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.

Real Luxury Wedding with a Couture Gown & Grey Accents

So there are weddings, and then there are w-e-d-d-i-n-g-s. You may not have the budget for the latter, but it's definitely worth a quick squiz at the pictures for ideas. After all there's nothing stopping you DIYing your details to keep costs down. Fannie and Leonard have to be the most elegant couple in the world, I totally adore their choices of silvery grey and sagey green {quick note for own wedding}, and Fannie's Monaco Couture gown is dreamy. Other stealworthy ideas include the ushers' matching neon sunglasses, the romantic vintage font on the stationery and the bridesmaids' mismatching bouquets. Just goes to show that if you keep the colour palette simple, you can play with variety on which flowers you use. Last but not least, check out the ice-cream sundae bar with pick-your-own topping....now we're talking! Gorgeous photographs as ever from the hugely talented team over at Stephanie Williams Photography.

A Pastels & Vintage Themed Wedding with a Mori Lee Gown - Part 2

It's wedding inspiration time for DIY brides. Gorgeous couple Hannah and Ben roped in the help of all their family and friends to create a stunning, personalised wedding day. By choosing to host their wedding reception in a marquee in the garden of stunning venue Hill Place, they could let their imagination run wild. Hannah chose a country garden wedding theme, and collected vintage floral fabric scraps, which her friend Polly sewed into over 60m of pretty bunting! Friends and family also helped with making their wedding cake, arranging their flowers, designing the table plan and personalising each and every place marker. I love the pretty pastel theme and the way the wedding favours and table names reflect Hannah and Ben's love of music. We named our wedding tables after vegetables - I wish we'd been more creative! Gorgeous pictures published with thanks to Greg Thurtle from TP Photography.

My husband Ben and I got married on 30th July 2011 at Hill Place in Swanmore, a beautiful Georgian Country Villa set in 20 acres of beautiful park land.  Our wedding photographer was Greg Thurtle from TP Photography, who was brilliant and captured some amazing candid shots. Looking through the photos, they are all so personal and encapsulate the day perfectly. 

I had five bridesmaids, they wore knee length, chiffon and halter neck dresses in dusky pink and sapphire blue. They were also from Brides of Southampton. I originally said that they could wear anything pink or blue, and took them to the shop to try on whatever they fancied...they all loved the same dress!

A Pastels & Vintage Themed Wedding with a Mori Lee Gown

Take one dramatic wedding venue, add a DIY bride bursting with wedding ideas, and a pretty village church, and you've created wedding blogger's heaven. Hannah and Ben celebrated their big day at the gorgeous Hill Place in Hampshire, and got seriously creative with their wedding day, adding more DIY details than you can shake a stick at! Just wait for the reception details in Part 2, it's a DIY bride's dream. Hannah chose a country garden wedding theme with pretty pastels as her colour palette, which she carried throughout her wedding details, including bridesmaids dresses, bouquet and bunting. Her pretty up-do is stunning, and I love her traditional Princess-cut wedding gown, complete with the train she thought she didn't want! Other fun wedding ideas include the vintage car and camper van, and the sweet-smelling dried lavender decorating the church. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Greg Thurtle from TP Photography. Don't miss the reception details, coming soon later today.

My husband Ben and I got married on 30th July 2011 at Hill Place in Swanmore, a beautiful Georgian Country Villa set in 20 acres of beautiful park land.


We chose the venue because of the location and because it was so beautiful. Ben and I both grew up within a mile of Hill Place and the area has special significance to us both. We met at Swanmore Secondary School when we were 11, and we spent our teenage year s in the area. When we saw Hill Place, we immediately fell in love with it. It was so beautiful and Will and Rebecca Dobson (the owners) were two of the nicest people we have met! They were so laid back and accommodating, we knew that this was the venue for us.

A Detail-Filled Londonl Little Venice Wedding: Part 3

It's time lovely ladies, it's time for the wedding details! I meant to post this last night be jetlag got the better of me. However it means I've been particularly {if accidentally} good at suspense-building. There are so many wedding details pictured in these fabulous Caught the Light wedding pictures, you're going to be slightly blown away. It's a DIY bride's fantasy wedding! Take a look at all the paper decorations, from the handmade origami swan chandeliers, to the striped straw flags and boat place markers. I'm loving the colourful bright theme, the wonderful array of different flower blooms in little vases and the wire table numbers. With blue-striped napkins, a Catch of the Day basket for wedding wishes, a net capturing Lynda and Blair's friends' pictures, and little messages in bottles as favours, every wedding detail is in keeping with the nautical theme. I think I'm in love! Huge thanks to Chloé Browne from Caught the Light for her fabulous pictures. Don't miss the fabulousness that was Part 2, and Part 1!

A Detail-Filled London Little Venice Wedding: Part 2

When it comes to wedding transport, it doesn't get much more original than a traditional London barge! But when gorgeous couple Lynda and Blair celebrated their wedding in Maida Vale, it made perfect sense to use the canals around Little Venice to transport their guests from the ceremony venue to the wedding reception at the waterside restaurant, The Summerhouse. I'm loving how Lynda decorated the barge with pompoms {tutorial here}, bunting and paper-hearts. All these wedding decorations are super-easy to DIY - why not get a group of your girlfriends together for a big crafting night before your big day? With personalised button badges and fans as favours, and nautical red and white ribbon decorating the vases, Lynda and Blair's wedding planner, Rebecca at Harlequin & Romance thought of every wedding detail! Huge thanks to Chloé Browne from Caught the Light for her fabulous pictures. Click back later today for the wedding detail-fest that is Part 3, and click here for Part 1!

A Detail-Filled London Little Venice Wedding: Part 1

London brides are going to love this inspirational Little Venice wedding. There are so many wedding details, I've had to split it into three posts - it's a Before the Big Day record! Gorgeous couple Lynda and Blair chose to get married in a local registry office, before taking a barge down the canal {how cool is that!}, to The Summerhouse in Maida Vale for their wedding reception. It's the first time I've seen a barge used as wedding transport, and I love the idea! Lynda carried the watery theme throughout her wedding day, with tonnes of cute nautical wedding details - pictures coming soon in Part 2 and 3 later today. In these shots I'm mostly loving Lynda's elegant Jenny Packham wedding dress, her gorgeous chignon with glittery jewel hair-piece, and her yellow arum lilies bouquet. Blair looks equally dapper in his red tie and matching auburn arum lily buttonhole. Don't miss Lynda's bridesmaids' pretty dresses - the subtle button details are another nod to the nautical theme. Huge thanks to Chloé Browne from Caught the Light for her fabulous pictures - Chloé was my wedding photographer as well, so she's my favourite! Click back later today for more!

Real Luxury Lace-Themed Wedding: Jennifer & Kirt

Exquisite summer wedding alert! I've got a complete humdinger for your delectation. It's another Jose Villa wedding, and they're always exquisitely pictured, and chock-a-block with stealworthy ideas. From the elegant candy-striped stationery, to the vintage car and cute dog pageboy, I'm wanting to copy every detail. Recreate the tablescape with a selection of different-sized vases, scraps of lace wrapped round linen napkins, and a sage green table cloth. Add in some antique silver borrowed from a local shop, and you'll be well on the way to extreme elegance.

Amazing Boho DIY Vintage Wedding Part 2

It's Part 2 time for this incredible DIY-fest of a wedding. There is so much wedding inspiration in this fabulous big day, that I've had to split it in two for risk of blowing your minds! If you've missed Part 1, check it out here. From the wedding stationery to the wedding cakes {yes that's cakes plural}, no details was too small to DIY. I'm loving the recurring owl motif, the hankies '4 tears of joy' the incredible Wedding Land hand-drawn map, the burlap runners, the sweetie favour bar and the vintage camera on each table {to reflect Marissa's love of photography}. I don't think I've ever seen such a personalised wedding, and you can tell it must have been one amazing loved-up party! Huge thanks to the team at W Scott Chester Photography for their incredible pictures, and a heartfelt congratulations to Marissa and Caleb! P.S. If you want to see more pictures from this lovely wedding {plus extra wedding inspiration ideas}, do check out Before the Big Day's Facebook page.

Amazing Boho DIY Vintage Wedding

If you're a boho bride, a vintage bride, or an obsessed-with-details DIY bride, this wedding is going to knock your socks off! It's an enchanting festival-style affair, with magical wedding details, and a big dollop of homespun fabulousness. I've taken the divide and conquer approach, so instead of flooding your eyeballs with too much wedding inspiration in one go, I'll be publishing the next half of the wedding at lunchtime, so you can enjoy it with your sandwiches. But there's tonnes to feast on in this batch of pictures, so let's get started. Marissa and Caleb celebrated their wedding on a Wednesday since they wanted to say 'I do' on their five year dating anniversary {love this idea!}. They DIY'd tonnes of their wedding details, including the incredible wood ceremony entrance, with its vintage screen doors AND the lovely altar area, with its Anthropologie-style letters and owls. I'm loving Caleb's laid-back style, Marissa's cute DIY broach bouquet {buy a similar one from Etsy}, her handmade floral bunting, her bridesmaids' colour-pop pink dresses plus yellow bouquets, and the personalised fingerprint tree guestbook at the entrance. If you want to create a similar wedding style, but don't have time to do all the wedding details yourself, then I must recommend Etsy weddings, for beautiful homespun products. Huge thanks to the wonderful team at W Scott Chester Photography for capturing every golden moment in such style.

Real Spanish Flamenco-Style Wedding

Cherries and a flamenco-style wedding dress = me in heaven. This incredible Basque country wedding took place in San Sebastian, home of more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than Paris. So not only is it an incredibly beautiful town, but the food is amazing. The happy couple chose wedding dream-team Lisa Vorce {planner}, Mindy Rice {florist} and photographer {Aaron Delesie} to create their perfect wedding, and didn't they do a fabulous job! I'm loving the beautiful old-fashioned stationery in grey, the French lavender and kumquat tree table decorations, and the traditional dancers outside the church. It's always wonderful when you include local traditions in your wedding. And have you spotted the fantastic welcome bag in the last picture? It looks so tempting - and presents are a great way to welcome your guests, particularly if they've travelled a long way.

Enchanting South African Garden Wedding with DIY Details

Celebrating your wedding in your parents' garden has got to be one of the best ways to say I do. Personal, meaningful and a lot less pricey than a hired venue, you can start your preparations months before your big day. And when your parents' garden happens to be a gorgeous jungly South African affair, like Louis and Nadine's, then you'd be crazy to do it anywhere else! I'm loving all their sweet wedding details, including the simple gingham ribbon decorations and napkins, the ceramic hanging altar-area, and the speech bubble table plans. We need more speech bubbles at weddings! Also loving the tulip garden decorations, streamer confetti and cool safari-style tent marquee. Most of all I love how happy Louis and Nadine look to be a Mr and Mrs. Fabulous photographs published with thanks to the hugely talented We Love Pictures - our favourite South African photographers.

A Pretty Pastel Wedding with a Vera Wang Gown

A wedding in paradise is a pretty good start to married life! This heavenly Hawaiian wedding has made me wish for warmer climes and a beachside big day. I'm loving the breezy blue-grey bridesmaid dresses {by Jenny Yoo}, bride Tracy's stunning ruffled Vera Wang gown and the fabulous outdoor ceremony. Add the white peony bouquets, and orchids in Tracy's hair, and this wedding ticks every one of my boxes. Fabulous pictures published with thanks to the lovely Jen Huang Photography.

An Outdoor DIY Wedding with a Cream Tea Reception

Any bride looking to keep her wedding within a sensible budget is going to L-O-V-E this inspirational big day. Kelly and Gavin flashed their cash where it mattered - i.e. venue and wedding photographer, but kept everything else wallet friendly, by searching for bargains and DIY-ing many of their wedding details. You'll love their handmade stationery, bunting, decorations and hand-picked wedding flowers. And I'm slightly obsessed with their chocolate wedding cake, with its personalised bunting. More fabulous details on how Kelly and Gavin saved money on their wedding outfits in Part 1 - in the meantime, enjoy these stunning shots by Linus Moran Photography.

My husband got down on one knee in Venice to pop the question. Two years to the day, we tied the knot at Kingston Maurward stately home, in Dorset, on March the 16th 2014.

After seeing several different venues Kingston Maurward ticked all the boxes, with the chance of an outdoor wedding I've always dreamed of having. Both being artistic, we enjoyed making as many things as possible. 

An Outdoor DIY Wedding with a Cream Tea Reception

Back in my teenage years, we used to go to these amazing parties at Kingston Maurward in Dorset. I have fond memories of the incredible stately rooms, and stunning grounds, including a tranquil lake and arboretum. So it was a wonderful blast from the past to receive Linus Moran's stunning photographs of Kelly and Gavin's wedding. The happy couple chose Kingston Maurward as their wedding venue, and despite getting married in March, managed to have an amazing outdoor ceremony, in the bright spring sunshine. Just goes to show you should always think positive about the weather! Kelly and Gavin love a bargain, and were keen to DIY as many of their wedding details as possible. You'll love their wedding flowers, sweet trees, table stationery, and all their pretty decoration details, including pompoms and bunting. What's more, Kelly's Benjamin Roberts wedding gown only cost £250. Find out more in her answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, and enjoy Linus Moran's fantastic wedding photographs....more to come from their reception later today.

My husband got down on one knee in Venice to pop the question. Two years to the day, we tied the knot at Kingston Maurward stately home, in Dorset, on March the 16th 2014.

My wedding dress was from Preloved, a Benjamin Roberts wedding dress that should have been £1700, selling for £250. I fell in love with it, and it fitted like a glove. I love a bargain!

A Tiny Irish Wedding in South Africa with a Bride in Boots

There's a photography team in South Africa who I've admired from afar for several years. They're called We Love Pictures, and they're husband and wife, Travis and Maike. Every wedding they photograph is stunning, and none more so than this tiny wedding of only six guests! Michael and Lynne chose a wonderful restaurant called Le Petit Dauphine in Franschhoek in South Africa for their big day. I've been there - and the food is amazing! So if you're struggling with your guest list, and worrying about your wedding budget, take inspiration from this wonderful, unpretentious wedding day.

Real Rustic Beach-side Wedding

I've fallen in love big-time with this wedding. There are just so many stealworthy ideas, and every time I look at the pics, I spot more and more. I've only just noticed that they used a slice of log as a cake stand - super rustic but super stylish! It's all down to the happy couple, Betty and Kent. Betty is an interior designer, and you can really see her talent reflected in these gorgeous pictures by Punam Bean. Lace is a dominant theme, starting with Betty's dress, and continuing to the bridesmaids' parasols and the delicately decorated water bottles. Also loving the bright pop bottles and pashmina library, plus Betty's fab red shoes - yum!

Burlap & Peach Modern Desert Wedding

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say we need more peach in the world. More peach and more burlap. Luckily, Karen and John, the happy couple in this real wedding understand the worth if giving good peach and burlap, and celebrated their big day in serious style. I'm loving their cute-as-a-button ring pillow, Karen's gorgeous laid-back style {simple veil, hair down, let the dress do the talking}, the family-style dining tables, and the glamorous golden table numbers. Throw in the wedding favour succulents and bluey mason jar vases, and I'm a very happy wedding blogger. Incredible photographs published with thanks to Sarah Yates.