Wedding Supplier Wednesday - Save the Date Magazine

It’s the time again for another Wedding Supplier Wednesday, and this week we have the fabulous Save the Date Magazine, which evolved just one year ago in July 2009 when editor and partner, Lydia who was planning her wedding realised that there was no local inspiration out there to help plan her dream day. Having worked at a local Derby based events company for over 5 years, Lydia and Abbi, who also worked for the same company decided to begin a magazine called Save the Date, helping local brides to be to find their dream suppliers around the East Midlands and inspire them along the way in the form of a slick, stylish bi-monthly publication. Save the Date released its first glossy in November 2009 and we have just released the fifth issue, covering the months of July and August. A publication which focuses on style and big day chic, Lydia and Abbi work hard to locate unique and talented suppliers across the East Midlands to become a part of the magazine and provide inspiration to readers. Save the Date is distributed across lots of bridal boutiques, jewellery stores, florists and hairdressers across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire with us slowly creeping into the Leicestershire border too. John Lewis stores in Nottingham and Sheffield also stock the magazine and hand out a complimentary copy to anyone enquiring about their gift list service.
The magazine is also available to read on-line in the form of an e-zine, making it much more accessible to readers across the country.
Not just a magazine, Save the Date now run local wedding events too - similar to a 'wedding fayre', the Save the Date wedding events always adopt a unique twist with the aim of making each bride to be who walks through the door feel special and ready to be inspired.
‘Our wedding events are fun, unique and exciting and we try extremely hard to bring an original twist to each and every one of them’ ‘Our strapline is 'The wedding and events magazine for the East Midlands' and having focused on weddings since our inception, we are now beginning to work on all different types of events from social occasions, corporate functions and themed events. We work with venues across the East Midlands including Shottle Hall in Derbyshire, pulling a calendar of events together and assisting them with the marketing and organisation of such events. From afternoon tea parties to Viva Las Vegas and Summer balls, we are working on a diverse range of events and really looking forward to seeing them coming together and working hard to ensure they are a success’ Save the Date can be viewed on MAGAZINE or contact the girls on info@savethedatemagazine.co.uk
HUGE THANK YOU to Lydia and Abbi for allowing us to feature this awesome magazine - and best wishes for the future!

If you would like us to feature you on Wedding Wednesday, or if you need to chat about some bespoke jewellery please get in touch! Have a lovely day!

Jon
07904123297

Wedding rings!

Oh yes - its the Wedding season and JKD have been crazy busy these last few weeks with Wedding Rings.
Remember, we offer a bespoke service and make everything specially for our clients. This is our 'Wedding Ring Sample' box to help you come to the right decision on which ring you would love as your own.

If we can help you with anything please get in touch - we offer the best prices around and you can either come to our office in Hatton Garden or we can visit you in your home of place of work.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and want to wish all our Bride & Grooms the best of luck on their Wedding Day!

Have a lovely week!

JKD.
07904123297

extra cash for the weekend....

We all need a little extra Cash Injection every now and then, and JKD has the answer! Last night we held a very successful CASH FOR GOLD party, and LOTS of very happy people left with much more than they were expecting!

To briefly explain – im sure you have seen the hundreds of awful commercials telling you to ‘cash in your gold’, and im also sure you have seen the numerous press reports about how little these companies are offering you, the client, for your unwanted gold! well – this is true! But what is also true is that gold really is at all time highs at the moment, and it really is a good time to cash in any of your broken, old, mismatched or simply unused gold for cash!

As someone in the trade, I deal direct with the London Gold Bourse, based in Hatton Garden, and I really can offer you a price that wont be beaten anywhere else!

Its a win win situation for our clients - and the reviews on our website speak for themselves!

Organising a gold party couldn't be easier. You invite your family and friends to a party and ask them to bring all their old gold which they can sell for cash! We provide the food and nibbles - you have a lovely evening in with your friends and they leave very happy with extra cash in their back pockets!

We also offer a 'Postal' service, where you can send us your Gold, we then call you with an offer, and if you are happy we will send you the money the exact same day!

It really is that simple - so get in touch if you want to host your own party!

Have a lovely weekend!

Jon
07904123297

Wedding Supplier Wednesday - Miss Pickering

We are really excited to be featuring the fabulous Miss Pickering Florist and her gorgeous hound in our Wedding Supplier Wednesday blog - as she truly is an inspiration. After a varied career in food and fashion and living in France, Milan and Notting Hill, Miss P fulfilled her childhood desire to open a floral emporium. Her beautiful medieval shop, based in Stamford, is packed to the beamed rafters with seasonal flowers, foliage and herbs and plants. Miss P only use only the finest quality flowers, with an emphasis on local growers.


Pretty vintage jugs are filled with hydrangea heads, peonies and armfuls of roses, all of which are available to buy along with cake stands, vintage linens and homewares, and a marvellous selection of greetings cards.



Recently featured in the Mail on Sunday 'YOU' Magazine 'At Home' section, and with other press including Country Living, Red Magazine, Wedding, Garden Answers, Joules Magazine, Stamford Living and Embrace, Simone really is a lady who knows her stuff. Lets find out more.

I started my own business so that i could fill the shop with only the flowers i love, and bring our own take to weddings

Our flowers are a blend of locally grown flowers, home grown herbs and the very best of flowers from Holland and further afield. We like to put our own Miss P spin on things, vintage containers, ribbons and what have you. We have in-depth consultations with our brides, and get to know very well what look they are hoping to achieve for their day

Every single day is different, whether it is a wedding prep day, installation day or just a day selling flowers for birthdays etc. i love playing a part in the most important times of peoples lives, weddings, births, celebrations and even death

Simone went on to tell me some interesting facts you might not know about Miss Pickering (aside from her humour of course):
I drink Earl grey tea and gin - not at the same time
My favourite flowers this week are....tuberose, the scent is so very sexy.
Today i lost the back of one of my precious diamond studs, though thankfully not the earring. (although if she did she would OF COURSE get a replacement from JKD!)
Today i am trying to look like Whitney Port from The City - and failing.
I speak 4 languauges.
I really do love weddings.
My current thinking is that coloured table linen at weddings is good.
I prefer low tablecentres
At home i cut flowers and herbs from the garden and put them in jam jars on the kitchen table.
My favourite colour is slubby.
The first single i bought came free with a pair of Clark's school shoes and was "Gold" by spandau ballet
I might be the only person in the world who prefers yellow gold to platinum

Miss Pickering can be found at:
Miss Pickering
Floral Emporium
7 St. Paul’s Street
Stamford
PE9 2BE

Open Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm.

(T)01780 482961 (e)flowers@misspickering.com

They deliver sameday throughout Stamford and Rutland(Wednesday to Saturday Order by noon to guarantee delivery by 1pm the next day) and also offer a next day Nationwide delivery service.

If you wish to read more about Simone and Miss P why not have a read of her very own blog - it really is fantastic! BLOG

We wanted to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Simone (and her hound) for taking the time out to speak to us and for allowing us to feature Miss Pickering - we really love her work and hope you do too!

If you are a 'Wedding Supplier' and would like to feature on our blog - drop us an email to jon@jonkeithdiamonds.com. And remember, if i can help you with any bespoke handmade jewellery please get in touch!

Have a nice Wednesday!

JKD

Monday sparkles…

Happy Monday! To make the start of your week sparkly and bright we are sharing this stunning .75ct Princess cut engagement ring with you. Set in a classic handmade shank, this really is a stunner for one very lucky lady!
We cant say too much, other than ‘Best of Luck’ with popping the question…..and let us know what she says!!

If I can help you with anything please get in touch. Remember we offer trade prices, so can guarantee to be cheaper than any high street jeweller.

Email me on jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or call me on 07904123297.

Have a lovely week!

Jon

Wedding ring Friday!

We wanted to share this stunning Wedding Ring with you today - its one of MrsJKD's FAVs so we knew it would be on here before too long!Beautiful platinum band, set within a band, with five round diamonds holding it all together. This really is a unique piece for those not wishing to show off the 'bling' too much!A very unusual design sure to turn into a classic!We hope you like it as much as we (and especially MrsJKD) does!

If i can help you with anything please get in touch.

Have a nice, hopefully sunny, weekend!

Jon

Wedding Supplier Wednesday – Illyria Events

Oh yes, its that time in the week again where we feature another wonderful Wedding Supplier, and we have a treat for you today with the brilliant Illyria Events, who are a wedding and events planning company established in early 2010 by Jeannine de Sousa:
‘Following a successful career in project management, I felt I was at a stage in my life where I needed to venture out on my own. I also wanted to make a career change and work in a different industry, but at the same time be able to draw on my existing skills.
Starting up a wedding and events planning company was kind of organic and logical for me, a combination of excellent project management and organisation skills, ability to thrive, in fact crave pressure, my love of cooking, entertaining, interior design and the fact that I have previously planned so many parties for family member and friends, all helped me make the choice’ ‘We plan and manage weddings and other parties such as: Christmas parties, Birthday’s, Retirement parties, Bat/Bar Mitzvah’s, Themed parties, Housewarmings and basically any party you can think of and feel like hosting’
‘We are based in Blackheath but work across the UK. I am South African (have dual citizenship) and have been in the UK for 11 years. As a result and because I love Cape Town, we also offer full event planning services for UK couples wishing to have their wedding or civil partnership abroad’
‘In 2008, I was awarded the Atkins Inspire Award for Woman in Construction, category “Outstanding Achiever”. This was an endorsement of my abilities as a project manager and consultant. Over a period of 11 years I have worked on a vast number of interior and construction projects for blue chip clients.
As a consultant, I have been involved in planning whole project life cycles for large organisations, defining and prioritising what projects they ought to do, what they will achieve if they do them, the costs, programme, risks and benefits of doing them.I used to manage project budgets ranging from as little as £500k to £7m, as well as very complex programmes sometimes for projects stretching over 2 or 3 years.
You have to be a good listener and correctly interpret a client’s needs and ideas otherwise you will not deliver something that represents them, it might be beautiful, but it wont be them.
Exceptional organising skills are also very important as well as a good dose of creativity and a natural flair for design.
A client might just have a word and idea of the style they want in mind…say “butterfly and dramatic”, you then have to be able to read, analyse and observe that client so that in no time your mind starts filling up with images and ideas for a styling concept that will suite their personalities and lifestyle and one which you need to incorporate into venues, food, décor, fabrics, colours etc’ ‘I really enjoy planning and putting together concepts and ideas and turning them into something real and tangible. I really do enjoy making people happy. It might sound clichéd but I get a real kick out of seeing a sparkle in someone’s eyes and knowing I had something to do with putting it there’These images are just incredible, and Jeaninne obviously has a huge passion for her work! Illyria Events can be contact via there website www.illyria.uk.net

Have a lovely Wednesday – and if we can help you with anything please get in touch!
JKD

Friday's French Cut Diamonds

This is such a beautiful and unique ring I HAD to share it with you this Friday!

Full Eternity rings are every girls dream, and this would certainly be top of MrsJKDs list! Set in Platinum, this Full Eternity is handmade with beautiful French Cut Diamonds, each individually hand square backholed to allow extra light and sparkle. Weight totaling 1.65carats.
For those who haven’t heard of French cuts before, it is an antique cut used for square and rectangular stones, which eventually evolved into the princess cut, which has more facets. The most famous ‘French Cut’ stones were the side stones in the original 1912 Cartier Asscher ring.
Here at JKD we love using unusual ‘antique’ cuts, which seem to have got lost over time. They are true classic pieces that will never go out of fashion.

We hope you love it as much as the lucky recipient does!

Have a lovely sunny weekend, and if I can help you with a bespoke creation please get in touch on jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or 07904123297.

JON

Wedding Supplier Wednesday - Made by Millie and Me

This weeks Wedding Supplier Wednesday is a special one for us – as the wonderful Nicky and her very beautiful yellow Labrador Millie from the award winning Made by Millie and Me, based in the picturesque town of Monmouth in the Wye Valley, actually created the stationary for our Wedding last year. She really is incredible – so lets find out more about her.

Millie and Me design and make a huge range of wedding stationery. Everything you could imagine from save the date cards, to table plans and favours are hand crafted by Nicky and her team (Millie does not help much with production!) and they also offer a bespoke design service.



‘Millie and Me’ were established 6 years ago after Nicky got made redundant. “For years I had dreamt about running a stationery design business, so when I found myself out of work, it was the ideal time to start. I moved back in with my parents to keep my costs as low as possible and took over Mum’s utility room as a makeshift studio.”



“I have always been interested in stationery design, and I had made cards for friends for some time. I spent weeks researching the wedding industry as I was keen to move into invitation design rather than making one off cards. I was finding it impossible to get another job having been made redundant and really wanted to try running my own small business. It was a leap of faith, but looking back, I’m so glad I decided to give it a go!”

“I pride myself in using only the finest quality materials in my stationery and want all my clients to feel that their invitations are setting the tone for their perfect day. I love being given a challenge to design something truly unique and particularly enjoy working with funky colours and making unique table plans. I also make one off items such as personalised cards for the bridal party and want my clients to feel that I can exceed their expectations at every stage.”

“The best reward in my job is hearing from a client that they love their stationery. I also get a real kick from seeing the wedding photos and how my work featured on the big day. I work very long hard hours (particularly in the summer!) and there is nothing more gratifying than a few words of thanks from a happy bride! I also make sure I have a tiny bit of ‘me’ time every day and walk Millie across open fields or along the river bank – this always refreshes me and I can come back to the studio with more energy to create scrumptious stationery!”


“I honestly adore what I do and wouldn’t change it for anything. I have never worked so hard in my life and yes, it’s horrid when I have to miss out on fun because I HAVE to finish an order, but I can’t let my brides down on the most important day of their life. I just love working with anything sparkly and beautiful ribbons and creating something special. I have music blaring out all day long in my studio, I sing and dance (as long as no-one is watching!) and constantly talk to Millie about each individual job. That probably makes me sound a little bit mad, but if it helps me create delicious designs, then it must be working!”


These creations are WONDERFUL! we just adore them and could use Nicky again and again!! Contact her via Twitter and her website www.millieandme.net

THANK YOU so much for allowing us to feature your awesome company and we wish you continued success!

If JKD can help you with anything Diamond related get in touch - we would LOVE to hear from you!!

Have a lovely Wednesday!

Jon
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