Supplier of the month: A Touch of Kent

Kick-starting our Supplier Of The series, we are chatting to the lovely Sam and Katie, from A Touch of Kent. And getting the low down on why they started and what they have to offer you on your big day.

Tell us about you and your business

We are Sam & Katie, and we launched A Touch of Kent in September 2022. Specialising in luxury and modern wedding styling, floristry & signage. We are always striving to modernise the wedding industry and encourage couples to be bold and different. Based in Maidstone, Kent, but we travel all over the UK for weddings. 

What made you decide to start A Touch of Kent?

I, Sam got married in July 2022 and enlisted Katie to help with her wedding flowers and styling. I had booked with a stylist which was dictated by the venue. When I went to visit my stylist, I was handed a brochure and told to pick what I wanted. Well I didn’t want what was in the brochure, I wanted to show the stylist my Pinterest board and inspiration pictures and for her to make the magic happen. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. I left feeling very disheartened and not convinced that I was going to get my vision. Katie agreed to help me get the venue ready the night before and the morning of my big day. Together, we made mine and my husband's dream wedding come true. 

The following week, we sat in the garden with a bottle of wine talking about the day and how amazing it was. This is when Katie told me that she had so much fun and said, ‘I’d love to do this for a living, making other people's visions and dreams come true’. The following day, I called Katie and said ‘We’ve registered a business, we’re called A Touch of Kent, and we’re going to just go for it’. We both had ‘real’ jobs at the time, I worked for the ambulance service and Katie as Cabin Manager for 18 years. We assumed A Touch of Kent would be very slow starting as the industry was ‘over-saturated’, so we kept being told. Boy, how wrong were we! Fast-forward 18 months, and we’re fully booked for 2024 and have opened our very own florist/showroom in Maidstone and are both full-time for A Touch of Kent. It’s been a crazy whirlwind, that’s for sure! 

What’s been your favourite wedding so far and why?

It’s difficult to pinpoint a favourite wedding to be truthful, each and every one of our clients had such wonderful visions. But if we were to pick one, it would be a wedding we did at The Cave, Canterbury. Simply because the couple trusted us enough to give us free-reign on their entire day. They showed us their vision, and we ran with it. We were allowed to be as creative as we liked, and they loved all our suggestions. They booked every element we offer, floristry, signage and styling including full tableware setup. It was such a magical day for everyone involved. Even now, they are our biggest cheerleaders and the most supportive couple you could imagine. They were our clients, now they’re our friends. 

What services do you offer?

We are a multi-service company. With 3 suppliers in one, we provide full venue styling from candles to tableware. We offer full floristry in fresh and artificial. From all these elaborate floral displays you see on Pinterest to your boutonnière, and we also offer full wedding signage, that’s from table numbers, place names to welcome signs and seating plans. Our couples love that we offer so much, as the communication between suppliers when organising a wedding can become very overwhelming. So when they find just 1 supplier who does it all, it is perfect! 

What can couples expect from you as apart of their wedding?

From the initial e-mail, right through to your wedding day, you’ll receive our exceptional level of customer service and honesty. After the initial e-mail, we’ll invite you to our showroom for a meeting to generate a bespoke quote just for you and your partner. The communication lines are always open right from enquiry. We’ll meet with you 2–3 months before your big day to finalise your wedding plans and details. We liaise directly with the venues to organise set-up times and access so you’re not encountering additional stress and e-mails. If there is something we don’t provide as part of our service, we’ll do the leg work to get quotes for you to minimise all the various communications. Then, we’ll show up on your big day, make the magic happen and leave you feeling amazed that you’d had the day of your dreams. 

We pride ourselves in just being us. We’re honest and open. If we think something won’t work, we’ll tell you. We’ll give you advice and our opinions. We spend the time to get to know who you are as people and implement those subtle personal touches on the day. 

Lastly, but most importantly, what's the best way for couples to contact you?

If you’d like to book A Touch of Kent for your magical day, get in touch via e-mail info@atouchofkent.com or on our website www.atouchofkent.com.

Pop over to Instagram & give us a follow - www.instagram.com/atouchofkent

Real Bride Spotlight: Hannah Wands

Here at Vicki’s Bridal Boutique, we love nothing more than hearing our Vicki’s Bride love stories from the proposal to the big day.  So we want to share the love with our readers and hopefully offer you a bit of Real Bride inspiration. Today's Real Bride Spotlight is the lovely Hannah, who has offered to share her and Rob’s story with us and of course tell us all about their beautiful wedding. 

So tell us, how did your partner propose?

First thing in the morning at Mawgan Porth beach; we had headed there for a day bodyboarding, and we're enjoying a coffee perched on a rock in the early morning sun. Rob distracted me and got down on one knee! 

When and where did you get married?

We got married on the 3rd June 2023 at The Oak Barn, Frame Farm in Benenden, which is about 15 minutes from where we live.

What colour/theme did you go for?

Lots of greenery with creams/whites; we wanted it to reflect an English country garden, so everything was free flowing, and we incorporated herbs, with a little nod to Rob's Scottish heritage with green thistles. We used stocks on the aisle, which smelt amazing! 

One bit of advice for couples planning a wedding?

Start early! You can never book a supplier too soon, especially in the post-covid wedding world. Spreadsheets will also be your best friend!

We love that piece of advice!

Now, Shopping for your dress….tell us about it?!

There was only one place I wanted to shop, and that was Vicki's! I had visited once and was sure I had found my dress, until a new collection arrived.... I returned and really did find the one! It was such a lovely moment. I had been a bit nervous about wedding dress shopping, but you guys were amazing and made the experience so lovely. 

Thank you! And it really was a moment that we won't forget, either.

So tell us; Highlight from your big day...

The moment I walked into the barn for our wedding breakfast and saw the flowers Perinda set up; I was completely overwhelmed by how beautiful the place looked, it was better than I ever could have imagined.

Your favourite photo from your big day, professional or moment captured by a guest.

It’s so hard to choose! But I love this one of Rob and I, walking back to our guests after going off with the photographer for a photoshoot late afternoon. I had asked Rob to help me carry the veil, and he hooked it over his shoulder. Completely unplanned, but looks amazing! 

OMG, that really is a beautiful moment captured. Thank you so much Hannah for being our real bride spotlight this month. We absolutely loved your photos and Juno by Kelsey Rose really did look stunning on you with the gorgeous Horse Hair chapel length veil by Nieve Couture. We wish many years of making beautiful memories as Mr & Mrs Wands.

Lovely in Lace Wedding Dresses

It’s no secret that through-out history, brides have looked lovely in lace wedding dresses, but these days that does not mean that you have to go for a vintage bridal look when wearing lace. We are going to look at our favourite lace trends at Vicki’s Bridals Boutique, from your classic vintage lace to the new modern laces being created, to the use of lace placement and ways to add lace into your bridal look. 

Let’s start by looking at the full lace dress (personal favourite of mine). Bridal Lace wedding dresses are all about personal taste, and speaking from experience you could be in love with one lace dress and really dislike another, you have to find your lace style. In the past couple of seasons Kelsey Rose have been creating their own laces for a more modern bride, one of our favourites being their ‘falling rose’ lace, which they used on the Thea dress. This is lace is a large, bold pattern, but the lightweight tulle and contemporary cut makes her soft and subtle. 

Hazel by Ellis Bridals offer a more traditional all over lace wedding gown look with an elegant fit and flare silhouette and ¾ length sleeve with a puff shoulder. This is a gorgeous heavy lace with iridescent sequins sprinkled throughout to deliver a beautiful subtle sparkle. And though a more traditional style wedding dress, lace definitely speak more to the current bride. 

Doing the reverse, Alisha by Nieve Couture is a great example of taking a delicate vintage lace but adding it to a modern cut with the exposed boned bodice. To marry the past and present. 

Lace is the guaranteed timeless bridal trend, but of course full lace is not for everyone. So here are a couple of different ways to wear lace on your wedding day;

Half-and-half could be the perfect alternative for you, whether that be a beautiful lace bodice with a soft chiffon skirt, such as Sicily by Kelsey Rose or a structure crêpe bodice with a soft floral lace a-line skirt as found in Bree by Ellis Bridals. 

Placement lace is another beautiful way of doing lace without going full lace. Demi by Nieve Couture and Natalia by Ellis Bridals are perfect examples of this. With their delicate lace bodice which gradually soften down the hip and with detail continued throughout the skirt with gorgeous placed applique lace motifs. 

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature" by Coco Chanel

Cut out lace has been a big trend for the past couple of years now, making lace a little bit sexy. With cut away backs, illusion sleeve and statement lace cutout trains. We adore Mauve and Lottie by Ellis Bridals which showcase this lace trend perfectly, combing all of the above seamlessly.

But something you may just want a small nod to the traditional lace trend, which can be achieved with simple lace sleeves or trim on your dress. Or even with your accessories whether that be with lace detail in your veil or, at Vicki's we love the bridal trainers from The Perfect Bridal Company, Oakley and Cameron which are the perfect combination of old and new. So every bride really can look lovely in lace.