Loving these vivid purple bouquets

Bouquet by Kate Hill Flowers, Bouquet by Brides In Bloom

Bouquets by Kate Hill Flowers

At 50,000 euros, or nearly $79,000, for a case of 12, the Perrier-Jouet has launched a new concept- design your own premium champagne!

Launched last week, the concept takes the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2000 vintage as the base, buyers will be able to work with the cellar master Herve Deschamps in a workshop session to create a  case of wine which will be aged within the historic caves of Maison Belle Epoque in a spot dedicated just for it.

“Perrier-Jouet has always placed innovation, integrity and quality at the heart of its undertaking,” says Olivier Cavil, Director of Communication for Perrier-Jouet. “Since the beginning, the House has worked with small volumes in limited production with a dedication to the art of Champagne creation. The custom Champagne personifies this philosophy.”

The price includes a visit to the Maison Belle Epoque, Perrier-Jouet’s private guesthouse situated on the legendary Avenue de Champagne and the buyer will co-sign the bottles with the cellar master for authenticity. Only a few countries will be privilege to this release, so for Aussies, a plane trip might be in order too.

The signature clear bottle was designed by émile Gallé in 1902 an artist highly regarded in the art nouveau movement. The design is baked onto the bottle featuring white anemone flowers. In a mysterious story, the original bottle was hidden away for over six decades before being discovered. The bottle is now a signature of the brand.

Brother Polka Dot recommends the (slightly cheaper) version of this champagne for the wedding day breakfast in his C Is For Champagne post.

If you have a lower budget, you might like to check out the post I did on Victorian winery Foxey’s Hangout who also create a customised sparkling wine. Check it out here

Chocolates come in all shapes and sizes. Chocolate is ‘the food of love’. It is charming to include it in all it’s different guises as part of the wedding reception – especially if it is a favourite of the bride or groom.

Chocolate fountain with strawberries for dipping from theknot.com, chocolate covered pretzels from theknot.com

Chocolate fountains to dip all manner of goodies into – strawberries, marshmallows, peanut brittle, toffee. Chocolate coated icecreams in cones as a ‘going home’ gift for the guests just prior to their departure from the reception. Chocolate covered sweets for the buffet table – so many different varieties to choose from – where do we start?

Haighs Chocolates 200g box, icecream from brides.com

Chocolate icecream as part of an icecream buffet table. Beautiful high quality filled chocolates boxed in biscuit coloured boxes tied with ribbon as favours for your guests to enjoy later. Try some from Haighs or Koko Black for a real treat.

Chocolate covered treats on a candy buffet from theknot.com, dark chocolate lollipop from theknot.com

Chocolate letters in the bride and groom’s initials. Chocolate fondant as dessert for a winter wedding – who could refuse all that gooey chocolate seeping out of the cakey exterior – serve with cream and a raspberry or strawberry sauce to add to this taste sensation. Provide goodies covered in white, milk and dark chocolate and surely everybody will be happy!!

It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these, but with the storm of wedding magazines hitting the newsagents (and my credit card) I thought it was time for another “Wedding Magazine Roundup” This time purely home grown! All magazines today are Australian!

Bride To Be May-July 2008

The nautical inspired cover brings dashes of ‘bling’ and big day beauty tips. Inside the world of jeweller Kerry Rocks. Pages of bridesmaid inspiration and vintage style (Vintage Follies). The editorial fashion pages focus heavily on simple styles with adornments.

Best Bits

• The Love Birds styled feature. Great inspiration for those with a bird theme wedding
• New Traditions article. How different couples incorporated their own traditions into the wedding style.
• Alex’s Diary The diary of All Saints star Alex Davies wedding planning journey.

Creative Weddings Issue 9

The last issue under founding editor Lauren Marks Crennan who is going forward with her own business (Pink Peony). This issue features DIY projects using tin buckets and pyramid boxes. Euro chic fashion editorial shows off gowns which have a high fashion flare. A feature of pure white cakes rounds out this issue.

Best Bits

• How To Theme A Wedding article
• Seaside Splendour styled feature
• Contemporary wedding bouquets feature

Real Weddings Issue 13

It’s been a long wait for new Real Weddings goodness, but this issue is jam packed with real life weddings and inspiration. An added extra this issue features editor Kirsten Mackeldan hitting the kitchen to prepare for her friend’s engagement party. The colour inspiration in this issue is black and white.

Best bits

• Valley Of Plenty The wedding of Ali & Tim was a casual affair with simple, thought out touches.
• Vintage Night A stormy day dawned as Sally & Siva wed in Perth. The bride wore a black ribbon around her waist.
• Operatic Overture The Sydney wedding of Carolyn & Richard is stunning- especially with Carolyn’s beautiful gown featuring small pleats, a bow and a detachable skirt.

Cosmopolitan Bride Best Real Weddings Issue 2008

Cosmopolitan Bride’s Real Wedding Annual is always a treat for the eyes. This one features an elopement in Greece, vintage glamour, tropical beach theme weddings, glitzy weddings, black & red weddings and international celebrations.

Best Bits

• Twist On Tradition The wedding of Aleisha & Michael featuring a stunning black wedding gown with white tulle underneath.
• Hearts Of Gold The wedding of Amy & Adam features brown and gold fifties style gowns for the bridesmaids and the Groom in brown and white wingtip shoes.
• Exotic Beauty The wedding of Priya & Greg was a traditional Hindu ceremony in traditional dress. Definitely a feast for the eyes!

Wedding Style Guide

Wedding Style Guide is full of various features. This issue brings the Top 10 weddings, colour palette predictions, real life weddings, a toaster test and inspiration for pre wedding parties including a book shower.The styled features are a plenty along with a plain paper planning guide at the back of the magazine.

Best Bits

• Ladies & Gentlemen black, yellow and white styling feature.
• Little Bit Country styled feature
• Q&A with Deborah Lloyd, creative director of Kate Spade.

Today I’m happy to have one of Australia’s best known shopaholics- Kellie from Never Shopped Out. Kellie’s site is like an encyclopedia for Aussie shoppers. Never Shopped Out features a directory of online stores, discounts, a rundown of international shipping agents, Australian Etsy sellers, sale calendars and even a blog! Kellie joins Polka Dot Bride today to talk about her favourite online wedding finds!

As you can probably tell from Never Shopped Out, I love a good shop. So when my (then) boyfriend popped the question, I was pretty eager to start bridal shopping in all its many varied forms.

One of my plans of attack when it came to wedding shopping was to not limit myself JUST with bridal stores. There were a few reasons for this:

- Its common knowledge that the word ‘wedding’ can raise the price of things. And okay, I have heard that you shouldn’t tell suppliers it’s for a wedding but I have never understood how that works in practice. ‘Uh hello, yes I would like a white cake with a bride and groom on it for a christening please’?? And unfortunately, weddings are romantic, but debt is not.

- Particularly for my bridesmaid’s dresses, I was interested in a fairly non traditional look. Interestingly enough throughout my research I did discover that the stereotypical ‘bridesmaids’ style is NOT all you can find in a bridal store these days which was a lovely surprise, but I’m still glad I researched dresses in general.

Silk Winter Maxi by Honey & Beau from Gosh Celebrity Fashion

- It’s easy to get caught up in the whole wedding tizz and start to think that if you don’t have napkins of the exact shade of ecru then your wedding day will be ruined. Especially when certain rouge elements of the bridal industry start plying you with the pressure. Trust me, it won’t. Hell, we forget our reception speech, had a car crash occur during the ceremony and I dropped chocolate soufflé on my dress during dessert. And not one of these things ruined my day. By mixing up my bridal forays with non-wedding stores, I managed to hold my own and walk out with my head high when I started to feel pressured.

So please find below a selection of my favourite online non traditional bridal retailers that you can find some gorgeous dresses, shoes, accessories and the like for your wedding! And the best bit? They’re all Australian stores!

Dresses

Viva La Frock – http://www.vivalafrock.com.au/ Frocks for every occasion and style. (Never Shopped Out Members also receive an extra 15% off their order!)

Frockshop – http://www.frockshop.com.au/main.php?mod=Lobby if you’ve got the budget (or perhaps a small wedding party) Frockshop stocks an excellent array of Australian and international designer dresses. This is my favourite Australian site for droolworthy designs.

Gosh Celebrity Fashion - http://www.goshcelebrityfashion.com.au/ – Gosh Celebrity Fashion have just added a new section called Red Carpet fashion, where you can get the latest red carpet looks for a fraction of the price

Madaboochoo – http://www.madaboochoo.com.au/ plenty of cocktail and black tie dresses to check out

Mien Boutique - http://www.mienboutique.com.au/ - stocks the incredibly gorgeous designer Thurley which, in my humble opinion would make divine bridesmaids dresses. (Never Shopped Out Members also get an extra 10% off)

Cultured fresh water white pearl earrings from Roun

Accessories

Etsy.com – one of my all time favourites just plug in the colour or material type and site back and enjoy the huge range of gorgeous options you will be presented with!

Mico – Mico - http://www.mico-mico.com/ - beautiful range of accessories, many are celeb faves. (Never Shopped Out Members also get an extra 15% off)

Ella Bleau - http://www.ellableaujewellery.com.au/

Jenny Mills Jewellery - http://jennymillsjewellery.com.au/index.html

Roun - http://www.roun.com.au/

Shoes

Princess Chic - http://www.princesschic.com.au/ - check out the Princess Chic collection

Tony Bianco – http://www.tonybianco.com.au/ always has strappy sandals instore, Sign up for the Tony Bianco VIP Club for 10% off all purchases

Schiavi http://www.schiavi.com.au/ - stunning evening shoes made from Italian leather

Thanks Kellie for sharing your favourite shopping sites with Polka Dot Bride! You can find more of Kellie’s finds (and a whole lot more!) at her site Never Shopped Out

Have you seen some of the gorgeous real life weddings around the internet? There’s some absolutely stunning ones. But definately not enough from Australians! Well I believe Aussies have a great talent of pulling a fantastic wedding off and I’m inviting any Aussie out there who has had a beautiful wedding with lots of details who would love a chance to share your story to send your wedding to me!

This isn’t limited to brides- are you a photographer who has shot a beautiful Australian wedding? A florist who has done a gorgeous bouquet? Send it in! I want to show just how fabulous Aussies are to the world!

Of course, if you’re one of my many lovely readers that aren’t Aussie, you can also be a pseudo Aussie and send it in anyway!

Email tips @ polkadotbride.com (remove the spaces) and let’s have some fun!

You may remember I posted an inspiration board for Ali’s Salsa style engagement party a few months ago. Ali also shared with me her vision of her wedding day. So here’s an inspiration board designed to capture the feel of what Ali and her fiance are going for!

Click to view larger

Rainforest from Pittwater- Irrarong Reserve, gown from Claire Pettibone via Bridal Wave, fabric by Joel Dewberry, dress and fabric from Amy Butler, bird cake toppers from Ann Wood Handmade, food from Out Of Africa, fabric from Joel Dewberry, birdcage from brides.com, champagne from Hoo Roo Foods, placecards, hairstyle and table setting from brides.com, food from Mideast Peace, plate from Non Toxic Life , hair from brides.com, fabric by Joel Dewberry, boutonnière from Etsy Twigs & Honey, fabric from Amy Butler, necklace from brides.com, fabric from Amy Butler via Fabric & Art , Peach Bellinis from Taste NZ, Narrabeen Surf Club

Ali’s having a rainforest ceremony near a little waterfall, the guests will then head to a local beachside venue for celebrations! Peach bellinis and champagne are on the menu, as is a Moroccon feast from Ali’s favourite restaurant. Dressed in a stylish, slim cut gown, Ali will wear pearls and feathers in her hair.

Ali’s best girlfriends will wear knee length dresses using Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry fabrics and wear teased, boho style hair. Hairpieces made of feathers, adornments made of pearls add to the vintage, bohemian feel.

Ali’s wedding is a special affair- her best friends are included in the photography, cake, music and hairstyling.

A feast of sensory delights is in store for Ali, her fiance and their wedding guests!

This week’s snapshot comes from US photographer DrewB Photography. Drew is such a gorgeous lady- she’s the type of girl I feel like I could chat weddings, life and be best mates with!

This shot gives me butterflies- the bride who is so excited (and perhaps a little nervous) about getting into the wedding gown she’s probably thought about for months and dreamt about her whole life. The bridesmaids- not a smile on them, they’re all concentrating on getting the dress onto the bride perfectly. Surrounding her in support.

Photograph by Drew of DrewB Photography

The myriad of design blogs, etsy and photography blogs has enriched my view of art. I suppose it’s given me a greater inspiration for beauty in small and unique things.

For The Love Of Light is tribute to the Polaroid. Created by Jen Altman, it’s a collection of Polaroid photos taken twenty five photographers from over ten countries bidding farewell to an art form they’ve loved.

To quote one of the artists Brian Rio

“25 Photographers span 110 full color pages of Polaroid goodness. It’s not a lament for the passing of Polaroid, nor is it ill-considered snapshots. The book is 25 like minded photographers paying tribute to something we hold dear. Polaroid and the slowly emerging record of an instant in time.”

The first 500 copies will be numbered and are on presale now. The book ships in July and is US$49.95 You can purchase it here It’s not long until there’ll be no more Polaroid film so the book is something to treasure.

Made By Girl makes really cool retro inspired prints and gorgeous, fun birthday cards

I bought a set of 4 of these chandelier prints- two in sand/white and two in white/sand. I’m looking for the perfect place to group them together in four vintage looking frames. They touch on my love of chandeliers!

This is such a sweet print and it comes in a variety of colours. It’s even perfect for a wedding with a bright colour palette. There’s also soft lavender, pink and yellow which would look gorgeous at a spring event. Perhaps (and I hope Jen doesn’t hate this idea) guests could sign the print as a guestbook!

Who are your favourite artists in the blogosphere? How do you bring art into your home?

When all else fails….the shoes fix everything.

I talk a lot about my love of coloured wedding shoes, so here’s some snaps that have been living on my desktop for the past month!

Green by Amy Squires Photography

Blue by Amy Carroll Photography

Red by Millie Holoman Photography

Pink by Olivia Leigh Photography

Yellow by Next Exit Photography

and

Rainbow by Laura Kay Photography

Have you got any coloured wedding shoe photos to share? Link me up!