So, I’ve gotten slightly addicted to Pinterest….it’s awesome people! If you aren’t on it, get on it now!! Whilst perusing the medley of gorgeousness on there, I came across this piece of artwork that I thought I’d share with you today. I don’t normally go for quotes but I love the type face, colours and whimsy of this illustration and of course the sentiment behind the quote too.
Illustration by 
unraveleddesign
When I stumbled upon this fantastic competition on Nancy Birds blog I just new I couldn’t pass up the opportunity – what fun! Not only do I love her designs but the quality of the craftsmanship is beautiful. So what did I have to do to enter, I hear you cry? It’s simple, put together a dream outfit including Nancy Bird things, to a theme of your choice. Well as mini Moko loves a wedding, I thought my theme would be ‘Invitation to a Wedding’. I hope you enjoy the inspiration as much as I did dreaming it up. And don’t forget to pop over to www.nancybird.com for lots more loveliness!
First column: otta dress ~ www.anthrologie.com, thin brown leather belt ~ www.nancybird.com, wood cluster bracelet and necklace ~ www.elkaccessories.com.au, tribute leather sandals ~ www.net-a-porter.com
Second column: wedding venue scene ~ www.onelovephoto.com, wedding invitation ~ www.minimoko.com.au, Lemon meringue image ~ www.weddingstyleguide.com.au, wedding bouquet image ~ www.snippetandink.com
Third column: embossed black bag ~ www.nancybird.com, spring racing clutch bag ~ www.nancybird.com, twin purse ~ www.nancybird.com
Lastly, here is Nancy Birds Facebook page for some great deals!
Well, I can’t believe its nearly 9 months since we have written a blog post! I thought it was about time I officially welcomed myself back, even though mini Moko started back last year. I have had my hands full with a gorgeous bundle of joy who arrived 31st May 2011. Little Freddie (who is not so little…) is pictured below!!
Thanks to my lovely friend Shannon McDonald who happens to be an amazing photographer for the beautiful pictures.
I apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. Please do not hesitate to email ellen@minimoko.com.au if you have any concerns or queries.
I know many of you out there are over the classic black and white colour combination…but I’m not! It is classic after all and I think there are plenty of opportunities to make it fresh and different still. So here’s my take on the classic combo. I don’t know about you but I love anemone flowers and the simplicity of them is perfect for such a classic look, however having them in black and white is something truly special. I found a great wedding bouquet and cake that really compliment one another using these beautiful flowers. Our candy stripe wedding stationery collection perfectly compliments this look with it’s classic yet fun bold stripes. And of course you can’t go past Chanel’s black nail polish for the finishing touches.
Row One: Candy Stripe Wedding Invitations by mini Moko Designer Stationery, Wedding bouquet taken by Kate Headley Photography on the The Brides Cafe, Marie Bridesmaid Dress by Quail Bridal, Art deco 4.20ct cushion-cut diamond ring with sapphires (yes please!!) by 1st Dibs
Row Two: Vintage Wedding Gown found on Junebug Weddings, Wedding venue details taken at Doltone House, Chanel Nail Polish
Row Three: Tuxedo on Martha Stewart Weddings, Get away Car photographed by Drew B Photography, Wedding Cake by the Hip Hostess, Candy Stripe Wedding Invitations by mini Moko Designer Stationery
Shannon McDonald is a Melbourne-based photographer specialising in family photography, wedding photography, portraiture and photographic art. She describes her style the way she describes herself: original, colourful, artistic, down-to-earth and full of humour and realness.
Shannon’s photographs are more than just pictures. They are a celebration of relationships. As an artist and mother she understands the bewildering ride of family life including the tears, tantrums, joy, laughter and everything in between. And she often sees all this and more on a shoot!
See what a recent bride had to say:
“Oh Shannon. Really. What can I say. Each time I see more photos of our wedding I am speechless by how utterly beautiful each shot is. I feel truly blessed to have had you as our wedding photographer. Your love of the photographic craft shines so brightly and I can only say to others “run, don’t walk” to book you for any special event they may have.” Caroline
What I love most about the photos taken at this wedding is that you can see that the bride and groom are completely at ease with Shannon, their love shines through. It’s a beautiful intimate wedding and my, isn’t the bride stunning. I am truly looking forward to seeing more wedding photography from Shannon. See her website for more stunning work www.shannonmcdonald.com.au
And now for a few snippets of what Shannon gets up to in her down time:
1). What’s your favourite way to relax at the weekend?
Uh, we have a very active 3-year old boy so relaxing is not really on our radar at the moment! Weekends generally mean family time so we take trips to parks, playgrounds, museums, cafe’s, hang out with friends, grab the Saturday Age somewhere in between and maybe enjoy a shandy or two once the little guy is in bed.
2). Favourite restaurant?
Uh, see above! Restaurants and 3-year olds are no fun for anyone. What I am dying to do again though is Melbourne’s Restaurant Tram. It’s probably not one for the foodies but it’s so much fun watching Melbourne’s amazing views slide past your window whilst you wine and dine with your favourite people. Hilarious.
3). What book are you reading at the moment?
I’ve just started Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I also always have ‘At Work’ by Annie Leibovitz on my bedside table for a quick burst of inspiration at night.
4). What did you last go and see at the cinema?
Black Swan. I went with a group of girlfriends and we frequently winced at each other in the dark.
5). What is your favourite wedding story?
Probably my own! The dressmaker finished the dress hours before the wedding, my husband’s ring got left in the limo, one bridesmaid had drunk one-and-a-half bottles of champagne before we even got to the ceremony (bad boy), and I felt nauseous all night … probably from too much stress. Apart from all of that we had friends and family fly in from all over the world to celebrate with us in a gorgeous little cabaret bar in South Melbourne and that meant everything to us. And, although our wedding day was a bit shaky, our marriage is as solid as rock and that’s the most important thing.
Thanks Shannon, it’s been awesome!
We have in the past featured some of the talented work of Events by Design in our Link Love articles and so you will be familiar with their work and style. Recently they have given themselves a makeover and transformed into Love Bird Weddings with a gorgeous new website too. Here are a few words from Trudy herself on her business,
‘Lovebird Weddings is a boutique wedding planning & styling agency specializing in beautiful, inspiring and original weddings based in Noosa and the Hinterland regions of Maleny and Montville.
Our professional styling service provides brides with custom-made colour and design palettes and inspirational mood boards helping to bring your wedding vision to life.
We offer brides bespoke handmade furnishings for their day. Our fabric designs are made with much love.
Our extensive range of quality decor and furnishings has been sourced from reputable suppliers locally, nationally and internationally. We have a comprehensive range of furniture for ceremonies, sit down receptions and cocktail parties in Coastal, Vintage, Garden Party styles.’
So go on, check out their new website – it is gorgeous!!
For today’s post I thought it would be good to bring you a fab find that isn’t going to cost you the earth on your wedding day. Therefore, whilst looking through re-known make up artist Lisa Eldridge’s website I was delighted to find some fantastic video clips that show how you can do a stunning job of you own make up on your wedding day or even help out a friend who is getting married on her wedding day.
If you haven’t heard of Lisa Eldridge before here is a little insight,
‘Lisa Eldridge has become one of the most highly regarded make-up artists on the international beauty and fashion circuits today. Her signature look, best described as a fresh, flawless skin and an understated modern approach to beauty, has made her indispensable to supermodels, celebrities and magazine editors alike.
Lisa has been plying her trade as a make-up artist for no less than 20 years. Highly professional, well respected and recognised internationally for her talent, she has been based in Paris, New York and LA and is currently resident in London.’
The first video is on some very useful bridal make-up tips to set you off on the right foot:
to follow on there is this great video on a classic bridal look………try it out! You can’t go wrong with a classic look as Lisa emphasised in her Bridal Tips video.
and finally a lovely Summer Rose Bridal Look….have fun experimenting!
I know I’ll be referring back to Lisa’s website for everyday looks and lots more too – such a great resource – enjoy peeps!
I have to say, I’m loving the opportunity to put together some Autumn inspiration boards at the moment. I just love the colours associated with autumn and I thought this time I’d showcase our Autumn Leaves wedding stationery in a beautiful lemon yellow and grey – for something that little bit different. I love the freshness of the lemon yellow grounded by the sophisticated steel greys. It’s as though we haven’t quite left behind summer just yet! In this board I have shown some beautiful close up details of a Karen Willis Holmes Wedding Gown – stunning isn’t it? Being a big softy at heart I also couldn’t go past the black and white photo showing one of the grooms men wiping a tear away from his eye – touching.
Row One: Autumn Leaves wedding invitations by mini Moko Designer Stationery, Wedding Bouquet via Snippet and Ink Blog, Black and White Photo by Leigh Miller Photography, Boutonierre byViolet Designs
Row Two: Cassandra wedding gown detail by Karen Willis Holmes, Yellow and Grey Pumps by J.Crew, Cassandra wedding gown detail by Karen Willis Holmes
Row Three: Bridesmaid dress and meringue via Wedding Style Guide, Wedding Venue scene by One Love Photo, Flower girl by via Martha Stewart Weddings, Autumn Leaves wedding invitations by mini Moko Designer Stationery
I first came across Sarah from Girl Friday Weddings whilst she was organising a group of wedding industry suppliers together for a good ole yarn over a drink or two. As it happens I sadly missed the actually event, but heard great things about it and certainly won’t be missing the next catch up! She soon whipped us into shape and so I really have no doubt you’d be in good hands for your wedding day planning and co-ordination. Here is a little from Sarah and Girl Friday Weddings:
‘Girl Friday Weddings are located in Sydney and Melbourne (and will happily travel!) From helping our couples to decide what type of wedding they want to doing all the end-to-end planning (if they really don’t want to coordinate any of it themselves), we’ll take over as much or as little of their wedding plans at any stage of the process. Girl Friday Weddings can help in two areas. Our planning packages are a convenient way to allow our event managers help out only where needed in the lead up to the day with the more tactical components. Our on the day coordination packages are ideal for couples that really don’t want to spend all their time, energy, and money planning a wedding and don’t intend on being both bride and event manager on the day itself.’
Images 1 & 2: SOHO Images
Images 3, 4 & 5: Cameron Bloom Photography
Images 6, 7 & 8: Essence Wedding Photography, Dario Gardiman
And here is a sneak peek into the world of Sarah when not working for Girl Friday Weddings:
1). What’s your favourite way to relax at the weekend?
When I’m not at an event working, I usually love to spend the weekend with a bit of good food, wine and a lot of banter with great company.
2). Favourite restaurant?
My favourite local restaurant is Sapporo. Call me a big udon noodle but I have a soft spot for Japanese. Otherwise Buon Ricordo is always fabulous for a carb splurge and their signature dish is to die for.
3). What book are you reading at the moment?
Seth Godin – Small is the new big. Clever man, and I look forward to reading through the rest of his work.
4). What did you last go and see at the cinema?
Toy Story 3. Yes sad I know, I need to get out more and find a better babysitter.
5). What is your favourite wedding story?
My parents. They were long distance sweethearts, one lived in QLD and the other in NSW. They only met half a dozen times or so in person, and wrote each other in between before they became engaged & married a few years later. Thirty seven years on, and the brood has grown to three kids and 6 grandkids (and one more on the way). They love their family, and each other.
