The National Wedding Fair - a fountain of inspiration!

Last Friday was the first day of the National Wedding Fair at Earl’s Court in London. The show, which lasted three days, was a brilliant display of all the wonders of wedding planning, and a feast for the senses!  Catwalk shows, make up and beauty demonstrations, fabulous wedding entertainers showing off their talents to all, and yummy pieces of cake to try out whereever you turned! Oh and I musnt forget the champagne bar! Yes - this is one fun event - even if you are already married , like me!  I came away with a bounty bag of fabulous make up which I am told was a real bargain, lots of great new contacts, and plenty of fresh ideas to share with Monica and Nat at the office, and  in case you weren’t lucky enough to go, perhaps I can offer you a little inspiration too!

Now, although we at Hour Weddings weren’t lucky enough to have a stand at the fair this year, we were nevertheless very well represented by the team in Gibraltar Goverment’s London office, who were flying the flag for Gib and showcasing all the reasons why the Rock is such a great wedding destination. As they were handing out Love Heart sweets to everyone, I could see that there was quite a bit of interest in our little Rock. So I happily wandered off to check out what’s new and what’s cool in the wedding scene.

Wedding Dresses - Looking around I saw shimmering wedding dresses everywhere. The diamante touches are very much in right now, and its all very tastefully done, so you don’t have to think that you are going to look like a Christmas tree if you go that way! There’s usually a little on the bodice, or on the straps, or on the waist. Its delicate and quite lovely. There was also a lot of lace, and some bridal stands had wonderfully romantic dresses. In fact, I think there is a move towards the more romantic style of dress, and why not?  Its wonderful!

Wedding Cakes - Moving on to one of my favourites, the wedding cakes. There was everything from the classically elegant three tiered cake with floral decorations, to the gorgeous monochromatic Art Deco style cake, and perfect sculptured cakes. (The roses cake is by Janet Mohapi-Banks). There were cheescakes - tiers of various cheese rounds as an alternative to the traditional wedding cake - and chocolate profiterole cakes - a wedding favourite. And of course, the current craze of cupcakes carries on (!) here with deliciously luscious looking cupcakes arranged in tiers, and made by companies that specialise in these gorgeous things! I personally think they are adorable, although a little more expensive than your traditional cake. But who cares! They are fabulous!  Finally, I came across one stand that took my breath away - Bedazzled Cakes - www.bedazzledcakes.co.uk create virtual masterpieces of cakes - check out the wedding dress cake here (yes it is a cake). They tell me these cakes take a very long time to make, but I can tell you they have definitely got that Wow factor!

Wedding Invitations - When you are shopping around for that perfect invitation you can be sure that youwill find something that defines you and your partner, and the image you want to present at your wedding. The wedding show had a host of wonderful companies that specialise in producing unique wedding invitations. There are invitations that allow you to have your photo on the front, as part of the design, and others with unique quotes and sayings - you could make up your own quote -  on the front. There are cards with ribbons and beautiful traditional designs, and others with more quirky touches. I’m listing a few sites here that took my fancy, they are worth checking out.

Love Wedding Print - www.lovewedding.print.com - is definitely different. A young company with a lot of original ideas, in my opinion!

Dottie Creations - www.dottiecreations.com - also took my fancy. Their designs were both colourful and different.

Planning a hen party? This was also the place for some great ideas, and event companies that specialise in hen and stag events - check out this hen party bus that took pride of place at the fair. I loved it! 

Wedding favours - as usual there were many companies showing their selection of wedding favours. Small coloured boxes tied with ribbon and flowers are everywhere, but they really come into the light when they become part of your theme. There are polka dot boxes, as well as plain ones, and there are many ways to personalise these ”take home” gifts. Add a little butterfly on the top of your box, or your favourite flower. All you need is a little imagination!

If you are looking to give those close to you something to remember the day by, then consider one of the many gifts around - personalised socks  for the groom, best man, and ushers. Or you could buy these special people cufflinks with best man, usher, groom’s father, bride’s father enbossed on them! They are fun and funky!  Companies are offering a wide range of gifts now, and we can source the best ones for you, if you like! 

There were many stands, some representing beautiful wedding destinations and others showcasing wedding jewellery, and yet others showcasing their wedding decor, and floral displays. I had a lovely afternoon wandering through these stands and being amazed at how important and colourful the wedding industry is today. There is truly something for everyone’s taste - the 2009 Wedding Fair proved that! -  and no excuse for you not to have that perfect wedding anymore!  Hour Weddings, of course, will help you make it happen!