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My dream gift list from Prezola…. What would you choose?

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Prezola-gift-list
From experience, creating a gift list can often be a  daunting part of wedding planning when really it should be one of the most fun. Wandering the aisle with a scanner gun whilst navigating a department store can cause serious headaches, and quite frankly the technology  is more than a little outdated. Plus, what happens if you’re already living together and don’t need another cutlery set, or you have taste that’s a little cooler than your average department store?

Enter  Prezola, a trailblazer of a service who are taking gift list-ing to a whole new level and are re-inventing the experience for modern couples. Of course they offer all the gift list essentials (and 30,000 of them at that) but they also cater to your personal taste and unique story. Not only will you find items that reflect your interests from tech to travel to wine and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, there’s also gorgeous home decor from over 300 of the best homeware brands, and if it appeals, you can also ask your guests to contribute to your honeymoon fund, favourite charity, or even cash to put towards something special. Added to that, you can add in any product from any retailer if it’s not part of their own curation. As personal as it gets, right?!

And because choice is at the very core of  Prezola’s user experience, Mr STG and I were asked  to to go fantasy gift list shopping for our own apartment, and for anything else that appealed to  our exceedingly good taste! Reason no. 18342 why I love my job…

Prezola-gift-list-Karen-Cinnamon

Choosing items for our apartment

Some of you may have seen pictures of our  apartment already on  Instagram. It’s a former piano factory with urban  views over London and has  a  ‘warehouse’ feel (you can see a glimpse of it up there at the top of the post). Our interiors style is a combination of  minimalism, pop art, a love of design and typography, and an urban yet cosy feel – a real mix I know!

Our list is filled  with some interiors  decor that I  frankly have to have  for  our flat, as well as some amazing cookware (for suppers à  deux  and dinner parties), some fun bar accessories (we are partial to an Aperol Spritz or three), our favourite board games, art, books, some sailing action… the list goes on!  Have a look at  my page to see all our choices or have a  quick glimpse of our absolute faves below.

Does your taste match ours? What are your favourite products on Prezola? I hope I’ve inspired you to hop on over to Prezola  to start visualising your future home together. There really is no place like…  Prezola!

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If organising your big day is turning into a second full time job, worry not – I’ve found the perfect wedding planner…

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Charlotte-Elise-Wedding-Planner
When your beau pops the question, he not only proposes to spend the rest of his life with you, he also nominates you to organise and conduct the biggest event of your life and then watch it play out in front of an audience of hundreds — made up of your closest friends and entire family. No pressure. Oh, and yes if you can carry on doing your normal day job at the same time Maestro, that would be great.

Sometimes it’s just not realistic to put that much pressure on yourself, your partner and your family. And that’s where a wedding planner comes in brandishing an armoury of event experience, cost spreadsheets and suppliers.

It doesn’t mean any of your creativity need be compromised — you can simply save yourself a lot of time and have someone else take on the lion’s share of the leg work and stress.

And I think that’s where today’s supplier Charlotte Elise really comes into her own. She is not only a meticulous, unflappable organiser, who is deft at dealing with family dynamics and managing different personalities, she is also a brilliant listener. The relationship between wedding planner and bride is paramount. And Charlotte understands that for the day to be successful, she needs to maintain a clear understanding of what the bride envisages and then tailor suppliers and recommendations to that tune. And keeps that level of communication going throughout.

In fact this communication is equally, if not more, important if you’re not actually that  creative at all when it comes to the visual side of things. Charlotte brings her own immaculate sense of style, her intuition and a natural leaning towards the personal touches to help find the look that represents you best as a couple. You can trust her opinions and be confident that the “final product” will be gorgeous, tasteful, and elegant.  

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Smashing the Bride’s Glass Ceiling

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Brides-giving-speeches
This is a guest post by  Lucy Jenkins (pictured above),
a newlywed television publicist living in London,  whose wedding I  featured on the blog last month.

Over the last few years there has been a huge renaissance in the rise of feminism, with women pushing for the right to equal pay, equal rights and against every day sexism. In the wedding industry, an industry which revolves predominantly around women, it seems bizarre that there are so many antiquated rules that determine how we create our wedding days.

Over the past year I was asked on a nearly daily basis how ‘my’ wedding plans were going, and very rarely did anyone assume that my husband was involved in the intricacies of the planning process. There were constant references to ‘Lucy’s wedding’ and a general assumption that the big day was higher up on my agenda than his. It is an extraordinary set of circumstances and outdated behaviour that a wedding day seems to belong to the bride, and yet her voice is the only one that we do not hear.

After many years working in publishing and now in television I spend my days talking non-stop, and you’d think that when I leave the office that my ability to talk and talk and talk would diminish, but it never seems to. When Matt and I first met, on a flashing dance floor of a club, he offered to buy me a drink and we spent the next three hours sitting in the corner talking about anything and everything under the sun.

Our first few dates lasted until 2 or 3am, moving from restaurants to bars, watching last orders being called around us while we were lost to the world deep in conversation. We are both chatterboxes, we love regaling our friends with stories, working any problems out by talking them through, having heated debates and are most definitely not known for our shyness. And yet when it came to planning our big day he seemed a little taken aback that I wanted to stand up on stage and say a few words.

Brides-Speech
Image:  Jez Dickson

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Dreaming of a Jewish wedding in the South of France? It has to be Provence…

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Jewish-Wedding-Provence
If you’re dreaming of an outdoor wedding there’s probably no setting more stylish and idyllic than Provence. Forget the billionaires and big boats of the French Riviera, Provence is now the place to hold your Jewish wedding in the South of France.

Tuesday’s real Jewish wedding, planned by the flawless Lavender & Rose illustrated the region’s timeless elegance brilliantly, and you simply must take a peek if you haven’t already (might I just add that all the images of Provence weddings in this post are from weddings planned by the fabulous Lavender & Rose).

A lot of people think of the South of France for a destination wedding, and immediately think of the Cà´te d’Azur as the place to hold it, but there are so may reasons why, for me, Provence eclipses its glitzier neighbour.

Aside from the obvious advantage of being better value for money than the Riviera, it’s actually more of an authentically French setting. The sprawling vineyards, lavender fields, exquisite architecture, stunning al fresco venues, and exclusive hotels makes for a dream destination wedding backdrop.

There are so many beautiful Chateaus, vineyards and country houses in the region, and accommodation is far more reasonably priced than the Riviera, so it’s more economical for your guests to stay there too. The gastronomy and wines are exceptional even in the smallest of bistros and more of the venues in Provence work on a dry hire basis with less strict exclusive vendor relationships so you have more freedom in terms of which suppliers you work with.

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Jewish Wedding in Provence
Images from Provence weddings planned by Lavender & Rose. Clockwise from top left:
Alban Pichon / Greg Finck / Alban Pichon / Greg Finck / Greg Finck / M&J Photography / Greg Finck

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Considering getting married in Italy? Then I’ve found your perfect wedding planner…

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SposiamoVi
I’ve made no secret of the fact that if I were to marry Mr STG again, it would be in the gorgeous ‘boot’ of Southern Europe.  There is simply something magical about Italy. It feeds the soul. It conjures up a world in our imagination and touches so many thanks to it’s art, fashion, culture, food, climate and collection of insanely contrasting but always stunning vistas.

A destination wedding in Italy is one thing but trying to choose where to have it is another.  How to pick from the sun-drenched Tuscan olive groves, Venice and all its romantic splendour, Florence and its history and elegance, Rome and its Dolce Vita cityscape, the sophisticated glamour of the Amalfi coast or snowy, classy Cortina D’Ampezzo?

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But, like reading a book, everyone comes away with their own interpretation of Italy’s best bits.

And that’s why if you’re thinking of having your Jewish wedding there, I think it’s a pretty good idea to turn to a group of experts who can take on the challenge of understanding your vision, building on it and ultimately realising your dream  wedding.

Well today’s your lucky day because I’ve found exactly who you’re looking for:  SposiamoVi  are superior Italian wedding planners who I first discovered through Olivia and Jacob’s breathtaking Jewish wedding  that took place in Florence. I blogged it last year  but  this is a  wedding that will stay with me for a very long time and you must check it out if you haven’t already. The, style,  planning and delivery of it are  simply astonishing. Once  I had seen what SposiamoVi were capable of  with this wedding,  I snapped up them right away  as Smashing Suppliers.

SposiamoVi was set up ten years ago by Alice, an interior designer and Cinzia, an event organiser and they currently boast offices in Florence, Portofino and Amalfi.

They’re an awesome team of high-achieving and inspired wedding planners. Armed with a golden rolodex of trusted suppliers right across Italy, they provide local knowledge and know-how and with a team of creative directors, stylists and designers to hand, they can turn your wedding into an art form.

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