Introducing a London special guest - Sara Smyth of ruby+diva

Paola de Paola Photography

Here at Most Curious HQ we are feeling super dooper privileged to have with us for our London Fair some real Wedding royalty in the gorgeous form of Sara Smyth, the co-founder of chic and unique wedding boutique ruby+diva! Sara is the creative force behind this stylish and eclectic behind the brand, which was designed to offer brides the chance to have a single place in which to plan, create and personalise their big day, and will be joining us as a guest of honour to present the prize at bridal NEXT! as well as stocking the winning design in the ruby+diva boutique itself!

Sara’s business light-bulb moment came when she realised there were no websites showcasing all that is original and fun in the world of weddings and where you can plan and buy your wedding day. Putting all that and more into one place, and ruby+diva was born -  the UK’s 1st design-led wedding marketplace bringing inspirational products and creative services from around the world into one place to help you plan your unique wedding.

 From all aspects of wedding planning including photography, the transport, the venue and even the Stag do, through to the gift list, and even the honeymoon (with a little help from travel expert Laura), ruby+diva offers a one stop shop for a vast and varied range of the UK's top creatives and designers. A stroke of genius, yes?

ruby+diva are going to be exhibiting at both the London and Norwich fairs, and we just know you are going to thank us for it - it's planning a beautiful wedding made easy! Sara took some time to tell us more about what makes her tick and also gives us a few cheeky insights into lovely r+d newness!


1) You got married in 2011 - would you do it differently if you were getting married this year?

 I married Rob on Friday 13 May 2011 and wore 'Alessia' by Jenny Packham. We totally steam-rolled into getting married, just 10 months after we started officially dating and before I had set up ruby+diva, so I didn't know about all the creative wedding designers out there. I did feel beautiful on the day but if I were to do it again I would definitely go for something a little more individual. I love 'Margot' by Charlotte Casdejus for a super-glam do and for something a little more low-key, the 'Astor' dress by Suzannah - it's a lovely vintage shape, very flattering and easy to wear.

 

2) What was the most important thing when planning your wedding and was this the same as what you felt was the most important on the actual day itself?
We planned our wedding in about 9 weeks and I guess the most important thing for me was making sure we added special touches that reflected our personalities. Neither of us are big on tradition or formality so I focused on finding a beautiful private room in a restaurant for a celebration lunch, my son, Lucas, played the guitar as I walked into the ceremony room, we had Led Zeppelin blasting out as we signed the register and we all walked down the King's Road to the reception. And yes, on the day, I was really pleased we had made those decisions and stuck to what we were comfortable with. Rob would never have made it through the day if it had been in a church with 200 guests!

 

3) Who excites you the most in the wedding industry right now?

 At the moment, I am particularly excited about the way in which colour and pattern is influencing wedding dress designers. I also love creative headwear and am especially enamoured with bright, floral head dresses. 



White Dahlia 1940′s Inspired Wedding Dress
by Joan Shum



4) What will you be looking for at Bridal NEXT! ? 

I am super excited to see the talent on offer at Bridal NEXT! and will be looking for designers who are doing something totally against the grain of traditional weddings.

 

5) What are you working on right now?

At the moment we are working on launching a few new ranges to the site, including our new 'Boudoir Luxe' section on the ruby+diva site - a collection of luxurious bedroom accessories along the lines of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. 

 

We are just about to launch a new group gifting option so customers can set up a group gifting page and ask their friends to contribute towards any product in our e-boutique. 

 

Now, this is strictly confidential, but we are also working on a top secret honeymoon project which will be launched at the time of the Most Curious Wedding Fair -  Hush Hush Honeymoons....ssshh! 

 

6) Wow that does sound super exciting! And to finish, can you tell us what is on your desk today?

I am currently surrounded by the most massive pile of glorious samples which are coming from around the world from ruby+diva members. I arrived home the other day to find that the postman has shoved a package with over £1000 worth of lingerie under the doormat! 

 

Lumiere Photography

And to finish, here's one of Sara's gorgeous wedding photos of her big day - we are ALWAYS a sucker for a Jenny Packham gown, and this one is naturally making us swoon! *sigh*