To album or not to album

We were delighted to be asked to contribute to a discussion on wedding albums over on Linen and Silk a few weeks ago. It was great to discuss the options - ultimately we think there is something for everyone, but an Illustry rocks, obviously! Linen & Silk blog

The first glance (4)

Ahh, another lovely wedding moment to share today, in the fourth of our series of favourite wedding memories from Illustries couples. Today, Emma and Craig share their first look at each other:

"Emma arrived at the candlelit Hall shortly before 4pm. The couple had chosen Elvis Costello’s version of She for Emma’s walk down the aisle and as the guests stood, Millie walked first, followed by Imogen, who held hands with a now beautifully behaved Gracie. A nervous Emma took Sheila’s arm for the short walk to Craig, and he remembers “Emma just looked so beautiful – terrified, but beautiful!” The couple agree that the registrar who conducted the civil ceremony was fantastic – she was so relaxed and happy, and set a lovely tone."

The first glance (3)

Another of those oh-so-special moments. Today, Mr & Mrs Devine, proud owners of one of our bespoke CELEB magazines, share their first look at each other on their wedding day:

"Mel: I wasn’t nervous at all. My biggest fear had been the walk down the aisle, but in the end I just had this amazing feeling. I remember coming through the doors and looking out for people – there were loads of people I hadn’t seen for ages. 

Andy: I hardly turned around, because I just knew I’d be blown away by how beautiful she looked. I stood at the front and the music started, I was just thinking, I can’t look round because the bottom lip might go! 

Mel: I was smiling at everyone, looking from side to side and then I caught a glimpse of Andy looking at me – it must have been the only peek he sneaked! I was beaming from ear to ear."

That first glance (2)

The second instalment in our little series on one of our favourite wedding moments - the first time the bride and groom set eyes on each other on their wedding day. Today, Bec and Andrew Taylor...

"Bridesmaid, Imogen, walked down the aisle before Bec, to Wagner’s Lohengrin - the traditional ‘Here Comes the Bride.’  “And then I saw Bec and her Dad,” smiles Andrew, “She just looked beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.” And when Bec caught her first glimpse of Andrew? “I just wondered if he looked as nervous as I felt,” she giggles.

That first glance...

Whenever we create an Illustry, we pay plenty of attention to one very special moment - the first glimpse the bride and groom get of each other. It always makes us melt (Emma almost always cries, even after all this time), so we thought we'd share some of our faves.

Today, an extract from the Illustry of Andrew and Natalie Hewitson:

Natalie and Andrew’s wedding day was beautiful in every way – not least the bride and groom themselves. Andrew says that Natalie looked, “Stunning – but then I knew she wouldn’t let me down!” Natalie responds in similar vein, “I’ve never seen him scrub up so well! He said I looked amazing and I thought he looked amazing too.”

A lovely lakeside wedding

We're pretty busy here at Illustries at the moment - even though Emma is galavanting around the globe (see left <--). Tom and Joanna's dreamy love story is just being turned into an equally dreamy Illustry by Samantha, and Michael and Colette's is up next. We thought we'd share a little snippet of the introduction - ahh, sounds heavenly!

"1pm, 8 November 2011. Colette Francis waits on the balcony of the Langdale Chase Hotel’s Baronial Hall. Outside, Lake Windermere is at its most stunning: though the longed-for crisp, autumn day has not materialized, the dark sky reflects in the purples and petrol blues and greens of the beautiful, brooding lake. Downstairs her closet family and friends wait with her beautiful baby son, Dominic, and her proud groom, Michael. Colette’s heart swells as she glimpses of her nephews who are to give her away, dressed up to the nines complete with buttonholes, their pride prompting a tear were it not for her dear friend Jen coaxing a smile with a joke or two. Just a few more moments until she becomes Mrs Emery…"

A lovely love story...

Ah, Tom and Joanna. Sigh. A traditional wedding in Scotland, with a church full of beaming family and friends. Groom in full military uniform, just back from Afghanistan. Personalised vows, a beautiful bride in delicate lace. Emma has loved writing every word of their story, here's just a teenie treat...

Joanna: I had my veil down, but I could see he looked nervous – he wasn’t turning around. My favourite part of weddings is to look at the groom’s face, but I couldn’t see his face! I was willing him, ‘Turn round!’ When he did he looked tense, but then he smiled and I knew it would be OK.”

Tom: When I saw her I was so taken aback. I held my breath and my heart skipped a beat – she was just stunning. I had caught glimpses of the dress but I hadn’t imagined Jo IN it!

Illustries: the Luxe Edition



The opening line...



A bright crisp October day saw Team Illustries hit the Big Smoke for the dazzling Luxury Wedding Show London at none other than the Saatchi Gallery (eek!). You’ll have heard loads about the show - the fabulous catwalk, the stunning dresses, the floral fantasies, delicious cakes and hopefully little old us – on blogs like RocknRollbride, Love My Dress, Bijoux Bride, Boho Events, annaandthering and Beyond Beyond to name but a few. But we thought we’d shed a little light behind the scenes and let you into the show from an (admittedly small) exhibitor’s perspective...

Friday, 08.30, Lytham

Illustries North West begins another wedding show weekend. Bags (at least six pairs of shoes as anticipated pain and an inability to commit necessitate overpacking) are squashed into the pre-loaded  Illustriesmobile (think Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine: a little less seventies but still a whole load of mystery as to how we fit it all in) and the road is hit.

Friday, 11.30, Worcestershire

Illustries Midlands has finished printing press releases and counting lovely new tote bags and is ready for the arrival of Illustries North West (NB There is no tea on arrival. Bad Sam). More things are squashed into the Illustriesmobile and it is off to London Taaarn (really sorry to any genuine southerners, but it made us laugh every time).

Friday 14.00, London

Excellent progress is made and Team Illustries hits the holding car park on schedule. Obviously not on schedule for the car park though. Dejected hoardes swarm around the portacabin and a knowing nod creates a Mexican wave as each new arrival makes the walk of hope to the despatch desk. Friendships are formed only to be happily abandoned as the golden tickets are finally issued at 19.00. At least we managed to make up our press packs!

The Illustries Press Pack!

Friday 19.00, Saatchi Gallery

A slightly hairy trip across London as A) it is dark and B) Emma forgot her glasses, and we grab a spot outside the gallery. We swan through the doors with our first items, squeal at the sight of our name on the gallery wall and imagine ourselves to be all glam and swanky. This illusion is shattered within a matter of minutes of humping boxes and furniture to our stand – one day, we shall have people to do this, and we shall breeze in on the morning of the show saying, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I haven’t done myself!’...One day.

Friday 23.00, Saatchi Gallery

We’re done! The stand looks awesome, some friendly chippies have been persuaded to assist and even the pictures are up. The Illustries girls, however, look like we’re protesting about something – grubby, dishevelled and slightly whiney...

Phew. Done!

Chalking it down...

Don't they look lovely?!

Friday 23.30, Illustries Temporary Towers

We check into our temporary home. It’s a luxury weekend. You’re imagining the W Hotel, the Landmark, the Waldorf Hilton. Oh no, no, no. We are at the Travelodge, Kew. Except it isn’t in Kew, it appears to be in The Back of Beyond. Sam runs to the bar while Emma checks in and somehow manages to procure two G&Ts. They are mildly warm, in weird glasses, but as we down them in reception they taste AMAZING!

Friday 23.35, Illustries Temporary Towers

We head to our room. It is the height of luxury. We are sharing: one double bed and a sofa bed. We start to make up the sofa bed, turning the mattress. Big mistake. Big. Huge. It shall henceforth be known as the scuzzy bed. Back downstairs...

Friday 23.40, Illustries Temporary Towers

We get another room. This time we don’t risk turning over the mattress and just cover it in the three duvets we have managed to steal and add several sheets. It looks like the Princess and the Pea bed. We have half a toilet roll and the bathroom hasn’t been cleaned. But we also have a vaguely cold bottle of wine and pizza on the way. Who cares about the bathroom?

Luxury dinner...

Saturday 00.15, Illustries Temporary Towers

Wine and pizza chugged, we draw straws for scuzzy bed. The Illustries Words department gets it. Whoop.

Saturday 07.00, Illustries Temporary Towers

Plenty of time to get ready. We draw the curtains and rest a while on scuzzy bed as we properly survey our locale. Behind the Travelodge is a lovely apartment block with a penthouse and roof terrace. There, a lady in a white robe sips coffee as she looks over the rooftops and burnt out cars of The Back of Beyond. This is a strange place...

Saturday 09.30, Saatchi Gallery

Who said there was loads of time to get ready! We have to grab a cab, stop to pick up some flowers and then hit the stand where we throw some books on the chalkboard table and start to arrange our freesias and anemones. Sam has a small creative strop as they don’t do what she wishes. Emma rides this out with soothing words. That’s how we roll...

They look fine...

Saturday 10.00, Saatchi Gallery

We’re open for business! We stalk our roomies, eyeing them warily: Honeybells Tents look particularly dodgy and House of Tammam have hired some very young help, we’re sure Dora’s not even on minimum wage...

Saturday 10.15, Saatchi Gallery

First shoe whinge.

Saturday 13.00, Saatchi Gallery

Where did the morning go?! We’ve seen lots of lovely people and had to suppress squeaks of excitement at the bloggers and other press who have stopped by our stand and have even been spotted carrying our lovely new tote bags...

To have and to hold...

For richer for poorer!

Saturday 18.00, Saatchi Gallery

Day one ends with a glass of bubbly and a catwalk show, all laid on by the organisers to make up for issues getting on site. What issues? We never even noticed...

Saturday 19.00, Saatchi Gallery bar

Cold. Chenin. Blanc. Three steps to heaven...

Saturday 20.00, Chelsea Brasserie

We treat ourselves to dinner. There is a noticeable flagging of spirits and Sam is told to get back in the room. She rises to the challenge, nearly causing a fight with her impressions. Result.

Saturday, 22.00, Tube

Ah the long tube journey. On this trip there is a strange Australian man who tells the person he is talking loudly on his phone to, “Kill them both.” Nervous gulp.

Saturday 23.00, Illustries Temporary Towers

Home at last. Foot cream and scuzzy bed. Bliss.

Sunday 07.00, Illustries Temporary Towers

Another day. Plenty of time...

Sunday 09.30, somewhere in Kew

Who said there was loads of time to get ready?! We grab sausage rolls for breakfast en route...

Sunday, 10.20, Saatchi Gallery

Late! Fortunately Honeybells tents have ‘looked after’ our stand and appear to have had 30 enquiries and two celebrity bookings for their lovely tents while we’ve been away. Don’t know how they do it...

The Hollywood Showcase Illustry we created for Jenny and Keith McAvoy

It's all in the details

Bookmark it...

Sunday 18.00, Saatchi Gallery

It has happened again! Hours have passed, we’ve met lovely brides and grooms, great photographers, wonderful planners and really friendly press types. Sam and Emma are still laughing. That is the biggest surprise.

Sunday 18.30, Saatchi Gallery

We start the pack down, waving goodbye to our new friends Honeybell Tents as they pack up in two minutes and make a bid for freedom. Within moments, we are again slightly fractious and a bit grubby.

Sunday 19.30, Tube

No threats to kill. This is excellent

Sunday 20.15, Bar

Caesar salad. Chips. Wine. All is well with the Illustries world.

Sunday 23.30, Illustries Temporary Towers

Home again. More foot cream and a last night in dear old scuzzy bed. Zzzzz.

Monday 07.00, Illustries Temporary Towers

Last day. Plenty of time...

Monday 08.30, Illustries Temporary Towers

Who said there was loads of time to get ready?! No breakfast and we head to the gallery to quickly pack the Illustriesmobile...

Monday 11.00, M4

We’ll keep that last few hours secret. It may have involved a little stress, a little temper fraying and even a bit of jumping up and down on the spot. No-one to blame, but suffice to say set up and break down procedures were more than a little frustrating. But we’re done! The Illustriesmobile is crammed to bursting, we have lost the power of speech and may well never talk again. But oh what a weekend! The feedback has been amazing, we’ve made some great contacts, got some good leads and forged some sound industry friendships.

Would we do it all again? You bet.

How do they do that?

Pages and pages of wedding reports that read just like the celebrity wedding specials we all love - just how do we create them? Well, our Head of Words, Emma, trained at Cardiff University's School of Journalism and has been a professional writer for (*whispers*) about fifteen years, so we think that her training and experience really shows - no self-appointed 'freelance writers' here at Illustries!

To create the report, Emma gathers lots of information beforehand and then conducts interviews after the big day. We don’t attend, and we think that's important, as there are enough people to worry about at a wedding and above all, we think the happy couple want to remember what they thought of their day, not what we thought! We interview the couple – separately, if possible, because it is lovely to be surprised by the things the other half says – by telephone, frantically scribbling notes (we record the conversation too!). And then we interview the people they nominate - for CELEB, normally the Best Man.

Then it is time for heads down and lots of coffee as we write, edit, refine, edit, refine and edit again until we've got a lovely, bouncy, emotional and succinct record of the big day - we are firm believers in 'less is more' when it comes to words, we include thousands of them, but they are very carefully chosen!

Finally, our favourite bit: words and pictures get to meet each other. Lots of proofreading later and we get to our favourite part - sending the CELEB Magazine to our couple.

Cue squeals of delight (we hope!).

Check out our Guest Editor extract, on the right! ->

The Wedding Report

  

Our CELEB magazines kick off with a full report - just like the celebrity features we all read at the hairdresser! We cover the whole wedding day, placing our customers' images in our signature CELEB layouts to create a fabulous, romantic story. We interview the bride and groom (and others, but more on that another time!) and we don't stop at the wedding itself. We find out how our couple met, all about the proposal, how they felt as they planned the big day - and all those emotions and nerves!

CELEB has taken over!

Don't be alarmed! Library of Days will be back, but for a wee while, CELEB magazine has launched an assault on the blog. We'll be sharing all the details of our celebrity baby with you - how we create each magazine, how we make it bespoke, how we sprinkle it with that celebrity magic. We'll let you in on all the features - and there are lots - that make a CELEB, well, fabulous darlings!

Our lovely clients, Mel and Andy have agreed that we can share their magazine with you,so look out for all their gorgeous pink accents. Today, the front cover, CELEB Parties and the introduction to a special story. Check back tomorrow for the next instalment...

P.S. CELEB is only one of our gorgeous memory books, check http://www.illustries.com/ for more!

Our CELEB Magazine

Now, we know that not everyone loves the celebrity culture, but hey, who hasn't dreamed of being at the centre of all that attention? Well, on your wedding day, that's exactly where you should be, and we designed CELEB to give you that little celebrity sparkle and keep it for posterity.

Like all of our Illustries, CELEB means no more album hidden away on a dusty shelf, no chance of all those little details you slaved over being forgotten as the humdrum settles after the big day. Nope, CELEB puts your story - thousands of words of it - up in the spotlight, where it belongs.

No longer is the glossy magazine the preserve of the rich and famous. With CELEB, you can be the star of your very own, very special, show.

Archive posts

All the posts beyond this point are from the Library of Days archive. But please feel free to browse!

Sam's amazing artwork

As we blogged last week, our talented Head of Pictures, Ms Samantha Neal (we like calling her that, she sounds all professional), isn't just a succesful graphic designer and she isn't just the creative genius that makes our Illustries all beautiful. Nope, she is also an artist (conquering the world one pretty picture at a time!), and has created an elegant series of unique works.

Each piece features silhouetted shapes, cut from crisp card and arranged to appear three-dimensional, with minimal framing, such as her signature acrylic box frames. Individual works are made to order with great care and attention to detail and themes range from her original butterfly configuration through to botanical arrangements, love hearts and birds. Pieces can be designed to match a specific interior scheme and personalized as a gift to mark a special occasion. Her original collection has been available from independent galleries and the hugely popular www.notonthehighstreet.com/alilia for a little while.

But, she is ever expanding, and has just been named as one of eight Heal's Discovers artists and designers for 2011, creating a brand new and exclusive range just for the high street store (which happens to be one of her favourite ever shops). Sam's artwork is now available in store and from Heal's. As Emma is writing this, she gets to name her favourite: The silhouetted butterflies, dragonflies and flowers cut from a reproduction of the 1951 Stanford’s Map of Central London, 'In a Flutter, London'.

Well done Sam, Illustries is proud of you!

All images courtesy of Heal's

Z is for PiZZaZZ!

Oh OK, we cheated!

Let’s face it, every bride is after a little wow factor. Those unusual touches, jaw-dropping moments or just a whole load of personality to add to the proceedings: maybe there’s a particular theme, a colour scheme or a general feeling they want to get across. Some of our brides love the whole process of making and customizing some or all of their wedding decorations and the like. There are some great resources out there for ideas and DIY tips. We like…

DIY Bride

Adore by Chloe

Bijoux Bride

But maybe you’re not up for crafting, or you’re finding your efforts are falling short of the Martha Stewart mark. Fear not, there are some brilliant styling companies out there. We think these few are amazing. And when you add up the spend on supplies for your makes, it can be surprisingly cost effective to hire a little pizzazz!

Ava Event Styling

Teaspoon Events

Jennifer Sue Weddings

Y is for Yum!

One element we always include in our Illustries is our ‘Recipe for Love’. We create it in different styles – sometimes channeling Nigella, sometimes a bit more Jamie and even a little shouty Gordon now and then – depending on our client and the kind of day. It makes a great highlight for the cake and looks amazing framed up. Yummy!

We also love adding the wedding breakfast menu to our Illustries, it never fails to make us hungry. We’ve had a hog roast, a celtic feast, a barbecue and at-table carving to name but a few. And then there are the cakes and sweet treats to add extra deliciousness - have a look at some more of our fave suppliers out there.

http://butterflybakehouse.co.uk/

http://kissmecupcakes.co.uk/

http://www.boutiquecupcakes.co.uk/

http://www.whoopiepiesuk.co.uk/

http://www.restorationcake.co.uk/

Heal's Discovers Our Samantha!

Some exciting news we've been dying to share - Illustries' very own Head of Pictures, Samantha Neal, has joined seven other carefully selected designers to take part in Heal’s Discovers 2011! It's only one of our favourite shops!! Well done Sam!

 

Read on to find out what's happening...

 

Heal’s Discovers is an annual collection of inspired designs by the very best up-and-coming designers.

“Great designers like Verner Panton, Georg Jensen and Arne Jacobson don’t come along every day. Nor do they simply appear out of the ether. Talent needs nurturing and that’s what Heal’s Discovers is all about.”

Having approached Heal’s in August 2010 with a specultive email detailing her artwork, Samantha nearly fell off her chair when Design Manager, John Jenkins, called and asked for a meeting. She says, “I’d always loved Heal’s and having worked just a stone’s throw away I spent a lot of time there, window shopping, mainly. But once I left London, whenever I visited I’d always make a point of popping in for some inspiration and a ‘small something’ to take back home. So I thought if I’d always admired Heal’s style, chances are that they might like mine”

Samantha was introduced to buyer Farzana Jones and trading director Giilian Anderson in meetings at their flagship store on Tottenham Court Road, London. After Christmas came a brief to work on ideas and designs for Autumn/Winter 2011. Samantha says, “I then spent some time thinking up a series of new ideas and creative tweaks to original designs that might appeal to the Heal’s audience.”

Samantha presented these ideas, considering autumn/winter colourways, patterns and framing and three weeks later five designs were chosen. Samantha recalls, “On cloud nine several days later, I realized this is when the hard work was about to begin. I had to make my idea commercially viable for both Heal’s and myself. I had to get into the numbers and as a designer, numbers are not my strongest point – as my accountant will tell you!”

After some ups and downs on the production side (but mainly ups), Samantha provided a set of samples to Heal’s for marketing purposes and photoshoots and later delivered her first order into their warehouse by hand: “ I had to hand over a year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears, but it felt amazing!”

On 7^th July Samantha attended the special press show and for the first time the realization of her achievement dawned. Says Sam, “The merchandising teams had worked their magic and my art adorned the walls alongside products from the likes of Tom Dixon, Marimekko and Design House Stockholm. They looked stunning!”

Samantha’s five designs – all exclusive to Heals – In a Flutter London, Butterfly Wings & Hedgerow go on sale in store in August and are available online now. The official launch of the Heal’s Discovers campaign takes place during design week in September.

www.heals.co.uk

Exciting news from Sam...

No, it isn't the news that I've been waiting for (I'm desperate to go and buy a hat), but it is truly fantastic. We will be posting all about it tomorrow, but for now, let's just say that Illustries' fabulous Head of Pictures, Samantha Neal, has been talent-spotted by a very savvy high street name. Can't wait to share!