Goooood morning! And yes, considering that my dinner last night mostly consisted of a midnight KFC and lashings of champagne, it is a surprisingly good morning right now!
I want to dedicate Love My Dress today to the 2012 Wedding Industry Awards, who hosted their inaugural awards ceremony last night at the Cafe de Paris in London. The video below was taken in December last year when I met with my fellow judging panel members to identify each main category winner {please note, I had no idea I was going to be videoed on arrival at the venue at 9am, and had been up since 3am for a train journey from Newcastle!}…
Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Video production copyright (c) 2012, Lilac Films
I'm sat here smiling now at what a fab evening last night was – a chance to celebrate the success of some of the best wedding industry suppliers in the UK, as well as hang out with some of my fave wedding industry people too – an opportunity to meet Love My Dress followers and make new friends. It also meant I got to glam up for the evening, and show off a rather dashing Edith Piaf inspired hair do, courtesy of Severin Hubert, and the most amazing sparkly smoky eyes you have ever seen, thanks to the talents of Makeup Artist Lucy Baker. Yes, I still have last nights hair and makeup on – I'm pained to take my pins out I love my curls so much!
Ickle photo of myself and Lucy Baker, taken on Lucy's iPhone…
But I digress….
Judging panel member Sky TV news presenter Sarah Hewson did an absolutely super job of hosting the cermony last night {god if I can one day have just a fraction of her amazingly confident presentation and speaking skills please?} and she was joined on stage by organiser Damian Bailey who presented each award.
As a member of the judging panel, I can honestly say we took hours to nail down the winners of each main category – a reflection of the talent of the suppliers who had been shortlisted, and I am really proud of all the winners listed below, but I want to make a special shout out to Jo Barnes of Jo Barnes Vintage.
I've watched Jo's business grow over the past two years from a newly wed Bride with a new-found passion for creating pretty headpieces, to a brand that is now stocked across the UK, indeed, in some of the most exclusive bridal boutiques in the country – testiomony to what can be obtained if you work hard to achieve your dreams. I am so delighted for Jo that she has won this award – her products are of the highest quality out there. Jo also looked amazing, sporting one of her own 1920's inspired headpieces last night as she stepped on stage to collect her award.
But of course it goes with saying that I extend my congratulations to ALL the winners listed below – I hope you had a wonderful evening and feeling pretty good about yourselves today 🙂
♥ Best Wedding Accessory Designer – Jo Barnes Vintage
♥ Best Wedding Cake Designer – Rosalind Miller Cakes
♥ Best Wedding Caterer (independent) – Mogans Catering
♥ Best Wedding Co-ordinator (venue) – Michele Jetzer at Riverstation
♥ Best Wedding Dress Designer – No 9 Bridal Couture
♥ Best Wedding Dress Retailer – Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique
♥ Best Wedding Entertainment (Bands, DJs etc) – Hip Operation
♥ Best Wedding Florist – Sonning Flowers Ltd
♥ Best Wedding Hair Stylist – James White Hair
♥ Best Wedding Make-Up Artist – Kaz Fernando Make Up
♥ Best Wedding Marquee Provider – World Inspired Tents
♥ Best Wedding Menswear Supplier – Sensational Formal Hire
♥ Best Wedding Photographer – Marianne Taylor Photography
♥ Best Wedding Planner (independent) – Planned for Perfection
♥ Best Wedding Special Touch – Artfull Splodgers
♥ Best Wedding Transport Supplier – Dennisson Classic Cars
♥ Best Wedding Venue – Gaynes Park
♥ Best Wedding Videographer – Philip White
♥ Best Newcomer – Maids to Measure
♥ ♥ ♥
If you are a bride to be, take a moment today to look up the suppliers above – they come with a 'highly recommended of course 🙂
I'd like to thank Damian Bailey and his wife Anna – the organisers of The 2012 Wedding Industry Awards, for not only hosting last nights glamorous party, but making such a big effort to establish an awards ceremony that creates a fair and level playing field for suppliers of all size to compete for recognition for their talents and outstanding cutomer service. We have so much talent to celebrate within the UK wedding industry, and I'm so passionate about getting behind that talent and telling the world about it!
If you are a supplier who didn't engage with the awards this time round but would like to know more for next year, you can register to receive notifcation about the 2013 awards on this page. The awards can only get bigger and better from here on and we need to ensure they reach out to all the talented suppliers we have here in the UK.
And that just leaves me to say again, CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners this year, you all thoroughly deserve the accolade 🙂
Much love all,
Annabel
♥
ps – I'm terribly sorry my twitter updates petered out last night. The venue had absolutely no mobile phone reception at all!
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
