Tuesday 30 June 2015

Your Honeymoon Must-Haves

The cake is cut, the confetti scattered, and the tin cans have clattered behind your getaway car. Your wedding is over, but there's no need to be sad, because your honeymoon is right around the corner! Whether you're planning a break in a Cornish beach hut, an exotic island escape or a luxury cruise - you're going to want to relax and recuperate after all the excitement. We escaped to a little house in the South of France, where we slept and sunbathed, ate French cheese, and drank rosé. It was bliss even when it rained! Here are a few of my honeymoon must-haves to ease you into your honeymoon, and if you're not getting married this summer, they'd work just as well for your holiday! Where are you off to this year?


{I want this!} Clockwise from Top Left 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

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Sassi Holford Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Oh yes! In exceedingly exciting news, one of my favourite designers, Sassi Holford is hosting a summer sale in her London and Taunton boutiques. With {wait for it}...... up to 70% off her beautiful handmade gowns, this is definitely one for your diary. Pencil in for 4th-11th July, and call to book an appointment - London 020 7584 1532 / Taunton 01823 256308.




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Monday 29 June 2015

A Quirky DIY Wedding with a Groom in a Top Hat

DIY weddings are always pretty special, because of all the personal touches. This wonderful Alice in Wonderland themed wedding definitely falls into that category - it's chock-full of brilliant handmade details! Bride Sophie made her own wedding cake and marshmallow favours, her friend made the cute toppers, her sister and mother made all the wedding decorations, including incredible vintage china cake stands, and the groom and his ushers were in charge of all the music, and the brightly coloured 'Drink Me' favours. Even the flowers were provided by a friend of the family. Feast your eyes on these amazing pictures by Sarah Jane Ethan Photography, and be sure to check our the Ceremony and Getting Ready pictures too.


We celebrated our wedding at Crook Hall and Gardens in Durham. We both fell in love with the Medieval Hall and Georgian Tea Room. 


We chose to host an Alice in Wonderland wedding, and the variety of secret gardens fitted our theme perfectly. Crook Hall was the first and only venue we visited. 



Sunday 28 June 2015

An Alice in Wonderland Wedding with Dozens of DIY Ideas

Oooo, I do love a good theme! And there's nothing like a groom in a fancy red top hat and bow-tie! Rick and Sophie chose a brilliant Alice in Wonderland theme for their big day, and they really went to town with the DIY wedding details. I am so impressed with the creativity of Sophie's mother and sister - between them they created all the wedding decorations, from cake stands made from old cups and saucers, the hand-painted Alice-style signs, the giant playing card bunting, the embroidered hanging clocks, and even a personalised hand-stitched guest book based on the gates of the venue. You're going to want to Pin every picture! Huge thanks to Sarah Jane Ethan Photography for her beautiful pictures of the day - don't miss the Mad Hatter's Tea Party Reception.



Thursday 25 June 2015

Pretty Perfect Vintage-Style Shoes for Your Wedding Day

Wedding shoes need to be two things - beautiful and comfortable. The two don't often go together. Luckily one of the UK's best shoe designers has got the combo nailed. Rachel Simpson's Shoes are prettily perfect, with vintage styles and sensible heels. Many of them have crossbar straps, like dancer's shoes, meaning you'll never lose a shoe on the way down the aisle! What I really love, is that Rachel's made it her mission to perfectly cut each shoe to compliment the foot. It's so refreshing to find a designer with comfort in mind! Her shoes aren't cheap, but if you buy a pair in a colour other than white, you'll be wearing them for years to come.

{I want this!} Rachel Simpson Mimosa in Mint, £170

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Wednesday 24 June 2015

Mirror Mirror Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Wedding dresses can be a huge part of your budget if you pay full price. Luckily there are lots of sample sales each year in London and around the UK. Follow me on Twitter, to make sure you don't miss a single sale! Mirror Mirror has got to be one of London's best designer wedding dress boutiques, so you can imagine how excited I am to discover the dates of their summer sample sale. It's taking place on Sunday 28th June 2015 11am - 4pm at their shop at 56 Penton Street in north London. They're promising a fantastic selection of dresses from top designers, including Pronovias, Atelier, Cymbeline, Yolancris, Gemy, La Sposa, Raimon Bundo, Paloma Blanca, Alan Hannah, Mirror Mirror Couture, and much more. Most of the gowns are from 2015 collections!



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Tuesday 23 June 2015

Loving Sweet Peas for Summer Wedding

Have you heard of sweet-peas? They come in every shade of pink and purple, with a few white and yellow petals thrown in for good luck. They’re the perfect bloom for a wedding, because they smell so sweet. Add a few to your bridal bouquet, or decorate your wedding tables with lots of little nosegays. They look amazing against the bright white table cloths. You can buy them from specialised sellers Sweet Peas Direct, or grow them yourself from seeds planted in spring. All you need is a sheltered spot, and my mum’s secret ingredient…..cow dung! For more ideas, take a look at my Sweet-Pea Wedding Pinterest board.


{Image Credits} Top: Sweet Monday

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Thursday 18 June 2015

A Mountain-View Wedding with Vintage Pink Louboutins - The Reception

Clouds of baby's breathy, bridesmaids in blush, and the prettiest lace wedding gown you've ever seen. This stunning big day is going to seriously float your boat. Xenia and Jeff live in Hong Kong, but they planned their destination wedding in Spain, at the beautiful La Garriga de Castelladral. You're going to love their sweet, romantic style - from the gorgeous miniature roses bridal bouquet, to the red velvet wedding cake - yum! Enjoy these beautiful shots by wedding photographer,  Noemi Jariod, and don't miss the Getting Ready and Ceremony pictures. For more details about Xenia's wedding decisions and suppliers, be sure to check out her brilliant blog Olivia's Choice - it's a great read!


We got married on October 6th at La Garriga de Castelladral, in inner Catalonia. Since we didn't want a religious ceremony but a civil one, it was a must for us to find a venue that offered this service in the prettiest possible way. This is the main reason we fell in love with the venue. 


La Garriga de Castelladral has breathtaking views to the Montserrat mountains. We held our civil ceremony on the terrace, and it was more we ever could have wished for. Regarding the decoration, all I knew was I wanted it to be sweet, just like I am!



Wednesday 17 June 2015

An Elegant Mountain-View Wedding with Vintage Pink Louboutins

Wedding planners often say that once a bride has chosen her wedding venue and her wedding dress, everything else falls into place. Xenia and Jeff picked the incredible La Garriga de Castelladral in Spain, and Xenia found most exquisite Knightly Bridal gown I've ever seen, so you can guess that every other wedding detail is pretty exceptional as well. I'm going to let the lovely pictures by Noemi do the talking, but look out for Xenia's perfectly round miniature rose bouquet, her pink vintage Louboutins, and Jeff's smart black tie get-up. You'll also love their music choices - they picked a special song for every moment - so lots of great ideas for your own wedding! Huge thanks to the lovely Noemi Jariod for her fantastic pictures - look out for more of her work when I publish the reception photographs. Also - make sure you take a look at Xenia's blog - Olivia's Choice - it's packed with lots more details about her wedding planning.


We got married on October 6th at La Garriga de Castelladral, in inner Catalonia.  Since we didn't want a religious ceremony but a civil one, it was a must for us to find a venue that offered this service in the prettiest possible way. This is the main reason we fell in love with this venue. 


La Garriga de Castelladral has breathtaking views to the Montserrat mountains. We held our civil ceremony on the terrace, and it was more we ever could have wished for. Regarding the decoration, all I knew was I wanted it to be sweet, just like I am!




Tuesday 16 June 2015

Wedding Trends 2015 - Doughnut Wedding Cakes

I first met Reshmi Bennett from Anges de Sucre when we both exhibited at the In Wedding Show. She'd just started her macaroon business, and buzzed with creative energy. Little did I know, that one day she'd become so famous! Three years on, she's opened her own posh Kensington shop, branched out into luxe marshmallows and s'mores, and created these super-cool deconstructed doughnut wedding cakes. With brilliant names like The Cookie Monster Cake and The Homer Simpson Cake, they're at the very cutting edge of wedding cake fashion {geddit?!}.



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Friday 12 June 2015

20 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding Day

Budget-savvy brides know it's possible to have the wedding of their dreams, without paying the price. It's all about the three C's - being clever, cautious and creative. Plan ahead, don't rush into anything without doing your research, and where possible, DIY or call on the creative skills of friends and family. Here are my top 50 ways to save money on your wedding day - share it on Twitter and send it to your friends!



Thursday 11 June 2015

A Boho Humanist Wedding with a Forest Ceremony - The Reception

Take one sequinned gown and mismatch it with a farm wedding venue, and you have the perfect big day combo of boho glamour. Hanna and Paul chose Hawthbush Farm in East Sussex for their wedding day and celebrated with a three-day extravaganza. All their friends and family stayed on site, and enjoyed a BBQ on Friday night, before the humanist ceremony and barn reception on Saturday. I love the relaxed atmosphere of their big day - there weren't many decorations, but the stunning rustic venue speaks for itself. Don't miss the just-picked wedding flowers, the naked berry cake, the festoon lights, and the hilarious wedding portraits. Huge thanks to Michael from My Beautiful Bride for sending me this wedding. Don't miss the Ceremony pictures here.


We celebrated our big day on 14th June - a summer wedding. We chose Hawthbush Farm in East Sussex as our venue. It's stunning with a clearing where we hosted our marriage ceremony outdoors in the woods.


It was the second venue we visited. It was perfect because we had the farm for the whole weekend, meaning it felt more of an experience, than an in-and-out job like other weddings we've experienced.



Wednesday 10 June 2015

A Boho Humanist Wedding with a Forest Ceremony

When I see a truly perfect wedding, I get goosebumps, and I literally can't wait to share it with you! Michael from My Beautiful Bride sent over these wedding photographs a few days ago, and I've been champing at the bit to get it edited and published as quickly as possible. Hanna and Paul celebrated their big day with a humanist ceremony in a forest. So far so rustic, but Hanna glammed it up with a s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g vintage sequinned gown, and colour-pop bridesmaids dresses in coral pink and lemon yellow. It's a feast for the eyes! I'm in love with their rural venue choice - Hawthbush Farm in East Sussex, and their freshly-picked flowers from the next door field. They managed to stay relaxed throughout their wedding planning, and you can really see the joy shining through Michael's pictures. Enjoy these shots, and don't miss the Reception pictures, coming later today!



Tuesday 9 June 2015

Enormous Gold Love Balloons for Your Wedding

If you asked me why I have such a crush on giant letter balloons, I honestly couldn't give you the answer. There's just something hilarious and beautiful about them. We had silver LOVE balloons at both our London ceremony and French wedding, and they made for the most brilliant props. It's easy-peasy to buy them yourself, and pump them up with helium from eBay - I'd just recommend buying two of each, just in case one fails on your wedding day. If you wanted an alternative XO looks super-effective, or your initials, or you could get really ambitious and spell out Happy Ever After! Check out my other blog posts for more balloon ideas.

{Picture Credit} Supply and Co

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Friday 5 June 2015

Glittery Glamorous Bridal Accessories

One of my girlfriends got married last weekend and wore the most incredible Cinderella shoes ever! They were Jimmy Choo's, and cost a crazy amount of money, but they've inspired me to go looking for glittery treats for your big day. So whether you're going for a Grecian look, an Art Deco style, or want to be a bling-y bride, you shall go to the ball!


{I want this!} Clockwise from top left 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

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