Wedding Post Boxes of Distinction

It happens quite often in the wedding industry when someone looks for something in particular for their wedding, they can’t find it so they make it and voila! A business is born.   Wedding Post Boxes of Distinction was founded for this reason and we’re delighted that they are exhibiting with us this Autumn.

Why did you start making your post boxes?

We didn’t know what wedding post boxes were until our daughter got married and asked
if I would make one for her and her fiancé. As I’ve spent a lifetime making things that
was no surprise, but I did have to ask what they were.
Having cleared that up I set about designing a box, as we’d heard stories about cardboard
post boxes being stolen at wedding receptions and knowing that they can contain a large
sum in money and gift vouchers I decided it had to be solidly built and lockable.
Being a big fan of all things Victorian I based the design on the original “Penfold” pillar
box, called after its designer, not Danger Mouse’s sidekick, but you see the connection.
Keeping the proportions right meant it did end up nearly 3 feet tall, but try sneaking that
out under your arm!
As I said I’ve spent a lifetime making things but I think the post box got more attention
then anything else I ever made. At the wedding reception I had to keep telling people
how I’d made it. It was still remembered and asked about months after the wedding
which leads us to where we are now.

Tell us about the different styles available
At the moment we have two basic designs, the Victorian and a smaller square design
which is based on the first London post box in 1855. This one doesn’t have a small door
on the back, the front opens and it comes with a shelf so that you can use it for storage
after the wedding.
You can get the post boxes in a range of colours, plain red naturally then with gold or
silver trim and in white or green again with or without trim. We can provide other colour
options.
What’s the most popular colour and design?
So far I think the Victorian design in white and gold is most popular, just ahead of the red
and gold.

Pollyanna Vintage

We really enjoy blogging about our exhibitors, especially when they’ve not exhibited with us before. We like to get to know them and what they do.  Equally interesting is why they started their vintage inspired business!

We caught up with Linda who is the owner and founder of Pollyanna Vintage,  a lovely vintage hire business based in the Staffordshire countryside with an enviable stock of props, bunting, games, china and table decor.

We asked Linda why she loves vintage and how her business started.

“Well, vintage is just an integral part of whom I am and where I’ve come from.  The influences of my childhood are memories of afternoon teas and dinners with beautiful china; not that I was participating, my father was the local game keeper so I was a total observer !! The impact though was very special and lasting.

I am fascinated by the history of these delicate fabulous pieces…. who owned and used them? Were they in a stately home or the ‘best’ china in a humble home ? Amazing they have survived. My favourite era is probably the early 1900’s for china; the quality of fine bone English china (made in Staffordshire of course!) is unbeatable. That said I collect so many different and quirky things from all ages….my latest is 1950’s baking, totally wonderful.

So, this really underpins why Pollyanna Vintage was born to share all this loveliness with those couples so in love with each other  and of course vintage.  My passion, creative flair and love of weddings are the perfect mix to ensure that special, unforgettable day is the most memorable day for you and all of your guests.  From china hire to cutlery, table linen to decorations, props to vintage games Pollyanna has everything for a totally vintage wedding or just a hint of vintage; put this together with my bespoke wedding planning service and you have the total package. “

We’re super excited about Pollyanna Vintage exhibiting with us on 22nd September – in the meantime have a browse round their website! www.pollyannavintage.co.uk

Dolly ~ The Vintage Ice Cream Van

As fas back as I can remember, the sound and melody of the ice cream van is something I will never forget. It reminds me of being a kid, the the summer in the late afternoon. I’m still partial to a strawberry split even now! There is also of course the iconic 99 with strawberry sauce of course.

This September we are thrilled to be joined by Dolly and her owner Charlotte who will be exhibiting on 22nd September 2013 at The Malmaison Hotel Birmingham.

Here’s a bit of info about Dolly by her owner Charlotte.

I’ve been running my cake business for nearly two years and I was keen to look for a way of adding something special and unique to the company. My friends at Vortex Creates are currently renovating a vintage caravan and I thought it would be a great idea to have something similar that I could hire out for wedding and events.

My family and boyfriend will tell you that I love ice cream more than anything! So it seemed a great idea to be able to offer ice cream as well as, or instead of cake, for weddings. I love cute classic vehicles and it wasn’t long before I spotted Dolly for sale. 

Dolly is a 1974 Bedford ice cream van. What’s really nice about her is that she’s completely original (she’s been loved and well looked after all her life), and luckily her blue exterior and red interior worked perfectly with the 1950s look I wanted to give her. So when she’s working she gets dressed up in lots of red polka dots, cute bunting and shabby chic accessories.

She’s based near Solihull and covers a 30 mile radius included within the all inclusive hire price. Or she can travel slightly further for a small travel cost. Dolly serves locally made luxury ice cream available in 50 flavours. Dolly adds a perfect fun vintage touch to any wedding or celebration. As well as ice cream she can serve cupcakes or even the wedding cake and she’s a great prop for photos. 

For more information or enquiries, please contact Charlotte www.dollyvintageicecream.com

Introducing the Something Borrowed Boutique {who love to spread vintage chic love}

Tori and Carly have been friends for nearly 20 years, meeting on the first day of secondary school and making a beeline for each other! Recently they founded The Something Borrowed Boutique and we’re thrilled that they are exhibiting with us on April 14th 2013 at The Malmaison Hotel in Birmingham.

So how did this gorgeous business start out?  We asked the girls Tori and Carly ….

Tori: Knowing each other such a long time means we know each other inside out. Carly was my Chief Bridesmaid and I’m so glad she was there in the morning when we were getting ready. She may not realise, but there was a point when the tears were close – I couldn’t put my earrings in! But she came upstairs at just the right time and sorted it. It may sound small (and make me seem like a nut-case) but its one of the special memories that I have from my wedding day. Plus she made sure I was dressed up as ‘Oops i did it again Britney’ rather than ‘Bald Britney’ on my hen party 🙂 x 

Carly:Tori keeps my head screwed on! I want everything to happen now whilst Tori makes sure that I take account of all the ‘boring’ bits, accounts etc! We are great friends with a determination to make weddings beautiful and common trait. 

 

The Story:

We both got married  last year and when planning we found it hard to design a day that looked as good as the magazines. We both wanted people to discover quirky, funny, pretty things throughout the day, rather than feel that they could be at absolutely anyone’s wedding. 

We set about designing our own things and whilst busily planning our own big days, decided we would also turn it into a business helping other people. 

Its so rewarding knowing how much our friends and family want to help us move our venture forward. Carly’s dad is a welder by trade and helped us design our amazing trees which we then set about buying tons of crystals for! 

A good friend helped us with our photo booth design, turning our idea into a reality. People have such fun with this at weddings and it stops your big day being to ‘stuffy’ and traditional. We cringe at gawdy weddings – the most modest of venues can be transformed with the right decoration. ALL weddings should look beautiful. 

We have lots more plans over the coming months – a vintage bike as a prop or to serve treats! 

Eric is our vintage car, a Rover 1963. Carly’s grandad had left it in an old lock up when he passed away. Some 12 years later we rescued and restored it. He has imperfections but is a true beauty.  

We just want to spread the love!! 

 

Come and see The Something Borrowed Boutique on 14th April 2013 at The Malmaison Hotel Birmingham. Purchase your tickets here.

 

Emily’s Best {confectionery & china hire}

The trend towards offering sweets at weddings is a long tradition and one that has evolved in recent years. Many weddings now feature a sweet buffet for guests but Emily’s Best takes this to a whole new level…..A complete sweet shop!

Emilys Best have exhibited with us a number of times now and their sweet shop is always very popular. Just imagine having your very own traditional sweet shop at your wedding! Their portable traditional sweet shop hosts a huge variety including all the bygone favourites. Gobstopper anyone?!

In addition to the wonderful sweet shop, Emilys Best also offers a wide range of vintage accessories for hire too with some examples on their website www.emilysbest.co.uk

We caught up with Ruth and asked her how she came up with the idea.Ruth said…

“The business originally grew out of our own wedding. When we couldn’t find what we wanted to make our day unique to us we set about making it ourselves; collecting all the vintage china, decorations and props and sourcing lovely sweetie jars to fill with goodies for our guests. Afterwards people kept asking us if they could borrow the china, one thing led to another and Emily’s Best China was launched in 2010. Then one happy day my husband Toby and I were sitting in our garden chatting about everything and nothing, and I told him that my favourite job I’d ever had before starting Emily’s Best was when I was 15 and worked in a sweet shop. A couple of days later Toby presented me with the initial drawings for his new idea – a pop-up sweet shop! I was so excited. He spent the next two months building it for me in his spare time; it was a real labour of love. We didn’t have a workshop at the time, so it was constructed in our dining room! We launched Emily’s Best Confectionery in Autumn 2011 and I was delighted to discover that people loved it as much as I did. It’s proved a real hit with our lovely brides and grooms, as well as being booked to appear at places as diverse as National Trust Coughton Court, Shakespear’es Globe theatre and for the BBC. We’ve been very busy and loved every minute of it, and it looks like we’ll be busy for a while yet as this year we’re building a second shop and developing some new lines of sweetie favours and gifts by post. “

We’re thrilled that Emily’s Best are joining us yet again at The Malmaison on 14th April in Birmingham. Come and meet Ruth and her team and enjoy some good old fashioned rhubarb and custard!

Photography (apart from last image) courtsey ofAnn Katherin Koch Photography

Lisa and Lee {photographed by Gemma Williams}

This wedding we’re about to show you is absolute Vintage Chic and the beautiful images were taken by Gemma Williams Photography.

It was a hard task to choose which images to show you as they are all just stunning and over flowing with inspiration.

Bride Lisa and Groom Lee  were married on 14th July this year at Hereford Town Hall followed by a reception at Lisa’s Stepdads’ home in a fantastic yurt.

Lee popped the question on the third anniversary of them being together and was a total surprise to Lisa who had no idea! Awwwww

Their wedding includes so many vintage chic features such as a 50’s inspired dress, birdcage veil, icecream tricycle and a convertible VW Beetle.

Take a look at these  images captured by talented Gemma Williams and see for yourself. You’ll be swooning like us. Promise!

Congratulations to Lee and Lisa. We wish you a lifetime of happiness together xx

Supplier List

• Cheltenham Yurt Hire: www.cheltenhamyurthire.co.uk
• Vivien of Holloway dress: www.vivienofholloway.com
• Pleasance and Harper jewellers: www.pleasanceandharper.co.uk
• Gemma Williams Photography: www.gemmawilliamsphotography.co.uk
• Herefordshire Premiere Hog Roast Company: www.herefordshirespremierhogroastcompany.co.uk
•  NSA Event Bars: www.eventbars.co.uk
• Saxtys Wines: www.saxtyswines.co.uk
• 5 Fish Entertainment: www.5-fish.co.uk
• Allstar Toilet Hire: www.allstartoilethire.co.uk
•  Bird Cage Veil: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MAZINGAZINGA-Fascinators-Accessories-Costumes-Bespoke/379611196513
• Hampton Hire (tables chairs etc): www.hamptonhire.com
• Icecream Tricycle: www.turnerstraditional.co.uk
• Convertible VW Beetle:  www.lovebusweddings

The Wedding Parlour

We are always overwhelmed at the amount of talent that lies within the wedding industry. More than ever before are people realising their talents and starting small businesses to fulfill the growing need for unique and quality wedding accessories.

One of our new exhibitors The Wedding Parlour is exactly that. Founder and designer Shirley has been successfully designing and making accessories for a long time but a few years ago, spurred by her daughter getting married and not being able to find anything she liked, she created a vintage inspired headpiece to compliment her Daughters dress.

So many people loved it that the idea to create The Wedding Parlour was born!

Shirley is inspired by a variety of different sources and she spends alot of time finding the right fabric, beads and lace. Everything she makes is hand produced with love, with inspiration influenced by Hollywood glamour and art deco styling.

Shirley has a brand new collection to showcase at our next fair and we cannot wait to see her creations! here are some previous designs for an idea of the type of stunning designs you can expect from The Wedding Parlour.

Get Knotted {Vintage Bridal Bouquets}

Our up and coming fair has attracted some amazing new exhibitors and we’re thrilled to introduce you to Lindsay of Get Knotted Vintage bridal Bouquets.

Vintage inspired bouquets, lovingly created with different upcycled materials such as buttons, necklaces and pearls have surged in popularity recently. Brides love the fact that they can keep them after the big day and that they can incorporate family heirlooms making them a one of a kind keepsake.

We’re looking forward to seeing Lindsays beautiful creations in the flesh next month and caught up with her briefly to describe her work.

‘I have been a wedding planner for the last 10 years based in the Scottish Borders, where I also offer freelance floristry services. Recently my love of vintage bridal bouquets has led to my creating more and more of them, and they need new homes!

Each element of my bouquets is hand-wired with vintage and/or vintage-inspired pieces, including up-cycled brooches, necklaces, lace, pearls, diamonte, feathers and more. Whilst the construction of each is similar and they follow one of several loose ‘templates’, each individual bouquet is truly unique. Unlike a traditional, fresh flower bouquet, these really do last forever and can become a wonderful heirloom piece.

So, if you are looking for an unusual alternative to a fresh flower bouquet, or you suffer from hayfever or you are getting married abroad and want to pop your bouquet on in your suitcase, take a look at the selection on offer in my shops www.notonthehighstreet.com/vintagebridalbouquets and www.etsy.com/shop/VintageBridalBouquet (no ‘s’)

I absolutely love what I do and am so happy to be part of Vintage Chic Wedding Fair.’

We’re really pleased to have Get Knotted on board our next event who will compliment our growing list of vintage inspired exhibitors. x

Vintage is all around us

There are some who say that vintage is on the way out. Over done. Falling out of fashion. It’s true to say that vintage inspiration has become more popular over the last 5 years and not just in the wedding industry. It’s filtered into our day to do lives in so many ways with marketeers even getting in on the vintage vibe (just take a look at all the ads on the TV and on packaging)

The term vintage it seems is applied to just about anything pre 1990 and is a broad term for inspiration that covers so many decades and eras.

You don’t have to look very far though to realise that vintage is all around us. It’s not a new fad of fashion at all as it’s always been here – and always will be.

One of the eras we love the best is the 20’s. Art deco and all that jazz. Soft curves and lines with distinctive typography that just oooozes glamour and sophistication. Just this week I was walking my little girl to school and noticed so much art deco around so I quickly captured it to make the point that vintage has always been in fashion.

Viva forever Vintage. We love you ♥

 

 

Say Hello to Buttercream & Dreams

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Buttercream & Dreams which is a new cake exhibitor who’ll be showcasing their beautiful cakes and styling services at our next fair October 21st.

A pre requisite for all our Vintage Chic exhibitors is passion and flair which Buttercream & Dreams has plenty of.

We caught up with Charlotte, founder of Buttercream & Dreams who told us :

‘As a little girl I loved nothing more than helping my mother stir the cake mixture and waiting eagerly by the Rayburn for that yummy piece of heaven. And so a lifelong passion for all things cake began. I have always baked and my afternoon teas have become a firm family favourite.  Although initially only a hobby I spent hours admiring decorated cakes and viewed them as a work of art. My real passion for decorating began when I purchased Peggy Porschens cake books. I was in awe and loved the colours and intricate flowers on her creations.  I spent time practising myself and then undertook a Sugarcraft course to further develop these skills. I loved it immensely and spent hours practicing roses and piping. I love watching and learning new techniques and am member of the Wychavon Sugarcraft Guild. I have so much fun cake baking and seeing a finished piece gives me so much pleasure.

 

Whilst cakes were my great passion, I spent 8 years working within the creative industry at one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. I was lucky enough to work on some fantastic brands and projects and I drew so much inspiration and motivation from the creative teams that I was lucky enough to work with.  One of my favourite things was organising events and photoshoots where I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic people and have developed a great list of contacts.

When I set up Buttercream and Dreams I wanted to combine my skills and the things I love so cakes and weddings were the perfect combination. I love nothing more than helping people come up with ideas and styling and seeing it all come together for that magical day. My favourite so far was a fantastic 50’s inspired village fete wedding that we organised last year. It was immense amounts of fun and I got so carried away with ideas with tombolas, bunting and wildflower. I even had my husband up late the night before the wedding constructing me a ‘splat the rat’ game! We had a cake baking competition and were overwhelmed with entries from all the guests which made for a fantastic alternative dessert table.

I have a love of all things vintage and pretty and have an ever growing collection of vintage tea cups and cake stands. I just can’t resist them! I take so much inspiration from their delicate patterns and pretty colours and love to use these within my designs. I often find myself making flowers for cakes based on a pretty cake plate or basing an event around a pretty tea cup. Add to that my collection of pretty table cloths, fabrics and prints and I have a never ending supply of ideas. I just don’t have enough time in the day to bake all the cakes I would love to make!

Above all I love helping transform people’s dreams in to a reality. Whether that be a pretty cake or a whole event. I just love it!’

Based in Worcestershire, Buttercream & Dreams not only create beautiful handcrafted vintage cakes but also provide an event organising service to help you style and theme your vintage chic wedding day.

You can meet Charlotte at our fair on 21st October 2012 at The Centennial Centre Birmingham and in the meantime why not stop by her website www.buttercreamanddreams.com