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Halfpenny London

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I have resisted until now writing about what I think is the most exciting purchase in planning your wedding. The Dress. This is the one day you get the chance to wear something truly magnificent that makes you feel like a million dollars. In this month’s Cosmopolitan Bride there are some fabulous dresses featured from the catwalks in New York for the 2011 bridal shows earlier this year. Whilst there are some aspects of the dresses available off the rails of bridal shops that you may like, there are probably some that you really dislike. Another option is to have a dress designed and made just for you, either by a family friend or a member of your family or you can seek out a designer to work with to produce ‘your dress’.

Kate Halfpenny is a wedding dress designer based in London. Also with many years experience as a celebrity stylist and an impressive academic portfolio in textiles and design, including a BA Honours in Fashion Marketing and Manufacturing and holds a prestigious MA in Design for Textiles Futures from Central St. Martins College, London.

As a child Kate Halfpenny grew up in a creative environment, her mother was a talented knitwear designer and her father was qualified graphics and craft designer. This led her to try many arts and craft mediums including pottery, printing, jewellery design and fine art before following her passion in textiles.

By 2000 Kate Halfpenny’s knowledge and passion for the history of fashion and her ability to turn an idea into reality meant she was in demand as a costume designer for many brands, including Pepsi, Honda, Ghost and Hugo Boss among others. Kate has also styled many celebrities including Twiggy, Shirley Bassey, Daisy Lowe and Pixie Lott and Emilia Fox has even modeled dresses on Kate’s website. Kate Halfpenny has also made a dress for Kate Moss to wear for her 35th birthday celebrations.

Yet even with celebrity credentials Kate Halfpenny can design and create a beautiful dress for you. From her London studio Kate offers a bespoke dress making service so that you really can have the dress that your heart desires.

All images are taken from Kate Halfpennys website www.halfpennylondon.com with her full permission.

Tiara Trauma

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As if you didn’t have enough decisions to make whilst planning your wedding you will have to think about what to wear on your head. For the groom this is fairly simple as most choose to avoid a hat unless you are having a grand affair and a top hat is required. Yet for the bride the decision about headwear is complicated and it is better not to choose a tiara before you have chosen your dress. However if you have chosen a vintage inspired gown then this headband from Chez Bec would be the perfect accessory.

Firstly a bride will need to think about how to wear her hair, up in a french pleat, half up or half down or fully down. Obviously this may depend on the style of dress you have chosen or you may have already chosen a beautiful tiara, like the slightly unusual motifs of pearls and crystals used in the design of the above tiara from Tiararama.

Whether you choose a tiara, hair slides or combs, veil or fascinator there is plenty of choice in styles available. Pearls are a traditional stone for wedding jewels and look great worn in the hair, as shown above in with the gorgeous tiara from Be Something New .

Yet you may want your headwear to add even more sparkle to your wedding day. Many jewellery designers can create bespoke tiaras, combs or headbands in a choice of Swarovski crystals to add colour to your day, as seen in the combs above from Tilley Jewels Bride.

Maybe pearls or crystals are not the look you are after but require a more dramatic statement piece. A fascinator is a great alternative to princess fairytale inspired tiaras, featuring feathers, netting and even pearls, crystals or rhinestones. Fascinators are also proving a popular choice for Mothers of the Bride and guests as an alternative to hats. Whilst you could stick to bridal creams and whites, a fascinator maybe your chance to add some drama, especially with this fabulous peacock feather fascinator from Nyjole J Walters Jewellery Design.

Beach Party

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We are in the height of Summer here in the UK and I know some of you are lucky enough to have year round sunshine. I am fortunate to live near to the beach and cannot think of a better theme for a party. Think of the fun you could have decorating the venue and choosing beach inspired treasures to incorporate into your day, like the fab cake topper above from Lollipop Workshop.

Choosing a theme for your wedding is probably the most difficult thing about planning your celebration. Perhaps you have a little gem of an idea but are not quite sure how to bring it to fruition or maybe you have chosen the most fantastic colour for your bridesmaids gowns and want to use this as the starting point. Maybe you just love starfish and want to use this as the starting point, like these gorgeous hair accessories from Dreams by the Sea.

Living near the sea or holding your wedding on the beach is the perfect opportunity to have a beach themed party. Maybe you will use bright orchids as the focal point for a tropical beach theme. The gorgeous pink orchid hair clips above from Blue Lovebirds would be a perfect accessory for the bride or bridesmaids hair, made from silk they definitely would not wilt on the day.

Another beach theme is a little more rustic and would be ideal if you are a fan of the shabby chic trend that is currently very popular. Napkins could be sewn in Cath Kidston ‘Boat‘ fabric, boat or fish shape chocolate favors could be made using a chocolate mould and the wooden fishes above, from Giddy Kipper, would make great decorations perhaps tied to the back of a chair or even in place of namecards for place settings.

By choosing a beach theme you are not limited to a particular colour or design, as you can see the beach really does inspire different ideas.

A Sparkly Proposal

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As this is the first of my posts about Handmade Weddings I thought I would start at the beginning of the wedding journey. The proposal. Maybe your new fiance surprised you with a truly romantic proposal or it was you who did the asking. In the first few weeks of excitement your head will swirl with the excitement of planning your wedding and being engaged. Of course the first thing to buy is an engagement ring, if a ring has not already been chosen.

Jewellery is such a personal style choice and an engagement ring is probably the most important piece you will ever choose. I always knew I wanted a single diamond but didn’t want yellow gold, so I had a clear picture in my mind of my engagement ring. There are many style choices from classic princess cut diamonds to more dramatic styles set with beautiful stones.

I chose the classic option, a single diamond set in white gold and it still looks beautiful today.

I remember a friend’s mum who had a large turquoise semi precious stone in a gorgeous setting. This ring was dramatic and a lot larger than a standard engagement ring but looked perfect on this woman’s finger as it truly reflected her personality.

Tradition suggests that a diamond is the stone of choice for an engagement ring, however it is perfectly acceptable for the bride to be to shy away from tradition. The first documented use of a diamond to signify an engagement was by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria in Imperial Court of Vienna in 1477, upon his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy.

By the mid 19th century engagement rings had become standard but diamonds were not common until the 1930’s. By the end of the 20th century 80% of American women chose a diamond.

Whilst it is easy to chose a standard ring in a jewellers shop there are some truly beautiful rings created by jewellery designers. Some of these designers can even help to create the ring you have imagined for many years. Therefore you could turn your back on tradition and have a showstopping ring that you know nobody else will own.

Silvia Campbell

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As a child my favourite story was a Grimm’s Fairytale, The Elves and the Shoemaker. I loved how the elves helped the man make beautiful shoes that would turn his life from rags to riches. Today, as an adult, I still love this tale and share it with my children. But in real life can shoes turn your life from rags to riches, maybe not, yet they can make a ‘fat’ day seem slimmer, as shoes will always fit even if you did eat an extra chocolate brownie.

After some searching I have found a shoemaker, who may wish upon a visit from the elves at her busiest times. Silvia Campbell designs and makes beautiful bespoke shoes from her studio in London. Her design career began with a degree from The University of the Arts, London College of Fashion which then led to work experience with John Lobb Ltd a company renowned for the finest hand made to measure shoes and boots. Silvia Campbell then progressed to work for a shoemaker in the dance world, Freed of London Ltd and learnt about making shoes that are strong and comfortable yet elegant and fashionable.

Maybe you had planned on splurging on a pair of Jimmy Choo’s for your wedding day but imagine having a pair of shoes made specifically for you, that fit perfectly and are completely unique. Silvia Campbell offers a bespoke design service for brides and understands the importance of the need for comfortable shoes to take you from the walk down the aisle through to dancing at midnight as you celebrate the most important day of your life.

When you commission Silvia to design and make your wedding shoes she will meet with you to measure your feet and discuss your ideas of the design you would like, assisting you in choosing the shoe shape and heel height. Silvia will use this information to create her initial designs and a specific price proposal before your second consultation. When you visit Silvia for your second consultation she will discuss the choices of the material for your shoes and it is also very important at this stage to share your opinions of designs presented to you. Unlike mass produced shoes, Silvia Campbell shoes are designed uniquely for you and you can say what you do and do not want.

Now that you have confirmed your designs Silvia will produce a mock up to ensure a perfect fit and for visualising the final design. However this mock up will not be in the material of the final design. This mock up pair will also be vital for you, as a bride, to take with you for dress fittings ensuring the hemline of your dress is set at the correct length for your shoes, as the mock up pair of shoes will be the correct heel height.

Once your shoes are made they will be ready for a final presentation for you and Silvia will also advise how to care for the shoes. Leaving Silvia Campbell’s studio with your own unique shoes for your wedding day would surely be a fairytale itself.

Beautiful bespoke shoes may seem like a luxury but imagine walking down the aisle in perfectly fitted, unique shoes. Art really is one of life’s essentials.