An Interview with Hester Lear from Wedding in a Teacup

Prior to starting Handmade and Hitched I read a lot of wedding blogs and browsed a lot of wedding websites. I know, you’re thinking what a terrible research project, browsing pretty things online all day. It was awful (not!). Anyway, out of all of the beautiful websites that I saw, one of my firm favourites was Wedding in Teacup.

Owned by Hester Lear, Wedding in a Teacup started off as a back bedroom business. Now, nearly two years later, Hester employs her own staff and has had her products featured in a long list of wedding magazines and blogs. Perfect Wedding, Wedding Magazine and Brides are to name just a few. Hester is also a guest blogger on Hitched and an approved vendor on popular wedding sites Rock My Wedding and Rock’N’Roll Bride.

The site design for Wedding in a Teacup expresses Hester’s love for retro, natural and quirky and is oh so easy to navigate. There’s also a beautiful blog with DIY suggestions on and real life wedding stories from customers. I’m over the moon to say that Hester has asked me to be a contributor to the blog and I will be submitting a little DIY tutorial of my own shortly – I’m so excited!

Wedding in a Teacup is a ‘must see’ for all brides wanting to add DIY touches and handmade features to their big day. There are a number of crafty wedding supplies and the ‘Inspire Me’ section of the site provides ideas about how to put pieces together to create your own customised look. I love this idea for jazzing up cutlery using washi tape or colourful paper bags and badges. When attention to detail goes right down to the cutlery, you know that you are creating something special that will stand out in people’s minds.

Washi tape and wooden cutlery suggestion. Image courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.
Culinary bundle – DIY wedding suggestion. Image courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.

In an interview with Hester I got to find out more about the ethos of Wedding in a Teacup, and as a recent bride herself, Hester gives some planning advice.

Do you make all Wedding in a Teacup items yourself?

We stock a bit of both – I wanted a luxurious, eclectic mix of handmade items and wonderful discoveries that I would buy in. We do hand-make a lot of our products here, and we have helpers too. Talented needlewoman Emily makes our lavender bags and personalised bunting, and we have a lovely couple who make the traditional straw hearts and favours, and a carpenter who carves our wooden hearts. I am in charge of the design side, so the invitations and jam-favour stickers and personalised posters are down to me. And we all take turns making the badges and stuff the seed packets!

Lavender Bag Favour. Image courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.

Where do you find new inspiration when adding items to your shop?

I’m addicted to wedding blogs and wedding magazines and it’s become all the more addictive since Wedding in a Teacup has started appearing in both! Also, I’m never ‘off duty’, when I’m out and about a bit of my brain is watching, taking notes, and developing ideas. A lot of what we stock isn’t strictly for weddings so inspiration can come from anywhere!

Out of all of the items on your website which one is your favourite to make and why?

It has to be the invitations. It’s still a thrill to get a box of invitations back from our printers, check them through, and parcel them up like a lovely present for the new couple! I know how exciting it is when you first see your names linked in ink so it’s great to be part of that. I also love designing new invitations. I start by getting a mood board together with the ‘look’ I’m after, and it goes from there. There is also something so satisfying about making the badges too; they look so delicious when they are all done!

Magic Bus Wedding Stationary. Image Courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.
Magic Bus Wedding Stationary. Image Courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.

What is your best seller and why do you think this is?

Our Seed Packet Favours and Jam Favour Stickers are hugely popular, both Wedding in a Teacup exclusive designs. Brides love things to be personalised. And our Love birds invitation design is a firm favourite!

 

Love Birds Personalised Seed Packet Favour. Image courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.

What motivates you to keep building on the business every day?

I just absolutely love it, so growing and developing it comes as naturally to me as breathing! And we’ve had a bit of a breather as things have slowed after the summer and early autumn, and it’s been great to take stock, get creative and actively build the business again. We’re launching our new collection in a few weeks, I’m very excited!

Are you a fan of the handmade wedding?

Absolutely! Our Get Creative section is something that I think really sets us apart from other wedding websites. We provide the tools; ribbon, stamps, stickers, tags, blank-canvas favour boxes, twine etc – that allows the bride to create something truly unique to her. We suggest ideas in our blogs and product pages too. Getting the bridesmaids and family round to make favours or stamp luggage tags is all part of the fun and brings everyone closer. It’s about enjoying the build up as well as the day!

Clockwise from top left – Drink Champagne Rubber Stamp, Music Lovers Cotton Ribbon, Shabby Black Wedding Words Paper Tape, Magic Key Charm, Oatmeal Card Luggage Tags. All images courtesy of Wedding in a Teacup.

What is your number one piece of advice for couples planning their wedding?

Don’t allow planning the event to take over from the meaning of what you’re doing. A big part of our website is to take  things pleasurably and lightheartedly, not add to the bride’s stress by implying that the big day must be utterly perfect and flawless! Yes, be efficient, take care – but don’t get too stressed. Increasingly, couples are styling their day, their way – choosing invitations, décor and favours that reflect who they are as people. I love that.

Lose yourself in wedding wonderland and visit Hester’s beautiful online wedding boutique www.weddinginateacup.co.uk or visit Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for even more Wedding in a Teacup inspiration and chat.

Hen Party Workshops with The Crafty Hen

Making craft parties and workshops a regular feature on the blog has given me the opportunity to engage with some inspirational, creative, and very fun businesses. This latest feature comes from Julie who is the owner and founder of The Crafty Hen. I asked Julie a few questions about her wonderful crafty hen parties to find out more. Julie even threw in a special offer for brides booking thier parties before July 15th 2014. What a lovely lady! Read on to find out more…

What inspired you to start The Crafty Hen workshops?

The Crafty Hen started quite organically. I’ve run craft workshops for a long time for different groups; demand for hen party workshops became more than one woman could manage. I ended up asking colleagues to help out, and The Crafty Hen hatched! Now we can offer our workshops all over the UK with experienced workshop leaders. My real passion is sharing crafty skills with others, and The Crafty Hen enables me to do this far and wide. I love seeing how pleased participants are when they make something wonderful.
 
Who do you cater for?
We mostly do hen parties, but can cater for any event. We can work with any group size and there is no upper limit for how large a group can be. We recently did a hen party with a whopping 34 hens. When it goes over a certain number, we always bring in assistants (with no extra cost to the party), to ensure that everyone gets the same amount of attention and help. We are used to catering for people, crafty or not. All our sessions are tailored to the individual groups, and we provide a range of options for the novice to the experienced crafter within each session. Our expert tutors will guide you along the way!

What is your favourite workshop or product to make and why?

I would definitely say knicker customisation – It’s a very popular session with hens, and it’s easy to see why. It’s great for all levels of abilities, you get to play with Swarovski crystals, ribbons, bows, fabrics and much more (my idea of haberdashery heaven!). You end up with something fun to wear afterwards, and its a great giggle along the way.
 
Knicker Workshop with The Crafty Hen
Our newest addition is the memory book session which has something very special about it. The hens are encouraged to bring along photos and other items that evoke memories that they share with the Bride-to-be. These are assembled and collaged into a beautiful book, along with lots of other crafty goodies including beautiful papers, vintage lace and printed letters. Added to this the leader brings along a Polaroid to capture the fun as it happens, which you can even include in the book!
 
Where are the workshops held?
Anywhere and everywhere! We are a mobile service and go wherever we are needed; we’ve held workshops on kitchen tables, and at remote cottages, and pretty much everywhere in-between. We often go to where the hens are staying (holiday cottage, town house etc) if it’s part of a weekend, or can arrange bars and restaurants for the workshop at either the hens’ suggestion or ours – we have a long list of suitable venues across the UK.

We encourage hens to have the sessions at the hens’ private homes or rented holiday accommodation, as it has a more intimate flavour to the party. You can arrange your own music, snacks and relax even more – so if you would like to try on your knickers, or even nipple tassels, there’s nothing to stop you! We have had some good laughs with the entire party dressed in their pants jumping about – should just be said – the knickers were worn outside their normal clothes…

What makes your workshops different from the other ones out there?

We spend a lot of time sourcing and putting together the loveliest fabrics and all other materials, tailored to each group. We also have a team of wonderful workshop leaders that are all craft experts, so they can help with whatever technical or creative advice is needed. Foremost we try to get the experience just right for the hens, exchanging emails and phone calls to make sure we have got it all just right.

We come to you and give you an amazing fun bonding experience that you don’t get in any other way. You get to take something away that you can cherish, use at the wedding and have a fantastic memento to treasure forever – This is something different from a bar bill and a hangover.

The Crafty Hen Garter Party!

What level are the workshops aimed at?
All levels – Our parties are usually a mix of people with different experiences, from hens who have never held a needle and thread to keen crafters, and we instruct them all! We provide techniques that inspire inexperienced crafters to try new things, and experienced ones to stretch their skills.

We often hear “I’ll never be able to make that” at the beginning of a workshop, and it great seeing people surprise themselves by what they have created at the end. Sometimes the hens are so inspired they go home and continue crafting (and that always puts a smile on my face).

We have had parties where they have all been experienced crafters, and in those situations we specifically gear the workshop towards challenging them with something exciting, and new.

Why do you think workshops are a good idea for hen parties?

Hen parties are constantly changing, and hens now want something they will remember, and be able to take with them, be that a self-made item or a fun memory. People want time to chat, relax, drink tea and bubbly, eat cakes, and do something which is fun and a bit different. You get to take away a fabulous handmade item and a lovely memory of an afternoon well spent with a Crafty Hen workshop.



Showing off their handmade nipple tassels after The Crafty Hen workshop
  
A special offer for H&H readers. Book your party before July the 15th 2014 and the bride goes FREE! Just quote H&H14 when making your booking.
 
Find out more about The Crafty Hen www.thecraftyhen.co.uk
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/craftyhenparty

Images courtesy of Julie @TheCraftyHen

Exclusive Bridal Designer Event

Melanie James Bridal contacted me through Twitter’s #weddinghour on Wednesday, and asked if I knew any brides who would like to attend their beautifully exciting event at their boutique on Saturday 7th December 2013. When I learnt that there will be lots of beautiful handmade items there I couldn’t resist but share the news. I’m handing the blog over to Melanie for all of the details…


At Melanie James, we currently design unique handmade wedding dresses here on the leafy street of Beech Road in Chorlton Green, Manchester. Each dress is handmade by one Seamstress, on one mannequin. We are passionate about exclusive handmade designs, high quality fabric and luxurious handmade lace and trims. We also support a fabulous collection of independent in-house artists and supply a beautiful collection of handmade bridal jewellery, accessories and protective boxes to store and protect wedding dresses afterwards (which were recently featured in Mr.Selfridge). Our alterations service is very popular too, in addition to our adorable flower girl and page boy attire. 


A sneaky peek from our latest photoshoot here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152173135649180&l=9da1962560


At our event on Saturday 7th December we will be welcoming a new and very exciting bridal designer to our store, Eliza Jane Howell . These designs compliment our current collection beautifully and are truly the epitome of vintage glamour. As well as showcasing the latest collections of Eliza Jane Howell this Saturday (with two models styled by Bethany Jane Davies), our in house and exclusive designers will also be on hand to advise brides and show them their very new bespoke designs. To give you a snapshot of the event, the following will be in attendance: 


Horgans Luxury Vintage Cars
Bethany Jane Davies Vintage Hair and Make Up
Libby Mac Bridal Jewellery 
Ophelia May 
Craige Barker Wedding Photography 
Lush Brownies and Cakes 
Handmade Queen 
Vittorio String Quartet (RNCM)
Hearts and Flowers 
Pebble in the Pond Vintage Prop Hire and Decoration
To and From Stationary 

New designers to the shop include Black Ribbon Designs and Rebecca Jagger who will also be showcasing with us on Saturday 7th December. We have a fantastic community of exclusive artists, each with the talent to offer our clients a bespoke creation of their own or customisation of their current collection.


MELANIE JAMES 
109 Beech Road 
Chorlton 
Manchester 
M21 9EQ


T  0161 881 2675 
www.MelanieJamesBridal.com 

Follow us at www.Facebook.com/MelanieJamesBoutique 
Twitter @MelanieJamesB

As Featured in BRIDE, Lucia Rose Wedding, Unique Bride, Attire Bridal, Cheshire Life and More 

Come along to our Exclusive Bridal Designer Event on Saturday 7th December 2013 11:00am – 3:00pm at our Bridal Boutique. 


Luxury Wedding Dress Hangers by HangUpHigh

Tammy Johnson from HangUpHigh dropped me a ‘Hello’ message on Facebook recently and after checking out her page I had fallen for her beautifully styled hangers. Your wedding dress deserves to be presented on something stunning. A luxury hanger adds precious details to those images that your photographer will capture while your makeup is being applied, and your dress is hanging up, dying to be worn. Personalisation with names and dates makes these accessories extra special.

I managed to catch up with Tammy and find out a little bit more about her fabulous accessories to any wedding dress.

What inspired you to create HangUpHigh?

I’ve always had such a love for crafts, weddings and beautiful things. I noticed some lovely personalised wedding hangers and I thought to myself: “hey I can do that”. It took a couple of months but I persevered and I got the hang of making them. I’m always evolving and learning.

What do you think makes your personalised hangers a little bit different?

Well, there are such beautiful hangers out there, but I believe that mine are very girly with just the right amount of glam to them. I have a lot of love and passion for what I do, and I believe it’s transmitted onto each hanger, and people can tell you know.

From your designs, which is your favourite bridal hanger and why?

(Smile) My personal favourite is the one with the pearls and rhinestones. I think it’s so romantic. It’s another wonderful touch a bride can get on her special day.


What sort of workspace do you have?


At the moment I have transformed my dining area into my workshop. Hopefully soon I’ll have a little extra space to call my own.


What is the most satisfying thing about what you do?

Having customers send me emails about how much they have appreciated my work. It’s wonderful to hear people say that they think my product is amazing. I take pride in great customer service, and when people recognise that, well, it’s just terrific and I’m very grateful.

Where do you see HangUpHigh going in the future?

We all want to be successful in what we do, especially when we take so much care in our craft. I hope that HangUpHigh keeps growing with happy and satisfied customers. I have so many different ideas that I come up with on a regular basis. I believe that HangUpHigh will have an array of choices for every type of bride with different tastes. So make sure to stop by often. You never know what I will be coming up with next.

 

Tammy is based in Daytona Beach in Florida and can ship her hangers all over the world! All her hangers are custom made especially for you. Dates, names and titles can be applied.

For some extra wedding wardrobe bling check out Tammy’s Etsy shop. She even makes sparkly hangers for little ones. Cute!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hanguphigh

Images courtesy of HangUpHigh.

 

How to Make Hanging Heart Wedding Favours

Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched

Happy Saturday all! Here is a DIY tutorial for the weekend. Tiny Tatty Hanging Hearts! They are super cute and very easy to make. Spray some branches with white paint, decorate with fairy lights and hang all your little hearts from the branches. Leave a sign next to the tree asking guests to take a little piece of love home from the day. I have called them tatty as they don’t need to be perfect. They will look pretty however rough around the edges they are. Your guests will appreciate the thought and enjoy having something handmade to take away from your day. They also double up as Christmas tree decorations. Great for this time of year!

You will need…

  • Fabric of your choice. I love ditsy print (if you haven’t already noticed!)
  • A pencil
  • Scissors
  • Needle and Thread
  • Pins or a few sewing needles
  • Lace, ribbon or twine
  • Sewing Machine (optional, but probably faster!)
  • Wadding (or cotton wool)

Step 1: Using a pencil draw out a heart shape on the back of your patterned fabric. If you don’t have a very steady hand or you want all of your hearts to be uniform shape and size then create a cardboard template to draw around first and then use this every time. I like the idea of having quirky hearts all different shapes and sizes so I am just going to go ahead and sketch all of mine straight on to the fabric. If you are doing it this way then you can just fold the fabric over, pin it, and cut out two hearts at once. Remember to allow for at least a 0.5cm gap between the edges of the fabric and your stitching.

Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Step 2: Cut off a strip of lace or twine that will be long enough for hanging the heart when folded over. If you want to be very precise you can measure them out so that they are all the same size. Again I like to bodge it keep it quirky with different lengths.
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Step 3: Place your folded lace or twine on to the wrong side of the fabric on one of the hearts. The loop should be at the bottom of the heart and the open ends at the top.  Pin any lace or twine out of the way to avoid stitching through it.
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Step 4: Pin the other heart on top. The right (patterned) side of the fabric should be facing inwards for both pieces, and your lace or twine should be sandwiched inside.
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Step 5: Begin stitching around the edges either with a sewing machine or by hand.
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Step 6: Leave a 2-3cm gap in the fabric so that you can fill it with wadding or cotton wool.
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Step 7: Turn the little heart inside out so that the pretty side of the fabric is now showing. Gently poke a pencil into the corners of any difficult to reach bits. Stuff with little pieces of wadding (you could even use cotton wool) and stitch up the gap by hand.
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Ta Dahhhh!
Experiment with different coloured fabric, lace, ribbon and twine…
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
 As always I would love to see your creations. Please do get in touch. You never know, you might end up being featured on the blog!
Hanging Hearts Tutoral. ©Handmade & Hitched
Michelle x