Friday 29 October 2010

Real Wedding: Elizabeth & Darren

Planning a summer wedding?  Well check out these gorgeous pics from Elizabeth and Darren's wedding in Napa Valley.  I've got a real thing about fans - check out Elizabeth's fabulous feathered number - and the be-ribboned sparklers are a brilliant touch.  Just imagine each of your guests holding one of those in an arch, as you leave your reception at the end of the night - smashing!  Huge thanks to photographer Jessamyn Harris - we heavily heart her work!


If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or click here for more summer weddings.

Thursday 28 October 2010

Real Wedding: Tess & Eric

This wedding is a HUGE treat for the eyes.  I've been getting excited about putting it up for a few weeks now, because it's a complete explosion of creativity.  And the best thing?  It was pretty much all DIY'd by Eric and Tess, with the help of their immensely talented friends and family, including three, yes three photographers.  Huge thanks to all of them for agreeing to let me publish their pics - do check out their links.  Don't miss the shot of their caterers, Skillet Street Food's Airstream, which has to be the coolest kitchen in the world.  And now....feast your eyes - this has to be one of the most inspiring weddings ever!


All the photos above published with massive thanks to Annie Beedy.


All the photos above published with massive thanks to January Fredericks.
All those below, with thanks to Will Austin.

Check out their gorgeous stationary - I just adore the forest theme, and it gave guests a brilliant hint of what was to come on their big day.  Photos below published with big thank you's (again!) to Annie Beedy.


Message from Tess:
We were very lucky to have talented friends involved in our wedding. In addition to having photographers donate their work we also had musician friends play at the ceremony. Our best friend, a very socially adroit and funny funny man, became ordained so that he could marry us; he had everyone guffawing and crying by turns throughout the ceremony.  A florist friend did all of the flowers, and an old family friend made the birch candlesticks. My mother foraged for the birch bark, which I fashioned into cuffs for the vases. Eric and I designed all the creative elements and we also designed both of my rings. In short, Eric and I were able to benefit from all the best elements of being part of a large creative community.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or click here for more forest-themed weddings.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Midsommer Night's Dream

Huge praise has to go to Utterly Engaged for yet another excellent feature.  If you haven't checked out their online magazine before, click here, and enjoy!  I'm adoring this Midsommer Night's Dream-inspired piece - which should provide you with plenty of ideas to steal.  It's an inspirational gift that just keeps on giving.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or click here for more theme ideas.

Monday 25 October 2010

Smelling like Roses

Roses represent love, so it's no surprise that they feature in most bridal bouquets and buttonholes. Unfortunately modern blooms have lost their scent, as it's sacrificed by modern growers in favour of larger buds and longer stems. But if you want deeply scented, old-fashioned blooms at your wedding, all is not lost! David Austin supplies roses with a traditional flower form and classic myrrh fragrance, all by post.

Budget conscious brides and grooms could always add another scented flower to add fragrance to otherwise scentless bouquets.  Narcissus, fresias and lillies are all cheaper than roses, but smell fabulous!  And for an all encompassing aroma, scatter lavender and rosemary underfoot.  As your guests walk around, they'll crush the leaves and release a gorgeous Provencial perfume.

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to the Before the Big Day exclusive newsletter? Plus, click here for more floral ideas.

Saturday 23 October 2010

Fruity Weddings

Totally inspired by Cathleen and Eric's wedding, and their use of cherries as decor + favour, I went in search of some more fruity inspiration. The good news is it's everywhere. The better news is that it's a cheap and chic way to decorate your wedding tables. Enjoy!

 Photo Credits {above}: Amorology Weddings

 Photo Credits {above}: Martha Andrews


Photo Credits {above}: Lori Gail Photography
 
Photo Credits {above}: Gia Canali Photography
 
Photo Credits {above}: Henry & Masci Photography
 
Photo Credits {above}: Custom Event Group
 
Photo Credits {above}: Cynthia Martyn Events


If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or click here for more theme ideas.

Friday 22 October 2010

Vintage Lace Wedding Dresses

The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has long been one of my favourites, so imagine my excitement when news their latest collection dropped into my inbox! To follow on from the success of their Decades Silk Collection, which is seriously yummy - they've re-produced the six vintage-inspired dresses in lace. But not just any old lace - they've chosen six different varities, source from an amazing French company. Check out the dresses below, and in zoomed up glory on the Vintage website.

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to the Before the Big Day exclusive newsletter? And click here for more dress ideas.

Thursday 21 October 2010

Cute Ring Box

One of my favourite traditions involves 'warming the rings'. As you start the wedding service, the wedding bands are passed around the congregation, so each person can murmur a wish or a prayer to the happy couple. We'll definitely be introducing that into our own ceremony, but my only concern is if the rings get dropped or go missing on their way round. Here's one gorgeous way of keeping them safe. Put them in a cute apple ring box. The super-stylish author of The Cherry Blossom Girl found this box, but you can pick them up herehere and here, where they also come in ladybird, star and even penguin shapes! {Photo credit: Marianne Taylor}

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to the Before the Big Day exclusive newsletter? Plus, click here for more wedding ring ideas.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Real Wedding: Libby & Weldon

This wedding has camels in it. It's the coolest wedding ever, and it's set in Marrakesh, and the bride wore emerald green. Did I mention the camels? Seriously - I'm beyond excited to bring this wedding to your attention! Libby and Weldon are world travelers and they knew they wanted their wedding to take place somewhere remotely fabulous. Marrakech in Morocco won the vote and they and their family hiked over from Texas for an unforgettable wedding. Check it out in all its wonder below. Huge thanks to Our Labour of Love for their massively inspirational photographs.

 










If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to the Before the Big Day exclusive newsletter? Plus, click here for more Destination Weddings.  

Slim Wedding Rings

I have a wedding ring problem. My engagement ring diamond is set quite deep into the band, so a normal wedding ring isn't going to fit underneath it neatly. Now I'm not keen on the bendy rings that curve around engagement rings, because on some days when I'm married I'll want to wear just the wedding band. So what can I do? Well one option is to get a super-slim wedding ring, and the good news is that there are lots of gorgeous examples out there. Check out my discoveries below - many of them found via Cup of Jo.

Product Credits {clockwise from top left} - 1. Satomika Wakita, 2. Fay Andrada, 3. Favor Jewelry, 4. Elaphantine, 5. Cat Bird NYC

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to the Before the Big Day exclusive newsletter? Plus, click here for more wedding ring ideas.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Real Wedding: Miranda & Brad

Peacock feathers are a brilliant wedding theme, they're dramatic and luxurious, and their colours create a lovely rich palette. Miranda chose red orchids to add to the feeling of decadence, and seasonal berries for a winter wedding. Teamed with her bridesmaids jewel-bright dresses, it all came together beautifully. Check out her gorgeous Lazaro dress. Would you believe she hired it? It's such a fantastic idea for a bride looking to compromise on cost without losing the look. Miranda lives in California, but there are plenty of wedding dress hire shops in the UK, including Savvy Cinderella in Cambridge and Girl Meets Dress, an online store. Don't miss all Miranda's hints and tips from her wedding below the pictures - she has some great stealworthy ideas involving succulents! Stunning photographs published with thanks to Jenny Smith at Alders Photography.






The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Miranda was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
January 8, 2010 in Long Beach, California

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
I loved the French Vintage look of the reception venue's décor. It had a lot of personality and a lot of opportunity for great pictures. Also its location on the beach was fabulous, and the space was really well laid out for our large wedding.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
The theme I chose to go with was inspired by a pattern I found on my guest book. From there, I decided to use a lot of peacock feathers as décor and color inspirations. I wanted the colors to be deep and rich since it was in January, a winter wedding.

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
I actually found my dress right away and instantly fell in love with it. I rented it from a place in Hollywood called One Night Affair. Best idea ever! It was a Lazaro dress with very intricate beading detail that I would've never been able to afford, but renting it for a day allowed me to feel beautiful for the day, and then never have to worry about storing the dress after. They clean it, hem it to fit you just right, and only rent out each dress 5 times.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
He rented a tuxedo from Men's Warehouse. He looked very handsome!

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
I found the dresses at David's Bridal. The material was the exact color I had in mind, a gem-toned peacock blue. It showed up beautifully in all of the pictures, so vibrant. The color was called Juniper.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
Actually, we decided to go with a candy table, a sundae bar, and a tiny cake (just for the cake cutting ceremony). I love sweets and we had a lot of kids at the reception so I wanted to make it fun for all. The candy table was my pride and joy. It was soooo fun to put together. I ordered all of the candy online in bulk to match the color scheme (blues and browns). The cake was covered in flowers and complimented the candy table well.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Brad (my husband) is really great at gardening and we both enjoy the outdoors, so we chose our favours to reflect this. They were little mini succulents in a small metal pot. They were delivered and set up through a company called Succulent Love. It's nice to see the plants still doing well and staying alive at friend's houses. We have a big pot of them, too. It's like the gift that keeps giving and brings back memories for us.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
We went with a florist called, Magnolia Floral Design. They were great! I didn't know much about flowers. I just told them I wanted to incorporate peacock feathers into the bouquets and they did their magic. They used green hydrangeas, green orchids, chocolate orchids, and other flowers that were green and brown.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We researched a LOT of photographers in the area and heard about Jenny Smith with Alder's Photography. When we found her, there was no question she would be our photographer. I wish everyone could use her. She is so talented, very professional, responds quickly, great to work with, very affordable for the great quality of work, etc. The photographer was our biggest decision. It's definitely the area that I would recommend investing money into. That is what captures one of the biggest days of your life and makes the memories last. Your photographer is the one that is responsible for telling the story of how the day unfolds. Very important to be happy with this decision!

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
YES! I can say that now that it's all said and done, but I truly did enjoy it. I was in school at the time, so the stress level was definitely high. To be honest, I never thought I would want to look at another wedding magazine again in my life. But now, looking back, I enjoyed every step of the decision making process. It was so rewarding when everything came together just right, and the day really was perfect. It felt like a great accomplishment to know that I put all of my effort into this very important day and to see all of the hard work come together really paid off.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Take it one step at a time. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed with everything. It should be a fun thing to plan your wedding. Definitely giving yourself plenty of time helps. Adding personal touches to show who you are as a couple makes it more special and memorable. Don't get caught up in all of the details that don't really matter. On the wedding day, relax, enjoy every single minute of it, don't feel a bit a stress, and take it all in.

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to the Before the Big Day exclusive newsletter? Plus, click here for more Winter Weddings.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...