I L.O.V.E. Singapore. A country I’ve been fortunate to visit on two seperate occasions and both times I loved the place in it’s own little way. In 2006, I decided to take a little much needed break and with just my passport and suitcase, I chose this very wonderful place. To be able to feature this adorable and glamorous wedding is not only an absolute pleasure, it gives me the little feeling of such loveliness as if I’m back right there in the warm sun.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Sophia and Jonathan’s gorgeous day, by 2 Of Us Photography.

Sophia and Jonathan tied the knot on 5th November 2011 at the Sheraton Hotel, Singapore. Throughout the day, Sophia looked stunning in every single one of her gowns. The day was filled with pretty colours; especially sweet bridesmaids in sunny yellow, the oh-so fun Wedding Door Games {think chilli filled cobs!} and an evening of glam…

Sophia and Jonathan’s wedding day was captured by the very talented Soon and Cole of 2 Of Us Photography. The two like-minded individuals met while working in a bridal boutique and eventually set up their fab photography business in 2008. Individually, Soon and Cole have more than 10 years wedding industry experience. They believe that the wedding experience does not just include the actual day, but also in the pre-wedding planning. Their understanding of a wedding planning journey helps inspire their artistic photographic masterpieces for the couple, which they can cherish and enjoy many years down the road, with fond memories of their special day.

If I told you I’m a little bit in love with every single photo captured right here, I know you’d believe me, because hand on heart… I absolutely adore Sophia and Jonathan’s sweet wedding… and I very much hope you do too! … Carms Xx

note: all image copyright belongs to 2 Of Us Photography. please do not re-blog without permission from the copyright holders 

5am Monday morning my alarm clock kick started my new week. By 7:30am I was on site at Mercure Nottingham Hotel to meet an amazing East Midlands team for a wedding photo shoot. The hotel approached me a few weeks back to organise the shoot for their new wedding brochure… and I decided to make the most of it; as well as a venue shoot, we took it into the streets of the city for something a little different. I love a city wedding, so this was a perfect opportunity to collaborate with a talented team of wedding colleagues. I have spent the last couple of weeks doing the final preparations which included collecting the divine French Macarons from Cameo Cupcakes… and drinking lots of tasty Starbucks vanilla latte’s in between preps and meetings!

Sweet Peek Boutique

Without giving away too much just yet {although I have seen the first set of amazing professional images last night!} … here is my own little Sweet Peek capture from the shoot …

St Valentines Day… A Huge Amount Of Love

I hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day! In case you missed it…alongside the lovely Emma White Photography and Pocket Typewriter, I was featured on Rock My Wedding for our The Valentine Trio competition. You can still enter right here… and below are some of my captures from when we got together for the photos! Please meet Emma, Leckie and Jack.

Valentines Day With My Husband

Last week I mentioned I wasn’t sure what I will be doing on St Valentines Day… well, my sweet husband Paul had booked us a table at Iberico World Tapas  for a most mouth watering meal. We’re both huge seafood lovers and the tapas dishes which we were served were beautiful. Iberico are situated in the famous Nottingham Lace Market in a magnificent Grade II listed building within the Galleries of Justice. I would definitely recommend to you.

Business Thought Of The Week… Re-Brand If Your Instinct Tells You So …

Have you been thinking about re-branding but a little unsure whether to or not? Back in February 2011 I was in the very same position and I decided I needed to re-brand. This was a scary move. My brand was already out there and people were beginning to recognise {well, I hoped they did!} my logo and colours, but I knew I needed to because the branding at the time just didn’t feel right. I researched new ideas, put pen to paper about what I knew I wanted to achieve {it was just before I had joined Pinterest, otherwise I would have pinned ideas onto a ‘Branding Board’ – so much easier!} and by the end of May 2011, a new look for Carmen Weddings was born. It was simply the best move I made.   

Yes, I was told it’s not really the ‘done’ thing to re-brand just a year after my first website and logo was built but my gut instinct was that it wasn’t right for me and the clients I’m wanting to connect with. My business is very personal and it has to reflect ‘me’ and the message I want to send out to potential clients. Therefore, if you have been considering a re-brand, do it because it’s right for you, ensure your new ‘look’ is going to move up and not down in style and as well as going with what your heart and mind tells you, show your style and personality through your brand; especially if you are a small and personal business.

Personal Thought Of The Week…Working With A Team Of Like Minded Professionals

Working with a team of like minded professionals who are not only amazing at what they do, but also treat their own work and yours with absolute respect means so,so much. Many of us in the wedding industry are small businesses with a big heart for what we do and we want to do it perfectly. This shows from website to blog to every little detail of the work on the day. Working on a clients wedding is a big responsibility and it is within all of our interests that we do it right. It really is so amazing when you work alongside a team of industry colleagues who have utmost respect in what you do and also support each other along the way. Thank you to the people who I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with so far and who have the very same philosophy and show just as much commitment and care along the way.

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! Have a very lovely Sunday … Carms Xx

Image Credit : Carmen Weddings on Instagram

Danny and I met at university. It seems a life time ago now! I was in first year and had just started, and he was assigned to film my group performing and the process. He was SO different then! But in a way its really good as we grew up together and have had alot of ups and downs, but it’s made us stronger and built a really good foundation in our relationship.

Danny works in the film industry so with his crazy hours, I had to do alot of the planning and organising by myself. I found it stressful but he did feel guilty and helped where he could. He took an interest in quite a few things, such as the invitations, photography and the origami centrepiece. I felt that he felt that he didn’t have many decisions in the process and wanted him to feel a part of it so left certain tasks with him. It was his wedding too! I think many brides forget the importance of that in the process. In fact, its a good thing as it helps relieve some pressure with the decision making. There were a few things that I wasn’t as bothered as I thought I would be, which I surprised myself with. The atmosphere I wanted for my wedding was that of something fun yet elegant, and I didn’t want everything to match or to be traditional. 

For inspiration, I went through many magazines and websites but I found that the American sites were more useful to me. It seems weddings in the US are much more unique to the couple and the ideas they had seemed to be much more fun. I found that British websites had beautiful content but not always with purse strings in mind.

I chose my two oldest friends to be my bridesmaids but as one was in Australia and another lived in a different city, they were limited to what they could do to help. Their lack of organisation and enthusiasm at the time really upset me. I felt I was doing everything all by myself which was just too much! There were a few friends I had wanted to be my bridesmaids, but at the beginning I didn’t ask them as I didn’t want an army of bridesmaids. Eventually though I’m so glad I did. They were amazing on the day and organised a brilliant hen weekend! The process really wouldn’t have been the same without them and we feel so much closer after everything. Now one of them is getting married next year!

We had corsages for the bridesmaids as I thought they would be able to keep their hands free, was a cheaper option and they could hold their parasols while walking down the aisle.

With my own bouquet, I knew I didn’t want anything fancy and big because I knew I’d be too lazy to hold it all day! So I opted for something simple, small and elegant. I went to the florists and we discussed about the flowers I loved and they simply told me what would and wouldn’t work. Luckily, everything went well so this aspect of my planning went smoothly! It could have turned ugly otherwise, as I’m not great at making decisions! I think a big problem with brides is that we get consumed with all the little decisions and they become a really big thing… ultimately getting stressed and overwhelmed. I was definitely guilty of this on a few occasions!

I found the wedding planning process full of ups and downs. It was difficult to work within a budget… but it was great fun trying!

The planking was a last minute idea! The girls and I had joked about it on the hen weekend but we were never serious. I didn’t think I’d even manage to be honest! When we were taking pictures at the alter {the one where I was lying on my side} Danny yelled out behind the camera man ‘Plank!’…  I thought ‘Well, since I’m up here, why not??’. It had to be done!!

I had the idea of using origami and thinking about where it could be incorporated. At one time, I liked the idea of making place cards with origami paper as it would have been more cost effective but the origami hanging centrepiece was much more perfect; guests loved the idea and really appreciated the room and the little details.

With the table centrepieces I was keen to let the florist do what he felt best although I still sent him many pictures of the things I liked! As I wanted some small details with Chinese accents and had a mood board of details I loved, he suggested having the tall lucky bamboos in the centrepiece… which I loved and it worked so well! 

One of the few things that Danny decided on quickly was the photographer. He pretty much decided on Brian Cassidy after seeing just one shot! I personally wouldn’t advise this but Danny had already made his decision! Brian Cassidy had captured weddings at our venue so he knew where the good locations are for photography and where is best for perfect lighting. We really wanted good photography which we absolutely got. Danny and I perhaps spent just a little too long on the couple photographs in which I regret as I felt that I missed most of the evening with my guests! I would advise making a list of your important photos and stick to the timing! You really don’t want to miss your own wedding!

Thank you so much to Maria and Danny for sharing their planning journey and their gorgeous wedding day with us!… Carms Xx