bedforshire Archives - The White Emporium

Wedding Floral Inspiration 2018

12th January 2018 by Gemma Leave a Comment

Now this is just a very little snippet for some of the floral inspiration in 2018. I love flowers and incorporating them into my styling, both working with trained florists and having a dabble myself, in recent years my tastes have swayed to the wild, natural and untamed. A firm advocator of the home grown I love foraging and the rise of flower farm small holdings. Now flower terminology is not my forte, I can create a stunning display but please don’t ask me to remember flower names, so any florists amongst you reading this blog please don’t call me out on the inaccuracies and just cringe quietly into your cup of tea.

I have also noticed a movement against the word trend, now I believe that weddings should be personal and unique and represent the couple behind them and this is the ethos I use behind all weddings. However trends do exist, trust me after 8 years of being a fashion designer even an anti trend is a trend! So incorporate the elements you want to, in ways you want to, don’t feel pressured into following certain movements just take these ‘trends’ as inspiration and build your wedding your way.

Grasses and Seeds –

This has to be one of my favourite floral movements coming through in floral inspiration 2018, pretty much because its so versatile. Pampas grasses have taken the wedding industry by storm and it’s about time they got some positive press after the whole 70’s swinger innuendos. Fill large glass vessels with tall grasses and exploding seed heads of all shapes and sizes including bamboos and cotton, vintage bottles (which we have loads of Vintage Bottle Hire )look so delicate and light when filled with grass stems and I love the contrast against the cold hard texture of concrete. This is great for the scandi movement and the air of simplicity we see floating across from Europe. Create beautiful airy tablescapes with striking china layered upon crumpled linen table runners.

A mix of grasses both fresh and dried. Image found on Silk and Willow Instagram Page.

Pampas Chandelier by http://marylennox.de/

Full of seed and bud goodness. From one of my favourite floral designers… Soil and Stem

Simplicity is beautiful, Image Source Unknown

Moody Mixes –

Probably the complete opposite of the above trend, here comes the dark and dramatic. Use bold floral choices and unusual flower combos, mix rich hues with soft undertones, orchids with roses, pale pinks with dark mauves and highs with lows. This is a kind of everything goes trend, as long as there is an underlying dark tone running through the florals then this is your chance to be bold and dramatic. Perfect for intense back drops and floral installations.

Bouquet by Floraeforay http://floraeforay.co.uk/

Look at that height! Image found on The Bridal Theory

Mix colours and unusual flower combos. Image found on Rose and Bud Insta page.

Delicate –

Pairing it all back to the simplistic vibes, the need for neutrals and airiness is running through a lot of home décor trends at the moment. Plants such as honesty have been popping up all over Instagram and the emergence of dried flowers and grasses have been filling my screen shots folder. Think about dried flower boquets, head pieces, backdrops and place settings. I love the depth of texture created when using dried foliage, perfect for layering over rustic tables and fabric runners. What’s not to love, especially when we have hundreds of various rustic and unique bottles waiting to be filled with something beautiful!

Dried Bouquet Image found on https://www.fairmavenfloral.ca/

Image Source Unknown for this beautiful dainty bloom.

Another from one of my favourite Instagram feeds… Silk and Willow.

One of my favourite plants! Image found on The Lane Wedding Inspiration

The amazing thing about social media, is the whole wealth of inspiration out there, I have more screen shots on my phone than photos, so don’t be afraid to step outside of the ‘norm’ when looking at floral inspiration 2018. There’s going to be so much beauty gracing our screens this year!

My next blog post will be looking at some key colours coming through this year.

Have a lovely weekend.

Gemma xxx

The White Emporium

Image Links top to bottom –

Silk and Willow Instagram

Mary Lennox

Soil and Stem Instagram

Florae Foray

The Bridal Theory

Rose and Bud Instagram

Fair Maven Floral

The Lane Wedding Inspiration

A Little Close Up Part 2 – Venue Styling

24th June 2016 by Gemma Leave a Comment

First question and the most important? – What is a venue stylist and why do you need one? A venue stylist will ensure the vision for your decor is perfectly executed and exactly as you imagined. By having all the props to hand it is easier to create the exact look you have spent the past few months and years pinning about. The main ethos behind The White Emporium is helping create a wedding that is completely unique to you and reflects the love and personality behind each couple, expressing yourselves through your decoration and venue is the perfect way to do this.

On the morning of your wedding you don’t want to be fretting about the last finishing touches, so leave it to our capable hands as you relax and get pampered.

Photo by Cat Lane Photographer

We offer different levels of styling packages and can be as involved as needed and we love working with other suppliers. Our first ever wedding we hired to was a full set up and we sourced table cloths and runners to accompany the decorative props we supplied, it was certainly a case of jumping in at the deep end but what an amazing feeling when seeing everything pulled together and a venue fully set up. Every time I get butterflies and it’s almost like getting married again.

A Helping Hand £70- Perfect for adding those finishing touches and for the DIY bride without an entourage of wedding planners. Were you worrying about who was going to light all those candles before you arrived or who would make sure the blankets are spread on hay bales? We will also arrange any items you have hired from us and within reason a selection of items provided by yourselves. If you have hired any goodies from us don’t worry we will be back to collect the next morning. This option includes a walk around the venue in the week before the event to fully understand the vision you have for your event. Max length of time at venue 2 hours.

Take The Weight Off £160 – Ideal for venues who won’t let setting up begin until the morning of the event or those that have a vision and don’t know how to bring it to life. We will work with you in creating a wedding that reflects your Pinterest dreams. Come round to our glam garage and we can discuss over biscuits what you would like your wedding to look like, rummage and pull decor from our range and we will help you pull it all together. On the day of your wedding (or the day before) we can be there with or without you to decorate the venue, we will style our own props and anything you might have. We will happily work and liaise with other suppliers to make sure everything is perfect. If you have hired any goodies from us don’t worry we will be back to collect the next morning. This option includes a walk around the venue in the week before the event to fully understand the vision you have for your event. Length of time at venue depends on amount of work to be done.

Leave It To Us from £350– Planning a wedding or event can be stressful and there is always so much to think about, if styling isn’t your thing then leave it all to us. In our little black book we have a huge array of great suppliers who can provide everything we can’t, from chair covers to roll top sofas we can source everything you need for an amazing set up. Come round to our glam garage and we can discuss over biscuits what you would like your event to look like, we will create mood boards to bring the venue to life and to make sure you are fully happy. We will work with the venue and other suppliers so on the day all you need to worry about is turning up on time. If you have hired any goodies from us don’t worry we will be back to collect the next morning. This option includes a walk around the venue in the week before the event to ensure all parties are happy with the intended styling. Length of time at venue depends on amount of work to be done.

If you have any questions drop send us a message and we will get straight back.

Happy Friday!

Gemma xxx

The White Emporium

A Little Close Up Part 1- Hand Drawn Maps

10th June 2016 by Gemma Leave a Comment

For well over a year The White a Emporium has been creating hand drawn maps for couples all around the country. It is an area of our work that we have never really shouted about. So as the first in a 3-part close up look at The White Emporium we will be telling you all you need to know about our little maps.

It all started back in 2014 when I drew a tiny little map on the info page of our wedding invites. One of our guests saw it and loved it and asked me to draw one for them. Then a friend of a friend saw theirs and another map was commissioned, the rest as they say is history.

My Own Little Wedding Map, Where It All Began!

I have created maps of London to Italy and drawn airplanes to unicorns. As long as I can have access to photos (Google maps is a dream) I can attempt to draw anything.

Each little element of the map is hand drawn, you can include your houses, where you went on your first date, your favourite pub etc, most common is for couples to add on the hotels guests have been recommended to stay at and of course the wedding venues.

Every Element In The Map Is Hand Drawn

A Map Of A Location In Italy

So why buy a hand drawn map when printing from Google is so easy? Well every map is completely unique, no 2 are ever the same. It is another great way to inject your personality by adding in places that mean something to you and selecting the area to be drawn. The maps aren’t accurate to scale but they still make a great little tool to stop your guests getting lost. Finally once you are happy with the artwork the map is yours to keep, I hold no printing restrictions so it can be re-produced however you like as many times as you like. They are great to keep in your memory box and I have known couples to frame them, or enlarge them and use them as a print for guests to sign.

Another One Of Our Little Maps

Here’s the important bit (well for me anyway) the maps currently cost £40 (until 1st September 16) for the finished JPEG and they take at least 2 weeks to draw. I would need to know the final size you require, all the places you would like to be included and your names and wedding date. So not to much info! When you are entirely happy with the artwork you get a high resolution JPEG which is yours to print however you would like.

The Most Ambitious Map To Date, Commissioned by The Bohemian Dreams Wedding Festival

Then if you loved your map why not add on a timeline of your day to go into your order of services! These are at a barginacious £20 until Sept 1st 2016!

Add In The Timings For The Day With A Hand Drawn TimeLine

For more information or to book your map drop a message to thewhiteemporium@outlook.com

Get those fingers typing and hopefully hear from you soon!

Love Gemma x

The White Emporium

This is Me…

1st April 2016 by Gemma Leave a Comment

I have had a whole load of new Instagram and Facebook followers which I am totally over the moon about, thank you so much for following my little adventure into building The White Emporium. So I thought it was about time I introduced the woman behind the venture.

This is me!

For those of you who don’t know my name is Gemma and I am a not long 30, head strong, compulsive doodler, slightly crazy cat lady, who is attempting to take on the Bedfordshire wedding industry.

The White Emporium was born after my own wedding back in August 2014. I loved every moment of organising my own wedding, everything on the day was either made or sourced by myself and to say I was in my element was an understatement. I am not going to lie the wedding took over my life, our house resembled a scene from ‘The Secret Life of Hoarders’ and I roped in anyone and everyone to help with sticking, sanding and cutting. I had invested so much of my time and my energy into this one day, so when it was over I couldn’t bare the thought of having to give it all up. So not only on my wedding day did I marry the most perfect man I also started a new adventure all on my own.

Behind the scenes on a shoot!

I have always been very determined and after (not to sound soppy) a realisation of my own mortality a few years ago, I promised the big guy upstairs that if everything worked out I would start my own business. So here I am! Officially a business woman and owner – with a business account! Yes I often feel out of my depth and sometimes panicked by what I have started, but most of the time I am excited and constantly driven to keep building The White Emporium. However all is not easy, I still work full time to pay the bills, I often get up ridiculously early and work late with my very unhelpful cat for company, I struggle to balance my time and those closest to me suffer from the zero free time I have. The love I have for those closest to me is immense and I couldn’t be where I am without them, their support and encouragement is ridiculous and you soon learn who your true friends are when they understand why you are locked in your house painting blackboards all weekend!

An early morning start, still in the P.J s with my unhelpful cat!

It is amazing to sit back and see where The White Emporium has come over the past 18 months. I am lucky enough to have meet some pretty awesome local suppliers and together we have created stunning photoshoots that have been featured in local and national blogs and magazines. I am in my element on a styled shoot and love the planning and setting up of the different looks. I have also had the pleasure of working with some beautiful couples, these are the people that I get up for and every wedding I am involved with I get that same feeling of excitement I had on own big day. Back in January I had all my hard work rewarded when I won ‘The One To watch’ Award at the Four Counties Wedding Awards, it was great to be noticed as a newcomer to the wedding industry and what an amazing way to start what promises to be a action packed 2016!

I only went and won an award!!!

So what is The White Emporium about? Well it’s about creating weddings that are truly unique and personal to each couple. I don’t believe in the ordinary, I believe in out-of-the-box thinking and quirky touches. Weddings shouldn’t be about a rigid, structured day and a conveyor belt of brides, it should be all about the couple who are starting on a new chapter together and a wedding should reflect this and most importantly their personalities.

In a nutshell this is me and The White Emporium. For more information and to get in touch head over to the Contact page. Make sure you follow The White Emporium on Pinterest for everything we love and inspired by. Instagram for behind the scenes and Facebook for updates. Also don’t forget to follow this blog for more ramblings on weddings, I promise it isn’t always so wet!

Happy Friday Campers!!!

Gem xxx

The White Emporium

Take one milk churn…

25th January 2016 by Gemma 2 Comments

Take one simple milk churn and pack it full of flowers and the look is truly schmazzzzziiinnngggg! Please can I get married again!

I love the height you can get from these arrangements and how they can be filled with the brightest of colours, creating real breath taking displays. Surely a flower arrangers dream!

This is a short but sweet post, there is no point in my crazy ramblings the photos are going to do all the talking!

Image from 29gallery.co.uk

Image from amydwyerflorist.com

Image from rockmy wedding.com

Image from passionforflowers.net

Image from onefabday.com

For more inspiration follow me on Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/whiteemporium/ I can promise a lot of milk churn and general relaxed rustic love!

Love Gemma xxx

The White Emporium

A Beautiful White Affair

15th January 2016 by Gemma Leave a Comment

One of my favourite things about my job is getting to work with some super talented suppliers on styled shoots. Today I am going to share with a beauty of a gem, perfect for cheering up this very cold day. Back in May 2014 we created an effortlessly beautiful look which took full advantage of the lush green backdrop. The first look saw our bride and groom embrace under a natural arbor complimented with a love quote plaque and candles (frequent followers will know I have a candle obsession). The bride had a stunning relaxed bun up-do decorated with flowers. Her dress was trimmed with beads and featured a small train, perfect for the relaxed feel.

Our couple dined at a table brimming with eucalyptus and brass candlesticks, gip filled the mini glass vases and rustic Mr and Mrs hand painted signs hung from the chairs.

With the beautiful setting it would have been rude not to take advantage of the outdoors so we created a picnic, which has to be the ultimate in relaxed wedding dining.

White was our non-colour of choice, it really pops against the green and the beautiful relaxed hand tied bouquet was to die for!

The second look saw the bride in a short lace and loose waved hair, the groom looked dapper in shirt and braces. 2016 is all about signage and our Mr and Mrs signs and chalk boards provide amazing photo props.

I love the intimate feel of this shoot and how in love the couple look. When I style shoots I love to help create the relaxed vibe that was over whelming on this gorgeous day.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Here is the full list of suppliers, they are all amazing –

Photography: www.summerlilystudio.com

https://www.nikkismoments.com/

https://www.sungblue.com/

https://www.loveandlifestudio.co.uk/

Hair: www.updosbynatasha.co.uk

Make Up: www.facebook.com/makeupbymackenziekate

Styling little old Me!: www.thewhiteemporium.co.uk

Flowers: Wood View Floral Designs – lesleymutz@hotmail.co.uk

Cake: www.icakeyou.co.uk

Stationery: www.karleegould.co.uk/

Accessories: www.somethingnewsomethingblue.co.uk

Happy Weekend

Gem xxx

The White Emporium

Spring Country Wedding Styled Shoot

12th June 2015 by Gemma Leave a Comment

Oooppps been a month since our last blog post! Life at The White Emporium has been non stop and manic but in a good way so please forgive us for the absence.

But we have something below certainly worth waiting for!

A couple of weeks ago we took part in another styled wedding shoot with a band of amazing wedding photographers. The look was a summer country wedding, the feel was fresh and airy. There was crispness in the styling with only white flowers contrasting against beautiful greenery and eucalyptus, the only real use of colour came from gold highlights in the invites and styling accessories. May sees an abundance of Cow Parsley which makes for a dreamy back drop.

The table was dressed with vintage linen and accessorized with brass candlesticks and glass tealights. I love the idea of stand out plates, (I wish I had thought of interesting plates for my own wedding plain white just looks so boring now!) so we found some beautiful gold rimmed, dinner and side plates, you can create some really beautiful table settings with a few simple touches and we tied a few sprigs of greenery in with the knife and fork.

The second look saw the bride and groom heading to a vintage picnic complete with crates and slate boards. This idea can easily be translated into a cheese table or why not have welcome drinks in a picnic setting.

At The White Emporium we have a wide selection of chalk boards and love nothing better than a good love quote. Don’t miss these below!

Check out the beautiful striped cake, i love this idea what a way to make a unexpected impact and how amazing do the flowers look on top!

Finally the group of lovely photographers whose photos are below are super talented, they all have a slightly different style to their technique make sure you hope over to their websites for full photos don’t forget to check out all the other suppliers below who worked on this beautiful shoot!