Chitter Chatter Archives - Smashing the Glass

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

07/08/2015 by Karen

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.

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.

31/07/2015 by Karen

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!

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Chitter Chatter with Marina Licht, bridal journalist, and editor of Style & The Bride

17/07/2015 by Karen

Marina-Licht
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 Marina Licht who I had the pleasure of meeting last October at the Wedding Blog Awards. Marina is the founder and editor of fashion bridal blog, Style & The Bride, and hostess of this week’s snazziest wedding industry do at her Style & The Bride new site launch party that took place on Tuesday.

She tells me all about attending Victoria and David Beckham’s wedding (yes really!), editing Cosmopolitan Bride for five years (quite the background for a wedding blogger, huh?) and her secret talent for tongue twisters…

What was your first job?

My first job was as an editorial assistant on OK! Magazine. I used to spend my days photocopying, and was constantly thinking of ideas to get my name into print.

Tell me more about your career before launching Style & The Bride

I started my career on OK! Magazine and got my first taste for weddings when I attended the wedding of Victoria and David Beckham. I went on to become the Editor of Cosmopolitan Bride for five years (and was Natmags, now Hearst’s) youngest Editor at the time.

What made you start Style & The Bride?

I believed there was a gap in the market for an upscale bridal blog aimed at the fashionable/stylish bride.

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

10/07/2015 by Karen

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.

Images by Claudine Hartzel

Chitter Chatter with Emma Taylor, owner of Paperless Wedding

03/07/2015 by Karen

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.