Michele Gledhill: May 2013

Thursday 9 May 2013

Rustic Wedding Inspiration!

I love reading American wedding blogs but am always bombarded with gorgeous images of sunny, outdoor weddings....then I get just a little bit depressed and want to pack up my house and move to California!! It would be a dream come true for me to do more outdoor weddings but alas, it’s pretty difficult to predict the English weather and you’d have to be extremely brave to plan an outdoor wedding here!! However, there are lots of ways of creating a rustic, outdoor feel for your day by using a barn style venue or planning your ceremony and reception in a tipi marquee or under canopies just in case the weather doesn’t stay on your side.

Lots of my brides this year are planning this style of wedding and some are even ‘glamping’ overnight with their guests!! Look for rustic venues or contact companies such as Peak Tipis if you’re looking for a little inspiration.

For your ceremony and reception why not have plain wooden chairs or even mismatched chairs...

(Image from Brides)

(Image from Alice in Weddingland)

Create a rustic aisle using shepherds crooks with jars of flowers...if you’re having your ceremony indoors these can be placed in pots just as easily as staking them in the ground!

(Image from Simply Peachy)

Whether inside or outside, decorate your space with reclaimed materials such as old doors and windows...have a rummage around some reclamation yards (this is one of my favourite pastimes! You never know what treasure you will find!)

(Image from Southern Weddings)

(Image from DIY Network)

Create a rustic canopy that could be used for your alter or as a feature for a dessert table...

(Image from Rachael Connerton, canopy by Michele Gledhill)

(Image from Lee Garland Weddings, canopy by Michele Gledhill)

Use an old barrel, rustic bench or old crates to display old fashioned drinks dispensers and your cake...

(Image from Lee Garland Weddings, flowers & styling by Michele Gledhill, cake by Yummy Little Cakes)

(Image from Tumblr)

Create a relaxed and informal reception using long wooden tables rather than formal round tables. Decorate them with hessian runners, mason jars and vintage bottles filled with ‘just picked form the garden’ style flowers!

(Image from Green Wedding Shoes)

(Image from Sugar and Spice Events)

(Image from The Wedding of my Dreams)

(Image from Green Wedding Shoes)

Use wood stumps or chalkboards for table numbers and place cards...

(Image from Weddings by Lilly)

Table plans look great on old windows...

(Image from Tumblr)

A really nice touch is to create relaxed seating areas for your guests...I love these hay bales..why not add some cosy blankets!

(Image from Libby James)

(Image from Elizabeth Anne Designs)

(Image from Belle Magazine)

(Image from Green Wedding Shoes)

So if you’re planning a rustic wedding this year, have fun with colour and texture and enjoy a good rummage for some lovely aged details that will complete the look for your wedding!

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Wedding Event with a Difference!

Firstly, apologies for being such an appalling blogger!! It's been such a hectic couple of months of weddings but that does mean that I will have a whole lot of loveliness to show you over the next few weeks! I thought I'd start with some gorgeous images sent over by the lovely Rachael Connerton of last months Wedding Event with a Difference at The Nottingham Conference Centre. The girls from Save the Date Magazine put on such an amazing event and I had the privilege of styling the catwalk and speakers corner for them. I decided to use lots of beautiful spring colours, creating a paper lantern ceiling, bunting lined catwalk, pretty parasols and pompoms and a speakers corner backdrop of fabric hoops! Hope you enjoy!