Glamorous Ombre Wedding Dresses

Ombre is a huge wedding trend right now, with every wedding detail, from stationery to flowers featuring a graduated tint. Even long hair is getting the ombre treatment. But this is the first time I've seen an ombre wedding dress. Ideal for brides looking to stand out from the crowd, these wedding gowns by Ouma are guaranteed to wow your guests. The stunning skirt features layer upon layer of hand-dyed tulle to create a full and unique silhouette, gradually fading up from a vibrant pink, to coral, to peach and finally topped with a beautiful silk white. Pair it with a v-neck t-shirt for a fun casual wedding party or glam it up with a corset and glitter heels. Check out my Pinterest board for more ombre wedding theme ideas.

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Real Bohemian Tepee English Garden Wedding: Sarah & Andy

Tepee marquees are official the new trend of this summer season. With their vintage rustic charm, they add bohemian charm to an English countryside wedding, and they have much more personality than your bog-standard marquee. Hire them from Stunning Tents or World Inspired Tents. Gorgeous couple Sarah and Andy chose to host their wedding reception in a tepee marquee in a wildflower meadow next to Sarah's parents home in Suffolk. I'm loving all their personlised wedding details, from the peach giant balloons to the DIY wedding flowers {arranged by Sarah's friend Ruth}, Mexican style bunting and the sheep-skin covered benches. I've always been a fan of family-style dining - it adds a warmth to the wedding meal. Sarah and Andy wanted their wedding to feel like a relaxed summer garden party, and with Pimms on offer, and outdoor games for the children, it was the perfect English wedding. Stunning pictures, as ever, from the hugely talented Justine Ferrari Photography.

A Quirky Vintage London Wedding with a 'Super-Hero' Bride - The Reception

This eclectic vintage wedding is proof you can do pretty in London. With pastel lanterns, lace tissue bunting, and freshly picked flowers, you'd expect a marquee wedding venue, but Tasha and Niall decided to celebrate their wedding at their local - The Londesborough Pub. I've fallen for their relaxed wedding style and quirky details, from their Art Deco postcard guest book to their simple Victoria Sponge wedding cakes. Most of all, I love how happy they both look! Huge thanks to Michael from My Beautiful Bride, for his stunning pictures - hopefully more of his work coming soon on Before the Big Day. Don't miss Part 1 of this wedding.

A Quirky Vintage London Wedding with a 'Super-Hero' Bride

You can't fail to fall in love with this beautiful quirky wedding, with its gorgeous bride and groom. Tasha and Niall decided to celebrate their wedding close to home - hosting their reception in their local - a great gastropub called The Londesborough Pub, and their ceremony at the nearby Stoke Newington Town Hall. I'm slightly obsessed with Tasha's amazing wedding gown - it's a 1970s original, and would you believe, she found it on Etsy for only £80! The dress needed only the tiniest of alterations, and even came with a little lace cape - super hero bride-style! So many other stunning details to steal - starting with the pretty 'just-picked' bouquets, the forget-me-knots in Tasha's hair, and the elegant, Art Nouveau-style wedding invitations by Ellie Weehuizen. Big love to Michael from My Beautiful Bride, for his stunning pictures. I'm in love with all the portrait shots, and there's more to come in Part 2.

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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The Quickest Way to Pretty Quirky Wedding Nails

Regular readers of this blog will know that no wedding detail is too small! While the uninitiated may think it's enough to choose the perfect wedding flowers, favours, dress and stationery, I'm getting excited about the tiny things, like how to have the best-dressed cutlery, shoe stickers {yes really}, and now.....pretty wedding nails. In some ways, how your hands look is going to be of primary importance. You're going to be given an exciting new ring, you're already wearing a gorgeous engagement ring, you're holding a bouquet, and sooner or later, someone is certain to take a picture of your hands - probably your wedding photographer. So give that man or woman something to admire....just think how many ordinary French manicures they've pictures already....and add these cute nail decals by Stick It Vinyl. My favourites are the dandelions - there's something about making a wish on your wedding day that suits my whimsical nature.

{I want these!} All nail stickers / decals by Stick It Vinyl, from £1.25 per nail

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Wedding Trends of 2014 - Unconventional Ushers

Weddings are ALL about the girls. The bride, the bridesmaid, the flowers girls....the groom and ushers must feel a bit left out. But that's all set to change thanks to this latest wedding trend for 2014, and it's all thanks to our lovely American cousins. Over in California, ushers {or groomsmen, as they call them there}, stepped into the limelight years ago - with their trendy braces, bow-ties, and cute matching socks. And now, thanks in part to the popularity of American wedding blogs here in the UK, the trend is winging its way across the Atlantic. And I couldn't be more of a fan! British boys are deliciously dapper, and slightly eccentric - the perfect combo for an unconventional usher. Whatsmore, the UK is the home of smart Savile Row tailoring, so I reckon we're going to beat the American boys at their own game. More fantastic groom ideas on my Pinterest board. Take a look at more Wedding Trends for 2014.

{Photo Credit} Swoon By Katie, see more from this wedding shoot on 100 Layer Cake

Funny Haha Wedding Photo Props

One way to guarantee fantastic photographs of your wedding guests is to hire a really good wedding photographer. The other, is create, or hire a photobooth. Personally I recommend both! Your photographer can do all the day shots, and then, after the cake is cut, and the first dance is done, the photobooth comes into its own. Your slightly drunken guests will be drawn towards it like moths to a flame, and you'll end up with an amazing gallery of hilarious shots. The true photobooth aficionado understands the need for truly excellent props, so you'll be pleased to know I've collected a few of my favourites on my {originally named} Photobooth Prop Ideas Pinterest board. Enjoy!

{I want these!} 20 Plastic Photoprops, £96 by Mister Mustache in Ukraine {tonnes of fab creativity coming from Ukraine at the moment!}

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Decadent Festival Wedding Shoot

Regular readers of this blog will know there's nothing I like more than a good wedding theme! Particularly when it's teamed with tonnes of wedding ideas, and some truly fabulous photography. Take a look at this genius wedding shoot inspired by the mighty Glastonbury Festival {my favourite weekend away!}. The brainchild of Lesley from The Vintage Hire Company, and Jo from The Gloucestershire Wedding Company, the shoot was the perfect opportunity for local wedding vendors to showcase their talents. A mix of rustic and edgy, the atmosphere is 'anything goes', and I love the mix of colours. Ideas to steal include the bell tents for lounging, the giant balloon wedding decorations, the 'Access all Areas' wedding stationery, and camper van photo prop. And for sheer originality - arranging the wedding flowers in old boots!!  Huge thanks to Christy of Christy Blanch Photography for sending this shoot through to me - all the details of the other vendors below!

Real Quirky Comic-Book Themed Wedding: Verity & Russell - The Reception

Regular readers of the blog might have spotted my giant balloon obsession. It all started back when I was planning my own wedding - I saw this picture, and decided I had to have giant white balloons at my big day. Fast forward two years and Before the Big Day bride, Verity, got in touch to tell me about her love of red balloons, and to find out the details of my supplier. Fast forward another year, and here are the amazing pictures of Verity and Russell's big day! They didn't just use balloons in their wedding decoration - they had a veritable plethora of wedding details, all themed around a vintage comic book and board game wedding theme. You'll find buckets of DIY wedding inspiration, from their Monopoly board table plan, the favour boxes wrapped in comic book pages, their mum-made wedding cake and jam-jar Pimm's glasses. I love the Scrabble tile wedding favours, the vintage cameras and the pop of the homemade red bunting against the white of the marquee. Huge thanks to Verity for submitting her wedding, and to her fantastic wedding photographer, Rebecca L Weddings for capturing all the details. Why not submit your wedding?

We got married on 18 May 2013 at Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire with a reception in Rosliston Forestry Centre. 



We actually had a rough ride with our reception. We booked a nearby barn but got told with eight months to go that they were no longer doing weddings due to noise and neighbour problems. We were gutted! Thankfully Saffron Caterers put forward Rosliston Forestry Centre as an alternative. It was in the middle of the National Forest, and has accommodation for all our guests, so it was the perfect alternative, and better than our original choice. 

Real Quirky Comic-Book Themed Wedding: Verity & Russell

Brighten up your day with this imaginative, comic-book themed wedding! It's packed full of stealworthy ideas, and I'm thrilled that the lovely Verity drew inspiration from Before the Big Day. We share a love of giant round balloons, along with a good wedding theme. Verity and Russell chose an old-school vibe of comic books and vintage board games to decorate their reception, and I reckon it's the first time I've seen a Monopoly board at a wedding! You'll have to wait for this afternoon's feature to see those details, but first, feast your eyes on Verity's fabulous Sophia Tolli wedding gown, her dramatic bouquet of red gerbera and Russell's fantastic red bow-tie. I also love her little bridemaids' dresses - their luxurious red sashes, and little ribbon wands. Verity has tonnes of great wedding advice on how to keep to your wedding budget - from DIY projects to winning competitions! Enjoy reading her answers to Before the Big Day's Bride's Questionnaire, and why not submit your wedding? Huge thanks to Rebecca L Weddings for her gorgeous pictures of this big day.

We got married on 18 May 2013 at Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire with a reception in Rosliston Forestry Centre. I won a competition by Wedding In A TeaCup so our wedding invitations were free. We went for a vintage look and used stamps to create the name tags.

Real Quirky Forest Wedding: Elise & Patrick

Hands up who likes cupcakes? Well check out the chocolate wonders a few photos down, handmade with no scrimping on the icing, just the way I like them. Loved up couple Elise and Patrick celebrated their big day earlier this year, on a gorgeous summer day deep in the forest. Both of them look gorgeous, but a special thumbs up has to go to Patrick for his fab red tie - I love the way it tones with Elise's bouquet, the bunting and even the tablecloths. Other wedding ideas to steal include the birchwood vases and peg cake-toppers, plus the daisy-filled vintage watering-can. Many thanks as always to the team at Our Labour of Love for their stunning shots!

 ♥ Want to see more red themed weddings? ♥ Or how about quirky weddings? ♥

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Real Vintage Sunflower Wedding: Chanelle & Terry - Wedding Reception

If you're a budget-conscious bride, this wedding is going to fill your heart with joy. It's a complete detail-fest, with tonnes of DIY ideas, and all of them are wallet friendly. It's all about having your unique wedding style and keeping to a particular theme. Fantastic couple, Chanelle and Terry chose a sixties vibe for their big day, and DIY'd their flowers, photo-booth, table-plan and much, much more. Armed with blackboard paint and a huge fancy dress box, they kept their guests entertained late into the night with a music themed wedding reception in Terry's parents' back garden. Take a look at all these incredible photographs by Michael at My Beautiful Bride, and be sure to read Chanelle's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire. She's a vintage genius {take a look at her retro clothes shop Annie in the Attic} full of fantastic wedding advice!



We married on the 30th June 2012. The ceremony was held in St Mary's Church in Buckland in Surrey, and the reception was held in the garden and marquee at Terry's parents' house in Buckland. Holding the reception at Terry's parents meant we had full control of all aspects of planning, styling and dressing which is exactly what we wanted.

Terry and I have known each other since high school! We didn't see each other for years and then met again in a local bar, and the rest is history as they say.

On our five year anniversary, Terry took me and our son {who was only 6 months old at the time}, to Brighton for the day, as this is one of our favourite places to visit. We spent the day there, trawling vintage shops, and had lunch before a walk on the pier. It was sunset and he timed it perfectly, when he got down on one knee on the end of the pier!

Our photographs were taken by the fantastic Michael from My Beautiful Bride, who we can’t praise enough. Michael captured our day perfectly, and he was great in the build up to the wedding, and on the day itself. 

Ahead of your wedding, Michael really gets to know you as a couple, and spends time brainstorming ideas for creative shots, to ensure he knows exactly what you want from your pictures. All our guests commented on how helpful he was, and we were flooded with messages and comments on the finished photos. 


The thing we realised about photos is that the day goes so quickly, that actually your photos are one of the most important elements of your big day. They're your wedding day story book.

 

We began planning the wedding the summer before our big day. We drew inspiration from wedding blogs, moodboards and places like Pinterest. As I work in vintage, the wedding was always going to have a strong sixties influence, as this is my favourite era. I also found choosing the flowers really helped develop my ideas and colour themes, and I put together many moodboards.



We wanted lots of interesting things for our guests, so we had tonnes of DIY wedding details. We turned the potting shed into a vintage photo booth with old curtains that could be changed for different backdrops, and a huge chest of vintage clothing, props and hats. We purchased a Fuji Instax {a LOT cheaper than Polaroid, plus films are easy to buy} that produces instant pics, and hung out string with coloured pegs to create photo bunting. Guests had great fun doing this and wrote messages on the photo borders for us to keep. 


Another detail that added interest was our 'Family Tree'. We collected old and vintage pictures, and photo frames, and used them to display photos of Terry and I, and our families. They were tied on string and nailed into an old tree which looked really pretty. Guests loved laughing at old photos of us and reminiscing.

We chose records for our name places and table plan, and chose some of our favourite songs for table names; we also played these tracks in the background whilst we ate. 

We provided coloured chalks on the tables, and guests wrote messages on the record table names, and on their glasses, which we'd painted with blackboard paint so we could use them as name places.

Wedding stationary can be expensive, and I enjoy DIY projects, so I made our wedding stationery myself. The Save the Dates were simple magnets with the day, date and time and a 60s 'Just Married' couple photo in black and white. The wedding invites were the same design with further information printed on postcards. It was much cheaper than traditional invitations, and suited our wedding perfectly.

We DIY'd our wedding flowers. Ahead of our big day, we went to flower shows and wholesalers to select the flowers we liked. We then found a wholesalers close to the wedding venue, and ordered the flowers and picked them up the day before the wedding. We all made the bouquets and table decorations together, and left them in water in a dark shed overnight so they didn't wilt. Florists can be very expensive so we saved a lot of money by doing them ourselves.

Our wedding cake was made by a friend of ours, and an expert baker - Jody at Boola's Bakery. Jody created exactly the cake we requested, but she is great and has a whole portfolio of ideas if you need inspiration. We told her our ideas and she created the perfect cake!

For wedding favours we created a penny sweet table, with small pink and white paper bags. Our guests were encourage to help themselves. We also made little brown paper envelopes containing sunflower seeds with the words 'Let Your Love Grow' stencilled on the front. Guests really liked these and they were very cheap to make.

I loved planning my wedding! It can be stressful at times, but on the day when you and all your guests can enjoy all that hard work, is really worth it. I say all the time, I wish I could do it all again!

My advice to brides planning their wedding is - enjoy the day! Its cliché but it goes so quickly. Get a great photographer {I couldn’t recommend Michael from My Beautiful Bride enough} so that you have perfect memories, and don’t be afraid to do things yourselves. You can save lots of money and its really rewarding.

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

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Real Vintage Sunflower Wedding: Chanelle & Terry

This is one of those amazing weddings, where the bride and groom's exuberance and sheer joy just leaps out of the pictures. Chanelle and Terry celebrated their big day in vintage sunshiny style, with a gaggle of girlfriends and a fabulous 1960s theme. Chanelle owns and runs the fantastic vintage shop in Balham called Annie in the Attic, and I'm slightly obsessed with her retro style. Just take a look at her bridesmaids mini-shift dresses, white tights and cute lace gloves for starters! Anyone planning to scrimp on the number of maids of honour should think again - getting ready looks like a riot, and the matching outfits make for amazing pictures. With a church wedding and a marquee reception in Terry's parents' cottage garden, this is the DIY-wedding of your dreams. Don't miss Part 2, published tomorrow - it's packed to the brim with original wedding details, including a photo family-tree, a table-plan of vinyl LPs, and a potting shed turned vintage photo-booth! Huge thanks to Michael at My Beautiful Bride for his truly fantastic photographs. He didn't miss a single shot!

We married on the 30th June 2012. The ceremony was held in St Mary's Church in Buckland in Surrey, and the reception was held in the garden and marquee at Terry's parents' house in Buckland.

My dress was from Ronald Joyce and I bought it from The Wedding Service in Wallington, in Surrey. My shoes were Benjamin Adams, and my jewellery was vintage. 

I handmade my oversized bow hair accessory in the hotel the night before the wedding {which gave me something to focus on!}.

Until a week before the wedding I had an original 1960s wedding dress hanging up in a dress bag ready to go for my wedding day. I'd fallen in love with it, and bought it from a supplier I know in LA. But then my mum took me shoe shopping the week before at a bridal shop and my eye caught on the Ronald Joyce gown... I tried it on and couldn't take it off!

I had ten bridesmaids! When I first told people this, they thought I was crazy... but it was fantastic! It meant I didn't have to choose between my best friends, and I had support the whole time. They were all great and helped me out in different ways.



They wore special edition dresses from River Island {including Rhiannon, my Maid of Honour}, and I sourced them white tights, vintage court shoes and communion dresses from eBay. 
 



Terry went for a sharp, mod inspired style with a two tone blue Ben Sherman suit, Ben Sherman shirt and accessories, a vintage tie-clip and Lambretta shoes.

When we started planning our wedding, we started looking at venues, and then remembered St Mary's Church near Terry’s parents' house. We looked around and it was perfect. 

A quaint village church, with medieval characteristics, beautiful and within walking distance of Terry's parents where we decided to have a garden and marquee reception. 

Holding the reception at Terry's parents meant we had full control of all aspects of planning, styling and dressing which is exactly what we wanted.

We DIY'd our wedding flowers. Ahead of our big day, we went to flower shows and wholesalers to select the flowers we liked. We then found a wholesalers close to the wedding venue, and ordered the flowers and picked them up the day before the wedding. 

We all made the bouquets and table decorations together, and left them in water in a dark shed overnight so they didn't wilt. Florists can be very expensive so we saved a lot of money by doing them ourselves.

Our photographs were taken by the fantastic Michael from My Beautiful Bride, who we can’t praise enough. Michael captured our day perfectly, and he was great in the build up to the wedding, and on the day itself.

Ahead of your wedding, Michael really gets to know you as a couple, and spends time brainstorming ideas for creative shots, to ensure he knows exactly what you want from your pictures. All our guests commented on how helpful he was, and we were flooded with messages and comments on the finished photos.

The thing we realised about photos is that the day goes so quickly, that actually your photos are one of the most important elements of your big day. They're your wedding day story book.

 ♥ Want to see quirky wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more vintage wedding ideas? ♥

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Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.