MY SISTER'S WEDDING // PART TWO : STYLING & DECOR

Rose Tinted Photography

BLUE, forest, hand painted animal figurines, rustic, wood, chevron, stripes, clean white, brown craft paper, glass bell jars, handmade woodcut coaster, love logo, deer, babies breath, queen anne's lace, white frosting cakes on tree stump cake stands & glass coca-cola bottles.

My sister Melody had a very clear idea of what she wanted for her wedding in terms of styling. The ideal venue would be a barn for the reception. To have this in Auckland, NZ seemed a near impossible task (We have a shortage of venues that allow 180 guests with self-catering). But after asking around, a couple of friends sent her this video from Matt & Jomine's DIY Barn wedding. It was perfect! Also a bonus that it was right next to a forest (which is another ideal for her big day.) Cindy and Mark who are the owner's of this private residence, are Pastor's at Urban Vineyard Church and are two of the most self-less, generous and servant-hearted people I've met. They went above and beyond to help us set up for this wedding and get this barn into shape.

Our Dad put 100% into helping make this look amazing. Hours spent cutting wood into chargers, assembling a backdrop out of wood (with help from the groom, Andrew) for behind the bridal table, and making the coasters for the guest favours. My sister who is a graphic designer, put together a love logo with their intitials. Dad had this made into a stamp to be inked onto the coasters as a little keepsake from the day.

The week prior to the wedding was spent hanging the branches with fairylights above the tables, covering a bright yellow wall with craft paper, cutting the table cloths and table runner's to size, arranging the floral, laying the table settings, placing name cards, suspending lights, setting up tables & chairs, cleaning toilets, sweeping, tidying, transporting everything to the venue, lifting & moving heavy furniture, drawing a forest with chalk, making the best chocolate brownie (Laura) for the helpers and the list goes on and on.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE that helped. Especially to the Father's of the newly weds who spent the whole week at the barn everyday setting up, Melody & Andrew (obviously) for finally getting married, and putting so much hard work into your big day, the mother's of the newly weds who put so much love and care into anything they helped with, the bridal party who helped constantly through the whole engagement, anyone who helped on the day whether it be with pack down, kitchen duty, transporting things from ceremony to reception, Cindy & Mark Brickell for hosting us on their property and for all your help (it was a pleasure getting to know you), Grandma Jean Symons for the cake, Martin & Vicky Duffy for running the catering & food side of things for the shared meal and anyone who did anything to contribute to this epic day.

To see the official wedding photo's by the talented Stephan & Nakita, keep an eye on their website! They are amazing, honestly! Thanks for capturing the day and giving us all images to treasure it by.

I was honoured to help with setting up; for doing the floral and helping with decoration ideas (I'm claiming the bell jars). It was a pleasure to help make your day really special! xox

MY SISTER'S WEDDING // PART ONE

Rose Tinted Photography

Wedding dress: Handmade by our wonderful Mother

Bouquets by Maree of Rose Tinted

My sister Melody recently got married and she was such a beautiful bride. As tradition stands, our mother made the wedding dress in a simple & elegant style. My sister is certainly not a frills and embellishment kind of girl and so this suited her to a tee (which is in fact what she'd rather be wearing most days). It was made from a soft stretch fabric with a top layer of delicate patterned lace which draped beautifully. She wore blue crochet lace toms which were fun & also comfortable.

I helped with the styling (images to follow in another post) and I also arranged all the floral. The bride & her bridesmaids all carried a bouquet of babies breath (gypsophila) which is such a delicate bloom. It looked lovely with miniature stems tucked into her waterfall braid over her walnut tresses. 

I captured the above images in the morning during the bridal preparation which is my favourite time to take photographs. I love the excitement and the butterflies. I loved seeing Melody for the first time as a bride! I loved the cheerful/teary reactions by her four best friends. The smile on my mum's face, my dad looking proud. There's nothing like it. It's very intimate and the moments of the countdown are precious.

Stay tuned to see the official wedding photo's by my super talented friends Stephan & Nakita! Keep an eye on their website to see stunning images from the day, and to see the story as it unfolded! 

GLORIOUS BANDITS

Glorious Bandits etsy store

Glorious Bandits facebook page (Like)

Rose Tinted Photography

My very creative sister Melody has just opened an etsy store called Glorious Bandits where she is selling these gorgeous handmade forest animal trophies and felt laptop sleeves. They are just so adorable and would be an amazing gift for a baby shower or a friend's birthday. I love her choice of fabrics & colours and my personal favourite is the super cute fox.

Support local & handmade, and be sure to pass this on to your friends. Give the Glorious Bandits facebook page a like!

PLEASANT WORDS ARE..

Rose Tinted Illustration & Design

The other day I had an encouraging friend speak kind words in a spontaneous manner. There were four of us in a car on our way to set up a friend's wedding. She piped up cheerfully saying "I'm going to give each of you 3 words that I think describe you best!" She was contemplative in her kind words, and we all concurred with what she said about one another. It was really a beautiful moment that needs to be a more regular occurrence in daily life. We simply can't assume that our loved ones know how much they mean to us, or what light we see them in.

I recall doing a similar exercise at school in my early teens, where everyone in the class wrote a kind word on a piece of paper for each student. We did this by folding over our comments and repeating the student's name so know one else could see what we wrote. Therefore they were slightly anonymous, unless you remember the order in which we sat, or recognised handwriting. It was such a positive exercise at such a fragile and impressionable age. At a time full of insecurity, we forget that other people see us differently. We can be so critical of ourselves, that we don't realize our best character traits. Even if those around us see them clear as day.

I found this beautiful verse during the week whilst reading through Proverbs. The Bible is full of wisdom and encouraging words. It's teaching always repeats the importance of loving one another, and being kind.

Did you know that honey never spoils? How very relevant, as kind words also never spoil. They are redeeming and remembered. They are treasured.

Share your pleasant words... Don't keep them to yourself!

ROMANTIC BLUSH FASHION SPREAD // VOGUE MEXICO SPRING 2013

Vogue Mexico March 2013

Photographer : Matthew Scrivens

Model : Morgane Warnier

I just love this fashion spread for Vogue Mexico 2013 featuring Morgane Warnier, photographed by by Matthew Scrivens. This delicate shade of peachy pink is my favourite colour to wear. It's just so feminine and pretty. I'm a little envious of Morgane's white blond hair. Mind you, platinum is not something I would ever do to my own hair, but I just love it on someone who really rocks it.

The romanticism of this shoot reminds me of high tea in the late 1800's where everyone would wear white or the softest of pastel tones. I'm thinking lace with frilly hats and parasols. I also imagine this blush & white snow palette would make for a pretty wedding style.

PRETTY LITTLE DEER

Rose Tinted Photography

A while ago I bought this cute little Schleich handpainted deer from Toy World. You could say it captured my heart with it's doe eyes. I imagined this photograph when I made the purchased the deer. Surrounded by dreamy white depth of field next to a teacup with flowers. I was very happy when it turned out as I'd pictured in my head. Love it when that happens!

My sister used these Schleich animals in her wedding decor under glass bell jars. They looked amazing!

COLOUR CRUSH

I have a skirt in a similar colour and I just think it is so pretty. It's a fine balance between blue and lilac in a pastel tone. I hope it shows up the same on your monitor!