Thursday 28 February 2013

DIY Printable Wedding Favours & Stationery

DIY projects are a sure-fire way to personalise your wedding, without breaking the bank. Fresh from my semi-do-it-yourself stationery success, I'm super-keen on any DIY wedding projects. But what if you're not exactly a dab hand at graphic design? Well a whole bunch of Etsy shops have come to your rescue, with cheap printable template, which you can buy, personalise and....well print! Here's a selection of ideas from one of my favourites - Print Your Party. Loving the sparkler cases and cocktail umbrellas - do you reckon they're easy to make?


♥ Want to see DIY wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding stationery ideas? ♥
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Tuesday 26 February 2013

Real Cornish Coastal Wedding: Julie & Ben - Part 2

Time for the beautiful reception pictures from this lovely Cornish coastal wedding. Julie and Ben created many of the wedding details themselves, as {like most of us}, they had to keep to a tight wedding budget. Julie DIY'd her wedding stationery, table plan, and her wedding favours, adding the personal touch that makes a wedding stand out from the crowd. I love the hedgerow themed wedding flowers, the simply billowing marquee, and the traditional English deckchairs. Don't miss Julie's fantastic advice for future brides, or Part 1 of this gorgeous wedding! Huge thanks to Alan Law Photography for these beautiful wedding pictures.

We tied the knot on the 30th of June 2012 at an amazing venue in Cornwall called Fentafriddle. We picked this date as it was my Dad’s birthday {who sadly passed away}, and we thought this would be a great way to keep celebrating the date.


We didn’t have a wedding colour theme as such. The bridesmaid dresses were gold and cream, and our bouquets were based around the hedgerow. Daisies featured throughout. We both just wanted it to feel natural and bright.

Choosing our wedding venue wasn’t about location, as we looked all around the UK. Our most important request was that it had to be relaxed and child friendly, and we wanted our close friends and family to be able to stay with us before and after the big day. Wedding days can pass so fast and you just want to cherish the moment for as long as you can. 

When we saw Fentafriddle we both immediately knew it was the venue for us. The view over the sea just takes your breath away.



Because the landscape of the venue was so stunning we hardly had to do any decorating. Flowers required were minimal and I wanted to make the table plan and centre pieces myself for that personal touch.


Each table was named after a place that meant a lot to us, so we had Canterbury as we both attended university there, Kentish Town which is where we first lived together, and the head table was of course Trebarwith Strand where Fentafriddle sits proudly. and will always be in our hearts.


A local florist in Delabole called Bruallen did our wedding flowers. The ladies there are just amazing. Neither of us knew anything about flowers and they immediately understood our requirements. All I knew was that I wanted an antique rose to feature in my bouquet and I wanted the flowers on the table to be loose, natural and bright. Our wedding flowers were just lovely and most of them came from various local Cornish farmers that very morning.


At first we weren’t going to have a wedding cake and planned just going to have a desert that could be cut in front of our guests. Our caterer came up with the idea of a giant pavlova with fresh berries, and not only did it look stunning, but the flavours were immense. 


I really do recommend our caterer. The quality of the food was superb and she was so laid back about the day which rubbed off on us, and the people she employed on the day were great fun. Her name was Fee Turner. But in the end close friends of ours had a cake made for us as a gift, and it was beautiful and was cream and gold. So you could call us greedy as we ended up having two cakes!


Our wedding favours were stones inscribed with paraphrases from the readings included in the ceremony. Quite often we’ll go around someone’s house and the stone will be used as a doorstop or sitting on the side and it always makes me smile. We also placed a small card at each table-place, including a poem by Dr Seus and a brief thank you on the back. The main reason for both was to add a personal touch, but I won't lie, keeping costs down was also a factor. 



In the beginning I really enjoyed planning our wedding. But nearer the time I did start to feel the pressure, and even though I don't regret it now, I did start to regret having to do some of my DIY projects - the table plan and favours!



My advice to brides would be....let others help when they ask, don’t panic if things go wrong on the day. Our generator packed up at around 11pm and when I walked back in the marquee on the verge of feeling emotional and stressed all I could see were lighters in the air and my guests singing Wonderwall {by Oasis}. This turned out to be an amazing way to end the evening. You just have to not let anything ruin your day, and remember it’s probably only a problem to you, and not to your guests.



If you're having a marquee always request to see your order up and in working order long before your wedding. We were unfortunately disappointed with the quality of ours as it wasn't what we had ordered. But again only Ben and I noticed, guests were none the wiser. Don’t place too much emphasis on your wedding shoes if you're wearing a long wedding dress. No-one really notices details like this! Enjoy your day, as it’s one of the only times in your life you are surrounded by everyone you love! I don’t think I stopped smiling from the beginning to the end. 


Our wedding photographer was Alan Law. Both his profile and gallery attracted me to his work as we wanted someone that would be able to take natural photos, which is exactly what he did for us on the day. He also stayed late past the first dance, and fair play to him, as the drink had been flowing all day and at points the dance floor was quite intense. The result was we loved our pictures and we couldn’t have asked for anything more!


More Posts Like This One
Real Summer Countryside Wedding
Real Pretty Marquee Wedding

♥ Want to see seaside weddings ideas? ♥ Or how about more summer wedding ideas? ♥
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Monday 25 February 2013

Real Cornish Coastal Wedding: Julie & Ben

Even though it's freezing outside, this gorgeous Cornish coastal wedding is bound to warm you up, and get you inspired for your summer weddings. Julie and Ben celebrated their big day seconds from the sea, and a stunning {if windswept beach}. They didn't plan a particular wedding theme, but let their natural, bright wedding venue do the talking. I love Julie's elegant Lusan Mandongus wedding gown, with its sexy scooped back, and her simple up-do, while the flowers girls were super-cute in Monsoon. Julie's stunning bouquet included blooms collected from local Cornish farmers the morning of her wedding, and her florist found inspiration from the hedgerows - LOVE! Huge thanks to Alan Law Photography for these beautiful wedding pictures. We've got lots more reception shots to publish tomorrow - don't miss them!

My wedding dress was brought from a wonderful shop in St Albans called Satin Bow Bridal. The dress is a Lusan Mandongus gown called Gem and I just loved the low cut back. But it was tricky to find suitable underwear!


Both my hair accessory and my back drop necklace {perfect with my wedding gown} were from Chez Bec. My shoes were from Girls of Elegance and were called ‘Gwen’. But to be honest far too much effort went into picking the shoes, as no-one saw them and they got completely trashed from the soft ground.


We tied the knot on the 30th of June 2012 at an amazing venue in Cornwall called Fentafriddle. We picked this date as it was my Dad’s birthday {who sadly passed away}, and we thought this would be a great way to keep celebrating the date.


Choosing our wedding venue wasn’t about location, as we looked all around the UK. Our most important request was that it had to be relaxed and child friendly, and we wanted our close friends and family to be able to stay with us before and after the big day. Wedding days can pass so fast and you just want to cherish the moment for as long as you can. When we saw Fentafriddle we both immediately knew it was the venue for us. The view over the sea just takes your breath away.


Both of the adult bridesmaids' dresses were from House of Fraser, made by Anoushka G {both bought on sale}. The little flower girl dresses were from Monsoon. The top of the dress was gold crochet and they both looked adorable.



Poor Ben was left with the last of the budget so instead of buying a wedding suit or hiring one out we thought he should buy a suit that he could continue to use at work. It was a Charles Tyrwhitt suit and the colour was dark chocolate.


We met in Ibiza seven years ago at the Hed Kandi closing party {the same night Ben fell down some stairs, and only realised in the morning he had a broken leg!}. Unfortunately I only found out he was interested in me via my friend at the airport on the way home, and I was disappointed she hadn’t told me earlier! The same friend later went to a house party back in the UK and Ben just so happened to be there, and he asked her to pass his number onto me. I wanted very much to find out more about him, got in contact and the rest is of course history!


Ben proposed on New Year’s Eve 2010, right before we were going to enter into the Hogmanay Street party in Edinburgh. He got down on one knee and I presumed he was tying his laces so I walked a little further on. When I heard him call my name I couldn’t believe what was happening, and I think in shock I kept saying ‘really?’ for a good few minutes. Once I pulled myself together I gave him a big hug and said ‘of course I will’. At the time we didn’t have enough money for an engagement ring so he brought me a fabulous keepsake ring broken into three which is meant to represent the past, present and future.

Our wedding photographer was Alan Law. Both his profile and gallery attracted me to his work as we wanted someone that would be able to take natural photos, which is exactly what he did for us on the day. He also stayed late past the first dance, and fair play to him, as the drink had been flowing all day and at points the dance floor was quite intense. The result was we loved our pictures and we couldn’t have asked for anything more!


More Posts Like This One
Real Seaside & Sweetie Wedding
Real Nautical-Themed Wedding

♥ Want to see seaside weddings ideas? ♥ Or how about more summer wedding ideas? ♥
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Friday 22 February 2013

Real Shabby Chic Wedding: Annabel & Richard

With a stunning rose studded marquee, and tonnes of pretty shabby chic details, you're going to love the Easter-inspired real wedding. Fantastic couple Annabel and Richard chose Sheldon Manor for their wedding venue, and I've fallen for its historic prettiness, and gorgeous gardens. Annabel was a bride on a budget, but there's absolutely no sign of it - just take a look at all her amazing wedding details. I'm seriously impressed by all the DIY work that went into this wedding - take a look at the pretty spring flowers - all arranged by Annabel's mother, while Richard's mother created all the lavender-filled heart wedding favours and the fun squishy 'Just Married' letters. Other stealworthy details include the stunning rose-patterned marquee, lovely pastel table decorations, and traditional bunting. Save money like Annabel with Ikea lanterns, a self-decorated M&S wedding cake, and smooth stones as place-markers. Huge thanks to Ben Edward Photography for his stunning pictures.


We celebrated our wedding day at Sheldon Manor in Chippenham, Wiltshire on the 7th April 2012.
We wanted somewhere totally beautiful, very English and that had the 'wow' factor. Not that we were showing off, but we knew that the part of the country and the time of year would make people fall in love with the venue, just we like we had. 


I wanted my dress to be like the venue and a bit like me - unfussy! I tried on a few very different styles but knew before I tried 'the dress' that this was the one! Our budget was not big - we were paying for our wedding ourselves so everything had to be quite well researched. My dress was an absolutely beautiful Sassi Holford wedding gown, simple, with no bling, teamed with a lovely champagne silk sash. I felt so amazing in it, I never wanted to take it off!

Thursday 21 February 2013

Real Detailed-Filled Farm Wedding: Nicky & Roger

Prepare yourselves, my friends, for a truly fabulous inspiration-fest of a wedding. Set in South Africa, it seems our friends south of the equator are rocking some serious wedding details. Roger and Nicky tied the knot on a working Sugar-cane Farm in Empangeni. The farm has been in Nicky's family for over a hundred years and I'm seriously loving how she incorporated a nostalgic-vintage theme into her big day. I've fallen for the outdoor dining, the hand-painted wedding signs, the baby's breath, the hanging jars, the vintage measuring tape tied round some of the vases and the crocheted tables cloths - whew! Every wedding detail is gorgeous - you'll be wanting to save ALL of these pictures in your wedding blog inspiration file! Huge thanks to the team at We Love Pictures (Too).














♥ Want to see summer weddings ideas? ♥ Or how about more vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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Wednesday 20 February 2013

Fantastic DIY Wedding Decoration Ideas

If you've not yet heard of Anthropologie, you're in for a serious treat. It's a US store that's recently set up shop in the UK, and even more recently entered into the wedding market with their new brand BHLDN {pronounced Beholden}. We featured their wedding dresses here on Before the Big Day the moment they launched, with a serious level of enthusiasm {I admit it, I gushed}. Now they've turned their attention to wedding decorations and details, and they've nailed it once again. Not only are the products themselves truly gorgeous, they're some serious DIY wedding inspiration. What do you reckon? I think most of them could be DIY'd?

♥ Want to see wedding decoration ideas? ♥ Or how about more DIY wedding ideas? ♥
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