Destination Wedding; Lorna and Chris's Beach Wedding in Kenya

Lorna and Chris Spencer  7th September 2012 Nyali Beach Mombasa Kenya  Wedding Reception Leeds UK
A wedding on the beach in the gorgeous sunshine sounds amazing right?  That's exactly what Lorna & Chris Spencer did for their big day!

Lorna and Chris decided to have their wedding in Kenya and their wedding reception in Leeds, UK. Lorna told me  'We decided to get married abroad as I'm originally from Leeds and hubby is from Durham where we now live. We looked logistically where we would get married. I have lived and travelled across the world so Leeds didn't feel particularly significant and neither did durham as majority of guests would be travelling from Leeds and would have children etc. Chris doesn't have much family and my parents have both been married 3 times so a traditional wedding didn't feel right with roles and responsibilities, trying to make sure everyone was included and no one had special treatment/involvement etc. We decided to just go away somewhere we have both wanted to go and have the wedding we dreamed if rather than what was expected and what was traditional.'   Very sensibly Lorna and Christ used a wedding co-ordinator to help them plan the wedding and booked the ceremony & reception via Thomas Cook. This meant they could relax and not have to spend hours chasing up invoices & suppliers!  

She then told me how they went about planning a destination wedding 'It could have been difficult organizing the wedding as we arranged it from Durham, had wedding in Kenya and reception in Leeds. We didn't have any worries with Leeds reception because my mum was able to act on my behalf with suppliers when I was in Durham and we had a wedding coordinator who dealt with our plans for our Kenyan ceremony and reception. I also did LOTS of research before booking anything so knew what was expected and what I wanted and needed to do. I feel like we got the best of both worlds because we got married in a relaxed environment, enjoyed every second and didn't worry about big crowd, saying the wrong words, falling over etc. when we came home for our UK reception we were so happy that we were finally married that we enjoyed every second from start to finish. I think we probably enjoyed it more because we had chance to reflect from the ceremony and Kenyan reception and played DVD for our guests. It was like doing it twice. Telling everyone stories and sharing the memories over and over again.'

A theme with Lorna and Chris's wedding was the personal DIY touches and as Lorna is a very crafty person she preferred to hand-make things herself! She also found making them herself gave her the freedom of getting exactly what she wanted and she enjoyed the trial and errors of deciding.  She now has bits and pieces from her wedding dotted around her and Chris's home, 2 candle center pieces in their bathroom and kitchen! 

I just HAD to ask about their wedding cake, I fell in love at first sight! 'Our cake was a custom made design by ADC cakes in Leeds. We discussed exactly what we wanted, took samples of the ribbon and material we were using for invitations and throughout the wedding. Ashleigh who made our cake was amazing!! Couldn't have asked for anything better. I had always wanted a rainbow cake because I LOVE rainbows and bright colors (hence the yellow wedding) lol - it was a brilliant surprise to all our guests when we cut our cake. Exactly the reaction I wanted -everyone loved how it looked and even more how good it tasted!'

Wedding Details
Couples Names; Lorna & Chris Spencer Wedding Date; 7th September 2012 Reception Date; 22nd September 2012 Locations; Nyali Beach Mombasa, Kenya & Corn Mill Lodge Leeds, UK. Photographer; Renson A Adoyo, Kenya & Darius Nowak, UK Transport; Camel, Kenya & Vintage VW Beetle, UK. Flowers;  Locaal Supplier, Kenya & DIY flowers brought via Country Baskets Flower Wholesaler, UK Decorations; DIY by Bride & family I'd like to say a massive thank you to Lorna and Chris for sharing their gorgeous wedding with me! I fell head over heels in love with so many details of this wedding!

My Wedding Dress & I

I got married back in October 2012, and it was everything I'd hoped it would have been.

 

 

 

When I say it was everything I'd hoped, I mean I want to do it all over again. Now, now now now!

I adored getting married, I loved the experience, the nerves, the panic, the sheer thrill of seeing everything that I'd been planning for, come together in one huge larger than life day.

Don't get me wrong, looking back it was horribly stressful, expensive and at sometimes a total headache but anything that's worth having is definitely worth fighting for!

 

After the horror of the registry office interviews to give notice of marriage (and wondering if what I just told them was actually his birthday) it still hadn't really sunk in. It was all just paperwork, figures and pretty things in photos. What I didn't know was the huge and wonderful world that is the wedding industry.

 

I remember going to a wedding dress fair for a closed down business and instantly falling in love with this white dress with diamantes and pearls all over it. Literally everything I said I didn't want and there it was, layers of tulle and glitter and a corset I could barely breathe in. Sadly it was a few sizes too small and I was a fair few stone heavier than I am now.

 

So heartbroken I continued on my wedding journey and what a rollercoaster ride that turned out to be.

I found myself in a wedding dress shop that will remain nameless, looking for a dress similar to the one I fell head over heels for and to be fair I found one that was pretty close. I tried it on and it was perfect; only problem being it was £1000 over my budget.

Now unfortunately that is where my wedding dress shopping ended for me in this nameless shop. I was simply told 'Well there's no point in looking at anything else now and it won't compare' even though she knew I couldn't afford the dress, she wasn't even willing to help me look for something in my price range.

 

Two weeks later I found myself in gorgeous little Victorian style wedding dress shop, by appointment only. The sales woman started by asking what I was looking for and what my budget was, a completely different approach to the nameless shop!

She then pulled out every single dress in my price range and told me to look through them.

 Then I spotted it.

 Almost identical to the one I had fallen so much in love with, only better.

It was the only dress I tried on that day and it was almost a fight to get me out of it.

 

Fast forward six months to when I got the phonecall.

You know the one that gives you butterfly's and instantly makes you feel sick all at the same time.

My dress was ready.

 

I made an appointment with the seamstress for a week later and then I found myself in a tiny work room with my perfect dress.

3 appointments later it was done, it fitted like a glove & I was the happiest girl in the world.

 

Now I haven't sold my wedding dress, I keep wanting too but something just keeps holding me back. I mean I know I'll never get to wear it again and I know that not only will it now be huge but I just can't seem to part ways with it.

 

One of the most embarrassing but memorable moments I have of my dress is having to pee!

Now I know this might be TMI but I'm sure I'm not the only bride who has had this problem and to be perfectly honest I didn't even think about it before the day!

 

 

 

So I realised I had to pee during our wedding breakfast so off I pop to the ladies. Only to discover my perfect dress is HUGE and I can't even fit into the toilet stall.

Subtly I walk back to the head table and grab two of my bridesmaids, then off we go on a mission. Eventually we find a disabled toilet and then I realise I can't even get to the toilet without someone holding my dress. Yup, you can see where this is going.

BOTH my bridesmaids ended up holding my dress up so I could go. To add insult to injury one of my lovely ladies then says oh you have a twig stuck under here and goes to get it out......

It was a branch. And I mean a whole tree branch and not a particularly small one at that!!!

 Somehow an entire tree branch had got stuck in the tulle and was completely unseen until that moment.

 

Another memorable moment for me was getting that dress off! By the end of the night, I was tired, I hurt from the corset and I was so desperate to get into my PJs I would have done just about anything to get it off!

 

All in all though I adored my wedding dress. As I said before I can't bear to part with it so I think somewhere deep inside I still love that dress as much as I did the day I picked it up.

 

I know from my experience you will go into some shops and leave feeling deflated and uninspired but don't give up! The perfect dress is there, you just have to find the right person to help you get there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Wedding Show London

Today I spent the day with hundreds of brides and grooms to be at the wedding wonderland that is The National Wedding Show.

When you walk in your hit with glittering dresses, goodie bags filled with treats and more wedding inspiration than you can shake a stick at!

The first thing I had to go and watch was the Wedding Attire Catwalk and I'm so so pleased I did! There were 10 themes such as Carnival, Masquerade and City Chic, all of which had various different wedding dresses and suits (yes grooms, they even cater for you!). From the more traditional to the dip-dyed beauty's of tomorrow all available from designers such as Justin Alexander, Nigel Rayment and Ivory & co!

They key word for this seasons gorgeous styles has to be detail. Perfect laces, bows, plunging backs and gorgeous embellished belts!

After spending 20 minutes drooling over the attire I made my way across Olympia and sat in on Bride De Force's Top 10 Planning Tips. A brilliant easy to digest 20 minutes of top planning tips and easy to follow advice, well worth a sit in! You even get a gorgeous coin free from Potcakes Weddings!

 

 

I finally decided to have a walk around and see what was for offer! With over 250 stalls I was definitely spoilt for choice, there's even a Vintage area and a gorgeous Champagne Bar!

No matter if your having a traditional wedding or something more modern the National Wedding Show is definitely the place to be!

 

 

 

 

 

 Be sure to check out the Essie Nail Bar while your there, there's a free buff and polish for every purchase plus you get a free Essie Nail Varnish in your goodie bag, along with loads of other great products! Don't forget to check out You & Your Wedding Stands too! For just £5 you get two magazine's that would normally costs you over £7 plus goodies! Pamper while looking for wedding inspiration!

As if that wasn't enough, there's also a huge Bare Minerals stall!

 

 

   

 All in all, the National Wedding Show is a must have for everyone and anyone planning their wedding! Be sure to get your tickets and get yourself down there, as it's still running in London until Sunday 23/02/14 then it hits Manchester & Birmingham! Don't worry if you can't make it this month, The National Wedding Show is back in September & October, happy days!!

www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk/

 

 

 

Featured Supplier - Galaxy Rox Jewellery

Our featured supplier today is Galaxy Rox Jewellery, an independent online jewellery store that sells Amethyst and Gemstone jewellery sourced from around the world.

 

 

 

 

When did you start Galaxy Rox & why?

Galaxy Rox Jewellery was launched in November 2013 by myself, Rox :) I'm a
26 year old, heavily tattooed lady. I had studied Fine Art at University
and like many students landed myself a job after university which I had
no interest in and was working purely to pay the bills! I was made
redundant last summer by the said company whom I had worked for, for 4
years and was completely lost on where to go with life. I majorly
struggled with depression and huge anxiety after being made redundant
and was at pretty much the lowest point of my life, the only thing I
really had to get me through was my love of accessories and crystals.
After much research and a lot of encouragement and help from my family,
friends and fiancé, I took the brave step of launching my own online
jewellery business! That was pretty much the birth of GalaxyRox!

Where do you get your inspiration for your designs from?

All of our pieces are sourced from suppliers around the world, I work
closely with all of our suppliers to source new and exciting pieces and
cherry pick jewellery that I feel represents the GalaxyRox brand. We are
currently working hard to start producing our own designs which we will
hopefully launch in the near future  I wanted our customers to be able
to shop quirky, alternative crystal and gemstone pieces at a competitive
price. I have a massive love for fashion and feel accessories can make
an outfit. I noticed whilst researching that lots of the younger
generation had become interested in the holistic energy of crystals and
their properties.


What advice would you give someone who is purchasing their first item from Galaxyrox?
I like to think that crystal and gemstone jewellery usually chooses the
customer! So go with what your eye is drawn to, and don't be afraid of
colour. As clichéd as it sounds, you do only live once so embrace what
you love and be yourself. All our pieces come with a hand stamped cotton
drawstring jewellery pouch and a personal note. I want our customers to
feel special every time they make a purchase from us.

 

 

 

 

Personally I can't help but fall in love with Galaxy Rox, gorgeous colours & beautiful gemstones... what's not to like?!

 

Rox's love can be seen throughout the range of products she offers and her customer reviews & feedback which can be found on Instagram, speak volumes!

 

Why not have these as your wedding jewellery or that little gift for you gorgeous bridesmaids?

 

Fallen in love with Galaxy Rox Jewellery? Check them out on;

 

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Galaxy Rox Website

 

 

Blue Crackle Quartz Pendant

Rough Garnet Ring

Druzy Purple Ring

Triangle Druzy Pendants

Spring Brights

Spring 2014 is on it's way! Today the sun is shining & all I can think about is the gorgeous bright spring colours.With neon's being this springs colour trend here's a few easy idea's of how to get a pop of colour into your big day!

1. Monsoon Dallas Bridesmaid Dress in Coral £109.00

2. Escada Sunset Heat Perfume £35.08

3. Bank Fashion Patent Clutch Bag £20.00

4. Crown and Glory Whole Lotta Rosie Headband in Icecream £20.00

5. Laura Mercier Lip Colour in Haute Red £20.00

6. Wedding Bells Biscuit Selection at Harrods £30.00

7. Topshop Nailvarnish in Ruthless £5.00

8. Blue Faux Suede Platform Shoes by AX Paris £33.00

9. Silk Bridal Wedding Bouquet by Blue Eyes Bridal on Etsy £46.00

10. Tiffany & Co Soleste Earrings £4,475.00

 

Why not try bright coral nails, or setting off that gorgeous gown with a bright pair of killer heels? It is your big day after all!

Weddings - The Groom Edition

Ever wondered what the groom thought of the big day? Here at Cherry Bomb Weddings we wanted to get both sides of the story so we asked a groom who got married back in 2012!

Hi Stewart!

So how involved were you in your wedding planning?
I was fairly involved with the planning of the wedding or so I like to think, at the end of the day what ever the wife wanted, she got!

Did you attend any wedding fairs?
I really enjoyed going to wedding fairs, well the first few anyway. We we're going to 1 a week at one point however I did find a magician inspired by the Gavin and Stacy TV show though so that was an upside.
All the free cake as well!
There is some downsides and that's how pushy some of the venders can be, and it really is aimed at the women, take the wedding dress fashion shows, not a man there of his own free will I'm sure, I even went off for a stroll and a beer when I was taken to one.

Overall they did help, even if its just to get some sort of an idea of what's out there.


If you could do it differently what would you do?
I wouldn't pay the amount I did for the balloons, we should have researched who we used in more depth. They weren't very professional and turned up when they felt like it on the morning of the wedding.
I'd also probably use a different suit hire shop, the one we chose made so many mistakes and at one point even blamed me for loosing a suit when a member of their staff hadn't even given me it!

Best bits?
The stag do was interesting, buying my wedding ring from The Great Frog and our cakes made by Laura from Cupcake-a-licious were amazing.

Did you and your bride have any arguments?
The venue choice, the welcome drinks and the first dance all caused some heated discussions. There's just so much choice and everyone gives you their opinion, in the end we ignored everyone's advice and just chose what made us happy.

Stag Do - is it as bad as every Bride imagines?
I had a pretty mellow one, headed back to my home town in Wiltshire for a meal and a lock in. At the end of the night I was in the best shape by far, one person was so drunk he was put in a taxi and sent home to his poor girlfriend and another fell out of a door, with a pint of beer and somehow didn't spill a drop! We thought he had possibly died the next morning as no one could wake him up in his hotel room.

The Wedding Dress - is it worth the hype?
They are defiantly worth the money! I got a little choked up when I first seen the wife walking up the aisle.

What's your opinion on the wedding industry?
It's too bride orientated! There's bridal fashion shows, hair and makeup trials, shoes, tiaras..... yet not a lot for the groom. There's no male based wedding magazines or fashion shows! If your lucky you might get half a page in a bridal based magazine on groom fashion but that's pretty much it.
I know weddings are generally the Brides big day but it's our day too!

General overall feelings -  Would you do it again?
I would do it all over again, I had an amazing time. It's worth all the stress and arguing over what to put in favour boxes!

Any advice for husbands to be?

Yes! - Happy Wife, Happy Life!

Wedding Details

Venue - Glenmore House

VW Camper Van - Buttercup Bus

Wedding Dress - Cloud 9 Bridal

Suits - Moss Bros

Cupcakes - Cupcake-a-licious

Photographer -Jane Alexander

Bridesmaid Dresses - Ebay

Tiara - Wedding dress fair