A Pastel-Themed Spring Barn Wedding with a Baking Theme (Part 2)

There's nothing I like more than a wedding with a surprise! Claire and James invited their guests to take part in a great British Bake Off, which means their big day was a cake extravaganza. Don't miss the picture of all the entries at the end of this blog post. I still don't know who won!!! You'll find plenty of other stealworthy ideas in these gorgeous images. I'm super-keen on the idea of edible favours - Claire and James handmade cake-pops. It reduces cost, and means they're less likely to get left behind on the table. The flowers by China Rose were stunning - I love the large avalanche roses, and how well the buttonholes tied in with the ushers' buttonholes. Don't miss all the DIY details - from the pretty lace-wrapped jam-jars, to the blackboard seating plan. Lovely pictures by the very talented Christy Blanch.

Beautiful Barn Wedding with Fairy Lights, Cake Pops & Chalk Boards

This morning is a good one! I can't wait to share this stunning spring wedding with you. It's a beautiful barn big day, hosted by Claire and James at Ashley Wood Farm near Salisbury. It's such a pretty wedding venue - I love all climbing roses and the powder blue of the woodwork. They themed their day around the natural beauty of the venue, keeping the details relaxed, rustic and sparkly {thanks to lots of fairy lights}. I love the dusty pink and light grey colour palette, and Claire's flattering True Bride gown and cosy fluffy shrug. Also rather impressed by the BHS bridesmaid gowns - definitely a shop worth checking out. Gorgeous photographs here published with thanks to Christy Blanch - don't miss the reception pictures in my second blog post later today.

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. 

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.

A English Country Garden Wedding with Pretty Vintage Details - Part 2

A vintage tractor, bridesmaids in wellington boots, and military men in uniform - just a few of my favourite things about this quirky big day. Andy and Catherine planned their spring wedding with only four months to spare, and personalised every detail, thanks to the help of their friends and family. In the build-up to their big day, they held craft evenings to cut and sew the bunting, put covers on homemade jam jar wedding favours, and design the wedding stationery. They even prepared an Easter Egg hunt for their guests. Enjoy these fantastic pictures by Sarah Relf at Lawless Rose Photography, and don't miss my favourite wedding detail - the fabulous cake by Dippy Design.

A English Country Garden Wedding with Pretty Vintage Details

There's something uniquely romantic about a military wedding - they have the weight of history behind them, and everyone loves a man in uniform! Groom Andy is a captain in the army, so when he and Catherine left the church, they walked under a fabulous guard of honour, complete with shiny swords. Stunning! The happy couple planned their wedding in only four and a half months, but didn't scrimp on details - this big day is packed with stunning ideas. I love the English country garden theme, the vintage crockery, the gorgeous bridesmaids in sage green, and the beautiful barn venue. Don't miss the fantastic reception pictures in Part 2 - huge thanks to Sarah Relf at Lawless Rose Photography for capturing every detail.

A Pretty in Pink Spring Wedding planned in Five Months

Burlap and lace, baby's breath and bunting, paper poms and fairy lights, just a few of my favourite wedding decorations in the world! The lovely Charlotte and Chris planned a pretty in pink wedding, and I love all their feminine details. Can you believe Charlotte organised it all in five months? Even the wedding favours are printed with a personal message. Other wedding ideas to steal include the giant wooden heart wedding guest book, and the beribboned jam jar vases - a super easy DIY you can re-create at home. Thank you to Alexa Poppe Wedding Photography for her lovely pictures. Make sure you check out her blog for more wedding inspiration.

A Pretty in Pink Spring Wedding planned in Five Months

I love a winter wedding! Brides who are brave enough to embrace the chill have a huge head start.....they know what the weather will be like. Charlotte and Chris prepared themselves with pretty umbrellas in their theme colours of pink and blue, and some seriously classy wellington boots. I love Charlotte's selection of three different types of footwear. Glittery heels, glittery flats, and glittery boots. All fabulous. I'm also swooning over her classically British dress, from local designers Romantica of Devon, and her simple one bloom bouquet. There's plenty more pretty in pink details coming in Part 2 of this lovely wedding - don't miss it. Huge thanks to the lovely Alexa Poppe Wedding Photography for these beautiful images. Find similar wellies via Zalando or Joules. And for a similar pretty wedding barn venue, check out Heaton House Farm.

A 1950's Vintage Themed Wedding with a Grace Kelly Inspired Bride - Part 2

With a vintage 1950's theme, and a rustic-glamorous venue, this wedding is something of a humdinger! the bride and groom, Tania and Tegid threw themselves into the planning process, adding tonnes of personalised ideas, and doing a fair few DIY projects along the way. There's lots of money-saving tips in Tania's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, including print-your-own wedding stationery from Zazzle, make your own favours with Jen's Sweet Shop vintage bonbons, and original 1970s figurines of Princess Leia and Han Solo as a cake topper. I'm also a big fan of their heart-shaped blackboards - such a useful photo prop! Loving all their wedding pictures, published with thanks to the talented team of Ben and Hannah of HBA Photography.

We got married in the Midlands on 31st August 2013. The ceremony was held at St John the Baptist's Church in Middleton, followed by our reception at Shustoke Farm Barns in Coleshill.

We saw a lot of lovely old hotels full of character, but for the number of guests we had {approx. 90}, with most of them we would have had to have held our wedding breakfast in a marquee away from the main venue. So when we found Shustoke Farm Barns, a red brick 18th century building which was still being renovated {we saw it pretty much as a building site, without a roof!}, we thought it was perfect. It had all the beautiful traditional rustic charm, but with the added bonus of lots of capacity!

A 1950's Vintage Themed Wedding with a Grace Kelly Inspired Bride

Bride's looking for an idea for a theme for their wedding will love today's Grace Kelly-inspired big day! Bride, Tania is a huge fan of the 50's star, and chose her Justin Alexander wedding dress based on her unique, elegant style. This in turn led to 50's inspired stationery, bridesmaid dresses {by Mori Lee}, traditional bonbon favours, and even the vintage suitcase as a wedding card postbox. I'm head-over-heels for their barn wedding venue, booked on a leap of faith, considering it wasn't even finished when they made the reservation! Add in a stunning bouquet of roses and eucalyptus, groom Tegid, in his morning suit, and two lovely late-1950s Daimlers for wedding transport, and I'm in wedding-heaven! Fabulous photographs published with thanks to Ben and Hannah of HBA Photography - don't miss the reception pictures coming later today!

We got married in the Midlands on 31st August 2013. The ceremony was held at St John the Baptist's Church in Middleton, followed by our reception at Shustoke Farm Barns in Coleshill.

I am a big fan of Grace Kelly! So my dress was very much inspired by her timeless look. We therefore had a hint of a 50s vintage theme throughout the wedding, from the 50s inspired design on the stationery, the style of the bridesmaid dresses, the traditional bonbons for favours, all the way through to our vintage suitcase, which we used as a wedding card postbox.

Real Fun-filled Farm-style Wedding

Brace yourselves for a wedding inspiration overload from this gorgeous vintage-themed countryside wedding. Fabulous couple, Julia and Mark planned a beautiful rural wedding with wild flowers, tractors, green gingham tablecloths, and a huge cheese cake. They decorated their barn reception with pretty DIY wedding details, including candle holders tied with lace and twine, a wooden place settings board with luggage label tags hanging off different door handles, and lovely bundles of herbs on each plate. Guests had a great time flying kites {such a fun idea, the daylight equivalent of sky lanterns}, dressing up in silly wigs, and later in the evening lighting sparklers. Fabulous pictures by the lovely Artis Studios.

A Summer Barn Wedding with a Music Theme - The Reception

With a music theme, several naked wedding cakes and a stunning barn wedding venue, this has got to be one of my favourite big days from last summer. Katy and Mark chose the stunning countryside of West Sussex for their wedding, and added tonnes of inspirational details to their reception. My faves have to be the personalised, CD wedding favours {entitled 'Do Me A Favour', the simple but sweet menu cards and the picture-perfect bunting. Even the wedding portraits are gorgeous - I love Katy's pretty parasol {buy similar here} - a great photo prop that could come in handy in a shower! Big love to Kelly from Lola Rose Photography for her beautiful wedding photographs.

We celebrated our wedding on 17th August with a ceremony at St Andrews Church in Steyning, followed by our reception at Bartholomew Barn, Kirdford, West Sussex.

A Summer Barn Wedding with a Music Theme

This beautiful church wedding has got me dreaming about summer! Lovely bride and groom, Katy and Mark celebrated their big day in August, with a music themed, barn reception. I love the put-together look of their wedding - Katy chose a stunning blue for her colour palette, and her bridesmaids look gorgeous in their House of Brides gowns, teamed with frothy lilac hydrangea bouquets. Hydrangeas may well be my favourite bouquet blooms of all time! They're so pretty, and they take up so much space, that they may well save your budget. The ushers all looked fab in their matching River Island suits, plus blue cravats to match the bridesmaids. Other stealworthy ideas include Katy's glam Bridget Bardot-style half-up do, her fabulous Alfred Sung wedding gown, and their brilliant vintage-style wedding invitations {designed by a very talented friend!}. Huge thanks to the lovely Kelly from Lola Rose Photography for capturing every detail - I've got more from their Bartholomew Barn coming soon!

We celebrated our wedding on 17th August with a ceremony at St Andrews Church in Steyning, followed by our reception at Bartholomew Barn, Kirdford, West Sussex.

My sister's friend Becky designed our brilliant wedding invitations, which were in the style of a vintage theatre poster.

A Mint Themed Country Pub Wedding with Rustic DIY Details - The Reception

Barn wedding venues are pretty much the most popular in the UK. They're such versatile spaces with all the benefits of a marquee, without the potential for cold ankles! Laura and Ben chose the gorgeous Olde Bell for their wedding venue. It's a hotel with a barn attached, and it's actually where my husband and I spent our mini-honeymoon after our official London wedding ceremony. The gardens are stunning, as you can see from Laura and Ben's stunning wedding photographs by Kate Gray Photography. I absolutely love all of Laura's clever wedding details. Make sure you read her answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire - she saved lots of money by using great local vendors, and DIY-ing much of her reception stationery, using hessian, an old London map, and vintage-style luggage labels. My favourite details? The personalised rustic signs, Laura's simple Grecian-style hair band, the wedding favours reflecting their heritage, and the incredible wedding cake, complete with totally original flavours! Don't miss Part 1 here.

We got married at The Olde Bell, Hurley on Saturday 21st September 2013. We looked at seven local venues on Christmas Eve 2012, and this one just felt right.


The Olde Bell had a country feeling that Ben & I grew up with, and we instantly knew we could easily achieve the soft, romantic wedding atmosphere we were hoping for. The grand hotels we looked at just seemed a bit formal for us, and we didn't like the thought of knowing that people other than our guests would be in the venue on the day.

A Mint Themed Country Pub Wedding with Rustic DIY Details

It's been way too long since I featured a gorgeous real wedding, and it's definitely time to introduce all you newly engaged brides-to-be to the wonders of stealworthy ideas. These are the snippets, goodies and wedding details that you can only get from the fabulous pooled creativity of real brides. Stunning couple Laura and Ben are a great example. With their rustic barn wedding, pretty mint and vintage theme, and eye for a bargain, their wedding is chock-full of wedding inspiration. Laura loves a good DIY project, and packed loads into her wedding to give it that personal touch so key to making your wedding stand out from all the others you'll go to this summer! You'll love her handmade table names, printed 'Wed-Libs', and rustic wedding signs. For favours, Laura chose to reflect her and Ben's heritage, with palm leaf fans sent over from the Philippines {Laura's mother is Filipina}, and miniature bottles of Ouzo for the boys {Ben's mother is Greek Cypriot}. I love Laura's elegant wedding style; the lace overlay of her fitted wedding gown, and her simple up-do and cathedral-length veil, decorated by her mum with diamante. Enjoy these brilliant pictures by Kate Gray Photography of the wedding ceremony, and stay tuned for all the reception shots, later this afternoon.

We got married at The Olde Bell, Hurley on Saturday 21st September 2013. We looked at seven local venues on Christmas Eve 2012, and this one just felt right.



I was spoilt as my hair and make-up was done by the ridiculously talented Lauren Appleby who again happens to be one of my best friends and one of my bridesmaids. Lauren is trained in everything from stage hair and make-up, to wigs and special effects make-up for TV and film, and even body paint! Having someone I know so well to help me get ready was what dreams are made of. Thank you so much for making me look so beautiful ☺!

DIY Rustic Barn Wedding with Bright & White Details - The Reception

There's nothing I like more than seeing the results of a wedding planned with the help of Before the Big Day. So it gives me great pleasure to feature Kate and Graham's stunning wedding pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography. Kate found Victoria thanks to a blog post on Before the Big Day - and I'm tickled pink that it all worked out so well. Kate and Graham celebrated their wedding at Cogges Manor Farm, with a bright and white theme in two separate barns. The whole affair was a massive DIY project from start to finish. Cogges is a dry venue - which means you only get the building, and have to add all your own decorations {including tables, lighting & heating!} and choose your own suppliers. We had exactly the same thing for our wedding, and although it means lots of work, you really do get your wedding your way. You'll love the ribbon decorations in the bright 'party barn' - the swags from the rafters are such an effective way of adding colour to a room, and the theme is also reflected in the DIY table plan and table cloth details. Have a good read of Kate's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire for more ideas, and if you love her Stella York wedding dress as much as I do, you'll be interested to know it's for sale on Preloved for only £560!

We celebrated our wedding in June 2013 at Cogges Manor Farm, Whitney, Oxfordshire. Our main requirements for our wedding venue were to find a truly rustic barn, and somewhere we'd have the freedom to choose our own suppliers and decorate ourselves.

Our whole wedding was a massive DIY project! We decorated both barns ourselves, organised everything, right down to designing our own wedding stationery, cooking home-made piccalilli to serve with the hog roast, creating the ribbon table plan, and I made my own hairpiece!

DIY Rustic Barn Wedding with Bright & White Details

When it comes to your wedding planning, your venue is key. It'll set the mood for your big day, and many of your other details and theming will emerge from its location and style. Kate and Graham found Cogges Manor Farm on a cold November day, and despite the weather, they fell in love. They wanted a truly rustic barn, that they could decorate themselves, and Cogges was perfect. They even took a gamble that the Farm might not have received their wedding licence in time, but luckily everything worked out perfectly. I think Cogges might be one of my favourite venues ever! The colour of the stone, and the combination of rustic and luxe, is just gorgeous! As Kate and Graham were using two of the barns, they were able to have two separate themes - white for the ceremony barn, and brights for the celebratory reception barn. There are so many wedding details, it's hard to choose my favourites, but the rustic signpost, pretty self-designed wedding stationery and goat {!!!} come high on my list! Enjoy these gorgeous pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography - Kate found her thanks to Before the Big Day! P.S. Kate is selling her Stella York wedding dress on Preloved for only £560.

We celebrated our wedding in June 2013 at Cogges Manor Farm, Whitney, Oxfordshire. Our main requirements for our wedding venue were to find a truly rustic barn, and somewhere we'd have the freedom to choose our own suppliers and decorate ourselves.

We visited several of barns but few that were really rustic, and very few that didn't already have preferred suppliers. We visited on a cold November day but our visit confirmed that Cogges was perfect for us . It was beautiful and you hired the barns, but then were free to organise everything yourself {everything, down to tables and chairs, cutlery!}.

Pretty Sage Green & Dusky Pink Shabby Chic Church Wedding - The Reception

With a dusky pink and sage green wedding colours, I was always going to love Daniella and Paul's wedding - after all, they're the same shades I picked for my own big day. Add in the stunning DIY wedding details and the shabby chic theme, and this wedding is something of a humdinger! I love all the pretty touches, from the handmade burlap menu folds, the pashmina favours, the table plan tree, the vintage tea-cups filled with sweeties for snacking, and the fingerprint guest-book. With two years to plan, Daniella thought of every single wedding extra, and it really shows in this lovely personal wedding. Don't miss her answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire - if you're thinking about hiring a wedding coordinator for the day, Daniella's answers will swing you towards asking your florist! Huge thanks to Dean Govier for his beautiful wedding photographs - he captured every perfect detail.



Paul and I got married on 1st June 2013. We had our ceremony at St. George's Church in Crowhurst, and hosted our reception at Coltsford Mill, a Watermill barn near Oxted in Surrey. The barn is a blank canvas and the grounds are simply stunning, with an abundance of lakes and lawns.

Our wedding photographer was Dean Govier. Originally we had someone else booked, but as time went on I felt I wasn't connecting with him, and had my doubts. Luckily we met Dean at our marriage prep classes {he got married 3 weeks before us} and we instantly felt drawn to his style and personality. We knew he would be a fab photographer, and someone we wanted there on our day, so we lost the deposit on our original booking and booked Dean, and we were so pleased with our decision!

A Pretty, Sage Green & Dusky Pink, Shabby Chic, DIY Church Wedding

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there's nothing I like more than a Before the Big Day bride who gets in touch after her big day to submit her wedding. Daniella read BBD, and I'm thrilled to say she's a girl after my own heart - a DIY bride with an eye for wedding details, and a love for a sage green and pink colour palette. You'll find stacks of inspiration in her pretty designs - this is a bride who created everything from the bunting, the table plan, place name holders, hessian cone pew-ends, happy-tear tissue pouches, Orders of Service, hundreds of jam jar candles and even 100 tea-light candles! You'll love her advice and her enthusiasm for her wedding vendors - enjoy these beautiful photographs by Dean Govier...with much more from the wedding reception later today.

Paul and I got married on 1st June 2013. We had our ceremony at St. George's Church in Crowhurst. It's our local church and it means a lot to me, as I was christened there, and attended family services there all my life. The Vicar has known me since I was three years old, so it felt like the right place to get married.

I picked pale green and dusky pink as our wedding colours, and we incorporated birds and roses as our main theme, plus a monogram of our initials on our wedding stationery. I worked with my florist to get the colours just right, and her inspiration was invaluable. I recommend her 100% - she was more than just a florist.

A Natural Homemade Sunshine Yellow Wedding - The Reception

With wedding details galore, I've fallen hook, line, and sinker for this beautiful farm wedding. There's nothing more stunning than the British countryside on a summer's day, and Abi and Simon got seriously lucky with their wedding weather. With a barn wedding venue and a rustic theme based around DIY details, I love the coherence of their blue and yellow colour scheme. More stealworthy ideas include the naked wedding cake, the raffia ties around the napkins, the mum-made bunting and the home-grown table flowers and wedding favours. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Jo Richards Photography - just take a look at that view!

Our wedding photographer was Jo Richards Photography. We originally had a friend doing our photography, but she pulled out with four months to go, and I did some research to find someone local. 

I had three interviews with wedding photographers in one morning, but Jo won hands down. She totally 'got' my family and our ideas, and also her photos were amazing. Our formal wedding photographs were a breeze, and I am loving looking through them all now.