I remember a bride a few years ago who wanted her flowers to be influenced around a tropical holiday that she had been on when her boyfriend had proposed to her. After several appointments with the bride we chose suitable flowers from the bride’s holiday photos and also brochures we had and personalised her wedding making it a day to remember.
Many people associate roses as a wedding flower and we use a huge variety of them when creating a bride and grooms special day. People over the years have given certain roses meanings and this is another factor that’s considered when choosing flowers for the special day. The red rose has been a symbol of passionate love since ancient times, the white rose is a symbol of purity. Another flower that is traditionally linked to weddings is orange blossom, the meaning of this is fertility, purity and eternal love.
Some brides see flowers used in celebrity weddings so they know exactly what they want and just bring in a photo which is easy for the florist to copy, but on such a special day it is worth looking up the meaning of flowers and creating something which is not only beautiful but has meaning for the couple. Maybe you are not very good at this, but it is easy to think of your favourite colours and go to ask the florists advice armed with a few ideas, you will find that they will be able to expand from this
and come up with all sorts of lovely possibilities.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Traditions - The Wedding Cake
Written by Lynn Gosling:
Having now made several wedding cakes for friends and family I thought it would be interesting to look at how the custom of serving a special cake originated.
In medieval times cakes made of wheat, being a symbol of fertility and prosperity, were thrown at the bride.
The Romans had a cake of barley which was eaten by the groom and the rest broken over the brides head. If the guests got a crumb then they hoped to share in the couples good fortune. I suppose the more recent custom of giving gifts of the cake to people who were unable to attend the wedding is a derivative of this!
History also describes the stacking of small buns in a pile for the newly weds to kiss over the top. (Our modern day cup cakes?!) This pile eventually became tiered and was stuck together with lard in order to preserve the cake which was then scraped off before eating. They later added sugar to this mixture!!
Victorians introduced white icing . This was not only a symbol of purity but the whiter the cake (more refined the sugar ) the more affluent the wedding.
The multi tiered cake, traditionally 3 tiers, had a tier for the reception, a tier to send to friends and relatives in specially made cake boxes, and the top tier was ofter retained until required as the christening cake!
Nowadays cakes can be tiered, multi flavoured and not just the traditional fruit cake, made of chocolate, choux pastry, sponge etc .They could be cup cakes .The cake is often served now as a dessert at the wedding meal. Which leads nicely to the cake I made for Emma and Jim which was 3 tiers, Traditional fruit, Carrot cake, Lemon Drizzle, each had different icings and was served as the dessert!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Traditions - Starting new ones?....
In my last post I talked about traditions. We broke the tradition of sending paper invites, but I would like to think we created a new one. When I went to choose my dress, I knew I wanted a veil, but when I looked at the price I was a little bit surprised. How can a piece of netting cost that much?! Apparently it can.
I found ‘the one’ on the first day of looking for a dress, but wanted to sleep on it before parting with the cash. The next day I had a little surprise when I returned with my sister, my best friend and my mum. I put the dress on, knowing instantly that this was it, when my mum produced a box. Inside the box was my mum’s veil. It was a perfect match for the dress and finished off the look. Suffice to say there were a few tears!
We spruced it up a bit, added some Swarovski crystal to the hair grip which I sewed myself! It was ready for my big day and its second big day.
Oct 24th arrived and placing the veil over my face was like living the fairy tale. A veil really makes you feel like a true bride, it takes you back to the days when you used to dress up and pretend. It was my something old next to my lovely new dress!
Thanks mum xx
I found ‘the one’ on the first day of looking for a dress, but wanted to sleep on it before parting with the cash. The next day I had a little surprise when I returned with my sister, my best friend and my mum. I put the dress on, knowing instantly that this was it, when my mum produced a box. Inside the box was my mum’s veil. It was a perfect match for the dress and finished off the look. Suffice to say there were a few tears!
We spruced it up a bit, added some Swarovski crystal to the hair grip which I sewed myself! It was ready for my big day and its second big day.
Oct 24th arrived and placing the veil over my face was like living the fairy tale. A veil really makes you feel like a true bride, it takes you back to the days when you used to dress up and pretend. It was my something old next to my lovely new dress!
Thanks mum xx
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Traditions - Paper Invitations vs Paperless Wedding!
Traditions are a big part of a wedding. We decided to break the long-standing tradition of the Paper Invitation by having a Paperless Wedding. We chose this for many reasons from it being cheaper through to our bit to save the planet!
According to an article written by Martin Karen, in actual fact the original tradition wasn't paper based. Most people agree that the first invitations began in the 12th Century with the town crier, who would walk through the town and announce important events to the public. Word of mouth was an important means of spreading news, and anyone within hearing of the town crier was, by default, invited to the wedding! So they had Paperless Weddings!
During the Middle Ages, when great numbers of people were illiterate, noble families would commission monks to hand-letter and illuminate wedding announcements in calligraphy. These invitations often included a family crest or coat of arms, an important symbol that helped identify the family of the engaged couple. Many people today include such a family crest or coat of arms on their wedding invitations as a nod toward tradition and heritage.
According to an article written by Martin Karen, in actual fact the original tradition wasn't paper based. Most people agree that the first invitations began in the 12th Century with the town crier, who would walk through the town and announce important events to the public. Word of mouth was an important means of spreading news, and anyone within hearing of the town crier was, by default, invited to the wedding! So they had Paperless Weddings!
During the Middle Ages, when great numbers of people were illiterate, noble families would commission monks to hand-letter and illuminate wedding announcements in calligraphy. These invitations often included a family crest or coat of arms, an important symbol that helped identify the family of the engaged couple. Many people today include such a family crest or coat of arms on their wedding invitations as a nod toward tradition and heritage.
In the 18th century in England, handwritten social invitations were first used by the aristocracy. Only kings and queens and other members of high society received invitations to social events. Usually the invitations were written by a butler or secretary. Having them handwritten was a sign of education. Even after the modern printing press was discovered, many aristocrats continued to have their invitations handwritten for this purpose. The handwriting itself was a work of art. Much time and planning was given for this process. Calligraphy pens were used, which gave letters dimension; there were thick and thin lines in each word.
Modern wedding invitations became more widely-used after World War II. The development of thermographic printing allowed more sophisticated designs to be stamped on invitations at less cost than tradition engraving. Thermographic printing creates a raised effect that is often used for letterheads, business cards, and even Braille. Its versatility lends itself perfectly to the artistic nature of modern wedding invitations. However it still uses a lot of paper!
Today, invitations are often creative and individual expressions of the couple's personality. People are experimenting a lot more and moving away from paper based invites to sending photography, videos and websites. We hope through Paperless Wedding you can be different, have a website and send emails to your guests. Upload photos and add extra pages for all the information you want to share with your guests. If the town crier had of been crying today he would be very hoarse with all the information that is now sent out.
Modern wedding invitations became more widely-used after World War II. The development of thermographic printing allowed more sophisticated designs to be stamped on invitations at less cost than tradition engraving. Thermographic printing creates a raised effect that is often used for letterheads, business cards, and even Braille. Its versatility lends itself perfectly to the artistic nature of modern wedding invitations. However it still uses a lot of paper!
Today, invitations are often creative and individual expressions of the couple's personality. People are experimenting a lot more and moving away from paper based invites to sending photography, videos and websites. We hope through Paperless Wedding you can be different, have a website and send emails to your guests. Upload photos and add extra pages for all the information you want to share with your guests. If the town crier had of been crying today he would be very hoarse with all the information that is now sent out.
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