Boy do I have a treat for you today!

As I allued to on Monday, I was recently approached by Mary & Gabrielle Events to create some stationery for a wedding inspiration shoot by White Wall Photography for The Lane.

Enjoy the glorious dreamy photos…

I was going to let the photos do all the talking, but I just have to interject at this point. I mean, it’s a freakin’ fireplace. In the woods.

Isn’t that last shot hysterical?

You can find the original post here on The Lane.

Photography: White Wall | Styling: Mary and Gabrielle | Hair and Makeup: Kristy Erdelyi | Props: White and Wander | Flowers: Lotus Flowers | Stationery: Akimbo | Lighting: Lush Lighting |Food: Two Brothers | Cake: Heidelberg | Sweets: Pastille Petite

P.S. Did I mention the fireplace?!

I was recently asked to contribute the stationery for an incredible collaboration (as you may already know if you follow Akimbo on Facebook or Twitter). I’ll discuss that in all its amazing detail on Wednesday, but for now I’m thrilled to reveal the stationery.

I have seriously never been so excited about a new product. Paper schmaper, this baby is printed on wood, people.

I’ve been dying to do both a veneer invitation and an illustrated map, and this collection’s got the delicious double-whammy.

The inspiration board and brief I was given for this project reminded me of the dreamy yet playful forest scenes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With that in mind, I have named the collection Oberon, after Shakespeare’s famous king of the fairies. (Wouldn’t my year 10 drama teacher be proud?)

Check back in later in the week to see the full photo shoot that this was produced for, as well as a matching DIY project.

Until then, you can find details of the stationery products here.

Thanks to the always generous Sally at Poppies Flowers for providing the props and flowers.

The biannual Bowerbird Bazaar handmade market was held on Mother’s Day weekend here in Adelaide.

(Yes, I know Mother’s Day was some time ago so apologies for the ridiculous lateness of this recap but I couldn’t fit it in earlier due to Birthday Month, sorry!)

As usual, it was packed with all the jewellery, prints, ceramics and decor you can handle from some of the country’s most creative indie businesses.

The letterpress goodness from Bespoke Press was the highlight of the day for me. I love their vintage-inspired designs and their gorgeous stall display.

I’ve been a big fan of Messagemark’s organic desgins and retro colour palette for some time so it was great to have the opportunity to meet Kyrie Kohlhagen, the lovely lady behind it.

Whimsical handpainted porcelain by Linogirl.

More beautiful ceramics from Maria Chatzinikolaki…

…and Stephanie James-Manttan.

Perennial favourites Rebound Books.

I’ve had the pleasure to have met the multi-talented Ali Rodda several times through mutual friends. I knew she was working on a new jewellery line so I was excited to finally see it. The result? Indigo Fawn, a collection of paper-cut style designs laser cut from acrylic.

(The cuties at the top right may or may not have found their way home with me.)

Printspace always have the coolest designs. I mean, how would you resist Mr Fox there?

Gorgeous peacock-like leather headbands by South for the Summer.

I love Tinker’s unusual colour choices on their funky screenprinted prints, fabric and teatowels.

Did any of you go? What was your favourite stall?

If you’re visiting from D*S, welcome! I do hope you’ll stay a while and poke around.

I finished writing this City Guide several months ago but I had to put my patience pants on until Design*Sponge could fit it in their busy posting schedule. That day has finally arrived and I’m so thrilled it’s now live.

Huge thanks to Grace and Stephanie for letting me introduce you to my beloved hometown Adelaide and to illustrator Julia Rothman for capturing the iconing Beehive Corner.

Read the full post.

Image courtesy Bowerbird Bazaar

The fantastic Bowerbird Bazaar craft market was held last weekend at the Queen’s Theatre here in Adelaide. It features stalls from mostly local designer-makers selling unique jewellery, art, homewares, toys, clothing and stationery, all in a funky atmosphere with great food. I should have taken my camera and notepad so I could do a proper write-up but I was still in holiday mode! Nevertheless, it was an inspiring afternoon that was perfect to get me back in a creative (and business!) mindset after a few weeks’ break.

It might not be a good idea to mention this in case I don’t get accepted, but I intend to apply for next year’s event – eek! Currently invitations form the bulk of Akimbo’s products – and they will remain the focus – however I need to develop more ready-made products that are suitable for a market. I already have a number of concepts in the pipeline but if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see added to my range, I’d love to hear from you!

I am taking some time off my regular blogging schedule during the final days before my wedding and while I’m on my honeymoon. Since you will be at home while I am having the time of my life, I have pre-posted some fun links and great guest posts to keep you entertained.

I love internet shopping. But nine times out of ten, the shop is not even in my home country let alone city. Of course I would much rather see my dollars going to support local small businesses but let’s face it: not enough that I’m ever going to boycott international shopping.

Which is why I was so excited to discover Brown Button Trading. Owned by local lass Kimberlee, the shop sells stationery, jewellery, homewares or party supplies. All the important things in life, really.

I am taking some time off my regular blogging schedule during the final days before my wedding and while I’m on my honeymoon. Since you will be at home while I am having the time of my life, I have pre-posted some fun links and great guest posts to keep you entertained.

I used to swoon every time I walked past the shop window of Cake Stories, which was located not far from my home. One day it disappeared and I remember being disappointed but quickly got over it since I had zero reason to be buying an elaborate cake at the time.

Fast forward a few months to when I did have a reason, but no idea where to look… until I attended Mary’s wedding and discovered Cake Stories still existed, it had just relocated. There was much reojoicing, an appointment was made and one taste sealed the deal. Although The Man was very disappointed that we booked so quickly: it meant that we didn’t have an excuse to taste every cake in Adelaide.

I will show you our cake as soon as I can, but in the meantime I hope you enjoyed looking at these beauties.

I am taking some time off my regular blogging schedule during the final days before my wedding and while I’m on my honeymoon. Since you will be at home while I am having the time of my life, I have pre-posted some fun links and great guest posts to keep you entertained. Today’s post comes from our super talented wedding photographer Luke Simon. Take it away, Luke!

Weddings are forever becoming more involved and detailed. Be it the invites, table settings, dress, shoes, the venue or the photographer. There are just so many options for brides and grooms on every budget. 

I am probably not the best person to give advice on what dress to buy (although I’ve come across some great dresses!) but I may just be able to give some decent insight and suggestions on what to look for and what to ask the potential photographers you meet with when looking for your perfect wedding photographer. 

Decide what’s important to you
We wedding photographers come in all shapes, sizes and styles, from traditional to photojournalistic, offering everything from 2 to 12 hours of coverage with every or few inclusion within our packages. There are so many alternatives available with ranging flexibilities and products. Do you want a little or a lot of intervention from your photographer? This is a tricky one and finding the right balance is really important. If you opt for a more traditional style of photography there will undoubtably be more posing involved and if you are after a wedding album full of candid images then you might be a little disappointed.

Put yourself in the picture
To find the photographer whose work you can relate to, have a look at a heap of thier work (both full weddings and ‘hero shots’) and find a bunch of images you can see yourself in.

 Find a personality match
Make sure that photographer has the personality you relate to. The best compliment from any couple after their wedding is to hear that I just blended in (but directed and arranged when required) and felt like one of their mates, and of course to far exceed the couples’ expectations with imagery outcome. Yes, photographing your wedding is our job and pays the bills, but a wedding is such an amazingly special day, if your photographer connects and has a great rapport with you and your guests then you are almost guaranteed to get better images that are more special to you. Go with your gut a bit too. It rarely fails. 

Prior proper planning prevents pee poor performance
It’s a motto I refer to a lot every day. It’s important to consider all the different little chapters of your day and allocate a rough timeframe for them and the photography within them without getting too crazy. Consider the getting ready photos: will it be guys and girls at home or guys at church before ceremony all dressed and ready? Then there’s ceremony length, congrats after ceremony, family shots, maybe a quick group shot of everyone, locations before reception, reception coverage, first dance… The list goes on and I don’t want to freak you out but they are all questions you need to ask yourself and your photographer – will it fit within the timeframes the package the photographer offers? There are pros and cons to every scenario so discuss these things with your photographer. 

Prepare a list of must-have shots 
I suggest to brides and grooms that they come up with a list of shots or people they really want as this will give us a better understanding of you guys and what’s important to you and keep on guard for those people or little events within the day. Always good to run this concept past your folks too – there will probably be some shots mum and dad really want captured – a shot with their parents and siblings or a lovely candid shot of Nana on her own… whatever it may be, we can then do our best to look out for that moment. I also recommend to my clients to have a list of family photos they require and maybe someone from the family to help bring the people together so this part of the day can be run through efficiently. As a general rule I suggest to allow about 1.5 minutes for each different family setup. I aim to keep all these ‘formal’ family photo sessions to 30 minutes or less.

Look for memberships
One other really valuable step to take is to look into the photography associations in your state or country. Here in Australia we have The AIPP – Australian Institute of Professional Photography, which helps set the benchmarks for our industry and promote professional photography. You will only find professional photographers on their web directory with a bunch of years experience who work as photographers on a full-time basis.

There are so many things you can consider and I’ve only touched on a few here, but I’m pretty certain if you follow some of these things you’ll be well on your way to having for generations to come, the history of your wedding in beautiful photographs that truly reflect your day.

Luke Simon Photography is a boutique wedding photography studio on King William Road in Hyde Park, South Australia. Luke’s balanced blend of candid, quirky and contemporary wedding photography along with his easygoing professional nature sees him photographing weddings throughout Australia and Europe.

Thanks so much for sharing your helpful tips with us, Luke. I can’t wait to see our wedding pics! – Alicia

I am taking some time off my regular blogging schedule during the final days before my wedding and while I’m on my honeymoon. Since you will be at home while I am having the time of my life, I have pre-posted some fun links and great guest posts to keep you entertained.

After fourteen months of engagement I can’t believe the day has finally arrived and I am getting married tomorrow! Before that though, there is some serious pampering and girly bonding to be done today. My bridesmaids, parents and I are having dinner tonight here at The Butterfly Room, part of Singapore House.

Wish me luck for the big day! xxoo

Our wedding invitations are in the mail! It suddenly seems so much more real!

I can’t wait to share photos of the full invitation suite, but for now here is a snap of the vintage stamps I used.