.andi + jarrett, i love you

.Love is a funny thing. Sometimes it grows gradually and sometimes it is instant. When I saw Andi + Jarrett's wedding on 100 Layer Cake this week my heart skipped a massive beat. It was total and utter love in an instant. Let me take you though the reasons why:

.Bride wearing the same wedding dress as me, 'Faun' by Temperley London (mine is dove gray) - check!

.Bride, like me, opting for vintage fur bolero at summer wedding - check!

.Vintage sparkly bag (I am not even sure when I am going to carry mine but I have one anyway) - check!

.Hip, non-ugly bridally, shoes (she wore YSL, I have silver Louboutins) - check!

.Super chilled getting ready vibe - check!

.The amazingly talented one and only Max Wanger, my absolute favourite US based wedding snapper, to cover the day - check!

.Attention to detail - check!
Note: the fur stole doing its thing on a hot summers day. I am feeling less silly about mine now - it is going to look chic like Andi's (*crosses fingers and hopes!)

.Groomsmen in bow ties! I would so do this if I was in charge of our boys - alas I am not.

.Beautifully mis-matched, yet matching bridesmaids - check!

.Personalised wedding ceremony - check!

.Sartorially exceptional guests - check!

.1920s diamond ring (mine is 1920s Viennese Art Deco) - check!

.Famous friends to play music at your reception - check!

.Bride changing into amazing dress for the reception/dancing - check!

.To my dismay, this seems to have been deemed my most controversial wedding decision so far. I don't care how silly it sounds, I am having two dresses!

.Initially it was going to be a gorgeous Kenzo dress from work but I was not in the office on the sample sale day and lost out (I speak of samples because I am a fashion PR - I figured one of you MIGHT have been interested). So now it is going to be an original 1950s dress I found in Vienna for 2 Euros - yes, really, TWO Euros!

.Dancing the night away to great (non-cheesy) music - check!

.Seriously, this wedding, what's not to love?

For better details of what really went down at Andi + Jarrett's wedding please check out 100 Layer Cake, Max Wanger blog and the Flashdance blog. All photos by Max Wanger.

.mood boards

source . design concept: timeless elegance by zoe lingard

.I love mood boards. Unfortunately I do not have the time or computer skills to make my own. Thankfully wonderful bloggers like Snippet & Ink and Zoe Lingard do beautifully inspiring boards regularly! I have saved around 80 mood boards from various blogs which I adore into my wedding file but here is a selection of the boards which inspire me the most at the moment.

source . board #231: turquoise opulence by snippet & ink
.Firstly, I want our wedding to have a kind of vintage timeless elegance which is why I love Zoe Lingard's Timeless Elegance board. I would hate to look back on our photos in 15 years time and cringe at how dated they look. Our current top choice of venue (I'm keeping that a secret for now) has a private dining room with a gorgeous bluey-green art deco interior. So I am thinking of adding some turquoise to my initial choice of a black and white colour scheme in order to complement this. Snippet & Ink's Turquoise Opulence board sums this up perfectly.

source . board #34: gatsby by night by snippet & ink
.Of course art deco style is very important to us so whatever colour scheme we settle on our wedding will hopefully have enough nods to this era to give off a vintage 1920s to 1930s feel.

source . board #29: city hall champagne chic by snippet & ink

.We are trying to have a city chic wedding. It will hopefully be quite low key (cheap!) and feel modern and urban as well as vintage (hence my moniker). I love the way this mood board celebrates the city without losing the romantic feel. I especially love the photo of the bride and groom on the tube in the second row. It reminds me of these photos (at the bottom of the post) by Marianne Taylor of guests traveling between the wedding venue and reception venue.

source . design concept: vintage blush by zoe lingard
.This board has clips from Ed & Ginny's wedding but that isn't the only reason I love it. The parasol the bride is holding in the top right hand corner reminds me of parasols which Dr.D and I have in our flat from our time living in Tokyo. Our time in Japan is an important part of our history so I would like to have a few nods to that in our wedding too. Also, note the photobooth in the top left hand corner - we are definitely planning to have a photobooth!

source . board #254: le rouge baiser by snippet & ink
.My wedding shoes have big red hearts on them. I am definitely not a cutesy hearts kind of girl. However I think that the one day when a woman can indulge her inner romantic is on her wedding day, so why not have a few heart motifs running through our wedding style? It is a day all about love after all.

source . design concept: london by zoe lingard

.I am a London girl. Born 'n' bred. London is not just my home town it is also one of my greatest loves. Despite having lived in numerous cities around the world this city always feels like my place. Although not at all a traditionalist I also like the idea of following the tradition of holding a wedding in the bride's hometown - so we will wed in London. And the city's iconic style will be sure to influence our day.

.So, lots of various moods, styles and snippets of inspiration but it all sort of makes sense in my head and hopefully it will all come together on the day!

.All of the mood boards on here have extensive credits to the images on the original pages where I found them. So, if there is something you have seen and would like to find please just click on the link under the mood board.

.vanity fair

source . vanity fair
.I love this Vanity Fair photo. It encompasses everything which is glamorous and sexy about 1930s style.

.i love ginny & ed

source . josh goleman via once wed

.I don't usually post lots of photos from real weddings but some weddings are so incredibly beautifully awe-inspiring that to only post a few photos could never do it justice. Ed & Ginny's 1920s styled wedding embodies this perfectly. The photos were all taken by Josh Goleman. The guests all joined in with the theme and wore 1920s outfits and the whole day was clearly filled with so much love...

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

.Ginny's bridesmaids look perfect. Their matching - but not matching - dresses complement hers so well without making everyone look like an identikit clone. I really think in this day and age styling bridesmaids with more individuality works so much better and looks so much more beautiful and stylish.

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

.Isn't Ginny's dress and shrug spectacular? I really don't understand why more women do not think outside of the conventional box and pick a dress which suit their personal style for their wedding day.

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

.Josh Goleman is clearly an incredibly talented photographer. If you are lucky enough to live in NYC book him for your wedding! I would, but I live in London...

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

.Instead of having a boring standard guest book the bride and groom asked guests to write their wishes on a piece of vintage fabric. The pieces would then be sown together to make quilt - their very first family heirloom.

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

source . josh goleman via once wed

.They also had a 'photobooth' which Dr D. and I will definitely be having. We both love photgraphy so it is really important for us to have that as part of our wedding.

source . josh goleman via once wed

.Not only were their photos stunning Josh Goleman also made them a beautiful video too. Enjoy!

.This wedding has given me a lot of inspiration. It also gives me a lot to consider:
Should my two bridesmaids wear identical dresses or different yet similar dresses?
How strictly should I stick to the vintage theme when it comes to attire?
Should the groom and groomsmen dress in vintage style too?
Should I stick to the 1930s art deco period religiously?
Or allow myself to slip into a bit of late 1920s flapper style?
Should I ask guests to dress in period style too?!