Vintage Treasures from Budapest

If you’re planning a cultural weekend in Budapest any time soon, then you may be disappointed to discover the city’s Museum of Fine Arts has temporarily donated its works to London’s Royal Academy for its Treasures from Budapest exhibition. But there’s still plenty to inspire in this atmospheric Hungarian city.

I was there last week for work, and one of my highlights was the Ecseri flea market (Nagykőrösi út 156) – well worth the 20 minute cab fare to a less salubrious part of town. It’s not the cheapest flea I’ve ever been to, but much of the goods felt unique to the country and the culture – traditional folk embroideries, old violins, city street signs and military paraphernalia.

Plenty of wedding décor inspiration too -  glass bottles covered in colourful basket weaving that would make folksy vases, and endless piles of lace tablecloths and embroideries.

Our wedding day part 2: the reception

Here are the rest of our wedding pics from our photographer James Davidson. I think my favourite is the two of us in the little “meadow”, a small area of wildflowers at the bottom of the garden that James has somehow transformed into a rural idyll!

The sun did its best to shine for drinks outside the marquee in my parent’s garden, blooming with summer flowers. My pretty veil sadly had to come off by then but it revealed the gorgeous headpiece handmade by my friend Emma Embery, made from embroidered vintage lace, diamantes and tiny pearls (thanks for the pic Sarah!).

Guests were welcomed with Rose Syrup Prosecco (an idea stolen from Petersham Nurseries) with crystallised rose petals, cups of tea and traditional pink lemonade (I think I tried all three!). We had afternoon tea-themed canapés including mini sandwiches and scones, and the more energetic guests tested their skills in croquet on the lawn, where all the old-fashioned deckchairs I had collected were put to good use too.

Read on for all the vintagey details:

- With the help of a dedicated team of friends and family, we managed to collect over 150 vintage tea cups and saucers which looked beautiful all laid out en masse.

- I had painted bits of wood as signs (“croquet”, “wedding” and “smokers and smooches” for the outdoor smoking space), and used blackboard paint to make smaller chalkboard-style signs and the table plan (tip: use white marker pens rather than real chalk!).

- The marquee was beyond all my expectations and looked incredible – the huge floor-to-ceiling windows let the light stream in and revealed the garden outside and it just looked stunning.

- Long trestle tables were laid with embroidered floral table cloths collected over the past year, jam jars filled with flowers, plants in mini terracotta pots and tea lights in glass yoghurt pots, and each guest had an individual vintage floral side plate.

- Those cheap and cheerful Ikea cushions were spruced up by my mum who had sewn on off-cuts of embroidered fabrics, vintage napkins and lace.

- The Kraft card (so hard to find but so good!) was again put to good use for menus and table names, and we used handwritten luggage tags for place names.

- The talented Jessie Chorley created a personalised guest album made from an antique book, which was passed around the tables for guests to sign.

- We wanted the meal to have a summer feast feel, with a choice of sea bass or lamb and big bowls of salad and roasted new potatoes on the table. After-dinner cheeses were laid out, along with mum’s homemade chutneys in jars for guests to take home.

- The cake looked stunning – our florist James had stuffed each layer with Amnesia Roses to match the button holes and the colour of my sash.

- And even the MC’s vuvuzela couldn’t escape the vintage theme!

Vintage wedding decor: plant pots and jam jars

Inspired by Petersham Nurseries and its beautiful ‘outdoor’ dining room (see photos above), I have had the idea to include miniature potted plants among the jamjar-vases as table decorations at the wedding reception. They look adorable and they can also be re-used – sometimes it feels such a waste to enjoy the decorations for just one day!

So I have started collecting old fashioned “Tom Thumb” pots (the shops on Columbia Road do a roaring trade) - and the planting has begun…

Inspirations from Iceland

For a city the size of Portsmouth (population: 115,000), Reyjavik is astonishingly – achingly - hip. The tiny main street Laugavegur is lined with mini boutiques without a big brand in site, and there are beautifully styled people everywhere.

I was there writing a city guide, but I managed to squeeze in a bit of wedding research at the same time. I spent far too long in Frida Fraenka taking pictures (my baggage allowance wouldn’t stretch to all that crockery I’m afraid) - a den of antiques, bric-a-brac and curiosities. A little cubby hole at the back was piled high with fabrics with some great 50s and 60s florals and embroideries, while the china tea sets practically teetered off shelves and tables.

This dreamy dress also caught my eye at vintage shop Nostalgia (on Laugavegur). And I loved the simple display of flower cuttings and branches in old glass bottles at Andersen & Lauth on the same street -  a nice idea for a more contemporary look (dare I say it!) for table decorations.

I love... Frolic's DIY wedding favours

I just came across floral designer Chelsea Fuss' gorgeous blog Frolic! and loved this homemade favour idea: potted violas wrapped in newspaper. She uses Le Monde Diplomatique no less (for that certain Parisian je ne sais quoi)… but I can imagine faded vintage magazine pages would make a lovely alternative too. See more of her beautiful creations here.