Modern Magic

Every bride-to-be deserves a little bit of shimmer, sparkle and shine. A little piece of magic. Like twinkling fairylights, a bit of bling, warm candlelight or a fairytale location: you'll know it when you find it and your heart flutters.

Top - Ottoman Cuisine, Below - GS Jewellers

Be it silver, gold, champagne... pearls, crystals or diamonds, a handbag or a stunning invitation, let yourself shine through in every element of your dream day. Let your personality show in your decor and theme, your gown, your ceremony. I've put together a sparkling inspiration board to kindle your creativity...

Images clockwise from top left - Chaircovers & Candelabra, Trouli Graphics, Personalised Weddings, Stuart Leal Photography, XSiGHT Photography, The Candy Buffet Company, XSiGHT Photography, Wedding Stylists Melbourne

Weddings are becoming more stylised and more personalised - and we love it! Send us your gorgeous real wedding photos and inspiration boards at enquiries@modernwedding.com.au and let us know how you're going to let your personality shine through on your wedding day, and what's your "little piece of magic"?

Remember to enter our awesome 'Win Your Wedding Gown' competition and swing by Facebook or Twitter and say hi.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year :)

Enjoy your break!
R xox

Silver (Wedding) Bells

Thinking about Christmas this morning I was struck by the similarities to a wedding: lots of friends and family, decorations, beautiful food, gifts and sparkly things like candles and fairylights. While a complete Christmas theme may seem a little over-embellished for some, I love the idea of taking the key decor elements and using them as the basis for a beautiful celebration!

What about sparkling silver tealights, bold red flowers and chains of fairylights? I love the fact that red is the colour of love, silver signifies refined elegance and green is representative of a new beginning - when you think about it, they're great colours for a wedding. A monochrome palette with silver accents and highlights of either red or green is a bold and celebratory colour scheme.

Images Top - Imperial Tealight Holder, Silver Star Bomboniere & Ring Pillow all from Modern Wedding Shop

Middle - Ribbon String Lights from Modern Wedding Shop, Natural Lights Photography, Le Montage

Bottom - Soho Photography, The Bouquets of Ascha Jolie, Love Beyond Measure Spoons from Modern Wedding Shop

I love how Christmas gets everyone together, much like a wedding. What's your favourite part of Christmas? Let us know what you think of our take on a modern celebration theme!

Don't forget to enter our Wendy Makin Bridal Gown competition and swing by our Twitter and Facebook pages and say Happy Christmas and let us know how your planning is going :)

Enjoy!
R xox

What a year!

This will be my last post before 2011! I don’t know where this year has gone, but looking back – Modern Wedding has done so much! Rosemary will still be posting so keep an eye out!

One of my pet hates is the 'Best of' article/show/program. These types of productions rehash old material you have already seen, so you feel a little 'jibbed' by the end of it.
That being said, I am doing a ‘best of’ post, with one major change. I am featuring images and ideas you haven’t yet seen on this blog! I have concentrated on our fabulous magazines, showcasing my favourites - if I've missed your favourite - let me know!

Best of FASHION SHOOTS
These are my favourite shots and dresses from our beautiful fashion shoots...

Clockwise from top left: Modern Wedding Vol.47 - Sweethearts Bridal; Vol.47 - Jean Fox Gown; Vol.47 Abbey Bridal Gown; Vol.49 - Brides of Armadale.

Clockwise from top left: V47 - Jane Yeh fro Brides of Sydney; V48 - Abbey Bridal Gown; V48 - Fashions by Farina; V47 - Wendy Makin Gown

I'm so proud of the shoot fairies here at Modern Wedding, they continually pull out all the stops to show off all our fantastic bridal designer's work.

Best of REAL LIFE WEDDINGS

Clockwise from top left - Vol.45 - Ryan & Jessica; Vol.47 - Shani & Christian; Vol.45 - Ryan & Jessica; Vol.49 - Meghan & Andy; Vol.49 - Jade & Kane; Vol.47 - Shani & Christian.

These are just a few of my favourite shots from the Real life weddings in the last four issues of Modern Wedding, but we have so many other stunning weddings on our website (those I have already posted about of this blog and would go against my rule not to post the same thing twice!)

Best of FLOWERS

 

 

Clockwise from top left: Flowers V13 - Flos Florum; Affair with George; Peonies Wedding Floral Designer; Flowers by Del.

Our annual Flowers magazine is always packed full of stunning bouquets and arrangements - finding four I loved over the others was impossible so you will just have to browse the whole magazine! Every shot is beautiful!

Best of CAKES

Clockwise from top left: Cakes Vol13 - Pasticceria Mancuso; Casa Del; Pasticceria Mancuso; Sweet Passion

Clockwise from top left: Cakes Vol13 - That's My Cake; The French Lettuce; Iced Affair; Pasticceria Mancuso.

 

Yum! Our Cakes annual magazine makes our mouths water every time we have a photo shoot. Our Cake designers are masters of their art and come up with fresh and fabulous designs each issue!

This year has been huge, but has also flown by - I guess we just had too much fun!

Have a fantastic Christmas and a great New Year and I will be back in 2011.

K xx

Psst...
Make sure you enter the Wendy Makin Gown competition - I will be drawing the winner in the new year... which is only days away!!!!!
Swing by and say hi to us on Facebook and Twitter:)


www.modernwedding.com.au
www.modernweddingmagazines.com.au
www.modernweddingshop.com.au

Dear brides - new inspiration hitting the shelves today

Phew! What a busy, busy month we have had. In between our Christmas shopping, holiday planning and parties, the Modern Wedding team have produced yet another amazing magazine! Our 49th edition of Modern Wedding. It really seems like each issue just takes another step towards perfection... well in my eyes:)

The fashion shoots are incredible, our stylist Gail MacDiarmid has outdone herself with this one. This shoot was held in Victoria at Labassa in Nth Caulfield and shot by Gazi Photography.
The rich, velvety images show off our Victorian fashion designers in all their exquisite glory.

Our feature writer, Jodi Wilson had fun with a story about engagement photo shoots. Being engaged herself she road tested the idea and imparts some great tips and info. Fab pics Jodi:)

Modern Wedding is concerned about reports we hear from brides being sold rip-off designer gowns through unscrupulous online traders. We are running a 'Brides Beware' campaign with a complete checklist, so that brides can be 100% certain that the gown they are buying is from a trusted and reputable retailer.
Modern Wedding bought a dress from a 'dodgy' online company, claiming to sell an authentic designer dress and compared it to the actual designer gown... very interesting results!

Just because we love these pages and so does every bride - we have put together a stunning colour style-guide. This beautiful feature shows a range of stylish, elegant and fun colour combos.

Yet again, our DIY gurus have created some fantastic projects for the crafty bride. This issue we are focusing on beach and outdoor weddings. The idea behind these creations is to establish a fresh, airy setting, combining all of nature's elements.

This magazine is packed full of all the things we love. Let us know what you think. It's always great to receive feedback so we know what you like... then we can put more of it in next time!

Kate xx

Styling trends for 2011

The year is wrapping up for 2010, Christmas is around the corner and before we know it we will be knee deep in 2011. So what types of weddings will we see in 2011?
Some of the Trends I am seeing come through and predict will be popular for the next couple of years are:

Crystal Diamond-Shaped Tea Light Holder (Set of 4

The Royal Wedding
The Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is set to influence weddings for the next few years, with fairytale bling being the decorating style of choice. We are predicting that stylish monogrammed stationery with the couples details will be the pick for 2011 and 2012. We will see lots of high class, glitzy decorations including mirror bases on tables, crystal garlands dripping from high table centres, diamond-like place-card frames, crystal tea light holders which cast glow on wedding table settings as well as make a beautiful wedding bomboniere for guests.

Wedding Theme Personalised Lollipop Favour

The Yummy Wedding
Who doesn’t like a treat? The big trend from 2010, which carries into 2011 is the Candy buffet or lolly table. This is a fun and interactive bomboniere idea, where guests choose their own treats to pop into a themed lolly bag and take home with them.
The home-made variety of treats is also very popular, especially if your family has a famous recipe, such as jam, chutney or something similar that friends are dying to get their hands on.
Personalised chocolates, lollypops or Roc Candy is an old favourite and continues to be just as popular as when they fist arrived on the scene years ago.

Flip Top Personalised Mini Candy Jars (Set of 12)

The DIY Wedding
DIY is hot, hot, hot at the moment, not only because couples can save a dollar if they’re crafty enough, but also because they can put their unique stamp on the wedding creating an unforgettable experience for everyone.
Almost an entire wedding day can be handmade from the gown to the stationery; the décor to the cake – Unfortunately even if you possess the skills to do this, not many of us have the time. It is a good idea to invest your precious time in one or two projects. You will want to choose items that your guests will appreciate, so the obvious choice is to make the bomboniere. Making personalised and home-spun bomboniere is great fun, gather your bridesmaids, some good DVDs and make a night of it.
The ModernWeddingShop.com.au is here to help you create. Some of the latest arrivals for 2011 include Heart Jewels in Diamond Clear, which are diamond shaped embellishments (they also are great for table scatters); personalised Roc Candy to put in hand-made bags, boxes or simply wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon; For the home-made jams, lollies or other treats, the Flip top Personalised Mini Candy Jars will ensure your presentation is flawless.
Laser-cut Cupcake Wrappers are popular with the DIY bride making her own cakes as bomboniere or as a wedding cake alternative.

What are you planning for your wedding?

Happy Friday Modern Wedding Brides:)

K xx

Party season is here!

The office is very quiet today. It's coffee, coke, hot chips and a bit of hush day. Can you guess what we did last night? It was our Christmas party and, let me tell you, we know how to party!
The night was held at the stunning Pilu restaurant on Freshwater Beach and we thoroughly enjoyed an 8 course degustation! Wow - what amazing food!
We were spoiled with the entertainment also; The Three Waiters came and had everyone fooled. Instead of explaining what these fabulous and unbelievably talented men do (I couldn't do them justice), have a look at this video...



Needless to say we were surprised and thrilled at the talent the three boys shared with us.
Brides and grooms, if you are looking for something a bit different - these guys are worth a look into!

Here are a few of the photos from the night... all before shots of course:)

 

Christmas party season is a great time for idea gathering - have you been to a party that has inspired you?

K xx

Have you entered the 'Win a Wendy Makin Gown' comp yet???
Facebook - www.facebook.com/ModernWeddingMagazine
Twitter - http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz

Win your Bridal Gown!

Just one of the amazing 'Ready To Wear' Wendy Makin gowns.

Merry, Merry Monday to all our Modern Wedding brides!
I am so excited this morning to be announcing our biggest ever online giveaway... In the spirit of Christmas, Modern Wedding together with Wendy Makin Bridal are giving one lucky bride a $2500 wedding gown!! Even more good news... it is so simple to win!

Another amazing 'Ready To Wear' Wendy Makin gowns.

Wendy Makin’s ‘Ready To Wear’ collection is renowned for it’s use of high quality materials, great fit and huge range of styles. The superb quality of Wendy’s gowns has made her one of Australia’s most awarded bridal gown designers. As well as her five Australian fashion design awards, Wendy has recently been named the nation’s number one couturier by the National ABIA poll, as voted by brides.  All in all – you can only win when you wear a stunning Wendy Makin gown down the aisle!

Yet another amazing 'Ready To Wear' Wendy Makin gowns.

All you have to do is:

1. Visit Wendy Makin's website - view the 'Ready to Wear' collection (under Collections).
2. Go to our facebook fan page and tell us in 25 words or less which gown was your favourite and why?

Entries close 21st January 2011 - so get in now!

It is that easy - good luck girls!
As I said - it's a merry, merry Monday!

K xx

Psst... Don't keep this to yourself - tell your friends to enter!

Sydney Wedding is here!

The Modern Wedding office is abuzz this morning as the arrival of the 20th edition of Sydney Wedding magazine came in... Wow!! It looks fantastic and what a size!
For the big 20 year birthday edition, Sydney Wedding magazine has 736 pages of beautiful fashion, rings, ceremonies, receptions, decorating, invitations, transport, flowers, music photography, cakes, beauty, honeymoons and more! Whoopy! It was a big one to produce but the results are amazing!
As a big bonus this edition has 20 honeymoons to giveaway! Yep... 20!  We certainly do love giveaways here!
The magazine is out in stores TODAY, Sydney girls watch out for it... I'm sure it will be hard to miss! For out of state brides the Gowns magazine is still available and it's our biggest yet!
Here's a little sneak peak.... shh, don't tell anyone I'm showing you!

I'm so proud of the team here - they've worked hard to produce a fabulous, big!!!! and beautiful magazine!
Make sure you enter the honeymoon giveaway! There are 20 to win, so your chances are better than ever before.
Have a fabulous weekend brides and grooms! Make sure you swing by facebook and twitter to say hi!
Have you check out our planning tools?

K xx

Cool Summer

I was enjoying the sunshine yesterday, I could smell jasmine in the air and my shoulders were warm. No wonder Summer is the peak season for weddings! Why not theme your wedding around the beauty of our glistening beaches? Soft sand, sparkling blue and crisp, sunny yellow make a divine colour combination. For a Cool Summer theme, think parasols, silk hand fans, daisies and stylish beachy decor highlights like shells, starfish and frangipanis. Endlessly flexible and always fresh and chic, this theme will keep its cool even under the hot Aussie sun.

 

 

 

Top left to right: Floral Affects, Modern Wedding Shop Sand Castle Tea Light & Silk Hand Fan
Middle left to right: Modern Wedding Shop Frangipani Invitations, GM Photographics, Modern Wedding Shop Fabric Parasol
Bottom left to right: Modern Wedding Shop Starfish Cake Cake Topper, Inlighten Photography, Modern Wedding Shop Personalised Ribbon

Are you getting married in Summer? Let us know how you're going to theme your wedding and what your colours are! If you got married recently, don't forget to send us your photos - we love to see them and who knows, you could end up in one of our blogs! Email us at enquiries@modernwedding.com.au

For more inspiring wedding themes, check our the Modern Wedding Website.

And of course, swing by our Facebook and Twitter pages and say hi! :)

Enjoy your cool summer,
R xox

A truly unique wedding

I was in the middle of writing my post for today and... 'ding' my email rang out, only the hundredth time today, fortunately it was one of the good emails! Blushing bride, Kylie sent me her wedding story. After reading about her gorgeous and wonderfully unique wedding I had to share it! You will have to wait for my other post....
This is Kylie and Justin's story... beautiful!

We got married on Hayman Island on our 10 year anniversary, after meeting at a local bar, just after I finished school! 45 of our friends and family came, from as far away as Scotland, Germany and England. The wedding, essentially lasted the whole weekend and the actual reception didn't finish until 3am in the morning!

 

 

My Grandma and Great Aunt stood as our witnesses, which we through was fitting because we were so happy to have them make all the effort to travel so far!
We had the ceremony at 3pm, and cut the cake straight after. Our guests then went and had champagne and canapes for a couple of hours and we were back from photos in time to have a drink with them and watch the sunset, before the reception dinner started.

 

The dinner was on a terrace by a beautiful lagoon/waterfull and was a buffet, and everything (particularly the deserts!) was phenomenal. It was like sitting in a fairy grotto! 

 Our bomboniere were a big hit - we had boxes filled with Aloe Vera, berocca, panadol, sunscreen, tissues, chewing gum and a mini-torch, so everyone could make their way back to their rooms!

 Post-dinner, we hired out one of the bars on the island, for drinks and dancing. It had a pool table, darts, fuseball, a cocktail menu, DJ and a dance-floor, so everyone was catered for! We finally finished up around 3am, though rumor has it that much of the bridal party was seen on the beach watching the sunrise for a morning swim!

What a beautiful wedding with distinctive differences - that is what makes a wedding so memorable!
Modern Wedding brides - send me your stories and you could be featured on the Blog - enquiries@modernwedding.com.au

K xx
Come and say hi on Facebook, Twitter or Modern Wedding website.

European inspired!

I am so happy to start the week off on an exciting note!
In January 2011 (not long now) a brand new and shiny range of bridal gown will be hitting our shores. The Rosa Clara design group from Spain are releasing their latest collection, Luna Novias. The designs are simply stunning - they're European inspired, with a little romantic twist.
The good news? Despite the fact that these gowns are A-grade in their design, they are also a little easier on the budget... Now that's what we like to hear!
This collection includes a wide range of modern, romantic and classic styles at varying prices - definitely worth a look.

Peter Trends Bridal has added the collection, since they have has great success with Rosa Clara's other brands (Two, Aire Barcelona and Alma Novia) - they distribute Australia-wide so everyone has a chance to try these beautiful gowns on.

If you want to see more of the collection or find a list of their stockists head over to Peter Trends.

Let us know what you think! Facbook, Twitter - Look forward to hearing from you...
If you are wondering what style will suit you best - check out our article on just that! Bridal styles to suit your shape.

Happy Monday!

K xx