Wild In Love with HALFPENNY LONDON Wedding Dresses

Tucked away in historic Bloomsbury, London hides Central Saint Martin's graduate, Kate Halfpenny's exquisitely styled bridal boutique - HALFPENNY LONDON. Lace, tulle, satin and silk billow from the minimal floating rails; all delicately beaded, ruffled, expertly cut. Atop an original fireplace; which is scattered with eclectic objects d'art; sit's a neon light. An owl mask adorns the wall, with the odd antique doll or bell jar containing a perfectly embroidered accessory. At once, this perfectly formed shop appears haunted by the willowy ghosts of fashion past, but is somehow staunchly contemporary. With beautiful and unusual paradoxes in design, Halfpenny gowns are pared down despite their vintage inspirations. There are no meringues in sight. Welcome to the future of wedding dress design.

2017 sees Kate Halfpenny launch her new collection, Wild Love, "a carefully curated collection of timeless classics... dresses and bridal separates with Kate's signature style, beading and embroidery". Taking inspiration from "a wild English rose garden in the intricate detail of the flowers, and the layers of delicate fragrant petals that evoke memories of summer; the contradiction lies in the graphic shapes of oblongs and circles for the expertly tailored pieces". 

We are very excited to be showcasing Halfpenny's new pieces at our London 2017 show, which Kate and her team is kindly sponsoring. I am sure you will agree, their expert blend of the old and the new is uniquely timeless.

We caught up with Kate and her team in the run up to March's fair, to talk Emilia Fox, lace curtain daydreams and more!

Why did you decide to set up your own business?

I've always been freelance, so it was a natural progression to launch my brand. It's been the most exciting journey! It was after actress Emilia Fox wore one of my silk floral dresses on her wedding day, that Halfpenny London was born. Inundated with requests, and following a subsequent Vogue interview, I founded my eponymous wedding dress brand.

What has been the coolest/best moment of your career so far?

I have so many exciting and cool moments, as I work in the best industry, but a couple are opening my store in Bloomsbury - I still pinch myself that it's real - and dressing Kate Moss for her birthday in 4 bespoke gowns that I designed for her. She rocked it and still wears them to events now!

Who or what inspires you?

I'm inspired by everything around me, from architecture to fabrics. The other day I was lying in the bath at my house in Whitstable, and sat staring at the old lace curtains that I've darned so many times. That has inspired a dress for the new 2018 collection.

What words would you use to describe the trends for 2017?

Beautiful handcrafted pieces made in London, unique dresses with the signature low back details, incredible fabrics and embellishment that Halfpenny is known for - that's all you need to know!

Don't forget to purchase your TICKETS for the London 2017 A Most Curious Wedding Fair, and come marvel at the magic of Halfpenny's delectable anthology of pretty pieces for yourself.

Happy holidays!

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Written by FREYIA PORTEOUS

Your first Christmas with PAPIER STATIONERY

If you are anything like us stationery fanatics here at Most Curious, your bog-standard pack of 20 cards from your local card store just will not suffice in sprinkling your yuletide wishes to your loved ones far and near this festive season. As a style savvy couple you certainly do not want to wish your Auntie Mabel a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with anything but the most exquisite of paper products right? That's where our wonderful sponsors, PAPIER come in. 

As well as helping us produce our London 2017 show at The Old Truman Brewery, the very fabulous Christmas elves over at Papier have been hard at work creating a gorgeous range of festive cards for all you loved up pairs keen for a cooler Christmas aesthetic. You can choose from single cards or sets, plus 10p from the sale of every Christmas card goes to the charity Breast Cancer Haven so you're doing good too.

Founded in August 2015 by Taymoor Atighetchi, this relatively new company have gone from strength to strength, and we can certainly see why. Papier provides you with a range of beautifully designed stationery, with the option to personalise and send greetings cards straight to your well loved recipients. 

In addition to the playfully adorable cards on offer, Papier can personalise your stationery, invitations, notebooks and more. No more dodgy Thank You cards for your post Christmas appreciation. Instead, thank your friends and family alike on your choice of gorgeously minimal, personalised notecards, whether this is your first special holiday together or your fiftieth.

And they would make the perfect gift for a loved one too! Get them writing the old fashioned way with a personalised stationery set, or ignite their creative spark and encourage them to put pen to paper with a personalised notebook, ideal for plans big or small.

Working with leading artists, illustrators, designers and brands; and printed on sustainably produced high quality paper here in the UK; Papier offers a highly curated collection of design-led, customisable products. Based in Soho, London, Papier is backed by the likes of Nicholas Wheeler the founder of heritage menswear brand, Charles Tyrwhitt.

Visit their website at www.papier.com to order your perfect paper products in time for Christmas, and be sure to get your TICKETS for this March's A Most Curious Wedding Fair in London and pay them a visit.

See you there, and enjoy a whimsical Christmas together!

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Written by FREYIA PORTEOUS

The joie de vivre of MATILDA DELVES WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Here at Most Curious we steadfastly believe in providing future newlyweds with a selection box of stylishly contemporary, independent companies to make each couple's personal dream day come true. For 2017 we are lucky enough to have MATILDA DELVES join us as Photography Sponsor of our London Show, and look forward to showcasing her joyful documentary approach to wedding photography.

Hailing from Kent, Matilda has always had a special relationship to photography. "We moved a lot as a family" she says. "When we were growing up, my sister and I would often get all the photographs out of the albums, to play with them, and to remind ourselves of all the places we had been. It is one of the powers of photography.  Photographs trigger memories: they are memories."

 If the thought of posing for formal wedding portraits strikes fear into your very being, and makes you want to lose your wedding breakfast, then we highly recommend you pay a visit to Matilda's stand. With a familial appreciation for genuine human memories, Matilda's effervescent celebration of life is evident in her warm and cinematic approach to capturing both the epic and the small moments of your special day. Her loving lens treats an ice cream covered page boy's face with the same sense of importance as the best man's speech. She has a talent for perfectly capturing the beauty of natural moments.

We caught up with Matilda recently and asked her a few questions.

Why did you decide to set up your own business?

The freedom of it. I absolutely love the variety, no two days are the same, one day you can be photographing a 80 year old bee keeper and the next being involved and witness to one of the most beautiful love filled days of a couples lives.

What's been the coolest/best moment of your career so far? 

As I'm sitting here typing this interview up, my bags are packed and waiting for the last wedding of the year which will be in Qatar. That pretty exciting, but the coolest and best best moment, or moments are the everyday gratitude that I'm making a living as a busy working photographer. 

Who or what inspires you?

My family.

What words would you use to describe the trends for 2017?

Hmmm! Not sure that I know that much about trends. Spend most of my time, trying not to follow a trend in the photographs I take. If you are following a trend, it dates an image so I try and steer well away!





Make sure you get your TICKETS to our London 2017 Show now and come say hello to Matilda and all the other wonderful exhibitors we have brought together for you!

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Written by FREYIA PORTEOUS