Ethical British bridal glamour hits Manchester

At last brides in the North of England seeking the best of ethical British bridal design can tap into London's best kept secret without having to board a train.

British bridal label Sabina Motasem Bride, which specialises in luxuriously understated elegant wedding and cocktail dresses, is to showcase their brand new collection in Manchester later this month.

Sabina Ali, head designer says "The new collection oozes the glamour and sophistication of old and new Hollywood with a quirky modern twist, using geometry and simplicity combined with simple shapes, reminiscent of the Art Deco style." She says she found inspiration for the collection from the style and glamour of the Folies Bergeres in 1900s - 1930s Paris, and each dress is named after an inspirational iconic performer from that era.

The full collection will be available to view at the launch of Te Amo Bridal Boutique, at The Wedding HQ, in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter on 23 and 24 June, which is also the day when the Olympic torch will be going through the city.

Make a day of it and book a free fitting with Sabina who will be there for the whole weekend. Oh! And there's 15% discount on all purchases made from the Collection on the day.

It's important to book a place, so go to eventbrite for more information.

For more information about Sabina Motasem Bride and the new collection go the website or email them at mail@motasem.co.uk

Images: Ashford Daly

Posted in Green Wedding Bridesmaids , Dresses & Gowns , Events

Pippa Middleton look-alike wedding dress

Sabina Ali sent us these lovely photos of one of her brides wearing the gorgeous Alaya crepe satin wedding dress from the Motasem range.

Just goes to show you can be a princess for a day too!

Posted in Green Wedding Bridesmaids , Dresses & Gowns , Ethical Vendors

Green and gorgeous hens

Jo Wise, the floral designer at Green & Gorgeous, a wonderful flower business that grows their own seasonal British flowers, has sent in this lovely story of her very first hen party which, she says, went really rather well.

The weather was splendid and the house amazing. A group of fifteen girls rented a Tudor manor house in the Chilterns for the weekend, and the amazing chief bridesmaid seemed to have thought of everything from white toweling slippers to delicious food - and Jo, of course!

A Happy Hen

"Finally, after months of waiting, there are flowers to pick again and the season has kicked off for me with a Hen Party workshop in South Oxfordshire.

The bride has already ordered buckets of flowers to arrange herself for her wedding in April, so her chief bridesmaid invited me along to host a morning floristry workshop. As we began the bride announced she'd be keeping her eye out for those who would make the floristry dream team on The Big Day....no pressure then ladies!!

Joking aside, it was really relaxed and everyone enjoyed themselves. There was some pretty hot arranging going on too.

During the workshop we created a spring posy, flowers in a tea cup and a corsage. I took along some anemones, tulips, muscari and scented narcissi - all fabulous seasonal spring flowers available now. We had viburnum tinus and varigated pittosporum as foliage. For me the anemones were the main attraction because t's been such a hard winter and we have had a few losses in the garden. So the rows of anemones that have popped up in the poly tunnel with their cheerful little faces bring extra joy with them.

It was a wonderful way to start the season, so thank you ladies, especially the chief bridesmaid who plied me with coffee and cake."

Green & Gorgeous is offering private workshops for hen parties, which ties in very well with their 'Bouquets & Buckets' service.

If you opt for this service, you can order buckets of flowers for you to arrange yourself along with friends and family. Jo does the hard bit and creates the wedding party flowers which could include the bridal bouquet, bridesmaids' flowers, buttonholes and corsages, delivering them to you on the day of the wedding (when every one would rather be getting their nails done!).

For more information visit the Green & Gorgeous website, email info@greenandgorgeousflowers.co.uk or to have a chat with Jo just call 07778 549412

Posted in Green Wedding Bridesmaids , Flowers , Inspiration

Fairytale frocks for eco-babes

At last we can offer you these oh! so sweet eco-friendly, simple but very stylish flower girl dresses in 100% organic cotton or 100% silk. These little frocks are made with a self lined bodice and single layer skirt for a fairy tale finish.

As with the wedding gowns, these new flower girl frocks are made in Tammam's atelier in India under fair trade conditions using hand loomed organic cotton and silk fabrics. They come in pale blue, gold and red and are available in age 6 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years and 2-3 years. What's not to like!

The great thing is that you can now buy them in our boutique.

Posted in Green Wedding Bridesmaids , Flower Girls