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Chitter Chatter with Annabel Beeforth, founder of one of the world’s most influential wedding blogs, Love My Dress

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Annabel-Beeforth
Chitter Chatter  is a  series I’ve been running all about  inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and, in a lot of cases, raising a young family.  The ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

I started this series  as I approached maternity leave back in April of this year, and now that my beautiful little Zara is 14 weeks old, maternity leave is very much behind me. It’s time to close the series, and we are going out with an absolute bang by interviewing  the A-class Bloggess, Annabel Beeforth, founder of Love My Dress.

Annabel has been blogging about weddings since 2009 and took the leap of faith to become a full time professional blogger in May 2011. She’s had phenomenal success, reaping all kinds of awards for her  blog, writing  a published  book, and taking on a wonderful  team of writers and contributers to support her ever-growing blog business. She has, over the years, been searingly honest about her own personal  juggling act  of being a wife and mother to her two little girls  alongside running a young business, and I for one have definitely drawn strength and inspiration from her  self-employed journals.

Annabel  lives by the seaside in Whitby, North Yorkshire with her husband Philip, daughters Eska Eleanor (aged 9) and Leanora Rose (aged 4) and two rescue dogs, Izzie and Winifred.

Let’s hear what Annabel has to say about business and marriage, and everything in between.

What was  your first job?

Washing dishes on a Sunday in the pub opposite our house. Think I was about 12.

Tell me more about your career before launching  Love My Dress

I was a University Principal Administrator managing two teams.  I loved the job at first but found it difficult to adjust to after returning from maternity leave.

What made you start  Love My Dress?

I shared my ‘wedding report’ in a popular wedding forum after tying the knot – the response was phenomenal and it encouraged me to share my wedding to a wider audience. I chose to set up a blog to do so.

Style Me Vintage Book Launch- Ashton Jean Pierre
Annabel’s book launch for Style Me Vintage :: Images by  Ashton Jean Pierre

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Chitter Chatter with Rose Murphy, Owner and Creative Director at Rose & Ruby Paper Co.

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Rose-Murphy
Chitter Chatter  is a  series I’m running all about  inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and, in a lot of cases, raising a young family.  The ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I have the absolute pleasure of chitter chattering  to the beautiful Rose Murphy, owner and creative director at Rose & Ruby Paper Co,  the  award winning luxury British design studio. Rose creates  exquisite  stationery  for weddings and beyond, and she  also specialises in working with fellow creative entrepreneurs on branding their businesses and making everything beautiful. I first met Rose, and discovered her beautiful work, at Paperfest,  a London festival that celebrates creative, independent entrepreneurs.

Rose lives in Devon with her husband Brendan and dog Willa, and they’ve  just moved into a beautiful Victorian house which they’re  currently renovating to create their dream home.

What was  your first job?

Head of Design for a start up fashion company when I was 17. I was completely thrown right in at the deep end and the learning curve was invaluable.

Tell me more about your career before launching  Rose and Ruby

I worked as a fashion designer for various different companies, and then I set up my own company freelancing.

What made you start Rose and Ruby?

It was time for a change from fashion and I realised after designing wedding stationery as a little side project that working with brides was a lot lovelier than the relentless and stringent deadlines and often quite “challenging” characters in the fashion industry!

Rose & Ruby
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Chitter Chatter with Claudine Hartzel, award-winning creative wedding photographer

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Claudine Hartzel
Chitter Chatter  is a  series I’m running all about  inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and, in a lot of cases, raising a young family.  The ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering  to Claudine Hartzel,  the award-winning London-based wedding photographer and  much-loved Smashing Supplier. Claudine is Jewish herself, and has photographed hundreds of ‘I-Do’s’  (many of them being Jewish weddings) in the UK and beyond. I’m a huge fan of her beautiful reportage photography, and her weddings have graced many a page of Smashing The Glass. Claudine lives in London with her husband (read on for their heart-warming  ‘how we met’ love story!) and their two young daughters.

What was your first job?

Working in the print sales room and bookshop at the Photographers’ Gallery.  It was a massive inspiration to me, from the work that was  exhibited, to the colleagues I worked with.

Tell me more about your career before launching  Claudine Hartzel Photography

I worked as an artist for seven years and, after spending a year  in Amsterdam on a sabbatical, decided I wanted to become a commercial photographer.

What made you start  your photography business?

I really enjoy the pace and emotion all wrapped up in the one  day of a wedding, plus I feel  as if I have the best of all  worlds. As a wedding photographer you shoot still life, fashion and portraiture all in one day!

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

Firstly my family.  Technology moves so fast that you have to use it to your advantage — this is very inspiring and exciting.  My business is a direct reflection of my personality and this is helpful to keep things into perspective personally, and on a business level.

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

I would not say they were obstacles, but I took a year out to have my second child. This did mean that I had to build up the business again.

Claudine Hartzel
Images by Claudine Hartzel

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Chitter Chatter with Emma Taylor, owner of Paperless Wedding

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Paperless-Wedding
Chitter Chatter  is a  series all about  inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and, in a lot of cases, raising a young family.  The ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering  to  Emma Taylor, wife, mother and owner of Paperless Wedding, her  online wedding stationery business. She  took maternity leave in 2012 and never went  back, instead dedicating her  time to raising her  children and growing Paperless Wedding. She lives in East London with her husband, 2 year old daughter, and 11 week old son.

What was your first job?

I worked as a hairdresser’s assistant on a Saturday. Washing hair, sweeping floors making tea. Oh the glamour!

Tell me more about your career before launching  Paperless Wedding

I was Head of Broadcast for a company that delivered TV Ads digitally to TV stations. Now I deliver email invites to guests….

What made you start  Paperless Wedding?

When we got married we created our own website and emailed invites with RSVP through the site. People loved it, so here we are!

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

We offer something different, we promote British designers, we give couples the freedom to create, and I love weddings!

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

Getting used to working alone, lack of funding, balancing motherhood and working from home and never having enough time!

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Chitter Chatter with Louise Beukes, wedding stylist and blogger

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Louise-Beukes
Image: Anneli Marinovich

Chitter Chatter  is a  series I’m running all about  inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and, in a lot of cases, raising a young family.  The ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering  to  Louise Beukes, founder and editor of  B.LOVED, a place where she indulges and shares her passions for weddings, interiors, fashion, travel, family and beauty. Super talented Louise also creates trend-led editorial shoots for  Louise Beukes Styling. This women certainly knows her ‘pretty’!

What was your first job?

My very first job was an assistant in a garden centre — I’ve no idea why this appealed, I’m the least green fingered person you know!

Tell me more about your career before launching b.loved

I worked as a commercial designer in London for 10 years, designing high quality offices for some of the world’s biggest (and smallest!) brands.

What made you start  b.loved  ?

I fell in love with being inspired, so decided to do a little inspiring of my own!

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

I think it’s innate in every business owner — the desire to do and be better drives me on.

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

Leaving my day job was the biggest psychological barrier, it takes a while to get used to not having a regular income!

Louise Beukes
Images:  CKB Photography

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