Cancel all your plans for 25 August - that's when Wedding Upmarket is happening. If you're planning your wedding and hoping to create a unique day loaded with personal, handcrafted touches then Wedding Upmarket is for you.



Last year's Wedding Upmarket featured an array of talented local wedding people, including photographers, jewellers, designers, stationery suppliers, florists and so many more.

In fact, some of our Smitten friends were there showcasing their exquisite creations - Dizzy Wizzy Design, Mitchell & Dent, Eucalypt Homewares, Photography by Emma Pointon, Elvi Design, Rohan Jewellery and Danicia Dutry just to name a few.

This year is sure to be just as amazing, possibly even more so. Keep a close eye on the Wedding Upmarket website as the full list of 2012 retailers will be revealed soon.

Date: Saturday 25 August
Time: 10am - 3pm
Venue: Winthrop Hall Undercroft, University of Western Australia
Entry: free (Yes, that's right. Absolutely free)

We're absolutely tickled pink to be a part of the First Comes Love Bridal Fair. Now in its second year we've heard that this time round there's even more fabulous West Aussie wedding people involved. And the best bit? They're all there ready to make your wedding day dreams come true.

First Comes Love is on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May, and is organised by the clever lasses of Studio Bomba. If you don't think you can wait quite that long, here's a selection of photos from last year's fair to keep you going.

photos: Angela Higgins

Keep an eye for some of our Smitten friends - Eufloria, Fox and Rabbit, Ann Lord, Danicia Dutry, Angela Higgins, Daniela Fego Photography, Photography by Emma Pointon, Nicolle Versteeg Photography,  NK Photography, Mitchell & Dent (they are running the show after all!), Dizzy Wizzy Design (yes, that's the very same Natalie of Smitten Magazine), Elvi Design, Rohan Jewellery, Her Handpicked Harvest and CD Weddings.

Phew, that's quite a list. And to think that's just an itty bitty selection of the wedding people you'll find there...

All wedding ceremonies are, of course, personal and filled with meaning for the bride and groom. While many couples write their own vows, drawing on experiences and feelings that are unique to them, some go a step further and include special rituals that symbolise the beginning of their new life together. Words from the celebrant, a family member or close friend often accompany the ritual.

Some such examples are;

• Releasing white doves to signify the peace, love and happiness shared by the newly married couple.
• Lighting a candle and taking a few moments to remember loved ones who have passed on.
• Pouring individual containers of sand into one vase is a touching way to symbolise the formation of a new family. This is particularly meaningful when children from a previous relationship are involved.
• Loosely binding the hands of the bride and groom with ribbon is a ritual known as handfasting that dates back to pagan times.

photo of doves: Samm Blake

Thank you to Ann Lord for contributing this week's blog post. Ann wrote 'Say I Do. Legally' on page 64 of the current issue of Smitten Magazine.

Ann Lord is a celebrant in Perth and is married with two young kids and a staffy called Lucy. Meet Ann at the First Comes Love bridal fair in May.

 

11/11/11 – an auspicious day to marry or just another Friday?
 
This Friday 11 November 2011 is shaping up to be a big day for weddings around Australia. 11/11/11 and other ‘double digit’ dates are considered auspicious by lots of people, particularly those from Asian cultures. Here in WA, the local registry office usually takes a maximum of eight weddings per day during the week but this Friday they are squeezing in 11 marriages to meet demand!

Ann Lord, Civil Marriage Celebrant, is officiating at two ceremonies this Friday, which also happens to be Remembrance Day. ‘My first wedding is at 11.00am and we’re having a minute’s silence to pay our respects to fallen soldiers before we start the ceremony’, she says. ‘Friday weddings are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the usual Saturday afternoon ceremony and it’s fortunate for couples that the 11/11/11 happens to fall on this day – it makes for a long weekend for all the wedding guests’.
 
If you'd like to get married on a similarly auspicious day next year, book early. The 12/12/12 is a Wednesday but will be the last date of its kind this century (as there will be no 13/13/13!). But be careful - plenty of websites proclaim this to be a lucky date to marry but more than one also declare it might be the day the world ends. Oops! 

Special thanks to Ann Lord for contributing this week's blog post. Ann wrote 'Choosing a Celebrant' on page 28 of the current issue of Smitten Magazine.

image: www.sammblake.com