Real Pretty Australian Beach Wedding with Monochrome Detailing

When the lovely Jen Huang got in touch with me to ask me if I'd like to feature a gorgeous Australian wedding shoot, I nearly bit her hand off! I'm completely in love with her beautiful pictures, and all the wonderful stealworthy wedding ideas. There are so many, I'm dividing this wedding into two - the next set will appear later this afternoon, so you'll have plenty of time to drink in every wedding detail. First for the pre-wedding shoot {such a fabulous idea!}, and the wedding tablescape, later the wedding dress and stunning portrait pictures. I'm loving the pretty pink and monochrome wedding scheme, the stunning rustic wedding stationery, complete with crossed oars to reflect Ross' rowing background, and the personalised pillows. Throw in the relaxed waterside venue, and the incredible cheese table and rustic bunting, and I'm a very happy wedding blogger. Don't miss the details of all the vendors below, including the lovely Polka Dot Bride.

A Shabby Chic Village Hall Wedding with a Sassi Holford Wedding Gown

If you can find the right village hall, then they really do make for the most wonderful wedding venues, while being super-kind on your wallet. Lucky Gemma and James found Littleton Millennium Memorial Hall in their local area, and fell in love with its natural light, wooden floors, and the amazing cricket field out the back. It was crying out for their natural, shabby-chic wedding decorations - most of which they DIY'd using burlap and tissue paper - including my favourite - pastel pompoms! I love Gemma's gorgeous Sassi Holford gown from Brides of Winchester - she chose her wedding dress after losing two and a half stone on the Cambridge Weight Plan, and felt all the more glamorous for it. Enjoy all these gorgeous pictures by Gemma's friend, Paul Cutcliffe from Final Cut Services. If only we all had a wedding photographer as a friend.....!

We celebrated our wedding on 31st August 2013, with a ceremony at St Swithens church near Winchester, and our reception at Littleton Millennium Memorial Hall.

My wedding dress was called 'Petra' by So Sassi {the 'esprit' label from Sassi Holford}, which I bought from Brides of Winchester. I had a bespoke shrugette by  So Sassi made in matching lace, and wore a pearl necklace and earrings, My veils was three-quarter length, and simple. I decided to go for a vintage look for my makeup, and had dark nails and lips on the day to add a bit of colour.

Real London Wedding with a Short Wedding Dress & Louboutins

Huge kudos goes to any bride who bucks the trend and wears a short wedding dress. Double-points go to Imogen, who paired her gorgeous gown with incredible Christian Louboutin's. If you've ever wanted to treat yourself to a truly extravagant pair of shoes, your wedding day is definitely the day to do it! School sweethearts, Imogen and James picked the ICA gallery as the venue for their modern London wedding, and I'm loving the combination of sharp suits and soft pastels. James looks fab in his dark suit and knitted tie {very this season}, and Imogen's bridesmaids look elegant in dark-blue dresses of their own choosing. But it's the flowers that have really got my wedding antennae twitching. Soft hydrangeas plus pastel roses, with sprigs of rosemary and lovely shabby chic containers - they're a wedding blogger's dream. Throw in the delicately decorated cake, and I'm in heaven. Fabulous photographs published with thanks to Lucy Birkhead Photography.

A Relaxed Boho Country Wedding Inspired by a Painting - The Reception

With a brilliant boho teepee reception venue, an incredible lake-side location, and even a bell-tent village for guests wanting to camp overnight, this stunning big day ticks all my boxes. Lisa and Marcus decided on a relaxed, country wedding, and discovered the amazing Lyndon Top campsite as a wedding venue. Theirs was the first wedding ever held there, and it made for some challenging logistics. Everything, including electricity, had to be brought in - but didn't it make for an incredible wedding? I love all Lisa's wedding details, from the DIY'd reception flowers {including cornflowers - my favourite!}, the boho but elegant teepees, and the Lisa and Marcus' decision to forego cake and favours, and choose cheese instead! Nowadays it's all about having your wedding your way, and picking and choosing from the standard traditions. Enjoy Lisa's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, and feast your eyes on Victoria Phipps Photography's amazing work!

We celebrated our wedding on 6th July 2013 at St Mary's Church in Ashwell. We hosted our wedding reception in a teepee at Lyndon Top, overlooking Rutland Water. Our teepees were from Papakata, who I would highly recommend. Their teepees look fantastic and their attention to detail is excellent.

We were hoping to create a relaxed, country wedding, with a hint of boho, and were delighted to find a field overlooking Rutland Water, so we had a fantastic view of the lake as well.

A Relaxed Boho Country Wedding Inspired by a Painting

This beautiful boho wedding has me wanting to recreate my own wedding all over again! Lovely bride Lisa, was inspired by a the painting, 'Midsummer Eve' by Edward Robert Hughes, and painted her own design for her wedding invitations, Save the Dates, and table stationery. I've fallen in love with the relaxed country feel, the dreamy lakeside teepee wedding reception, and Lisa's divine messy bouquet, made up of spray roses, sweet-smelling honeysuckle, and mint. Every wedding detail fits perfectly, from Lisa's bespoke head-dress, her sweet page boys' and flower girls' outfits, and her divine David Fielden dress - which was actually the top and bottom of two dresses put together. Enjoy these wonderful pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography, and stay tuned for the amazing reception photographs. You wait till you see the Lyndon Top lakeside reception venue!

We celebrated our wedding on 6th July 2013 at St Mary's Church in Ashwell. We hosted our wedding reception in a tipi at Lyndon Top, overlooking Rutland Water.

We were hoping to create a relaxed, country wedding and were delighted to find a field overlooking Rutland Water, so we had a fantastic view of the lake as well.

Real Secret Elopement Wedding: Crystal & Matt

Crystal and Matt eloped and got celebrated their big day in a secret ceremony without any other guests. Now how's that for an inspiration for couples struggling to edit their guest lists! They chose the most incredibly romantic location I've ever seen, unfortunately for us Brits, is all the way over in Atlanta Georgia. But we can still fall in love with idea of getting married near a tumble-down mansion, there must be hundreds in the UK - why not check out the National Trust for ideas. Other totally stealworthy ideas include Crystal's gorgeous simple strapless dress, the cute bright yellow of Matt's buttonhole, and the stunning sewn vow cards, created by Ashley of Dolci Odille. Best of all, I love the pics, and they're thanks to the massively talented team at Simply Bloom.

A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details - The Reception

A little late-coming {I got horribly distracted with Christmas shopping}, but it's time for the delicious second half of this gorgeous wedding. Groom Adam set his bride the challenge of incorporating his football team, Manchester United, into their wedding. Laura managed it with aplomb, creating an incredible 3D table plan, complete with real grass. The red of their shirts proved a slight problem, as it didn't quite fit in with their cream, elegant wedding colour palette, but Adam compromised with cream shirts in the main dining room! There's plenty more stealworthy ideas to snaffle from the pictures - not least the personalised stamp made by BerinMade stationers. Laura used it to brand all their wedding stationery, and to create salt dough heart ornaments. Laura's mum even borrowed it to hand-stamp biscuits, in case any of the guests got peckish on the bus to the reception venue. I'm a huge fan of Laura's antique sapphire and diamond engagement ring as well! Huge thanks to Laura for filling in all her answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire, and to Lissa Alexandra Photography for her fantastic pictures. I've never seen such a fantastic array of wedding portrait shots!

We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.

Our wedding photographer was Lissa Alexandra Photography. Shortly after our engagement, I went to a wedding fair, and I fell instantly in love with her photography style. I knew I had to have her from that moment. I think she was the first thing I booked once our date was confirmed.

A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details

Ice-cream van? Check! Quirky character cars? Check! Fabulous vintage bus? Check! As you can tell, this gorgeous wedding has tonnes of simply fabulous details - many of them with four wheels, and a vintage personality! Laura and Adam were keen to host a classic, elegant wedding, which reflected them as a couple, without having too obvious a theme. Pinks and greens are the dominant colours, and there's definitely a vintage hint to many of the details. I've fallen for Laura's Audrey Hepburn inspired wedding outfit, and her stunning David Austin rose bouquet. Throw in the pretty-as-a-picture church, and historic venue near York, and I'm sold! Enjoy all the gorgeous pictures by Lissa Alexandra Photography - she captured every detail perfectly, and make sure you unashamedly steal Laura's wedding ideas from her answers to Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire! More from the reception published later today.

We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.

I wanted a venue which was a blank canvas and suited me. Bold green patterned carpets and massive drapes like you get in a traditional castle or stately home venue, just wouldn’t cut it. I chose The Old Deanery for its dark wooden floor boards and cream panelled walls.

Real Misty Winter Wedding with a Gorgeous Short Dress

This incredible winter wedding is proof you can organise a fabulous big day in under a month! Keri and Bill originally planned to marrry in June, but they decided to bring all their family together for the holidays and celebrate both happy occasions. I've fallen for the gorgeous misty moodiness of these lovely pictures by Amy Carroll, and all the charming details. Scroll down for classic winter wedding inspiration, including DIY felt pom-poms and ring-pillow, the owl cake topper, the ruffled cake and the particularly cute 'smitten' mitton-shaped favours. Also loving the silvery and while flower arrangements by Gail VanderLaan and Keri's 50's style mid-length dress, and furry stole. Shorter wedding dresses are so this season!

Real Purple & Lace Themed English Wedding

This wonderful English wedding ticks every one of my boxes. Childhood sweethearts; check. Gorgeous gown; check. Fabulous pink shoes; check. From the colour palette to the gorgeous laser-cut cupcake covers, I'm loving every single detail. Isn't it the quintessential English wedding? There's a reason why so many brides and grooms choose a church wedding followed by a marquee reception - it's a tried and tested template that allows you add your own personal touches. Fantastic pictures, as ever, by Yana Photography.

A London Library Wedding with Irish Tartan & Indian Extras

There's nothing I like more than a bride who knows exactly what she wants for her wedding day, and when she can't find it, makes it herself! Lovely Sally handmade all her wedding stationery - including her invitations and table plan, and her pretty seed wedding favours. Then, when she couldn't find bridesmaids dresses in her chosen shade of green, she called on her mum to sew them out of fabric originally designed for suit linings. The end result is a gorgeous, relaxed big day with tonnes of truly personalised wedding details. I love how groom Michael reflected his Irish heritage with his fabulous traditional kilt, and the sunny pop of the gerbera buttonholes. Sally bought her wedding dress from BHS online, and isn't it stunning! Just goes to show you don't have to have a designer gown to look gorgeous on your big day. Another stealworthy idea is Michael and Sally's choice of a fabulous Indian buffet for their wedding reception. If your favourite food is Asian or Mexican, why not choose it for your wedding menu? Huge thanks to Corrado Chiozzi for his fantastic wedding pictures, more of his work coming soon on Before the Big Day!

We celebrated our wedding at Charlton House in London. I knew I wanted our wedding to be fairly simple, my husband wanted it to be somewhere fairly formal, and I wanted fairy lights! Also we both love reading, and so hosting our reception in a library suited us perfectly.

We didn't have a theme as such. We wanted green for the bridesmaid dresses, yellow for the flowers and Indian fabrics and food to feature!

A Traditional Countryside Wedding with a Fabric Inspired Theme - The Reception

It's taken me far too long to put up the second half of this amazing detail-filled wedding, {I've had horrible flu}, but believe me, it's worth the wait! Bride Amy read Before the Big Day while preparing for her wedding, and took her decor details to the next level. We're talking 250 meters of hand-sewn bunting, homemade fudge wedding favours, and carefully painted dog food tin can vases. The result is a perfectly rustic English country garden theme, with a pretty green and blue colour palette. I love all the Colefax and Fowler fabrics, and the DIY'd table flowers, picked from Blooming Green Flower Farm. Look carefully at every picture for the little extras, including the twine-tied jam jar lanterns, the blackboard paint table names, menu cork stands and burlap table runners. Huge thanks to Amy for submitting her wedding, and filling in the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, and to Kate Murrell Weddings for her beautiful wedding pictures. Don't miss the two fantastic wedding videos at the end - one by 

We got married on the 27th July at St Michael and All Angels in Withyham, in Sussex, and we hosted our reception in my parent’s garden ten minutes away from the church.

As I work in interior design I was very into the visual side of the wedding planning, and I had a scrapbook full of sketches, pictures and fabrics! I wanted to go for a very traditional English country wedding look, with bunting, a pole marquee, trestle tables and country garden flowers. 

A Traditional English Countryside Wedding with a Floral Fabric Inspired Theme

This is one of those simply perfect weddings, where you just want to dive in and devour all the details. Lovely Amy read Before the Big Day in the run up to her wedding, and along with her husband Alex, they created the most amazing array of pretty DIY'd decorations. Amy works in interior design, so she was very keen on the visual side of the wedding planning, and started with a scrapbook full of sketches, pictures and fabrics. In fact the wedding colour palette was entirely themed on a tiny scrap of fabric - a pretty blue and green floral print on a cream background. The crafty projects are never-ending! Along with her mum, Amy made 250 meters of double sided bunting {now available to hire!}, dried all the confetti in their airing cupboard, and picked and arranged all the marquee flowers. Meanwhile Alex's mum made the fudge favours, and not to be outdone, Alex made the chalkboard table-plan. There's so many stealworthy ideas to choose, but my favourites have to be Amy's stunning self-designed wedding gown, her adorable traditional pageboys' outfits {in knickerbockers made by her mum!}, and Amy's family jewellery - some serious rocks!! Huge thanks to Kate Murrell Weddings for her stunning pictures of the day....more to come in Part 2.

We got married on the 27th July at St Michael and All Angels in Withyham, in Sussex, and we hosted our reception in my parent’s garden ten minutes away from the church.

As I work in interior design I was very into the visual side of the wedding planning, and I had a scrapbook full of sketches, pictures and fabrics! I wanted to go for a very traditional English country wedding look, with bunting, a pole marquee, trestle tables and country garden flowers. 

An Enchanted Forest Wedding Themed Around Music & Love - The Reception

This dreamy destination wedding has got me wanting to get married all over again! Nuria and Jordi chose a love and music theme for their big day, and designed many of their wedding details around this central idea. Their wedding stationery was made out of origami paper, and came with directions on how to fold it into a piano - such an original idea! The other wedding theme centred around their wedding venue - their boutique hotel, La Garriga de Castelladral, near Barcelona in Spain. I've fallen for all their wedding details, from the stunning balloon release, to the bubble confetti and the exciting children's sweetie table - it's like a scene from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. So many stunning details - huge thanks to Abreras & Ruso for capturing every detail!

We got married on the 7th of July 2012 at La Garriga de Castelladr, a magical boutique hotel in the middle of nature, one hour from Barcelona in Spain.

Our wedding photographers were Abreras & Ruso. They are a team of two, and they're very professional and skilled. We chose them because their work is very natural and spontaneous.

A Enchanted Forest Wedding Themed Around Music & Love

I couldn't be more excited about sharing this wedding with you! It's an incredible enchanted forest wedding, and it's like something from a fairytale. Gorgeous bride, Nuria got in touch to submit the photographs from her big day, and as soon as I saw them, I jumped at the chance. Nuria and Jordi run their own stunning boutique hotel, called La Garriga de Castelladral so it made perfect sense to host their big day at home. La Garriga is the most amazing wedding venue - and Nuria and Jordi used every space, from the luxurious bedrooms, to the large stone terrace, bright banqueting room, and of course, the incredible forest for their wedding ceremony. I've fallen for Nuria's relaxed luxe wedding style - her elegant Manuel Mota gown, cloak-style veil {such an original way to wear a veil}, and family heirloom jewellery. Other stealworthy ideas include their pretty ribbon and rosemary ring pillow, the indoor-rugs-used-outside, and the simple vintage furniture. Plus the wild horses.....every wedding should have wild horses! For more information on weddings at La Garriga, take a look at Nuria's blog.

We got married on the 7th of July 2012 at La Garriga de Castelladr, a magical boutique hotel in the middle of nature, one hour from Barcelona in Spain.

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!}.

Atmospheric Scottish Tea Party Wedding - The Reception

A wedding is all about family, so I love it when I read a bride's answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire, and hear how wedding DIY bought everyone together. Danielle and Allan involved both their mothers and sisters, and even a dad in Project Wedding, and created everything from their wedding stationery, to flowers and favours, and even those delicate-looking cupcakes. Danielle's a strong believer in spotting what you like and making it yourself for less - great advice! I love Danielle's tea-cup table flowers, and the little jam-jar favours filled with jelly-beans - such a pretty detail that wouldn't get left on the table {everyone loves jelly-beans!}. Feast your eyes on these fab pics by Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography - I'm so impressed by her use of fun props like the postbox!

We got married on 21st March, which was a Thursday, in The Popinjay Hotel in the stunning Clyde Valley, between Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. We wanted somewhere small and intimate, with a kinda old worldy feel. We wanted a small wedding, but also wanted all our loved ones to be part of our day, so we had fifty-five people at our wedding on Thursday, and then had a big ceilghd on the Saturday in Sloans Bar & Restaurant which is a magnificent old building. 

Our wedding photographer was Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography. We met her at our first Wedding Fayre. We felt really strongly about picking the right photographer for us - so many of our friends had said their wedding day had went by in a blur, and we wanted someone to catch those magical moments for life. Chantal has a keen eye for capturing emotion, laughter and beauty. Both her and Scott are a great team. We wanted relaxed photographs that didn't look too staged and the pictures are amazing