Autumnal, Rustic Wedding Shoot

How time has flown – it has been 12  months since we did this shoot and somehow I never wrote a blog post about it.

If you are planning a wedding for next autumn, than this one is for you. Get pinning girls!!

The shoot took place at the stunning Georgian manor house which is home to Hannah from Unforgettable Vintage Bridal Gowns.  The top floor houses their studio where you can lose an afternoon in this treasure trove, trying on their vintage and antique gowns, dresses and jewelery.  Its not just for brides, they have a huge selection of frocks for parties and “just because you can’t live without them dresses…”

Lucy Stendall was our photographer, she is awesome, gorgeous, funny and just generally brilliant.  She specialises in “taking photographs of good old fashioned sweet love.”

We were a bit excited that Sanni Sorma came from Paris to work her magic with hair and makeup.  She also does the best make up tutorials on YouTube and is a fountain of knowledge for girly glamour.

The cakes were made by Daisy Cupcakes and were divine.

We wanted a seasonal, rustic and shoot and  the warm  colour palette worked so well against the orchard and the garden.  Rich Edwardian china, paired with vintage crystal and silver added glamour to the tables and sat perfectly with the simple flower arragements where we used berries, greenery and crabapples picked from the garden that morning – roses added to the relaxed, easy styling.

I stole some oak chairs from the dining room, added some old mirrors and masses of romantic  lace.

The dresses were to die for, just beautiful.

What can I say about our model, Ayo – a star is born. 

Watch this space for another shoot with the same girls – we had such a great weekend and I hope you find some inspiration from our photographs.  Who knows, maybe one day there will be a couple who hires all of us to work on their wedding together!

 

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Sew lovely…

Apologies for the pun on the title of this post – I am cringing myself, but it is better than the others I thought of…

 

Darby & Joan were invited to cater for an afternoon tea party at Kedleston Hall at the beginning of this month.  The guest list was made up of 125 textile artists from the Second Turning Textile Group.  The group had just opened their new exhibition at the Hall which is open until 22nd September.

Very broadly, the work & exhibition was inspired by the architecture, collections and landscape at Kedleston Hall and showed how rich, lively and versatile textiles can be.

Our menu was what we do best – finger sandwiches, teetering high layer cakes, fresh out of the oven scones, rich chocolate brownies and lots of tea.  A simple menu, but one that we knew would be enjoyed and appreciated.

We had two areas to serve.  We set up camp in the Orangery and had a handful of guests seated with us in there and the rest of the group were served in a marquee.

The weather was kind, the guests were very lovely, the atmosphere gentle and it was another great success.

Thank you to Kedleston for inviting us to work with you – it doesn’t get much better than working with The National Trust.

Not forgetting a huge thank you to Emma Cleveley Photography for capturing the day so beautifully.

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The Vintage Chic Wedding Fair…

I love working with Cathy & Susie from Vintage Chic Wedding Fair, their relaxed & feminine style is perfect for what Darby & Joan offer.  Their 6th wedding fair was held last Sunday at The Centennial Centre in Birmingham.  I have to say that I was exhausted when my alarm went off at six that morning as the previous day had been manically busy & the last thing I felt like doing was packing the car up again & driving for an hour.  My aching feet, sore knees from wearing heels all day (I must be getting old!) & slightly fuzzy head all disappeared when I arrived at the venue.  Wedding fairs are such light hearted, happy events & I had a fantastic day sharing stories with exhibitors & talking with brides & their families.

 

 

It was great to see many familiar faces as a few of the exhibitors have shown with the company before, Meeni, Whimsical Wishes, Passion for Flowers, Cotton & Crumbs & Vintage Twee  were amongst the gorgeous companies showcasing their inspirational services & products. 

 

 

For the first time, I am Staggered were exhibiting.  I can’t imagine that many (or any!) men will be reading this blog, but for you brides who are, tell your man about this website & service.  Invaluable, funny & relevant advice for grooms-to-be.

The overall feel of all of Vintage Chic wedding fairs has always been to offer brides ”vintage with a modern twist” inspiration & ideas.  This is just our cup of tea.

The Centennial Centre was the largest venue the company had used & it was a big hit with everyone.  It was light, bright & airy & it was transformed once the exhibitors got to work with their gorgeous styling ideas.  Everyone had worked hard to promote the fair & as the doors opened at 11am, there was a steady stream of brides, grooms & their families.  Yey!!

There were demonstrations throughout the day, Le Keux Events & Sarah Russell were busy with hair & make up, Fishee Designs brought along a brilliant photo-booth with props, My Craftea Day got crafty, My Dance Birmingham showed us all how to do the balloon dance (well worth seeing!).  As always, Simon Partridge was there during the day singing, ensuring a mellow, relaxed & happy atmosphere.

If you missed attending the fair then you really did miss out as it was just fab.

 Looking forward to the next one!  xx

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Vintage Chic Wedding Fairs…

Good morning!  I have to say that I am still on a bit of a high after yesterday.  Susie from Vintage Chic Wedding Fairs got together a handful of glam ladies for a 1920′s/1930′s themed wedding shoot.  Darby & Joan were already styling the day and providing props but she was short of a model, so I graciously stepped in and spent the day being pampered and fawned over…it was tough, but I got through it!  Hope to have some images to share in the next couple of weeks.

Vintage Chic hold wedding fairs across the Midlands and their next extravaganza is on Sunday 22nd April at The Centenial Centre, Edgbaston, Birmingham.

I am a huge fan of this company, vintage with a modern twist is how they describe their events and they bring together the  finest selection of vintage and chic suppliers.  You don’t have to be dreaming of a vintage styled wedding to visit, any bride will find some gorgeous inspiration from the florists, stationers, photographers, cake makers & hire companies.  If you are a stylish bride, bridesmaid or mother of the bride (or groom) then you are sure to find something unique and special here. 

If you are a veteran of the standard wedding fairs and think you have seen it all before, then I can promise that you will be blown away by a Vintage Chic Wedding Fair.  I took my husband along to the first one I attended (as a visitor) and even he loved it!  And that is praise indeed.  Darby & Joan will be exhibiting there in April and I cannot wait.  I hope to see some of you there.

We have three tickets to give away for their fair in Edgbaston…all you have to do enter is pop by our Facebook page, “like” our page and email us your name, our email address is karen@darbyandjoanvintage.co.uk.  We will choose a name at random on 2nd April, so you will have plenty of time to receive your tickets.

All images provided by Theresa Furey Photography http://theresafureyphotography.co.uk/

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Corsets & Cake

“Our aim is the same for every client we meet – to create the most stunning, beautiful ‘total’ look- that captures the moment in time that is your wedding day but remains timeless in your mind for ever”.  That sums up the passion that Astra and Rachel have for their wedding company – Timeless Couture.

They offer beautiful bespoke pieces for the whole wedding party, from the foundation garments to the jewellery.

Timeless Couture dresses combine vintage inspired details with modern contemporary shapes – they really do have the most exquisite eye for detail and I feel confident in saying that they offer a unique service.

The girls were invited to join Not on The Highstreet after they were spotted during a Save the Date wedding show at the Roundhouse in Derby. This was a huge compliment and a real thrill as there are literally hundreds of companies who would love love love to be involved with such an amazingly successful and respected organisation. To be handpicked by them is, well, a big deal!

 

They were organising a photoshoot to showcase their beautiful corsets for Not on The Highstreet and asked Darby & Joan provide the props and to work with them on styling. 

It was named the Timeless Vintage tea party.  Photographs – Yvonne Lishman,  Styling and vintage props - Darby & Joan,  Flowers - Tineke, Cakes –  The pink Cake Box, Make up – Emma Wardman

Here are some of the photos.  Just gorgeous.

 

You will be able to meet Astra and Rachel and to swoon over their gorgeousness at the National Wedding Show at the NEC during 23rd, 24th and 25th March.

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Here’s one I made earlier…

I was recently asked to speak on local radio (which terrified me, but I got through it!) about the renewed interest in home baking and how John Lewis last year saw a whopping 480% increase in sales of cake stands.

Darby & Joan hire cake stands as part of our event hire business and we also make bespoke stands to sell.  A tiered cake stand piled high with sweet treats can make any table look elegant & can lift even the most humble shop-bought pastry into something worthy of a Parisian patisserie.

I have to say that the majority of stands currently for sale on the high street could be so much nicer, most seem to be made from cheap materials and by using uninspiring or ubiquitous patterns.  So, either buy a genuine vintage stand, buy one of ours or from a similar company to us, or have a go at making one yourself.  It is really simple, a few easy steps & you can have your own tiered cake stand, unique and designed by you. 

Stuff you will need:

- plates, I generally use a tea plate, followed by a starter plate & finishing with a sandwich plate or saucer on the top.

- a three-tier cake-stand fitting, I buy mine from eBay. You can find chrome fittings which are quite contemporary, gold filigree ones for a more traditional stand and I have recently found a supplier who has coloured ones which are lovely.

- a tape measure.

- a cordless drill with a 6mm diamond head drill-bit.

- a pencil

First wash and dry your plates and then measure the diameter using the pencil to mark the middle. 

I always drill my plates on top of an old wooden chopping board covered with a tea towel.  Its really important that the plate doesn’t slip.  A good tip is to pour a little bit of water onto your plate to keep it and the drill bit cool.  If they get too hot…disaster!

Slowly drill through the middle of the plate.  Take care when choosing your plates, any hairline cracks or chips can weaken the china and will result in…disaster!

When they all have holes in them, you can assemble the stand, starting with the bottom plate.  Put a washer onto the screw (I use flat bottomed ones as the other kind can poke out too much and you will have a little wobble on your stand), and pop the screw through the bottom of the plate.  Put a squashy washer on the top of this plate and screw on the cake stand fitting.  Simply repeat this until all three of the cake stand rods have been attached.

Thats it!

I make two tier stands, three tier stands, four tier stands and love putting a teacup on the top of some of them for an Alice in Wonderland syle finishing touch.  Perfect for sweets or little chocolates.  (although I have to say that someone once asked if it were an ashtray…words fail me!)

There, thats my Blue Peter moment then…

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Festive Cheer

Did you manage to pop down for some Christmas shopping this weekend at the Roundhouse? 

This special Christmas Market, organised by Deb who runs the pretty fabulous Fabulous Places, returned for a second year at the stunning Roundhouse on Pride Park in Derby.

 

Not just anyone could exhibit and sell there you know – only handpicked food and gift exhibitors are invited to attend this special event ensuring shoppers were very spoilt for choice.  The key thing for me is that there were so many local Derbyshire companies there, The Greenery who have beautiful flowers, wreaths and lots of festive decorations, Becky from Butterworth Photography was there showing her lovely relaxed portrait photography.  I loved the gorgeous vintage style wooden signs from Delightful Living and if you fancied something sweet, Button Bakery had the most fantastic French macaroons. 

It was lovely to see so many familiar faces there, both past customers and local businesses. Lavender Grey built the show stopping centerpiece for the weekend, Rosa Ribbons’ stall looked lovely and it was great to see Tattered Rose and their beautiful inspirational pieces again.

There were  festive workshops and demonstrations ranging from winter flower arranging to inspirational gift wrapping, a santa’s grotto (who I believe nearly had a beard malfunction) and a craft corner for the children.

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A bit of exciting news…

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