A Happy New Year!

Images from Pinterest

As the countdown to 2012 begins, we are reflecting on an amazing year.

I personally have watched my hugely talented team grow and we have designed and decorated some amazing weddings this year pushing our creative skills even further.

Our planning services have gone from strength to strength and we have some hugely exciting projects and commissions underway for 2012.

We would like to take this opporunity to wish all our 2011 clients a fabulous New Year and all our 2012 and 2013 couples an exciting New Year as we work with them on their beautiful wedding days.

Our work would not be complete without all the extraordinarily talented suppliers we work with to put together our weddings and events and we would also like to wish all our friends within the wedding industry a Very Happy New Year!

We will be back shortly with many fabulous inspirations, blog posts and of course real weddings as we start the New Year.

57 Grand is in Martha Stewart Weddings!

Our favorite new line has hit the newstands in our favorite bridal magazine -- great minds think alike. It's the Riverside, and you can find it in NYC at the Wedding Library.

A Statement from Reviva Weddings

It has been bought to our attention that another company, based here on the Costa Del Sol, has been sending out libelous emails to clients about our company.

Reviva Weddings have consulted lawyers who have confirmed that we have a good case to take this company to court based on libelous and malicious information being sent out.

It will be our intention to issue a denuncia against this company in the event that they do not make a public apology shortly.

Should we see that further emails are being sent out, we will then proceed through the courts to sue them.

We will publish their identity and ask for legal costs and damages to be awarded to us.

Happy Holidays!

As this year draws to a close I am taking a moment to reflect and be grateful for the friends and family who surround us, the clients and artists who support us and the triumphs and challenges that form our history and future. Thank you all, and the happiest of holiday seasons from my family to yours!

Announcing the Wedding Party!

It's baaack! We are excited to announce the Wedding Party is on Sunday, January 29 -- so don't forget to save the date. We also are having special pre-sale pricing of tickets to help you out on your holiday shopping. ($75 for one ticket and $125 for you and a guest). A perfect present for your favorite bride!
Click here to see our list of confirmed participants to date...(plenty more surprises to come!)

REAL WEDDING - LAUREN & TIM

Yes I know we promised this post over 3 weeks ago but what can i say - Christmas took over the inbox...introducing Lauren & Tim (one of our favourite weddings)...


When Lauren & Tim came in to meet & discuss their wedding day it sounded like a charming event and just the type of work we love to work on. Real Weddings Magazine ran a lovely story on their day in their 2010 issue and finally we are featuring an extended series of our photographs on the SugarLove Blog.

Lauren was a stunning bride. Her breathtaking bespoke dress was by Adam Dixon and featured a corded lace bodice & cut out detailing on the low back.

Lauren's sister Sarah was the key to the fateful meeting between Lauren & Tim. We were also lucky enough to work with Sarah on her own wedding day in 2009.

The bridesmaids all wore different coloured dresses by Rose & Ruby with accessories by Alannah Hill and carried bright bouquets of hydrangeas, dahlias & roses by The Flower Store.

The couple chose a love poem throughout the service called "The Anniversary" by English Poet, John Donne in tribute to Tim's late mother, Lorraine.

The area surrounding Athol Hall, Mosman meant there was no travel required by the bridal party & couple to enjoy some photographs together. A simple stroll down the hill to their own private beach on Sydney Harbour was the perfect getaway.

The grooms suit was by Matthew Lawrence Bespoke.

The gorgeous couple....

The gorgeous dress....

The gorgeous sunset kiss....

And what it is all about really....the love....

The picture was a funny & fortuitous moment to capture on film. In the background of our last couple shots our Photographer, Bradley noticed surfing champion Layne Beachley coming out of the water in goggles & mask proudly holding her lost engagement ring in hand. Layne had lost her engagement ring during fitness training with the Manly Police 2 days earlier so with the help of some diver friends and what she described as "the luck of our SugarLove wedding nearby" Layne magically found her ring at the bottom of Sydney Harbour during the middle of our photo shoot!! Jumping for joy and celebrating with a fun filled portrait & a toast of champagne was the perfect end to such a magical moment.

The guests were entertained by a jazz trio on the lawn whilst enjoying entrees & drinks before the evening celebrations moved inside Athol Hall.

Lauren had a large chandelier brought in for the middle of the room which was surrounded by hanging ferns/florals created by The Flower Store.

Bride, Lauren & her mother spent months collecting mismatched glass bottles and vases from op shops which were filled with colourful blooms.

The white lace crotcheted tablecloths completed the vintage feel perfectly.

In keeping with the casual garden party theme the couple chose a dinner buffet with a variety of delicious options which proved very popular with the guests.

My Little Cupcake designed the wedding cake which was a tower of pastel treats to savour along with the extensive dessert bar.

Fairy lights lit up the deck at night underneath dozens of hanging lanterns in bright summery tones. The balcony was a lovely area for guests to enjoy on a balmy summer night.

The couple enjoyed their wedding dance to Etta James "At Last" and the guests enjoyed dancing the night away to a latin funk band.

It was a pleasure to work with a couple with such great natural style & elegance and a perfect synergy to our philosophy that less is more at SugarLove. Wishing Lauren & Tim a lifetime filled with happiness and a Merry Christmas to all of our loyal blog readers....with love, Leigh & the team x

57Grand in the House!

We are so excited to be the new flagship for 57Grand, a young, fresh and "downtown" dress line for our hippest bridesmaids! We love that it's a hometown collection inspired by New York City and that these dresses are available in super cute, bright colors and wonderful fabrics. Make an appointment to check out the newest addition to our family.

Snowy Wedding Inspirations!

Living in Spain is fabulous and we are truly spoilt with our weather, this winter has been incredibly mild, apart from the terrific storm on my birthday! 

This morning I gazed out onto a beautiful pink sunrise and relish the fact I can meet my friend today for a lovely lunch sat outside, however, I am insanely jealous that the UK are about to see snow!! 

I absolutely adore snow, the light and magical look it brings to everything it falls on. 

I think it always instills that sense of peace which is why it is particularly beautiful at Christmas time.

So here is my contribution to all things snowy!  A beautiful winter inspiration board created for you and we now have falling snow on our blog as we are getting festive!

The images here are found on Pinterest and you must head over to Green Wedding Shoes to see a delightful snow shoot.

REAL WEDDINGS MAG - ASK THE EXPERT

Thank you to the wonderful REAL WEDDINGS Mag who interviewed us for their ASK THE EXPERT column online now....

Leigh Taylor, co business owner of Sugarlove Weddings shares her expert advice on achieving beautiful, timeless Wedding Photography.

How did you start your business?

SugarLove Pictures was started by my husband (Photographer/Director BRADLEY PATRICK) & I in January 2000. We spent the first few years focusing on his commercial work within the Arts & Entertainment industries and worked regularly between Australia & the US. It was via the request of many high profile clients in these areas to cover their weddings that we saw the growth of SugarLove Weddings.

What is your style?

Timeless, emotional & spontaneous moments captured in a relaxed unobtrusive style is often the way our work is described by SugarLove clients. Our personal business approach combined with a high level of ongoing support and "love" that starts from the very first meeting to the final collection of albums is widely regarded as one of the added joys of working with SugarLove.

What is your business and/or creative philosophy?
Our philosophy is based on integrity, passionate client management & an appreciation of being invited to share one of the most important days of your life with our clients. An all encompassing love for the art of making beautiful images "both still & moving" drives the SugarLove & White team.

What sets you and your work apart?

There are many things. We dont feel couples should have to purchase an album to be able to book the very best photographers in the business. For the majority of clients, our packages with albums are fully inclusive so there are no hidden extras after the honeymoon. We keep the business & creative sides of wedding photography separate for clients at SugarLove. Each couple are working one on one with their own account manager to ensure no detail is missed prior to the day, the photographers can then concentrate on what they do best (capturing the amazing images we are hired for) and our clients are overjoyed to receive their images anywhere from 2-6weeks after the event instead of 3-6mths.

What is the process for a bride and groom to work with you?

We would suggest the first step would be to have a good look through our websites SUGARLOVE WEDDINGS & WHITE DESIGNS. Our blog is also a great place to find out more about how we work, where we work and who we are as a team. Next step would be to either phone or email with your wedding date and location information. We can then either send you our packages to consider via email, set up a skype chat (if overseas/interstate) or make a meeting time in our stunning 2storey showroom in the picturesque Woollahra located in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

What advice would you have for engaged couples?

Please contact us early. We are often booked up to 18mths in advance. Have a clear idea about the style of photography / videography you like before narrowing your search to a top 1/2 studios. Do lots of web research, mag research and ask friends/family of any recommendations or tips that might help you choose the best studio for your day.

Photography by Claudio Raschella

Hair & Makeup by Lucy Topp

Style Me Pretty Feature Today

I love planning a classic wedding. And this one embodied the quintessential elegance of a "picture perfect" event. On Style Me Pretty today, check it out.

JUST 12 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

With only 12 days to go until Christmas we wanted to remind you about our Charity Water Campaign....thank you to all the wonderful clients who have booked us for a family portrait shoot already!! We are inviting you to celebrate this Christmas with a stunning family portrait taken by Celebrity Portrait Photographer/Bradley Patrick and we will donate 50% of all SugarLove fees to Charity Water.

Charity Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean & safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects. Just $20 can give someone access to clean safe drinking water. Help us reach our goal of donating $5000 by 31st December 2011 to Charity Water. For all enquiries on shoot fees, availability & how you can get involved in our campaign simply email us at leigh@sugarlovepictures.com

Pink and Gold Christmas Inspiration

Top Row 1st and 2nd image Better Homes & Gardens, 3rd Image Citrus & Orange, 4th Image Pinterest.
Second row Image 1,2 & 3 Citrus & Orange, 4 & 5 Image Unknown

Pink and Golds are definitely the in Christmas colour this year and are all over blog world.

I love them as these are the colours I have every year and mine are mixed with silvers and lots of crystal too collected over the years. I also use olive green as it is the other colour in my home but this year I am excited about using a touch of purple and deep turquoise too with lots of golds to bring a slightly grander feeling to our Christmas table. I have the crackers already and bought some beautiful olive charger plates and now on a search for a deep magenta velvet ribbon!

I thought with all these fabulous images I have found it would be lovely to create an inspiration board to share with you.

You really must head over to the Citrus and Orange blogspot, it is one of my favourite blogs and I can´t wait to see what Susana will be posting next as she shares her Christmas decoration ideas with us.

We also have some beautiful Christmas trees to share with you this week, sent in by our brides from the past few years and some of our brides for 2012 as we all get festive and share our creative ideas together!

Keeping Safe at Work

I had an interesting chat tonight with one of my friends, who is also a supplier in the wedding industry. I cannot give too much away, but this chat made me think about creating this blog post to cover what we discussed as I think it is an important subject.

This applies particularly to women who are running businesses and are required to go and meet potential clients in venues such as private villas, etc.

Our work means we are mainly at our desks working away on our computers and we can be at home or in the office safely working alongside our colleagues but we have to venture out to meet clients.

Whether you are a wedding planner, designer, or working within the wedding industry, make up and hair, photographers, etc we are all at some point required to go and meet potential clients perhaps sometimes in private villas, invited to a bar for a coffee or other meeting places.

Do we really know who we are going out to meet?
Are we making sure we are safe whilst conducting our business?

My friend actually contacted me tonight as she remembers me being stalked a couple of years ago now, and needed to ask me questions as she thought the same thing was happening now to her.

Because we run our businesses we have to put our profiles on the internet, our websites, blogs, facebook pages and twitter all of these include our contact details and images of us and our work.

Whilst 99% of the time this is great and we get wonderful business contacts and clients, there is always this 1% of weirdos that decide they want to stalk you for whatever reason.

Don´t get me wrong I have some fabulous stalkers, but I have had some not so fabulous ones as well.

It is important to remember a few basic things to keep safe whilst working.

If you have to meet a client in a remote area, private villa, etc always take someone with you. Work colleague, friend, hubby anyone will do!

Always let people know where you are going, what time and the time you are expected back.

Take as many details as possible before you meet the client, phone numbers, and other numbers in case their phone is not working, etc of friends of theirs. As we create destination weddings we normally ask for details such as passport numbers, etc as well but I can see this might be harder if you are working with clients in the same country to ask for details like this.

Try to find out as much as you can and never go alone, particularly if you are uncertain about a client and cannot get someone to go with you, postpone the meeting, if they are genuine they will of course understand your reasons.

No work is worth sacrificing your own safety.

What Luck

Shade Tree Films appropriately name this video "What Luck" and we could not agree more!

Sit back, relax and get ready to feel a tug on your heart strings with this one.

Between landscape views, Gary's speech, to Lora's vows this video captured all of the love we were so lucky to be apart of. Big thanks to Shade Tree for sharing their amazing talent, insane editing and storytelling with us. They truly captured all the emotion of the day..and that took a little more than Luck .

Spanish Burgundy Wedding Inspiration

I have been working on some wedding inspirations this weekend for one of our Sotogrande weddings next year. Our brief is burgundy, whites and a touch of silver with a destination wedding theme possibly incorporating maps of Spain and red wines.

The wedding will be held at a stunning monastery in Sotogrande which requires very minimal stylish decorations and for this particular venue a chill out area on the terrace is always lovely for the dancing later.

With the burgundy (red wine) colour mixed with whites, the two colours combined can be quite harsh so we have mixed in a sahara rose and some pale pinks which will soften and lift the colour combination.

Burgundy is a fabulous colour for a Spanish styled wedding, and combined with a dramatic black is truly stunning and brings the drama of Andalucian flamenco to the overall look and style. Not too much black though, we loved Sarah´s wedding this year using a black etching of a flamenco dancer.

Here we have created an inspiration board for one of our clients and used this flamenco graphic that was beautifully reproduced onto a stunning wedding cake by Fi and onto the stationery from Anoulka.

The combination of the deep burgundy with the ivories, very soft pinks and tea colours is a fabulous colour scheme.

To compliment the destination map idea we have suggested to run this through the wedding with the stationery details, perhaps confetti cones made out of maps of Spain, table seating and luggage tags and white suitcases. The design has only just been sent off but of course is still buzzing around in my design brain and yet to cover the red wine element!

This is where I start to wish time away as we create and design some fabulous weddings that I cannot wait to put together!

Back to glitter and Christmas this week, but we do like to share our wedding inspirations and designs with you as we sit here creating for 2012.

We would like to credit Sweet Things By Fi for this stunning flamenco cake and Jeremy Standley for the photography, without these fabulous photos we could not showcase our work as we do. The inspiration board was created by me using photos from pinterest and our own weddings.

HAPPY SUMMER DAYS

Just realised we have never done a full behind the scenes post on one of our favourite weddings (Lauren & Tim) which was published in a recent issue of Real Weddings Magazine. The wonderful thing about SugarLove & White is that we get to work on some gorgeous client weddings & lots of them in peak spring/summer season but we missed sharing this one....as a tribute to summer days ahead - Lauren & Tim will officially appear online over the next week...happy summer days x