Friday 28 February 2014

Introducing Guide To Be - A Brand New Wedding Review Site

Regular readers will know I'm always going on about the importance of personally recommended wedding suppliers, but what if none of your friends have got married yet? Or if you're getting married in a different part of the country? How can you find out whether all those local vendors are really as good as they say they are? Well that's exactly the situation Eve faced when she was living in Sydney, but planning her wedding in Glasgow. It was nearly impossible for her to visit lots of venues, attend caterer tastings and arrange florist consultations, and she really needed the inside scoop on suppliers. Eve was astonished there were no independent sources or dedicated wedding review sites {like Trip Advisor for weddings}, and so after her big day, she teamed up with her sister and launched Guide To Be.


This brilliant BRAND NEW site is all about connecting brides with truly excellent wedding suppliers, and I'm delighted to be part of the very exciting launch! The idea is that newlyweds write reviews of all the suppliers who helped out at their wedding, and then other brides-to-be can make an informed choice. I've already written several of my own reviews, so if you know of excellent wedding photographers, videographers, caterers, florists, dressmakers, etc, etc, head straight over to Guide To Be and get your review up now! Just imagine - your own experience could help that desperate bride struggling to find the perfect wedding band!




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Thursday 27 February 2014

A Fun Rustic Wedding with a Divine Claire Pettibone Dress

There's nothing I like more than a backyard marquee wedding, with a relaxed happy bride {in Converse!}, and an OMG Claire Pettibone wedding gown. Add in pretty handmade, shabby-chic details, sage green Dessy bridesmaids dresses, and a traditional ice-cream bicycle seller, and you've got a quintessentially English wedding. All that was missing was the rain! I love Katy's DIY'd wildflower favours, her pretty baby's breath bouquet, and all the hand-decorated jam-jar wedding details. Huge thanks to Hannah from Written With Light Photography for sending over all the pictures - enjoy!


We got married on 21st September 2013 in St Michael's Church, in West Hill in Devon, followed by our wedding reception in Tom's parent's gorgeous garden. I always knew a rural view and beautiful outdoor location was going to be a non-negotiable part of our wedding day, and as we are fortunate enough to have this on Tom's parent's doorstep, hosting our reception in their garden was a bit of a no brainer! 


We couldn't risk it for a biscuit weather-wise, so we hired a traditional canvas marquee. As far as decorations go I wanted to keep things as natural as possible we had a stunning location and didn't plan on distracting from that.



Wednesday 26 February 2014

Real Pretty Pastel Wedding with a Lovely Lace & Peony Theme

This dreamy pastel-themed wedding will leave you longing for lazy summer days. It's an exquisite combination of pink, peonies and mercury glass vintage vases, and I love it! With a wedding dress by Marisa Bridals, bridesmaids' dresses by Priscilla of Boston and a gorgeous vineyard venue, you'll want to copy every wedding detail. Don't miss the brocaded wedding invitations and the beaded plates - every area of this wedding was perfectly planned by Yong Suk Willendrup, and pictured by Jen Huang Photography.


Tuesday 25 February 2014

Unique Embroidered Wedding Dress

This embroidered wedding dress has 2014 boho wedding trend written all over it! There's something deliciously fun and folky about it, and the fact it's handmade in Slovenia, by boutique designer Jarka of Atelier De Couture JK, makes it all the more unique and delicious. Jarka makes several I-want-this wedding gowns, not least this gorgeous slinky sparkling number, so be sure to take a look at her Etsy shop. L-O-V-E.



{I want this!} Embroidered Wedding Dress, £584 by Atelier De Couture JK

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Monday 24 February 2014

Fun Embroidered Flag Wedding Cake Topper

Sometimes I spot things on Etsy that make me happy, and I can't wait to share them with you! These cute flag wedding cake toppers were yesterday's discovery, and it took extraordinary willpower for me to save this feature for today! Aren't they just the best? Picking up on the make-do-and-mend trend that's huge for 2014, and the ombre trend that's still taking the wedding world by storm, they're not just cake toppers, they're cutting-edge wedding style! Created by Betawife in Texas, you can personalise them with whatever slogan or names that you wish. L-O-V-E!


{I want this} Flag wedding cake toppers by Betawife - £27.63

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Friday 21 February 2014

An Elegant Wedding with Giant Pink Balloons & Jimmy Choos - The Reception

It's pom pom time! Regular readers will know I've been a fan of DIY tissue pom poms ever since I made them for my own wedding. They were such a success, and so easy to make, that I've been recommending them as the cheap and chic wedding decoration. Fab couple Joe and Mimi chose pastels as their wedding colour palette, and I love their cheerful peach, pink and cerise poms. Throw in a Kate Moss-inspired wedding cake, a brilliant photo booth and hundreds of vases of avalanche roses, and I'm a very happy wedding blogger indeed. Enjoy Chris Giles Photography's brilliant wedding pictures, and Mimi's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire. There's tonnes of great tips and vendors there for you to steal!


Joe and I got married on July 27th 2013. The service was held at St. Margaret's Church, Fernhurst in West Sussex, and then the reception was at The Duke Of Cumberland Arms, a beautiful 15th Century pub. 

I didn't have any bridesmaids - instead my daughter Evie and my niece, Holly were my flower girls. They wore beautiful silk chiffon dresses from I Love Gorgeous, which had a dusky pink satin ribbon tie and hand embroidered roses. 



An Elegant Wedding with Giant Pink Balloons & Jimmy Choos

It's rare for a wedding to include three of my favourite decorations in the world - giant fluffy pompoms, a carnival-style sign, and enormous round balloons! But Joe and Mimi have managed to tick all my wedding boxes, with their beautifully styled, quintessentially English big day. Like all sensible couples, Joe and Mimi drew on the talents of many of their friends and family to save their pennies and create a truly personal wedding. Mimi's mother made her wedding dress, drawing inspiration from Phillippa Lepley's designs, Joe's good friend hosted their wedding at his pub, The Duke Of Cumberland Arms, and Joe {yes THE GROOM} made the wedding cake! He is a professional chef, who specialises in cakes and cake decorating, but still - that's some pretty impressive skills. I've fallen for Mimi's pretty 'just-picked' bouquet, her apricot and pastel pink colour scheme, and her beautifully dressed flower girls and page boys. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Chris Giles Photography.


Joe and I got married on July 27th 2013. The service was held at St. Margaret's Church, Fernhurst in West Sussex, and then the reception was at The Duke Of Cumberland Arms, a beautiful 15th Century pub.


I am extremely lucky to have a mummy who was once a professional seamstress - she had made my two other sisters wedding dresses, and so I challenged her to do mine - a combination of a few Phillippa Lepley designs. 



Thursday 20 February 2014

Introducing Brillpix Photography for Your Wedding

Brides often email me asking for advice on how best to spend their wedding budget, and in my view, your two top spends need to be 1. Your Wedding Venue, 2. Your Wedding Photographer. You want a venue that speaks for itself - somewhere beautiful, that doesn't need many decorations and details. That way, anything you add will be the fun cherry on top, rather than a necessity. A great venue will save you money - scrimping is a bad idea. The same principle applies to your wedding photographer. You need to allocate a decent chunk of your wedding budget to make sure you find someone fabulous. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it's difficult to emphasise how important your wedding photographs will be to you after your big day! They will be EV-ERY-THING! And that's why I'm delighted to introduce Brillpix Photography. Steve Brill understands weddings, and he understands what brides and grooms want from their wedding photographer. As well as being brilliant {sorry, obvious pun!}, he's experienced, friendly, professional, and ridiculously passionate about his job. He really cares about his couples, and on your day, he'll be there when you need him, and quietly snapping fabulous shots when you don't! Brillpix Photography prices start at a very reason £995 for all day coverage, including a free engagement shoot {essential in my view!}, and all your edited photographs on a disc to print as you wish. Steve's based in Northamptonshire, but happy to travel across the UK, so snap him up fast!










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Wednesday 19 February 2014

A Rustic French Wedding with a Flower Market Theme - The Reception

It's been a long wait, but here, at last, are the incroyable pictures from Kerry and Greg's amazing South of France wedding. As I've mentioned before, Kerry runs her own wedding planning company called Lavender & Rose Weddings, so my expectations were running high - but her wedding reception details have completely blown my mind! I love to see a wedding with tonnes and tonnes of flowers, and there's so many arrangements here, it looks like Kerry and her fiance Greg opened a flower shop for the day! Then there's the clever photo booth backdrop, created with real flowers to look like wallpaper, and the stunning ribbon banner decorations, and I've not even got started on the champagne cocktail bar with six different kinds of syrups to flavour the champagne {lavender, poppy, peach, raspberry, blackberry & blackcurrent}, as well as crystallised flower petals {rose, lavender and mimosa} to pop in the glasses. Every single wedding detail is intrinsically perfect, and brilliantly orchestrated, and yet the day itself was casual, fun and light-hearted - exactly what you want from a perfectly-planned wedding. Have a good read of Kerry's answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire - particularly if you're planning a wedding in the South of France, and Alban Pichon's beautiful wedding pictures. Don't miss Part 1 and Part 2 of this gorgeous wedding.


We celebrated our wedding on 13 September 2012, with two ceremonies - a civil ceremony in the town hall {the only legally recognised type of ceremony in France}, followed by a symbolic outdoor ceremony at the a Provencal villa called Bastide St Mathieu, in Grasse.


I wanted an outdoor celebration mixing French {Gregory is French} and British traditions. I really wanted our guests to feel relaxed and comfortable, so made sure not to include anything formal or formulaic. Theme-wise I wanted it to be a beautiful explosion of colour, life and flowers - a real feast for the eyes. Grasse is famous for being the perfume capital of the world, and I was keen to reflect that in our wedding details.



Tuesday 18 February 2014

A Rustic French Wedding with a Flower Market Theme - The Second Ceremony

I can't tell you how excited I am to bring you the second part of this incredible wedding. The lovely Kerry Bracken runs her own wedding planning company called Lavender & Rose Weddings in the South of France, so her big day was always going to be pretty special, but in truth, it's slightly blown my mind! Kerry hosted her wedding in Grasse, famous for its history of making perfumes, so she chose a French flower market theme, featuring tonnes {and tonnes} of flowers, plus plenty of vintage perfume bottles. You wait till you see the abundance of flowers and vegetables, and the incredible ceremony venue - set in a French olive grove - it's amazing! I love so many of Kerry's wedding details, it's hard to pick, but I'd start with her pretty flower-accessorised up-do, her Dad's cool floral shirt, her bridesmaids' flower crowns, and the lovely vintage bench that Kerry and her groom, Gregory, sat on during their ceremony. Enjoy these stunning photographs by Alban Pichon, and be sure to click back later today for the fabulous reception details. Don't miss Part 1 and Part 3 of this gorgeous wedding.


We celebrated our wedding on 13 September 2012, with two ceremonies - a civil ceremony in the town hall {the only legally recognised type of ceremony in France}, followed by a symbolic outdoor ceremony at the a Provencal villa called Bastide St Mathieu, in Grasse.


I live in Cannes in the South of France and most of my husband’s family do as well. My English and Irish family love the South of France and I knew they would jump at the chance of coming to a wedding in France. The South of France is just the most perfect location for a wedding with fantastic food, stunning scenery and beautiful weather. The French Riviera being THE place for parties and luxury entertaining has some of the finest wedding vendors in France.



Monday 17 February 2014

A Rustic French Wedding with a Flower Market Theme & Three Wedding Dresses

I've been waiting and wanting to publish this incredible wedding for MONTHS!! I know when a wedding planner gets married, that it's going to be a pretty special affair - but when that wedding planner happens to have been MY wedding planner, my excitement level goes through the roof! Kerry Bracken started her fabulous business, Lavender & Rose Weddings in the South of France, just before I got married. I was one of her first clients, and it was clear from the start that she was going to be hugely successful. Creative and efficient, Kerry is the best in the industry, and I can't recommend her enough. As soon as I heard she'd got engaged, I shot over an email asking to feature her wedding on Before the Big Day, because I knew it would be incredible. In fact, it's so good, that I've had to divide it into not two, but three separate features - not least because Kerry wore three different wedding gowns. I'll let Kerry's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire speak for themselves, but suffice to say, my favourite details are Kerry's stylish birdcage veil, her brilliant coral nails {every detail matters!}, the cute 2CV wedding transport {so French, so vintage, so perfect!}, and Greg's super-smart outfit from The Kooples. Big love also to Alban Pichon for his AH-mazing wedding photographs. Don't miss Part 2 and Part 3 of this amazing wedding.


We celebrated our wedding on 13 September 2012, with two ceremonies - a civil ceremony in the town hall {the only legally recognised type of ceremony in France}, followed by a symbolic outdoor ceremony at the a Provencal villa called Bastide St Mathieu, in Grasse.


I had three wedding dresses - all from Minna. My first gown is called Nadine, and it's a cream, vintage-inspired, short lace dress with pink floral belt detail, short sleeved cream vintage inspired fitted lace dress with pink floral belt detail. I wanted a short dress to contrast with my official wedding dress, and also something I might wear again.



Saturday 15 February 2014

Introducing Get Your Bride Body for Your Wedding Look

Nearly every bride I know has wanted to tone up in time for her wedding day, and I was no different. Thanks to a few changes to my diet, and a couple of exercise classes a week, I dropped a dress size, and toned up my arms, bottom and thighs. When it came to my wedding day, I was so glad I made the effort. I felt fabulous in my wedding dress, and super-confident as I walked up the aisle. I can imagine there's nothing worse than standing at the altar, and having the 'does my bum look big in this' thought pass through your mind. That's why I'm thrilled to introduce Get Your Bride Body. This fantastic programme invites to you take a 100 Day Challenge to get you looking your best for your wedding, by guiding you through a comprehensive weight loss and fitness programme.


With weekly meal plans {including shopping lists}, an exercise programme tailored to your fitness level, motivational videos and exercise demonstration videos, Get Your Bride Body have taken care of everything. And should your willpower start to slip, you can rely on Bride Body's team of Experts, and their Little Black Book of Weight Loss Secrets, to get you back on track. Just take a look at their real life success stories for inspiration, and read the Get Your Bride Body blog for extra tips. Now all you need is new kit! P.S. Your future husband will love it too!



{Photo Credit} Trembley Photography, more from this wedding on Rustic Wedding Chic

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Friday 14 February 2014

My Top 4 Valentine's Day Beauty Buys

{Posting by Julia Bowden, Before the Big Day's Hair & Make-up Expert} You've made it through January detox, given up booze, done the 5:2 diet, and now it's time to eat chocolate, drink red, get romantic and treat yourself! Maybe he'll pop the question tonight - you never know!? So what better time to pull out all the stops and slap on some bright show stopping lip colour. All the catwalk trends for 2014 are swaying towards kaleidoscopic bright lips - a great look for a vintage-style wedding. My advice? Go easy on the eyes when wearing bright lips, and complete your look with a swish of black liquid liner and mascara at the most. Check out my fab 4 faves...


{I want this} Clockwise from Top Left

1. Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square, £17.50

2. Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Riviera, £23

3.  MAC in Russian Red, £15

4. By Poppy Lipstick in Hot Rose, £20

Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day! xJB

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Thursday 13 February 2014

Non-Traditional Engagement Rings

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, jewellers across the land are preparing for an influx of nervous grooms, looking to choose the perfect ring for a very successful engagement proposal. My husband stuck to tradition, and chose me a stunning solitaire diamond, representing strength and everlasting love. But what if you want something a little different, a little bit quirky? Rubies work well for a Valentine's Day proposal - with their rich red colour, they represent desire and devotion. Sapphires are just as expensive as diamonds, and I love the deep blue stone in Kate Middleton's engagement ring. Plus, the stones represent reliability and steadfastness, two attributes you'd definitely want in a husband! Meanwhile, if you've been with your future husband for a long while, or you've met later in life, an emerald engagement ring would be perfect, as the stones symbolise a mature and constant love. The other option is to ignore the symbolism completely, and just choose the colour you like the most!! Which gemstone would you choose?


{Photo Credit} Awake Photography - see more of this amazing window-themed engagement shoot

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Monday 10 February 2014

Introducing My GuestWall for Your Wedding Guests' Photos & Messages

I don't know about you, but my iPhone is pretty much glued to my hand. I'm always tweeting, taking pictures, Instagram-ing and Facebook-ing. And never more than at a wedding! All those fantastic shots of all my friends in their wedding finery, and the pretty details - you can imagine as a wedding blogger, I'm all over those! But after your big day, all those amazing pictures gradually disappear into social media feeds, never to see the light of day again. Well, that's unless you sign up to the brilliant new service called My GuestWall.


This genius company has come up with a brilliant, easy-to-use idea, and it's taking the wedding world by storm. All you do is tell your guests you're using My GuestWall,{they'll give you special personalised cards}, and give them your special @myguestwall.com email address, and Twitter or Instagram hashtag. Then, whenever your guests share photos or messages via email, Twitter or Instagram, My GuestWall will collect them in real-time, and add them to your personal website and online gallery. The BEST thing is, you can then display them on a large screen during your wedding reception - amazing! I just wish My GuestWall had been invented in time for my wedding! For a fantastic 50% discount, use the code BIGDAY {until 28th Feb}, and if your friends are getting married this year, why not give it to them as a present? It's like the gift of memory!!

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Thursday 6 February 2014

A Fun-Loving Luxury Castle Wedding Shoot

So sorry for not blogging yesterday - it was my husband's birthday, and the day ran away with me! But to make up for it, I've got a brilliant fun-loving wedding shoot by a group of super-creative wedding professionals in Ireland. Shot in the idyllic Clontarf Castle, it's full of 2014 wedding trends, and super-luxe wedding details. I love the glittery ombre cake, sequinned cupcake toppers {the sequin trend is HUGE this year} and succulent bouquet. The 'bride' looks gorgeous in her three Sarah Foy wedding gowns {my favourite is the first off-the-shoulder look}, with Bridget Bardott-inspired hair styles. If you can't decide whether you want an up, or down-do for your wedding day, why not have both? Ask your hair stylist to create a pretty chignon for the ceremony, and to tell your bridesmaids which clips to remove for a more relaxed reception look. Stunning pictures by Paul Kelly - don't miss the other credits at the bottom of the feature!





Wednesday 5 February 2014

Introducing Written With Light Wedding Photography

Three years ago, when I was choosing my own wedding photographer, I thought it would be a business transaction. My concerns were cost and quality, and it never really occurred to me that I needed to really like my wedding photographer. I mean obviously I had to respect them professionally, and find them easy to get on with, but I never expected to actually like them as a potential friend. Now I see that this is ESSENTIAL, and it's why I'm delighted to introduce Hannah Vine from Written With Light Photography. Hannah's a self-declared hopeless romantic, who makes a special effort to find out the story behind each couple, so she can reflect their personalities through her pictures. Hannah understands the need to build a personal relationship, feels real warmth towards her clients, and it shows in her lovely wedding photographs. Written With Light Photography has a super-clear, flexible pricing structure to fit every budget. Hannah charges £50 an hour, so a twelve hour wedding would cost £600. Couples can buy the copyright of their images {in a prettily packaged disco} for £100, and beautifully created wedding albums for an extra cost. A pre-wedding engagement shoot {recommended!} only costs £50. Don't miss the Written With Light Photography website and blog.











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