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honeymoon

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: South African Honeymoon Registry

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Katie and Jason met in February 2014, and for one reason or another, had always told everyone they met at the gym. That was, until four years later when their Best man announced that they actually met online during his speech. Oops! Still, there’s no shame in online dating and we’re so happy these two met because now we get to share their story.

How did you get engaged?

Jason had always dreamed of asking me to marry him under the Northern Lights in Iceland and I unknowingly hurried that along by buying us a trip to Iceland for his birthday! So he went to ask my parents for permission, bought a ring and off we went to Iceland. On our last night we could finally go and see the Northern lights. However, there were about 1000+ people and it was 1am, cold and there were no signs of the Northern Lights. It didn’t feel quite romantic enough so he didn’t ask there! After we got home he finally popped the question at Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden before we went to the Royal Opera house to watch the Nutcracker.

What kind of wedding did you plan?

Pinterest helped with wedding planning a lot! We went for sort of a modern romantic floral design. There was a lot of emphasis on keeping the theme going throughout, so all the wedding cards/notices kept to the theme, etc. We also decided to spend a lot of the wedding budget on the flowers. The venue was exquisite so we didn’t have to do too much in terms of decor.

Did you have a first dance?

Yes, we got our dance specially choreographed for us and we practiced a lot. Neither of us dance or have much rhythm so we wanted to do something more than the usual stand and wobble! We did a salsa dance to our song which is ‘Rather Be’ by Clean Bandit.  

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?

Our wedding day went by so so fast but everything was just spectacular. So much planning went into it to make sure the theme ran throughout and everything went to plan and without any hitches. You have to just think, what will be will be on the day and it was amazing. The funniest part was the colourful smoke bombs. We’re happy that the pictures weren’t perfect for those because we aren’t all about the perfect picture, we are very jokey and natural and our photographer (Slawa Walczek) did such an amazing job at capturing us as us.

When it came to your honeymoon, what made you choose Patchwork as a honeymoon fund?

It made total sense to us. We wanted to ask people to give us money but personally I am not sure how polite that sounds. Using Patchwork solved that. It was a great platform which meant people were more involved in what we did. Patchwork meant people wrote great messages too – as that part is never easy – it always sounds the same! So having these experiences or ideas for them to put money towards helped us and them.

We wanted to fund as much of our honeymoon to South Africa as possible, I didn’t really have an idea of any of the prices for the experiences and sort of rushed it but it worked out tremendously well. The amount of money that everyone gave us was way more than we thought it would have been and we felt quite lucky to be honest, as it made the whole honeymoon a one of a kind experience that I hope we never forget.

What was the best bit about using Patchwork for your honeymoon fund?

It was incredible setting off on our honeymoon knowing everyone had helped us get there. But also a relief as travelling is never cheap! And thanks to the generosity of our friends and family, we did a lot of “firsts” out there too. First time on a Segway (around a vineyard!), first time surfing, first time hiking – up Table Mountain. We rented a motorbike and drove 350km to see the Western Cape. It was spectacular. I don’t feel like we could have done as much as we did without Patchwork and everyone chipping in.

Plus the site was so easy to use and looked very slick and modern. We (and our family) just thought it was a great way to show everyone our personality and also get everyone involved in planning our trip.

And would you recommend your South Africa trip to other honeymooners?

The trip was very personal to us so I guess I would just urge honeymooners to do more than sit on a beach when in a new country or on holiday in general. Go out and see the local town or do a new experience, more often than not it could be cheaper than a resort. If it isn’t put it down to a holiday spend and enjoy it ?We have now found a love for surfing so we’re planning to go to Cornwall this year and try it again.

Thank you so much Katie & Jason for sharing your patchwork story with us! And a big congratulations from Team Patchwork.  

If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.  

P.s Listen to Katie & Jason’s first dance song in our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couple’s first dances.

Photography: Slawa Walczak

Flowers: Simon Nickell Design

Make up: Juliet Cunnington

Hair: The Bridal Hair Design, Lorraine Newark

Dress: Cymbeline, Paris. Bought from Morgan Davies Bridal

Venue: Waddesdon Dairy of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire

Cake: Paddy Cakes. 

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: Beautiful Mexico Honeymoon Fund

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Hannah and Chris met in 2013 and became good friends very quickly. Chris became Hannah’s absolute rock a couple of years later when Hannah was given the terrible news that she had cancer. Hannah says it was this tough time that meant an incredible bond formed between them. Chris became her everything – she says ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. Are you crying already? Us too. Read all about their beautiful beach wedding and Patchworked honeymoon to Mexico below.

How did you get engaged?

We got engaged on the 15th August 2017, on the beach in Hove, where we lived at the time. And later that day, I received the news that I was in remission, so it was like winning the lottery twice over!

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We wanted a beach wedding and originally planned to marry the following summer. However, we had to bring the wedding day forward to January, and found the most incredible venue, nestling in the dunes at Camber Sands, called The Gallivant. Instead of it being a beach themed wedding, I opted for ‘Winter Wonderland” and was able to create the most magical backdrop. Fairy lights, Christmas trees, and mood lighting. 70 people attended our wedding and sit down meal, and a further 40 joined us in the evening for shenanigans. Everyone there had played their part in supporting us through the tough times, and we felt that we were finally able to get everyone in one room and show them our gratitude. The day was more than just about love. It was a celebration of life and friendship.

What was your first dance?

It certainly wasn’t traditional! We both work in the music industry – dance music. And both grew up in an era that saw some of the best dance tracks ever produced. We chose an old trance track by the Space Brothers, who Chris new personally and I had forever been in love with this song! It’s called “Shine” and the lyrics seemed to say everything …

“You have the bravest heart I’ve ever known

You have the strongest will I’ve seen

With every step you take you touch my soul

With every breath you will succeed

The soul of an angel

Touched from above

Your spirit is shining

Surrounded by love”

Everyone got up and danced with us as the song broke in to the chorus! It was amazing!

What was your favourite part of the day?

Wow! That is so hard to pick. I loved being able to tell Chris how much I loved him, in front of a room full of our closest friends and family. And I LOVED going over to the beach for our wedding shots. It was a cold, crazy windy day being the 4th January, but a load of us piled over nonetheless and larked about for an hour before the sit down meal!!

What made Patchwork the best honeymoon fund for you?

We wanted to do something a bit different. We were just happy to have people there with us. But also we wanted people to have the freedom to contribute towards something that we desperately wanted and needed after everything we had been through – our honeymoon. Somehow, we felt that memories were more important than everyday household gifts (as is the tradition). Memories last a lifetime. Patchwork seemed the perfect idea, and it was exciting putting together honeymoon ideas and researching all the amazing things that we could do!

Being able to be visually create a mood board – a story board on Patchwork was brilliant. I spent hours picking out pictures and thinking up little quips and anecdotes. And also it was lovely receiving the messages from everyone and being able to say a heartfelt thank you in real time.

Mexico played a huge part in our journey. We had visited it two years previously and it’s where our friendship had developed in to a relationship. It was where we had visited when I had undergone cancer treatment the first time and before the disease came back for a second time. We wanted to retrace old steps and relive the memories of our previous holiday – as well as create new memories! And this we did in abundance, with the help of everyone that contributed!

How did you feel when you set off on your travels – knowing everyone had chipped in to help you make your dreams come true?

Beyond excited! We took a list of who had paid for what and ticked off our dreams one by one. We also took pictures and sent them to the people who had contributed. It was a nice way to involve them and say thank you! Everybody loved it. It was such an original and engaging concept.

Would you recommend your trip to other honeymooners?

Where do I begin?! Mexico is such a beautiful country. Full of colour and personality. The Mexican people are really welcoming and have the biggest smiles on their faces. In some ways it’s also very humbling. We travelled to four very different areas. Cancun, Isla Holbox, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen. They all have their own charm and character for different reasons.

Thank you so much Hannah & Chris for sharing your gorgeous patchwork story! And a big congratulations from Team Patchwork.

If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.  

Wedding photography by Rebecca Campbell

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: Roadtrip Honeymoon in America

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Get ready for a whole load of incredible photos. When you see them you’ll understand why we couldn’t just pick a few to share – Natalie & Daley’s wedding day looked AMAZING! So colourful, personal and fun. And they followed it up with a Patchwork-ed road trip in the USA. We asked Natalie all about their wedding and the honeymoon that their generous friends helped them fund.

How did you two get engaged?

It’s a bit of a funny story. I had planned it all to propose whilst we were on our first American holiday in New Orleans, but we got into a sleep deprived bickering fest on the flight there at 7am and I spilled the beans because I was too sleepy to hold a big secret anymore!

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We wanted something nice and easy going with lots of colour!  

Did you have a first dance? What was it?

Our first dance was to Girl by The Internet.  

What was your favourite part of the day?

I think my favourite part of the day was the bake-off we had our guests take part in for prizes. Everyone brought their ‘A’ game! And also the after after party at K-Hole (a drag and karaoke bar) when we sang our fave songs with dance routines.

What made Patchwork the best honeymoon fund for you?

We chose patchwork after having meeting some of the team at Most Curious wedding fair in 2016 – it just made sense! Patchwork was easy, like a collage, and we kinda liked the vibe. Plus you had ace postcards and how can we resist a company with nice stationery?  We wanted to fund our honeymoon back to the States, we knew a wedding and honeymoon might have been a bit out there (budget wise) for us so we thought instead of three toasters and tea towels galore our friends might like to pay for our trip. We chose a road trip around California and Las Vegas. Putting the patchwork together was actually really awesome.

What did your friends and family think of your patchwork?

They thought it was funny, really liked the collage effect and that they could see what you would be putting their gift money towards. Setting off on honeymoon thanks to their generosity felt amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so loved and like rooted for? Everyone just wanted us to have the best time ever and we did – thanks to our friends and family.

Do you have any top tips for a US road trip?

Our top tip would be to check out what’s happening while you’re booking – this probably goes without saying but we tried booking for San Francisco and were wondering why prices had gone up so much. We finally realised it was because we were booking during Oakland pride! It’s good to see what events are happening and it might help you decide what area you wanna stay in (America is so huge! Nothing is close to anything). That helped us with booking Vegas (it was Burning Man that weekend so it wasn’t as hectic as usual and great deals).

Would you recommend your trip to other couples?

HELL YES. San Fran, LA, Las Vegas and Palm Springs were some of the best places we’ve ever been.

Thank you so much Natalie & Daley for sharing your patchwork story and incredible photos! And a big congratulations from Team Patchwork.   If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.   P.s Listen to Natalie & Daley’s first dance song in our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couple’s first dances.  

All wedding photography by the brilliant www.claretamim.co.uk

Venue: Hatch in Homerton

Daley’s jacket: ASOS

Natalie’s dress: ieie bridal

Natalie’s shoes: Iron Fist

 

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Wedding Planning

National Wedding Show Autumn 2018 | Competition Winner

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Hello and a big thank you to everyone we met at the National Wedding Show last weekend. And an extra big thank you if you entered our competition to win £100 towards your wedding registry/honeymoon fund. We had such a brilliant time meeting everyone and reading your entries.

Big congratulations to Katie Colbran. Your entry of ‘Safari in Tanzania’ won!

You have won £100 towards your patchwork. All you need to do to claim your prize is create your patchwork and get in touch!

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: Chris & Kirsty’s Scenic Scottish Wedding

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Chris and Kirsty first met each other in 2009, when Kirsty responded to a room advert in London and moved into a flat share with Chris and his mate Phil. Kirsty says they were very much functional flatmates during they time living together – rarely speaking as they passed in the hallways. It wasn’t until a few years later – when they found themselves single and training for a triathlon – that the bonding experience of trudging through boggy lakes finally brought them together.

How did you get engaged?

It turns out Chris had asked my Dad for permission back in February whilst we were up in Scotland – they were sitting with Ben Nevis in the background, roaring fire and whisky in hand – so it was the perfect setting! I think my Dad was beginning to think he changed his mind as it was 3 months until he eventually popped the question! We got engaged in May 2016 in the New Forest. We’ve spent several weekends there in the past and always loved it. Chris chose a beautiful ring after a few months of secret plotting.

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We knew that we wanted to make a full weekend of our wedding celebrations, have somewhere the whole family could stay, which was informal, relaxed and had lots of personal touches.  Chris stumbled across the Lodge of Loch Goil whilst we were searching for venues online – despite the rainy, grey day when we visited we knew it would be perfect for us – we knew we wanted a Scottish wedding and a unique setting.

As it turns out, we got married on one of the warmest days of the year in Scotland – we ended up changing out plans last minute, and got married outside, the guests needed their sunglasses on and I got burnt! Chris and

the groom party all wore kilts too – which was particularly novel for them as they are all English!

We both loved the whole day from start to finish – we couldn’t have asked for it to go better. We had written most of the ceremony ourselves so it told the story of us and our friend wrote a beautiful speech from songs of our favourite bands. My mum made a beautiful cake and Chris’s parents made the table plan. We also loved the little personal touches like the gin bar, cake topper and smore station over the fire pit which went down a treat – and the band were also awesome so there was plenty dancing!

What was your first dance?

We both already knew what our first dance would be – Birds of Prey by Editors – so that was really easy! We’re pretty aligned in terms of approach and what we like – which made the whole planning process fun and stress free.

What made Patchwork the best honeymoon fund?

We chose Patchwork as we wanted a site where our guests could contribute to our honeymoon in South Africa. The best thing is really being able to personalise the content and build the patchwork yourselves. It also seemed really easy for our guests to use which was important to us. We had a number of people comment on how great the site was!

Would you recommend your trip to other honeymooners?

Yes definitely. We went to South Africa 5 months after we got married – everyone had been so generous and we knew we had a trip of a lifetime ahead of us. We had a great variety of experiences to enjoy including safari, wine tasting, kayaking and lots of delicious food. Our trip started off with safari which instantly immersed us in a completely different world – and over 4 game drives we saw all of the Big 5 which was amazing! Then we ventured to Camps Bay in Cape Town, took in amazing views from Table Mountain, enjoyed the beaches and incredible food. Then we moved to Franschhoek and the winelands. From there we then drove along the Garden Route, exploring different towns along the coast.

South Africa is a beautiful country, with hugely diverse landscapes, amazing experiences and gave us a great mixture of experience and relaxation time during our honeymoon!

Thank you Kirsty & Chris for sharing your Patchwork story with us. And a big congratulations from Team Patchwork!
If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: A Manchester Wedding and Californian Road Trip

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Harriet and Chris met six years ago in a chip shop at the end of a night out in Sheffield, where Chris was studying. They overheard each other’s Brummy accents, started chatting and hit it off instantly. They’ve since moved to Manchester together and married this summer in a humanist ceremony. We asked Harriet all about their wedding day and the road trip honeymoon that followed.

How did you get engaged?

We got engaged in New York, it was always very important for me to get married, but for Chris it was never really a big thing. When Chris bought me a holiday in New York for Christmas I honestly thought it was his way of buying himself more time! We’d been away for 4 days before he popped the question in the most beautiful candlelit bar in the East Village, with a ring made by one of my best friends, Naomi Jago – we decided not to tell anyone until we got home which meant we were in the most perfect love bubble – it was really lovely.

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We planned a city centre party, with our friends and family as the main focus – we really just wanted everyone to have the nicest of days, lots of booze, great food and dancing. We had a very personal humanist wedding ceremony in the People’s History Museum in Manchester, followed by a party in an old cotton mill in Ancoats – it was important for us to get married in the city we live in and both the venues were so laid back, so we really could do anything we wanted.

What was your first dance?

We had the Villagers cover of Elvis The Wonder of You – the words said everything that we felt about each other.

What advice would you give to other couples on their wedding day?

The one thing I’d say is to do whatever you want – weddings are great when they reflect you as a couple. We love having people round to our house for dinner so really wanted it to feel like a big dinner party. That’s how I ended up serving our guests my home made desserts and since the wedding so many of our guests have commented how nice that was – so just do whatever reflects you as a couple!

Why was Patchwork the best honeymoon fund?

Of all our wedding decisions Patchwork is up there as one of the best ones – for us it was a no brainer. We have lived together for 5 years and have recently renovated our first home, so we have everything we need. All we wanted were lots of memories that we would treasure forever, and with Patchwork our guests could help us have the BEST summer.
Everything about using Patchwork was incredibly easy – from making the Patchwork to the gift giving itself. It also made it very exciting as we planned our honeymoon so far in advance, so people could buy us very specific things.
We were originally worried about how the older members of our family would feel about us asking for money as well as the technology side of Patchwork – but they all loved it – they loved knowing what they were buying for us and loved how simple it was. Our friends loved it – a few of them are now planning on using it for their weddings next year.

What did you ask your wedding guests to contribute towards?

Our Patchwork funded our Californian road trip from San Francisco to LA. We picked this as although we have had many brilliant holidays before, we really wanted our honeymoon to be the dream holiday – and we would never have been able to fund a holiday like that on our own. We started in San Francisco for 5 days, then travelled down the Pacific Coast Highway stopping at Monterey, Santa Barbara and then we arrived in LA, stayed in Santa Monica and then finished off in West Hollywood.
Knowing that all of our friends and family had paid for us to do certain things made me so much more emotional about everything. We took pictures of ourselves cycling down Venice Beach and eating posh dinners and sent them to the friends that had bought us that gift. It was so lovely to thank everyone in that way.

Harriet and Chris’s top 5 tips for a Californian road trip: 

  1. Spend a day at a winery
  2. Walk the Golden Gate Bridge
  3. Head to Jon and Vinny’s in West Hollywood for pizza
  4. Go shopping in Santa Barbara
  5. Hire bikes and go for a picnic on Santa Monica Pier

Would you recommend your Californian road trip to other honeymooners?

Our trip was the perfect mix of busy city life and dreamy hotel relaxation – one day we were celebrating with a posh dinner and champagne after a day of sightseeing – the next we were having room service in a lovely comfy hotel after lying by the pool. Also – if you love wine it’s the most perfect trip for beautiful vineyards!

Thank you Harriet & Chris for sharing your patchwork story with us. And a big congratulations from Team Patchwork!
If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.

All wedding photography by the brilliant Babb Photo – www.babbphoto.com

P.s Listen to Harriet & Chris’s first dance song in our new Spotify playlist, made up of lots of Patchwork Couple’s first dances.

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: Laura & Julian’s Trip to Japan

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

We met Laura one day this summer when we heard a loud “Oh my god! It’s Patchwork!” outside our studio. It had come from Laura, who’d just realised she’d stumbled across the company she’d used for her honeymoon fund the year before. She was very surprised to find a real-life-brick-and-mortar space with actual humans working away at their desks inside it. We made her a cup of tea, offered her little girl a biscuit, and asked her all about how she’d used our website. It turns out Laura and Julian are design lovers through-and-through. That’s why they chose us. And why they chose to ask for contributions towards their honeymoon to the land of beautiful, simple design – Japan. This is their Patchwork story.

Why did you decide on Japan for your honeymoon?

Julian and I have always appreciated the simplicity of Japanese design and were especially keen to explore the different areas in Tokyo. Ideally during the infamous cherry blossom season. We both travel for work – beyond Europe to the US and China – and are lucky enough to have holidayed in various places worldwide too. But, at the time of booking, we had both not made it to Japan. This was our chance!

Why did you choose Patchwork for your honeymoon fund?

My husband stumbled upon it when we were planning our wedding. I say stumbled… Julian is a fastidious researcher (I’m the mildly impulsive one!) so spent hours trawling the internet for a decent alternative gift-list platform for us to use as our honeymoon piggy bank. We both work in design so Patchwork’s aesthetic really appealed, and the simplicity of setting it up while doing a million other stressful wedding related things pleased us both too.

What made you ask for contributions towards your honeymoon?

Having been together for 9 years, Julian and I had already amassed everything we needed for the house. As we were blowing all of our money on the wedding itself, however, we knew we wouldn’t have any leftover for a honeymoon, so decided to ask guests to contribute towards a trip of a lifetime to Japan. We felt a bit cheeky asking people to bring money to the wedding and thought of adding our bank details to the website we had made. Instead, thankfully, Julian discovered Patchwork – it meant we could better explain to guests what we intended to do with the money and gave them a chance to contribute to something physical, like a bullet train ride or a night in a traditional Ryokan.

How did you go about planning your trip?

We booked everything ourselves, a short while after the wedding. We got married at the end of October so had a good few months to plan our Japanese adventure before the blossom season in April. It was good to have the funds from the Patchwork in-waiting, so we could dip into them as and when we found Airbnb accommodation and the best flights. The funds were only marginally reduced by our minimoon to the Lake District, an immediate post-wedding treat to escape all the madness, avoid returning to work and revel in the amazing day we had spent with all our favourite people. Oh and make a baby!

What did your wedding guests think about Patchwork?

We heard nothing but good things – people thought it was very novel! Obviously we received a few cheques from the older generations, and a couple of unexpected real life gifts (we especially appreciated the huge slab of Mast Brothers chocolate!). We have also experienced Patchwork from a wedding guest perspective and can say it felt very inclusive and much more personal to be able to choose what treats to buy the bride and groom.

How did you feel when you set off on your honeymoon knowing friends and family had helped fund it?

It was very special. We would never have saved up enough money to completely spoil ourselves the way we were able to with everyone’s help. We probably would have been too sensible to even book it at all! By the time the trip came about I was almost 6 months pregnant, so we clubbed together with our air miles and flew business class, stopping off in Hong Kong on the way there and back to break up the journey. We promised everyone a photo session on our return, to show people what they had contributed to. Mainly pictures of Julian finishing off all the Sake! That in itself is a reason to return to Japan when Hazel is older, to show her the sights that she missed, and so I can tuck into some Japanese beer and sushi.

Thank you Laura & Julian for sharing your patchwork story with us. And a huge congratulations from Team Patchwork!

Wedding photography by Matt Penberthy

If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.

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Patchwork recommends Soon the Sun
Honeymoon InspirationPatchwork Loves

Patchwork Loves: SOON THE SUN + Giveaway!

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Soon the Sun is a stylish new label designed for women who like to travel far and pack light. Their essential holiday collection is made up of versatile pieces that can be pulled straight out of your hand-luggage, ready-to-wear on the beach during the day, or out for dinner at sunset. We interviewed STS Founder Pusia Chatfield to find out more.

First up, for all the super stylish women using Patchwork as a honeymoon fund, why is Soon the Sun the perfect honeymoon collection?

So much organisation and thought goes into the big day that by the time the honeymoon comes around there isn’t much space left to plan for that “What am I going to wear?!” moment. So I think “Soon the Sun” is the perfect match for the busy bride because she cares how she looks and feels but hasn’t got much time or headspace left to worry about what she’s going to take on her honeymoon, or even start to think about packing it. It’s a capsule collection made up of eight garments that answer all your holiday needs.

Ok let’s back up, why did you start Soon the Sun?

The idea came to me when I was away on holiday. I’d packed for twin boys, aged eight months, myself and half-packed for my husband too. I realised after the holiday how little I had worn, I literally had only worn a few things – my staple favourite pieces that I had always taken on holiday, that were now threadbare but still very much loved. The rest had stayed in the suitcase. This was the starting point for Soon the Sun.

What’s your design process – how do you decide what makes it in the collection?

I guess I just looked at the things in my wardrobe that I had worn over and over. They were the same pieces that came on holiday with me every year and I think this is probably what everybody else does. We tend to buy new things to take on holiday but we don’t really need or want them. These pieces that I love so much were my perfect garments, they answered all of my needs whilst on a sandy beach or in a busy market. They are lightweight, not precious fabrics, just cheesecloth – so no need to iron, easy to dry, timeless, throw on pieces, to wear from beach to bar.

What’s the difference between style and fashion?

Style stands the test of time, it’s fashion but timeless. It’s about knowing what suits you and what makes you feel comfortable – if you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing, you’ll look stylish, confident and sexy. Stylish garments are usually a combination of the right fabric, shape, fit and colour. These elements can transcend fashion trends and decades.

Your garments are all organic, using 100% natural fabrics and dyes. Why is this important to you?

I just feel there is a small but growing amount of women who are starting to think about where the things they wear (like make-up and face creams) are being produced. We worry about what we eat – we are concerned about where it’s from and how it’s produced. There’s a growing conscience. I think every new business should be concerned with the environment and aim to reduce their impact in whichever way we can.
I thought it was time we started thinking about garments, the clothes we wear on our skin. If you’re in a beautiful place then you want to feel close to nature – you’ll feel good that your garments have done as little damage to the planet as possible. Our garments are made in India with a fantastic small factory, which is a start, but we still have to ship them back here – so I’m not totally there yet.

Why should we all consider buying less and buying better?

We are taught that fashion is fast moving, and that you need to keep up with the trends. When in fact a good garment can stand the test of time and transcend eras. My favourite era was the 70s and lots of my garments have been inspired by that time. You know when you own a good piece and it comes out every year and you still love it and wish you could buy it again, that’s what Soon the Sun is about – relaxing in the knowledge that you can come back time and time again and your favourite style will be there so once you’ve loved it ’til it’s threadbare, you can come back to buy the same piece again. Not much will change except maybe a new colour. Buy what suits you and buy what you love. We encourage women to #wearlessmore. It’s much cooler.

Along with the entire STS collection what are your holiday essentials?

+ A good skin cream with 50+ factor – LA ROCHE-POSAY is excellent!
+ Sunglasses – two pairs, big ones and less over the top ones
+ No underwear, waste of packing space. Always in my swimwear anyway
+ A good read or two. Anything set in a warm climate. I love ‘My Family and Other Animals’ by Gerald Durrell
+ Maybe a “sexy book” (as my nan would say)
+ Lots of Coco de Mer
+ Good shawl for cold nights.

What songs are on your holiday playlist?

Oh man this is hard… Any Prince obvs…
Relax Your Mind – New Look (whole album) – For dreaming in the car on the way to the airport or on the beach
Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac – Driving in the car with the roof open, sunnies on, morning sun on your face, first day on the beach
Pennies from Heaven – Inner City – For dancing on the beach, reminiscent of raving days, hands in the air moment
And any jazz for when you’re home cooling off and having a chill with a glass of wine in your hand and salty snacks, looking out at the view (if you have one) or just looking at next door’s towels.

Thanks, Pusia! Is anyone else now desperate for a holiday? Well if you’re lucky enough to be off on your travels soon, you’re going to want to enter our Soon the Sun giveaway. Head to our Instagram page to be in with the chance of winning your favourite piece from the new collection. All you have to do is follow @patchwork_it and @soonthesun and comment on the post telling us which item from Soon the Sun you can’t live without before midnight on the 23rd June – good luck.
For full terms and conditions click here.

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Honeymoon planning tool
Honeymoon Inspiration

Is This the Most Useful Honeymoon Planning Tool Out There?

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

If you were to write a list of requirements for your perfect honeymoon, chances are it would vary wildly from your friends’ – you might want to spend your days lazing on golden beaches while they’d rather white water raft or head to a hectic city. But there will always be one thing on that list that will crop up again and again – good weather. We all want to find that ideal honeymoon weather – hot, but not too hot. No rainy days. A light breeze wouldn’t go amiss.
Until now people have had to rely on that ever-popular Google search ‘What is the best time to visit [insert-destination]?’, which, with general temperature ranges and a few anecdotes, can give you a vague idea of the weather in the area. But it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of specifics. When you’re trying to plan the trip of a lifetime, you’re going to want to know exactly what you can expect.

Decision Data

Now, thanks to this handy tool created by digital data expert Ryan Whitaker, you can find out the temperature in any place in the world on any given week. So whether you’ve got time booked off and need to find out where in the world will give you those blue skies, or if you have a dream destination in mind and want to figure out the best time to go, this tool will help. Hooray.

Just enter your ideal mean temperature, low temperature, and high temperature, as well as a preferred amount of rain (none, surely?). Then little pink dots will pop up showing you where in the world those conditions exist.

To build the map, Ryan downloaded 10 years worth of weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, from more than 10,000 weather stations around the world.

So go on – have a go – find your perfect honeymoon weather. And if you’re still looking for honeymoon inspiration, check out the Lonely Planet Honeymoon Handbook, co-written by Patchwork founder Olivia.
Discovered via Lonely Planet.

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Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: Sam & Charlotte’s Whitstable Wedding and Sri Lankan Honeymoon

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Sam and Charlotte had known each other for years – Sam went to school with Charlotte’s brother and sister. According to Charlotte he was a prolific flirt (actually, she called him a tart!) and she even used to warn her friends not to get involved with him. Years later, they bumped into each other while they were both visiting family in the Easter holidays. Sam asked Charlotte to go for a drink, Charlotte said no. He asked again, and she thought about it. Eventually, they went out. And the rest, as they say, is history!

How did you get engaged?

Sam took me to Paris for my 30th birthday. Having never been before, Sam took me round all the typical touristy spots so I could tick them off my list. That evening, the last stop was the Eiffel tower before dinner. As we were crossing the road by the Trocadero, he made me walk right into the middle of the road to take a photo of the tower lit up ‘so I would get a clear shot’. After taking the photo – I turned round and Sam was stood with a ring in his hands. I was so taken by surprise, I can’t remember a word of what he said. Thinking he was taking the piss, I very unromantically asked, ‘is this a f**king joke?!’… Before obviously saying Yes!

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We both knew we wanted a wedding that felt more like a giant party than a formal occasion, and so traditional wedding venues were never going to fit the bill for us. We found the amazing East Quay venue in Whitstable, Kent which was right on the beach and happened to be a place we would visit when we first started dating. It was a former sea food restaurant that had been converted into a venue – it was quirky and fun and the perfect setting to celebrate with our loved ones. It was the first place we visited and we booked it immediately!

The inspiration for the rest of our wedding would be the venue itself – it has a real industrial feel to it and we wanted everything to feel relaxed. To reflect the industrial look, we decided to trawl junk shops and antique fairs in order to find props to decorate. We then asked our florist to offset all the junky bits and pieces with some vibrant rich flowers spilling out of everything! We spent ages personalising all the little details of the day to reflect each other and our guests.

What was your first dance?

All of me – John Legend.

We struggled to find a song for our first dance as we both have quite different music tastes. We settled on this because of the lyrics; ‘you’re crazy, and I’m out of my mind’.

What was your favourite part of the day?

We loved every minute of the day – but I think we’d both agree that the ceremony surprised us by being our favourite. For such a short part of the day, the excitement and anticipation of that moment when we first saw each other was hard to beat. From that point onwards the day continued to be so much fun – such a strange word to describe your wedding, but we both laughed and enjoyed every minute.

Why was Patchwork the best choice for your honeymoon fund?

Having lived together for a while, we didn’t feel like we wanted traditional wedding gifts – but we really wanted to treat ourselves to an amazing honeymoon. I found Patchwork as I was googling honeymoon fund websites and loved the whole concept!

What did you decide to fund?

We really wanted to go to Sri Lanka for our honeymoon and didn’t want to hold back on things we could do when we were there because we were saving money. Using the patchwork to fund different trips and activities on our travels meant that we could do everything we planned to without worrying about over spending – everything we did felt like a special treat because it was a gift from someone.

I remember sitting in the airport before we flew, writing a list of all the things people had bought us to do while we were away. We couldn’t believe how generous people had been and we could finally start plotting the various things we wanted to do. We bought a camera at the airport so we could take some amazing photos of everything we did to send to the people that had treated us to them! We’d have never done half the things we did had people not contributed to our honeymoon, which enabled us to have the holiday of a lifetime.

Our friends and family loved the convenience of the website – and give me someone that doesn’t enjoy a bit of online shopping? They loved getting a bit of a say in shaping our honeymoon and the things we did.

And finally would you recommend your trip to other honeymooners?

Sri Lanka is quite possibly the most beautiful place to visit – the people, the wildlife, not least the food and the weather!! It was a holiday of a lifetime and we couldn’t recommend it highly enough! Who knows – maybe we’ll return for a special anniversary in the future?

Thank you Charlotte & Sam for sharing your lovely wedding and honeymoon with us. And a huge congratulations from Team Patchwork.

Wedding photography by Ross Hurley: www.rosshurley.com

If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.

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