A few weeks ago on Sunday 22nd April we exhibited at our very first wedding event in Nottingham! We are generally not huge fans of the wedding fair industry, but we’re starting to change our minds as there are so many cool and unique fairs/events popping up all over the UK…many festival related!

At Save the Date – Wedding Event with a Difference, you can expect to see fantastic suppliers, interactive demonstrations, catwalk show and lots of fabulous goodies! An uber stylish and highly unique wedding event with a difference.

You couldn’t miss our stand – it was so bright and eclectic just like a festival! It certainly caught the eye of many passers by and we loved meeting like minded brides to be who wanted something out of the ordinary for their special day. We had lots of inspiration and wedding pretty on display with a large scale scrap book full of unique ideas (think our blog but in a book!) and a ‘washing line’ of inspiration which we changed and added to throughout the day. Laura and I also put together a slideshow (in the early hours of morning before the show!) of mood boards and festival wedding inspiration which seemed to go down really well.

On our stand we featured the wonderful Plant Box crates who design bespoke wooden crates in various sizes – a wicked idea for a festival/country vibe and great for stacking your beers in!! You can pick your colours and choose personalised messages and decor. Check them out www.plantabox.co.uk

Catkin Flowers very kindly supplied the flowers for the stand which were bright and beautiful. The sweet smell of wild flowers graced our senses for the whole day and the cute bunches of poppies and bluebells fitted perfectly in our beer bottle collection. If you need an English grown florist in the Midlands be sure to contact www.catkinflowers.co.uk for natural and seasonal flowers.

The very talented Katy from Hand Picked Vintage designed an awesome feather top hat and bridal feather headdress especially for Festival Brides and they looked amazing on the stand. Katy makes these from scratch so if you want to swap your veil for a stunning feather head dress then you need to be contacting this lady!

Lastly and by far not least Big Beautiful Bunting supplied the bright and colourful bunting which we draped from pilar to post around our stand!! the bunting was so impactful and made our festival theme come to life!! For quirky and unique bunting with a difference be inspired by www.bigbeautifulbunting.com

We met Lucy and Chris (who are modeling the top hat and feather head dress from Hand Picked Vintage above) who are planning a Festival Wedding for 2014! They have a love of tea so we suggested they celebrate their day embarrassing their love of tea and having their very own tea festival!! Not sure what they thought about this idea but they certainly loved the tea cup bunting that we had on display! 

The fabulous Kate from Vintage Style Hire supplied all the props and furniture for the event and we loved the fireplace set above. Coral and lime is fastly becoming a new favourite colour combo of ours…….just lovely!

We mixed with some lovely suppliers and bloggers during the day. We met the lovely Kelly from Boho Wedding and Events - An awesome boho wedding blog; Chloe from Adore by Chloe - Wicked handcrafted wedding blog; Peach Blossom - Pretty and stylish party decorations; CW Campervans – East Midlands Camper Van hire; Ruby + Diva – Cool and unique wedding boutique……..plus so many more.

Event photography by Rachel Connerton

The next Wedding Event with a Difference is on 14th October 2012…we will definitely be making an appearance so hope to meet you all there!

Book your tickets now for early bird offers

For the past 2 months Festival Brides have been following Buttercup Bus VW Camper Hire’s restoration of an original vintage VW campervan aptly named Buttercup (if you missed Part 1 please click here).

We promised to cover all the blood, sweat and tears that’s involved in getting one of these amazing old skool campers fully restored and road worthy for weddings, especially ones with the festival vibe, and I’m pleased to say the next instalment from Nathalie doesn’t disappoint…………………

“Buttercup Bus VW campers are currently restoring their third vintage campervan, ready to grace the roads in spring, 2012.

We are following this journey to see Buttercup transform from an ugly duckling to a beautiful pale yellow and white camper.

After having Buttercups’s gear box successfully fitted, she was securely stored, waiting for her appointment at the “surgery”, where her bodywork would commence.

Bodywork can take many hours of hard labour, and it was important to find a skilled and trusted contact. Gary at Auto Crash in Croydon proved to be that knight in shining armour.

On removal of poor old Buttercup’s face, the level or rot to be cut out and replaced really illustrated the importance of fitting a whole new front panel.

Buttercup is off her face – poor old girl.... even the metal beneath her face is as perforated as a teabag!

Just look at all the rot in that front bumper – thank goodness we have just had a new front panel shipped all the way from the dry state of California! It was salvaged from another old camper, destined for the graveyard. (Bring on the violins…)

And here she is, with her face removed, awaiting her new parts.

This corner fell off when shutting the driver’s rusty door – but that’s OK, because we have already
purchased a whole spare door to replace it!

The wheel arches also need replacing, and so were purchased, ready to fit.

There are more pictures to come over the next few weeks, as Buttercup slowly gets transformed into a beautiful camper – just as she was meant to be.

Hopefully these pictures will give you an idea of the work and care that goes into the restoration of these buses… not to mention the thousands of pounds in parts and labour! Ouch!

But when you get to see the final “before and after” pictures, and having seen the full restoration journey, Buttercup will become even more special!”

Many thanks to Nathalie for sharing Part 2 with us. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Buttercup in Part 3!

If you are interested in hiring a camper for your wedding or self drive/holiday, please contact Nathalie:

Email: enquiries@buttercupbus.com

Mobile:  07899 965903

Website:  www.buttercupbus.com

All images provided by Buttercup Bus VW Camper Hire.

Happy Monday Peeps – hope this week is a good one!

Big Love

Festival Brides x

Afternoon Peeps!

As you’ve probably noticed, our blog posts have been a bit sporadic over the last few weeks to which we apologise. We both work full time and it’s been manic especially as it’s coming to the end of the year which is the busiest time for both Kel and I. We’ve barely had time to sleep (you should see these bad boy bags under my eyes – it’s not a good look!).

Anywho, things have started to calm down (thank god!) which means we can return to what we love the most – blogging about all things weddings and we’ve got lots in the pipeline………………sneak peek of an awesome vintage camping engagement shoot coming your way later!

But first, you may remember earlier this month we  featured the very cool Buttercup Bus VW Camper Hire and their 3 very lovely campers, one of which (Buttercup) is currently undergoing a ‘few changes!’ If you missed this post, please click here.

We promised to keep you updated on her progress and I’m pleased the say the first instalment, from the lovely Nathalie, is in!

Enjoy getting to know this little lady! She’s going to be a camper beauty – can’t wait to see her develop over the next few months!

Over to you Nathalie………………….

“Buttercup Bus VW campers are a south London based wedding and holiday hire company, offering three vintage campervans:

• Pushka in classic cream
• Belinda Bus in vintage blue and cream
• Buttercup – an ugly duckling currently under restoration for March 2012

Pushka and Belinda, basking in the sunshine

These classic campervans love to grace the roads, turning heads wherever they go, and we wanted to share with you the story of all the work that is involved in sourcing and restoring these buses so that everyone can enjoy them.

Buttercup was purchased a few months ago after a year of searching for the right campervan. We were most particular about finding a campervan that was solid underneath, has sound mechanics and yet was a blank canvas for us to design to meet our particular wedding and holiday hire requirements.

Much expense and time went into finding the right camper with Nathalie, the company owner, travelling long distances to inspect potential candidates and negotiate. Nathalie also brought along her trusty VW specialist Darren, from VW Airfix, to quality assure the integrity of the campervan. Sadly, there are many “chicken wire and newspaper” nightmare buses out there – a trap that we did not want to fall into!

Darren, our trusty mechanic helped us to source our campervan (VW Airfix in Carlshalton, Surrey)

After some time Darren contacted Nathalie with a campervan that one of his customers was selling– a project bus that needed rescuing and was priced to account for the many hours of labour (and expense) the bus would require.

This ugly duckling needed a new (and very expensive) gear box, a new front face, bodywork restoration, a good paint job and completely new interior – not a project for the faint hearted!

So here is part one of the story of Buttercup’s journey from ugly duckling to beautiful swan………..

Before going under the knife…

Here is Buttercup just before we purchased her. This tangerine and black colour scheme was not exactly the look we were going for and that big wheel on her nose was hiding that beautiful face!

Buttercup looks sad parked at the side of the road waiting to be bought!

Buttercup’s bum did not look much better with a non matching maroon and white door which had been bolted on to replace her original rusty one. There were some fancy exhaust pipes fitted which needed replacing with a standard and reliable exhaust system.

Yes, Buttercup’s Bum was a patchwork of ugliness...

Her Bumper had square holes cut into it to support a rudimentary bike rack which had gone missing, and yes, there was a rather unsightly Tattoo on her rear saying “Big Boys Toys” – Here is a close up… yuck!

Not really sure whether any comment could do justice to the ugliness of this bus tattoo on Buttercup’s Bum....

When looking at the inside of the bus I felt like an estate agent, coming up with the phrase “hmmm – lots of potential in here…..” But at least it contained her spare driver’s door, dashboard and a sorry looking rock and roll bed.

Hmmm – some imagination is required here to see the potential

This bus needed some love (and some serious retail therapy!)

Over the next few weeks Festival Brides will take you through Buttercup’s surgery, makeover and wardrobe as Nathalie slowly transforms her into a carriage fit for a bride!

Bring on the next instalment which will be in a few weeks time  - Nathalie sent us a sneak peek and she’s looking good!

If you are interested in hiring Pushka, Belinda Bus or the soon to be lovely Buttercup for your wedding or self drive, please contact Nathalie:

Email: enquiries@buttercupbus.com

Mobile:  07899 965903

Website:  www.buttercupbus.com

All images provided by Buttercup Bus VW Camper Hire.

Happy Tuesday!

Big Love

Festival Brides x

Happy Friday Peeps!

Today I am so excited to share with you the awesomeness that is Buttercup Bus VW Camper Hire. These guys have been supporting Festival Brides from day dot and we are very proud to be running a feature on their very special campers: Pushka, Belinda Bus and the baby of the family, Buttercup.

What better way for a Festival Bride than to rock up to her wedding in one of these super cool campers!

Nathalie, the brainchild of Buttercup Bus VW Camper Hire, shares her story:

Buttercup Bus are a small, vintage VW Camper wedding and holiday hire business based in Croydon.

The owners have immense fun running the business, meet amazing people and are passionate about their campers – considering them to be part of the family!

Nathalie – the “Croydon campervan lady” with her daughter at a VW show

It all started a couple of years ago, when Nathalie (the owner) found that her baby’s pram was not designed to fit in a Smart car (try as she might). The small car had to go, and she rocked up with her dream set of wheels – a beautiful cream coloured vintage VW Camper, called Pushka. Her husband’s jaw hit the floor… but with Pushka’s good looks and using the rationale of her doing the odd wedding, he was soon won over.

Pushka turned a few heads when she rocked up to St Paul’s Cathedral!

Sure enough, the wedding bookings came in thick and fast, and Pushka turned heads wherever she went.  She went to the beauticians for new cream leather seats, and homemade cute checked curtains, and wore her hand painted “just married sign” with pride!

The Campers come with a hand painted “Just Married” sign

The optional chilled champers is presented in a decorated hamper basket

But  Pushka needed a friend – so after months of searching, along came Belinda Bus, in vintage blue and cream

Belinda Bus goes cross country whilst hired for self drive

… and this old girl was made available both for weddings and self drive holidays. Belinda’s colour has been popular for vintage weddings, but  she has also been busy doing tours of all the festivals to include Glastonbury and Latitude.  One bride has booked her for a honeymoon tour, and Belinda  has even graced the TV with “Juan Sheet” from the Plenty adverts! (Such fame!!!)

Nathalie, Belinda Bus and the cheeky “Juan Sheet” from the Plenty adverts (and yes, he does have a cute bum!)

Buttercup Bus have enjoyed the last year, and are chuffed to have just won the 2012 Wedding Industry Awards London and South East transport category, based on feedback and nominations from brides and grooms who have met their campers. Times really must be changing as couples look to pack personality into their wedding day, with tributes to their own escapdes, rather than traditional Bentleys and Limos.

Pushka poses by the Beach huts for a Brighton Wedding. Loving those 50s inspired dresses!

Looking forward, this company is excited to have engaged with the “Sounds of the Campervan”, who record acoustic sessions with established UK Bands in the back of a campervan. Last week, Pushka played host to Art Brut, and looks forward to meeting many more artists in months to come!

They are also thrilled to announce the addition of another four wheeled friend to their family, called Buttercup. This rusty, ugly duckling was rescued and is currently under restoration – a labour of love – and will be available in pale yellow and cream for holiday and wedding hire from March 2012.

Buttercup, just before she was purchased by Nathalie

Buttercup having a major facelift – look at all the rust that needs to be removed – this is a large and expensive operation... but all for love!

Festival Brides will be providing you with updates on the restoration of the gorgeous Buttercup so make sure you check the blog in a few weeks to see how she’s getting on!! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for her next!

Thank you so much Nathalie for sharing your story with us – ‘sounds of the campervan’ sounds awesome!

If you would be interested in hiring one of these very cool and very special buses for your wedding or self drive hire, contact Nathalie at enquiries@buttercupbus.com |Tel  0789 996 5903 | www.buttercupbus.com

I think Buttercup might be my favourite – I have always dreamed of owning a yellow camper, and mixed with cream she is going to be one good looking lady!

Big Love

Festival Brides x

Welcome to Lulabelles, the award winning camperlicious catering company. We love her story!!!

‘One fine day, in Yorkshire, she bumped into a lovely lady called Cathy, who saw how pretty she was and fell in love with her at once! Cathy gave Lulabelle a complete makeover and nursed her back to health, during which time they became the best of friends. After discovering a mutual love of cupcakes and all things yummy, Cathy and Lulabelle hatched the plan to tour the countryside together having adventures, feeding hungry tummies and making friends’

We just think that Lulabelle and Cathy would be the perfect guests at a festival wedding..hen party or birthday.

Lulabelle offers vintage tea parties with a difference. Providing everything you need for an elegant afternoon tea for up to 24 guests – Beautiful vintage china, teapots, sugar tongs, cake stands and silver cutlery set the scene for delicious homemade food, sumptuous sticky cakes and delicate pastries.

We would love to have a campervan as pretty and delicious as Lulabelle one day!!!!

Get in touch with Lulabelle on 01423 565368 or email yummy@lulabelles.biz to discuss your requirements.www.lulabelles.biz

All images via www.lulabelles.biz