Bristol Wedding News: February 2013

Monday, 25 February 2013

Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair

Sunday 10th March, also know as Mothers Day...don't forget now!) sees some of the South Wests' top vintage wedding suppliers head to Clifton Pavillion at Bristol Zoo to attend the annual Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair. It is an invitation only event for suppliers which guarantees a top quality selection of products and services on offer for the discerning bride who wants a pretty vintage inspired day.

The fair is organised by Bristol Vintage who specialise in organising vintage events and hiring out gorgeous vintage tableware and props such as original Babycham glasses and pretty china. The organisers say,

"Exhibitors will be displaying original, vintage items as well as vintage inspired pieces.
The Fair will appeal to brides who want a full vintage wedding, and to those who just want something that little bit special."

Many of the great exhibitors have been featured on Bristol Wedding News, such as Bridezillas, The Little Wedding Helper, Chocolate Delores, Flo Jo Boutique, Shellac Sound, The Wilde Bunch, Sweet & Pretty and Rachel Goodchild Designs. Here is the full list of suppliers who will be there,

Alexandra King Bridal

A Suit That Fits

Babes in the Woods

Beehive Brides

Britten Weddings

Charlotte Smith for the Bride

Chocolate Delores

Cool Classy Campers

Cox & Baloney

Custard House Clothing

Dawn Wilkins Photography

Fishee Designs Photo Booth

Flo-Jo Boutique

Jo Hansford Photography

Kye Tew Jewellery

Lilac Hour

Lilygrace Originals

LK Bespoke Bridal

Meticulous Ink

Miss Jones Lingerie

Piece of Cake

Pretty Amazing Cakes

Rachel Goodchild DesignsShellac Sound

Sweet and Pretty Candy Buffet

The Dandy Cabin

The Little Wedding Helper

The Marionettes

The Wilde Bunch

Til There Was Uke

Tricia DesignsYour Unique Scrapbook

Entry to the fair is free and it runs from 10am to 4pm. You can read the great blog about all of the exhibitors to find out more.

Read all about last years Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair here

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Free Wedding Planning Guide

Sweet & Pretty Weddings are offering a free 35 page wedding planning guide to all Bristol Wedding News readers. The illustrated book offers tips on all areas of planning an amazing wedding from getting started to budgets, food and drink ideas and tips for choosing photographers and suppliers.

It can be instantly downloaded in PDF format by signing up here.

Download Your Free Planning Guide

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Make sure to check out the Wedding Planning Tips page for lots of useful wedding planning articles from Sweet & Pretty Weddings.

Monday, 18 February 2013

Tantums & Tiaras New Collection

Today I am delighted to share the new "Kismet" collection from Tantrums & Tiaras, which is perfect to add that grand final touch to your special day’s ensemble. All of their gorgeous pieces are designed and entirely handmade by Designer/Director Kelly Scully using wire weaving and hand stitching.

The Kismet collection has a slightly different feel from previous collections as it does not follow a set era or style but is more of a concept that encompasses a vision of a secret garden and the magical world hidden within. Inspired by the current bridal fashion of lace, flowers and feminine shapes the new Kismet collection holds a perfect piece for any bride.

Imagine luscious foliage, spiralling vines, sumptuous florals and of course, a butterfly or two all made with a beautiful mix of diamantes and Swarovski pearls and crystals. The new collection also features the Molly range based on sparkling silver stars.

You can view the collection soon here or pop into local stockist Bridezillas Boutique in Keynsham.

Thursday, 14 February 2013

Sweet & Pretty Weddings

Happy Valentines Day everyone. Today is a personal post on a day of love and a day of happiness for me as I am officially relaunching my business following taking some time out to be a mummy to my new baby and my gorgeous toddler. While I have been away from the wedding industry for a bit it gave me time to think about what I have learnt over the past couple of years about what brides want on their special day and how I can appeal more to the Bristol wedding market.

There are a lot of couples locally who are looking for a certain feel for their wedding. They want it to be beautiful, fun, individual and to reflect who they are as individuals. They like vintage and whimsical inspired weddings with lots of gorgeous touches that their guests will adore. In essence they are looking for gorgeous products that will make their wedding sweeter and prettier and hence Sweet & Pretty was born.

The new website is unashamedly pink and polka dotty pretty and showcases the things I have brought with my from the two businesses I have merged together. I got into candy buffets as a bit of a whim because I loved them myself and they really took off under Bristol Candy Buffet. Now Sweet & Pretty takes them to a new level with much more design led and styled candy buffets with a large range of backdrops, props and printables.

I have added a range of personalised favours to appeal to those seeking a DIY feel but lacking the time or energy to make their own. I have also added some sweet apothecary jars and birdcages that can be hired and one clever bride has already found these online and ordered the birdcages for her August wedding before I've even launched them officially.

I have really enjoyed helping couples to plan their weddings at How 2 I Do Wedding & Event Planning so I am still offering Full and Partial Wedding Planning, On the Day Wedding Coordination and Venue Styling. If you are looking for a wedding planner covering Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Gloucestershire, please to book a free consultation.

My favourite new thing has to be the vintage sweet shop that you can hire for your wedding. How would you like a vintage sweet shop at your wedding just for you and your guests with 20 jars filled with the nations favourite sweets like cola bottles, chocolate limes, fruit salads, bon bons, pineapple cubes and many more. The sweet shop is light and very flexible so it works with any venue. It also has vintage weighing scales to give your guests "a quarter of" their favourite treat, a smiling assistant to serve and lots of vintage props to choose from.

I will be bringing the vintage sweet shop, some favours and some birdcages to the Chipping Sodbury Wedding Fair on the 24th February and will also be exhibiting at the Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair at Clifton pavillion on the 10th March so please come and say hello or take a look at my website.

Steph Allison
www.sweetandpretty.co.uk

Friday, 8 February 2013

Advertise your wedding business

If you are a Bristol wedding supplier looking to reach more customers, an advert on the Bristol Wedding News side bar is a great way to promote your business and will be seen up 6000 times per month by our readers, who are local brides and grooms as well as wedding suppliers. In January 2013 the blog was viewed 6213 times.

If you decide to advertise you will also be featured on the blog with links to your site and on facebook and twitter.

Bristol Wedding News is great for search engine optimisation as it is packed full of terms relevant to Bristol Weddings and a feature can often put you on page one of google for your keywords.

We have now introduced shorter packages and new advertising rates for 2013 so you can try an advert without a major financial commitment.

1 Month (30 days) £7.50
2 Months (60 days) £12.50
3 Months (90 days) £15.00

To advertise you just need to send a rectangular advertising image which should be landscape and 280 width X 175 height pixels. I can also help design an advert if you don't have one. If you are interested in advertising, please email e

Monday, 4 February 2013

Dates For Your Diary

Don't forget to check out the weddings fairs and events page regularly for the latest fairs in the Bristol area. February sees two of the largest Bristol wedding fairs with West Weddings and Wedding World both taking place.

There is also the opportunity to visit the gorgeous historic market town of Chipping Sodbury to meet 50 suppliers. Why not make a day of it and visit the lovely shops and cafes too after having a look around the 15th century Town Hall.

Town hall, Chipping Sodbury

West Weddings Show: Sunday 10th February 2013 10.30am - 4pm. Entry: £3 per person or £5 per couple. Free parking. Held at The Post and Dolman Exhibition Hall, Bristol City Football Ground, Ashton Gate, Bristol.

Wedding World Novotel, Sunday 17th February 2013, 11am to 3pm. Free admission and free glass of wine or squash for all visitors. Brides also receive free chocolate and wedding magazines. There is also a prize draw for all brides.

Chipping Sodbury Wedding Fair: 24th February 2013, 12pm to 4pm, fashion shows at 1pm and 3pm, Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury.

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