Friday 28 September 2012

Explore. Dream. Discover.

I'm a firm believer in making your own destiny. Of late, I have been pushing for things that I want, things I really want.

I am working my tooshie off to create an amazing stand for the Eclectic Wedding Extravaganza, I am fulfilling all my bridal deadlines and continuing to take new brides onto the books and I'm graphic designing all over the shop.

Life is very VERY busy at the moment but this is by choice and I'd have it no other way.

I have a dream (can you ever say this without impersonating Mr King?), in fact I have lots of dreams and some of them are coming to life. Which is a strange strange feeling. To get something you actually want can be slightly overwhelming. But god it's a good feeling.

I feel like all my hard work over the past 6 months is really starting to pay off. It is very satisfying indeed.

I'll be revealing more over the next few months but for now, here's a little ditty from Mark Twain. I'm doing it folks, and if I can do it, so can you.

Go on, explore, dream and discover.

Massivest(?!) of Friday loves to you all

Becky

xxx


Tuesday 25 September 2012

Something Blue...



I first spoke to bride Lara back in March of this year when she left a comment on Rock My Wedding's blog post of my wedding, telling me how much she admired my hairband and bouquet and how it was exactly what she was looking for for her September wedding.

This was the first time I'd thought that Beautiful Bird Creations could work as a business. Surely if one person was interested, then others would be too?

I emailed Lara, asking what she was after and trying to get a feel for her personality and her wedding. And I loved her straight away. Lara is witty, thoughtful, caring and above all a very excited and in love girl wanting the wedding of her dreams.

I felt a connection with Lara straight away. She was planning her wedding amidst finishing university. Exactly the same as I was when planning mine. We exchanged the difficulties of focusing on your education when you have so much excitement going on outside of that.

So cut a long story short, Lara had her bridal bouquet from me, along with button holes for the groom and groomsmen and also hair combs for herself.

She kept me updated with all her details along the way, sending me photos of her in her dress, sharing her inspirations with me and photos of her hair combs during her hair trial.

I got to know her so well and I'll miss her humorous emails.

Lara got married 2 weeks ago and I wish her all the love, luck and happiness in the world.

Hope you enjoy the photos of her flowers.

Becky
x















Thursday 20 September 2012

It's all about EWE!



Yes, it really is all about EWE! 

You may have heard me talking about the above event on twitter and on this very blog. Here is a LOT more information about it. I would love to see you there in November. It's going to be HUGE.


Eclectic Wedding Extravaganza – It’s all about EWE!!
Sunday 4th November 2012 in Birmingham

What happens when three slightly mad wedding suppliers come together? They hatch a crazy plan….that’s what!!  When Sassy (Assassynation), Jo (Couture Company) and Vikki (Liliia) got nattering over a glass of wine (standard) they decided that they would put on a Wedding Extravaganza with a real mix of suppliers.


“We want to put on an amazing wedding extravaganza (aka fair) that would be exciting for both the suppliers and  couples alike, so we hatched a plan “A-team” style (Hannibal Smith would be proud).

The idea is that we want people to shake off the shackles of what is considered ‘normal’ or ‘traditional’ and to take their own personalities and loves and stamp them on their weddings, so we have picked suppliers who can help ewe do that!

Top: Inklove image by Cassie Leedham. Bottom left: Love Illustrated. Bottom right: Cherry Pie Lane image Assassynation

This is no ordinary wedding show, the suppliers aka the Baad Ass Mother Flockers have been chosen and invited based on their personalities, the quality of their end product and the fact that they offer something unique. White linen covered trestle tables are discouraged and hard sells are banished, we want you to come along, have a drink and a good old natter to the Mother Flockers that catch your eye. The Mo Flo’s are being challenged to create stands that are totally unique and interactive. As well as having awesome Mo Flo’s at the show, we will be running some competitions, having a fashion walkabout/ramble and organising a treasure hunt! Prizes will include free photography sessions, make overs and styling, free cakes, accessories and Big BIG Discount vouchers.

Top left and right: Luxe Bridal image by Louise Holgate. Bottom: The Couture Company image by Assassynation

So we are putting a call out to all you gamers, goths, geeks, rockabillies, psychobillies, off the walls, mods and rockers, steampunks, new punks, old punks, flappers ,happy clappers, hipsters and hell-raisers, bohemians, folks who are inked and pinked, or if Ewe just want YOU to shine through. We hope to offer you some things that are really EWEnique for your weddings.

Our Motto
“Don’t be a wedding sheep…it’s all about EWE!!! “


Our venue, Fazeley Studios, was chosen due to the fact it is such a gorgeous space (and yes they do have weddings there) with tons of natural light to show off our Mo Flo’s work in the best possible way. 

Have a ramble round the website, register and get your tickets early at a BAAAAArgain price of £3 YES !!! EWE heard right…..only £3 !!!!

See EWE soon
x









Monday 17 September 2012

A whole year...

Today is my 1st wedding anniversary! I can't believe a year has passed. But it's been a really great 12 months. All starting with marrying the boy of my dreams.

Maybe one day I'll tell you the story of how we got together, it was nearly 8 years ago and every day I still can't believe this boy has chosen to spend the rest of his forever with me. Me? Why me? Hell I don't even care why, I'm just so ruddy glad he chose me!

I thought I'd share with you my 15 favourite photos (I tried to make it 10 but it was impossible) from our wedding day. Believe me, it was no easy task picking my top 15. Steve Gerrard and Ann-Kathrin Koch captured our day in the most amazing way, so many parts I didn't even know existed. So beautifully shot I cannot thank them enough for freezing my memories in time. I simply love every single shot but these select few really strike a chord with me. And I'll tell you why.

But first let me thank my amazing husband for the most wonderful 12 months. For his constant support. His constant love. His gorgeous smile and for always believing in me. You are my best friend in the whole world and I love you more than words can describe xxx



1. My bouquet
This photo holds more than the memory of my bouquet, but a million other memories. My Grandad sadly passed away 3 years ago (just over two when I got married) and the feelings of his loss were still quite raw. He was my only Grandad and he was the best. I so very much wanted him to be a part of my day. He would have loved it, especially as there were dominos (his favourite game) on the tables for people to play. I searched everywhere to find the right charm to house a photo of the lovely Ted. In the end it came from Philadelphia. A cherub held a small locket heart and my Grandad was with me every step of the way.


2. The boys en route to the venue
Ann was sent to my apartment to capture Anthony whilst he got ready. I cherish these photos; an insight into how his morning went. And she would never know but she has captured so much in this image. Like brother like brother eh? Anthony is renowned for biting his bottom lip. When he's feeling thoughtful, when he's nervous, when he's about to get married!


3. My Pops seeing me for the first time
What can I say. Just look at everyones faces and you will know what a special moment this was. Love my Dad to the moon and back.


4. The 'Rents
My true inspirations when it comes to marriage. They're still rocking it 32 years on. This picture really caught our relationship. Yes, we've had our ups and downs (I was a teenage girl after all) but ultimately we have a whole heap of laughs and stupid moments and this was one of those. My Moms face cracks me up!


5. Feeling totally composed
Throughout the morning I kept hearing the same question "Are you feeling nervous yet?" and I can honestly say that not once did I feel nervous. Before the day got here I had a massive phobia of walking down the aisle, mainly in case I tripped up but when the day came, I was just so beyond excited to see Anthony I didn't feel nervous at all. 


6. Wiping a tear
If you look at this photo, the only people witnessing Anthony wiping his eye, is me and my Dad. Everyone else appears to be looking at, ahem, me! the wipe of the tear was so sweet and made me feel a million dollars.


7. Just married and over the moon
That's it really. Just simply over the moon.


8. A simple hug
With my new Father in Law. Just look how happy he is! This photo just brings me so much joy. So lovely to be welcomed to a whole new family.


9. It rained
And it rained and it rained. My clever photographers made it look like not a drop fell from the sky but I can tell you it most definitely did. I loved my shoes so much, I love my tattoo (and its relevance to when I met Anthony) and I sort of loved that it rained. It didn't spoil anything. Yeah it made us a bit late back from our photos but it meant we got to chill in the car, listening to the sound of it lashing down and having 10 minutes to think about what we'd just done :)


10. Scarface
This photo reminds me of why we chose our venue. Not only was it for the building itself, but for its surroundings and the awesome art that you can find in the streets of The Custard Factory; like the Scarface painting. The graffiti art changes pretty much every week in the Custard Factory so we were well chuffed when this got to be the backdrop to one of our photos.


11. The venue
Light, bright and big. A vast contrast to the graffiti walls outside. It was like walking into another world.


12. The Shag
Another brilliantly placed piece of graffiti. Need I say anymore?


13. Smiles smiles smiles.
That's all. The smiles. I love them.


14. My girls
Bridesmaids are for life, not just for weddings.



15. A moment for two
Possibly my favourite of the bunch. This photo was obviously planned by Mr Gerrard. And I'm so glad. We didn't just happen to be outside, in front of the light, in the perfect pose. We were put there. And it was possibly the best few moments of my day. I think you can see from our faces that we enjoyed every single part of those few seconds. Standing there with my forehead against Anthony's, I got to take everything in, feel completely at ease and steal a few minutes with my boy amidst a crazy party. I won't easily forget the moment this was taken.


So there you have it. A few of my favourites. Did you have any favourites from your day? What were they and why were they your favourites? I'd love to hear all about it.

Happy happy anniversary day me.

Love

Becky
x



Friday 14 September 2012

They love you for who you are

You may have heard me talk about my first anniversary, which is this coming Monday.

Sometimes I can't believe it's been a whole year since I married the boy of my dreams!

It's very hard sometimes to put into words how it feels to have found 'The One' and you can be so overcome with emotion that sometimes there are just no words at all.

But this piece covers it off pretty well. See if you can relate to it, and if you can't, I hope one day you will. It is truly the best feeling in the world.

Thanks Bob Marley for taking the words out of my brain and putting them on paper.

Happy Friday

xx


Tuesday 11 September 2012

Love in Vilamoura


Zena and Chris are getting married next year in Portugal. It was a pleasure to design their wedding invitations for them.

Hope you like them :)

Becky
x













Friday 7 September 2012

Words of wisdom

Have you heard of Alex Zanardi?

No, he's not a bridal gown designer or a photographer...or anything remotely related to weddings. But he is an inspiration.

The Paralympic Games have been full of inspiring stories and his is certainly up there with them. Zanardi was a racing driver, Formula 1, ChampCar and IndiCar racing were all areas in which he showed great talent and potential.

However, in September of 2001 and he had a horrific crash which resulted in him losing both of his legs. They were disintegrated beyond repair - in a similar condition to someone who may have stepped on a land mine. Devastating.

In no way did this stop him from getting back into the driving seat and still enjoying the thrill of the ride - but it also meant he could compete in Paralympic sports.

He competes in hand cycling and at Londons 2012 Paralympic games, the race was held at Brands Hatch. Poignant for him that he should win gold on a racing car track.

Anyway, the point of me telling you about this man is this is this. I watched his race and I saw him win; leagues ahead of his competitors but more than the race itself, the thing that struck me were his words.

He said this...



It really struck a chord with me, because that's what I'm doing. I LOVE what I do, so so much and I'm hoping that my passion will pay off. It made me believe in myself and hopefully it will make you believe in yourself if you are embarking on a new career or following your dreams or focusing on new goals.

If you think about it, it just makes sense.

Happy Inspirational Friday everyone

Becky
x

Tuesday 4 September 2012

A vintage bridalwear photoshoot & a friendship with Gingermeg

SO last week was a BIT mental. Mainly due to the fabulous Love My Dress featuring a photoshoot that I was involved in.

I met Virginia of Gingermegs Vintage (who by the way has a brilliant facebook page filled with amazing, and gorgeous photos. You NEED to like it!) back in May when I took part in a shoot with The Vintage Hen House to promote their Mad Men Hen Party Package. Virginia was supplying all the outfits for the shoot and I got to play dress up in front of the camera. I instantly loved Virginia. She's so funny and was so in love with her job, completely immersed in a world of real vintage.

The photographer at that shoot was Nicola of Daffodil Waves. With a mutual love of Curried Goat, we hit it off straight away. And making us look beautiful were Claudia of Butterfly Styling and Emily Jayne of Emily Jayne Image Consultancy

Shortly after the shoot I spoke with Virginia about rebranding her business and making it work harder for her, now that I'd seen what she was really about. A few weeks later, Gingermegs had a brand new logo and sign hanging outside the new shop. This was the start of a lovely friendship.

Photography: Beautiful Bird Creations via Instagram

We had such a fabulous time at the Mad Men shoot that Virginia called us all back together a couple of months later to help promote her new (and utterly fabulous) range of bridal gowns. She was filling up on stock and in talks about having a new premises to house it all. As part of this new shop, she would have a bridal section and she needed a way of shouting to the world and telling everyone that Gingermegs stocked REAL vintage gowns.

So the dream team were back together. Only this time, I wasn't only getting to play dress up, I was providing the floral goodies. Off to the beautiful Birmingham Botanical Gardens we went and the rest, as they say, is history.

All the gorgeous hair wear was courtesy of La Belle Epoque. The items are stunning and can be found at Virginias shop as well as other stockists.

Below are some of my favourite shots from the day.

Enjoy and I'd love to hear what you think.





 And just for fun... Emily Jayne and Claudia just ca't help but get involved! And rightly so the beautiful ladies that they are.

Photography credit: Daffodil Waves

Are you considering a vintage gown for your wedding day? Or did you wear one? I'd love to hear about your dress stories.

Becky
x