Hitting Back!

I have read an interesting article today posted by a photographer from the Huffington Post about wedding details and do they matter.  It appears NOT and according to this article we are all to ditch Pinterest, close the pages of bridal magazines and god forbid under any circumstance google anything wedding detail related.  

Forget looking for that dream dress as a sack will do and you can of course get married in your favorite sneakers as pretty shoes are a no go and a frozen cheesecake from the local store will be perfect for your wedding cake.  Your guests will be more than happy with sausage rolls and coleslaw served on plastic plates and will have fun regardless of the fact you have made no effort at all to pay any attention to any details as it is your love on the day that counts :)    Erh I think not but correct me of course if I am wrong.

Just the fact you are in love and have your family and close friends with you apparently is enough to have some gorgeous photos and memories of your special day.  This is fine if you are not hosting a celebratory occasion and of course the love on that day is wonderful but this article has underestimated the very basic principles of hosting a wedding or indeed any special occasion. 

It is looking at a wedding from one suppliers point of view, yes you have guessed it the photographer, so thought it was time for a bit of retaliation from the detail freak stylist who loves nothing more than a bit of glitter, sparkle and fun :)

Putting together this post got me thinking quite seriously about this subject particularly as this is one of our business strengths and what we sell to our clients.  

Photography is there to tell a story, an account of a fabulous day shared with family and friends and let me be the first to say that the details have no significance in comparison to the commitment being made on the day, but details DO matter which is why we go out of our way to have them.

Details are not narcissistic, they are telling a story of the couple, their origins, their style and the fun things they enjoy together.  

Details are also about ensuring the guests are comfortable from providing shade or heating to good food and entertainment.  Details are bringing in the surroundings and cultures from either the country you are hosting your wedding or where you have come from.  Whilst it is a love story, it is also a couple sharing their truly special day with their family and friends and hosting one of the biggest events of their lives.

Let´s take Christmas as a good example, we have all spent the past month and probably a considerable amount of money, thought, time and effort into decorating our homes and making sure we have plenty of food and drinks in order to have a good time.  

Perhaps we have also been entertaining family and friends so why would a wedding not be any different?   It is a celebratory occasion, it is to celebrate love between a couple who are declaring their commitment to each other but it is also a social affair and a party.  It is no different from any other celebration.

We do all like the cute flower girl photo sitting under the table covered in wedding cake but without that glorious cake and cute dress this photo would not happen.  

Yes it is nice to have a photo of granny that may indeed depart us within the year, enjoying herself but we do also love the to die for dress, shoes, jewellery and gorgeous florals.   We love the pretty flowers tied with ribbons decorating pew ends and the personalised candle dedicated to loved ones for the ceremony.  

We heart confetti and cry over personal, meaningful words and poems written on pretty cards for our gorgeous couples by close family and friends.

Who does not enjoy sitting at a beautifully presented table with sparkling glassware, polished cutlery, and twinkling candles.  There is nothing nicer than well presented food and sharing good wines with friends, this is why we go out to restaurants and hotels or host dinner parties at home, this is what an occasion is about.

When I see the photographers overlook these lovely details, it is a shame as it is the details and personalisation of their day that has made that occasion special to the bride and groom and their families.   

Much money, time and effort goes into planning a wedding that is truly unique to that couple, from the original invitations sent out in the post to the cutting of a gorgeous cake, chinking of glassware with fine champagnes followed by serious dance moves hours later. 

Whilst is it lovely to see the photos of granny and the cute flower girl that is now grown up and married but it is also lovely to look back at the gorgeous bouquet you carried, your cute cake topper you ordered that looked exactly like you and that fabulous photo with you being rained on by confetti clutching those lovely balloons.

Details are what matter, grab the magazines, pour over Google and head over to Pinterest. It is planning the day you have dreamed of to share with your family and friends and if you want some sparkle go for it!  I am sure Granny and the cute flower girl will enjoy it to.

Pop Memories Photography Landing from Australia!

It is always exciting meeting new suppliers to the Wedding Industry here and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sam Wordley, the Owner of Pop Memories Photography.

Australian, Sam Wordley has spent the last decade working as a celebrity portrait, news and feature photographer for magazines and newspapers all over the world with postings in New York, London, Sydney and LA. 

Sam´s images have been published in many of the world’s well known press publications including The Sun, The Times and covers of Grazia and Hello magazines and has even photographed the gorgeous Rhianna! 

In the last few years Sam has concentrated more on Weddings and Portrait photography

and finds the work extremely rewarding  as he loves creating lasting memories.

After meeting the love of his life,  Sam is shortly moving to Spain to be with her, we do love a love story :)

Sam is offering full weddings packages from 1000 euros for his first year here in Spain as he settles in and to gain exposure in the Spanish market. 

If you would like more information and to meet Sam please do contact him on 

email, join his facebook page or visit his website.

Couples wanted for a Stylised Engagement Session in Madrid

The Jason Groupp from NYC are heading over to Madrid at the beginning of March and are looking for newly engaged couples for a stylised photo shoot.

A signature of their studio is I Heart New York and they have some stunning stylised takes for an engagement session, take a look here to find out more, a touch of NYC Madrid Style!

So if you are heading to Madrid on the 1st and 2nd March and would love an engagement photo session with this fabulous team do contact them or perhaps this could be a good excuse to plan a pre wedding romantic getaway!

Due to the fact this is rather short notice they are also considering anyone with a special occasion, perhaps an anniversary or a celebration.

We are also hugely excited too as NYC comes again later this year in the form of another amazing photographer, to visit Reviva and photograph some of our weddings to take back across the Atlantic!

The Wedding Season Starts

As our wedding season here in Marbella starts we were delighted to create and decorate this fabulous wedding for one of our clients here in Marbella. The stunning setting was at his private home here in Marbella situated right by the sea.

It was a three day event with a beach theme using starfish as their main decorations with red and white as the main wedding colours.

We created a tropical theme for their pre wedding spanish style party with many flower displays for the house and the tables for the first day followed by some fabulous decorations for the actual wedding day including the beautiful setting with the gazebo and the topiary trees lining the pool either side to set off the gazebo. We used the shell and starfish theme throughout the wedding from the ceremony candle to the table centrepieces which were scattered with small starfish and table crystals.

A beautiful and fabulous wedding which we thoroughly enjoyed creating and of course the sun is finally shining again in Marbella.

Our thanks to Jennifer at Jeremy Standley for coming along to take some fantastic photos.

There are many more to come!

Long distance wedding design!

Vicki contacted us last August to ask for our help in designing her daughter Megan's wedding at the Boardwalk Beach Resort in Panama City Beach in Florida.

After a few emails and some photos we helped Vicki to create this fabulous beach wedding by sending some decorating ideas along with strict instructions, hints and tips! We love these photos and Megan looks beautiful, what a fabulous beach wedding.

We received this lovely email yesterday from Vicki along with the photos of the wedding of Megan and Joshua, here's what Vicki had to say to us

You are too kind and again thanks for all your help with making Meagan and Joshua's wedding complete!!!! When we get more pics I will send. We had a blast and everything was perfect. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!!- Take Care, Vicki

To take a look at more photos visit the photographer's site at http://studiog.wordpress.com/

Summer vintage style wedding

I have managed to do a bit of scouring the internet this morning before I head back to Nerja today and stumbled upon these fabulous images of a vintage style summer wedding taken by Rachel Whiting
I adore all the details with that fabulous bouquet, David Austin Roses no doubt, the flowers on the bumper and those cute summery cocktail umbrellas, wonder what the cocktail was it looks delicious! It is so refreshing to see colours used in weddings, I am amazed as much as I love ivory, how many brides do not add in a touch of colour to their weddings.

More Candy Bar Heaven

It is amazing what you stumble across whilst searching for ideas and how many hugely talented people there are, I came across Geoff White's site the other night and the photographs are amazing, here is just a small selection of some fabulous candy bars from various weddings, certainly the wedding cake takes a back seat now and has been taken over by these fabulous sweet and treat offerings for guests, either incorporating the cake, for the traditionalists who still like to cut the cake or the latest rage of cupcakes. I love the way these tables are themed with the colours and the details that go into them.

Ivory & Dove Grey Wedding in Mijas, El Padrastro

I loved creating this beautiful, stylish wedding for Alison and David in October. The setting was the El Padrastro restaurant in Mijas with such amazing views and the wedding was organised by Sue at Spanish Dream Weddings. Alison had chosen a beautiful dove grey and ivory theme with crystals.

We had some unusual hiccups though, having planned to decorate some of the trees around the pool with lanterns and fairy lights, when we arrived on the day they had all been reduced to stumps, having been blown down in a terrific storm we had the weekend before, we improvised!

Our other hiccup was having arrived with our cream vintage tablecloths, the highly organised restaurant had already laid the tables and after a few conversations it became apparent from the shoulder shrugging that we were on our own, I don't think we have ever cleared and reset tables so quickly, it was rather stressful for a while as it was a large wedding with 14 tables. These beautiful photos are courtesy of the wonderful Jeremy Standley, truly one of my favorite photographers, thank you Jeremy.