Happy Halloween!

Wishing our followers a Happy Halloween weekend and hope you all have a wonderful ghoulish, spooky time!
We thought we would share some lovely images found on Pinterest with you!

ON THE ROAD TO BOWRAL

HI Everyone.... we have a very big weekend ahead with seven weddings & almost all of our crew locked in to shoot at SugarLove & White. This Fri/Sat/Sun was fast to become one of the most popular weekends of the year. I have always wondered what makes a date so popular? Would love to know if you feel in the mood to comment. Whilst most of our weekend weddings are taking place in Sydney, today we are venturing to one of our favourite parts of the world - the picturesque Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands. Tara & Miles are tying the knot at the divine Terrara Estate. Here is one of my favourite shots taken at this property a few years ago. Goodluck to Tara & Miles and all of our clients for their big "i-do" moment x

We are featured on Preston Bailey´s brides blog!

I am a huge fan of Preston Bailey and his extraordinary fairytale events he creates.

Preston Bailey is every event designer´s aspiration, to think outside the box and create sublime decoration experiences using lighting, props and of course gorgeous florals.

Every day I avidly follow the Preston Bailey blog, which recently has become a brilliant tool offering advice, business insights and of course inspirations.

Can you imagine my delight when scanning Facebook last night I realised my blog was featured on his yesterday, I nearly fell off my chair and was almost hyperventilating :)

I just had to share this with you and then will get back to work!

Etsy in Spain perhaps!

I am very fortunate that, as part of my work, that I am introduced to some hugely talented and creative people. I am always attracted to the people that have that certain style and more importantly are working very hard, are passionate about what they create and are reliable.

Recently a jewellery maker was bought to my attention by Sweet Things by Fi at one of our design meetings in our studio.

Fi had bought some of Sharon´s creations including some gorgeous wine glass charms, bracelets and key rings all made out of beautiful crystal beads. We discussed various ideas of how they could be used for our weddings either as gifts for bridesmaids and favours.

Shortly after this one of my friends was struggling to find a good supplier for a Breast Cancer charity night to provide some pretty gifts for her fundraising.

Having spotted this plea on Facebook, I asked Fi whether Sharon could make up 40 crystal bracelets with 3 days notice and lo and behold a wave of the magic wand produced not just 40 to die for pink and clear crystal bracelets but beautifully presented in pink organza bags and tied with gorgeous tags.

We were delighted, and so was Maryanne, the organiser of this event.

Our thanks to Sharon at Lovelissimo Designs for helping us out at such a short notice and we hope to work with Sharon a lot next year to produce favours, bridesmaids thank you gifts and just general gorgeousness!

Sharon´s new venture can be found on Facebook and her website.

Calling all Wedding Vendors!

I am delighted to invite all Wedding Library Vendor Members and their guests to hear about how small business owners manage growth and build companies on their own terms. The wedding industry is full of talented, passionate artists -- this is an opportunity to learn how to balance that creativity and love of weddings with running a business. Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster have just published "The Big Enough Company" where they profile small businesses (like the Wedding Library) and reveal the lessons learned by these entrepreneurs. Join me and your peers as we discuss creating a business that works for you.

Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster are the founders of In Good Company, a collaborative workspace for women business owners in New York City. They also work as consultants and business advisors, and their work has been featured in The New York Times and MSNBC. I've known these ladies for many years; they have a true insight into the entrepreneurial spirit!
Here's the book, it's available at Amazon, and at our event!
The event is this Tuesday, October 25 from 3-5pm.
There will be a special guest introduction by
Darcy Miller, Martha Stewart Weddings Editorial Director

Special Note: "The Big Enough Company" got too big! Due to (much) higher response than expected, we will email all respondees with the change of address:
Same day, same time, but we'll be at the lovely
Townhouse at Park Avenue Autumn, 100 East 63rd Street (at Park Avenue).

One Dress, Four Ways

I absolutely loved working on this project for New York Magazine's current Weddings issue. Four stylists were given this simple wedding gown to style in any creative way. I love the juxtaposition of high/low, simple/outlandish, leather and lace. My look is the biker chick (chic). Click on the image to see the details better. I paired our wonderful feather collar by Dana Michele with a leather tuxedo jacket -- it has tails!! Giant crystal stud Balenciaga earrings balance off the glam Untamed Petals sash. Gabriella New York helped us out with the shoes -- altogether a cool look, no?

One amazing part of the experience was working with the hair, makeup and model. As you can see, she is completely transformed in each look. The stylists whipped the model into shape in minutes and really captured the vibe I was looking for. Makes me think every bride should try out a bunch of looks for their big day...

REAL WEDDING - SARAH & ALLAN

Two years ago today we received a phone call from a bride named Sarah who wanted to talk about her wedding taking place in Tuscany in September 2010. An in-house meeting took place two days later and instantly I knew we would be working together and that outside creating extraordinary moments on stills & film we would become great friends.

Sarah & Allan chose a beautiful villa in Tuscany called Bagno a Ripolo to spend a week with family & friends. It gave them the perfect time to spend precious moments with guests who had travelled from all over the globe to be there.

Sarah's dress was a showstopper by Melissa Sweet (Priscilla of Boston/USA)

The couple chose the historic setting of San Gimignano for their ceremony which took place in the town hall. Every corner of the village was a photo opportunity.

Allan & his groomsmen (including brother Stevie) arrive for the service. Suits by Prinzi Collections (Melbourne).

Finally after 10 years the moment of "i-do" was one filled with excitement & applause.

Our photo shoot started outside the town hall in San Gimignano.

Congratulations took place in the cobblestone courtyard.

Being an art director, Sarah appreciated the option to shoot some of the day on medium format film....for celebrity portrait photographer/Bradley - a dream client!!

The family enjoys a wander around the village and a rest pause for gelato.

This is one of my favourite shots of the day. Sarah's dearest friend from the US cut all the tiny pieces of coloured paper to make confetti for the magical shot.

Loving the black & white on our Mamiya. "Please don't spill the gelato guys!!"

When Sarah first showed me her creative direction mood boards for the day I was gobsmacked. The Alice in Wonderland meets Philippe Starck' theme was like nothing I had ever seen.

Sarah & her sister Melissa enjoying some photos together in the vineyard.

The villa & vineyards around the Chianti region were stunning.

One of our favourite moments on film with Sarah & Allan.

Everywhere you looked in the gardens there were treasures.

Hand picked books were placed amongst the furniture and artworks.

The trees were filled with hanging lanterns, poetry & ribbon.

A cosy nook for a luxurious afternoon rest or a poetry reading perhaps.

The gardens & styling at the 16th Century Villa were filled with antique Italian furniture, flowers and artifacts. The brief was that nothing was to match, candles had to have been burnt with dripping wax, the florals were not too placed. It was the perfect way to capture the atmosphere of an opulent celebration that had been continuing on for many days.

Frames were hung from the branches and mirrors reflected the candlelight.

An antique chair was perfectly positioned with dripping wax, others sit proudly throughout the estate.

Vintage table & rocking chair were set up near the dining marquee.

Closer to the marquee green ribbon was used to hang over a dozen white lanterns.

Guests enjoyed cocktails & canapes accompanied by a live jazz quintet whilst the couple had some last minute photographs under the moonlight.

Some special family portraits for both Allan & Sarah's families.

The bridal party had an amazing few days together exploring the local region with traditional pizza making class, Fiat driving tour through the Tuscan hills, grape crushing & wine tastings.

An elegantly modern setting for the guest book located near the villa.

An imperial dining table was designed to host the elegant seven course dinner party.

The gardens under candlelight was a fairytale setting.

Sarah chose to incorporate three colours into her styling - poppy, baby blue & chartreuse.

The long banquet table set for 50 guests was decorated with wild flowers & candelabras.

All artwork & place setting designs by the bride, Sarah.

The entrance to the secret garden with enchanting view from the villa.

Without a doubt this will be historically remembered amongst our SugarLove & White team as THE most amazing crew table ever. The couple ensured that dinner was served throughout the night on this huge antique Italian table with plush seating fit for royalty.

The entrance to our own private dining table for the evening - quite simply "wow"...

The couples choice of preferred caterers were Convivium Firenze

Speeches were emotional and full of the sentimental stories of the incredible journey Sarah & Allan endured before persistence & fate would bring them back together.

The groom's brother Stevie presents Sarah with a beautiful wedding gift.

The dessert table was super special, red & taupe awnings hung from above over a feast of divine sweet treats. The table was positioned as the perfect link between the marquee and dancing area within the villa.

Sarah & Allan enjoy their first dance with the band as husband & wife.

And lastly one of my favourite intimate shots from this incredible journey we were invited to travel on - Sarah & Allan together under the marquee in Italy. If you would like to see our video produced from Sarah & Allan's wedding visit the "Signature" link at our White Designs site.

Today as i complete this post & in just two days time I am thrilled to be attending Sarah's baby shower to welcome another incredible chapter into her life. From the entire SugarLove & White team we wish Sarah & Allan the sweetest of success and happiness for their life together moving forward, B & L xx