Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts

Thursday 4 April 2013

Real Fairy-Tale Dress Wedding: Kirsty & Michael

If you're dreaming of a truly princess-style wedding dress, you are going to fall in love with this bride's divine Ronald Joyce gown. The lovely Kirsty is something of a wedding dress aficionado, and had already decided on her designer of choice, long before her big day. She teamed her frothy Lola gown with simple Tiffany accessories, and a beautiful bouquet made of artificial roses and butterflies, a theme carried throughout the wedding. With a church service, and a soft-pink themed wedding reception at Albrighton Hall Hotel in Shrewsbury, you can see the care and time Kirsty and Michael put into their wedding day. Stealworthy ideas include Kirsty's Vivienne Westwood shoes {which smelled of blueberry!}, their pretty fishbowl table displays, and the bridesmaids Debut at Debenhams dresses - a great high-street find! Huge thanks to Kayleigh Pope for her beautiful photographs.



We got married on the Saturday 9th March, at St. Peters Church at midday, followed by our reception at Albrighton Hall Hotel near Shrewsbury. We chose Albrighton Hall because the décor inside and out was divine, and spoke a thousand words. The staff were friendly and their wedding breakfast appealed to us both. We went with a butterfly theme for our venue and throughout our wedding.


My dress was a Ronald Joyce 'Lola' diamond white dress. I was always going to choose one of his gowns as I love this work. He makes amazing dresses, with so much detail, and they definitely stand out from the usual wedding gowns. My shoes were Vivenne Westwood, and they were amazing. I received so many compliments about them - not only on their appearance, but on their blueberry scent!



My bridesmaids outfits were soft beige Grecian-style maxi-dresses from Debut at Debenhams.



My florist was a lady called Julie. I originally wanted my favourite flowers, which are peonies, but they weren't available in March. So instead, I decided to go for artificial rose bouquets with ivory, brown and nude pink flowers, decorated with butterflies, to fit in with our wedding theme. Choosing artificial flowers meant I could keep my bouquet to place on my Nan's resting place after our wedding day. 


My husband's outfit was a grey Lingfield morning suit with tails from Moss Bros. He teamed it with a cream cravat, waistcoat and matching rose buttonhole.


My veil was borrowed from my close friend as my 'something borrowed', as I wanted to add some meaning into the tradition. My accessories were my Tiffany necklace and bracelet given to me by my husband :). Also I wore Swarovski earrings which were also bought by my husband.


I loved planning my wedding so much I’m already thinking about planning our vow renewal! It's amazing putting all your time and effort, and seeing it all come together on the day. 


My advice to future brides would be to enjoy every moment of your wedding day, as it goes so fast. Always stick to your decisions, and remember it is both of your special day. Don't stress in the run-up, and enjoy your countdown. It’s the best day ever!





Our photography was Kayleigh Pope Photography. I was always going to chose Kayleigh as our wedding photographer, because I love her work and she is amazing with her camera. She takes pictures that tell stories, and creates memories that are unique.


For our wedding reception, we chose a colour palette of nude and pink colour, and the theme was butterflies.


I had a few DIY wedding projects. I did a DIY table plan as the one I originally bought got delivered with so many mistakes. I had a few minutes of bridezilla but swiftly moved on! I went out got all the crafts and spent an evening with my bridesmaid doing it which was lots of fun. I also made our wedding stationery. I bought place card templates decorated with butterflies, and wrote on the names.


Our wedding favours were chocolate truffles for the men, and the woman had butterfly candles wrapped in organza, with a thank you card. The children has sweetie cones and surprise lucky bags. 


We chose a four-tier wedding cake by Cakes by Kiki, with two square levels and two round. It was decorated with amazing peony-style detailing. Each tier was a different flavour - Victoria sponge, chocolate, lemon, and coffee. We chose Cakes by Kiki because we love their work! Their wedding cakes are stunning and so much detail goes into each creation.


More posts like this one:
Destination Butterfly-Themed Wedding
How to DIY Your Butterfly-Themed Wedding Cake

♥ Want to see hotel wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more pink-themed weddings? ♥
If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter
Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Easter Wedding Theme Inspiration

Are you getting married this Easter? The long bank holiday weekend is a great time to host your wedding, as it means you can extend your celebrations over several days. There's also tonnes of gorgeous wedding ideas to fit in with an Easter wedding theme. You can harness the mood of fresh starts and new beginnings, give eggs for wedding favours, and fill your wedding venue with beautiful spring flowers - daffodils and tulips are seasonal, cheap and cheerful. Here are just a few of my favourite wedding ideas, tonnes more on my Pinterest page, including some fab rabbit origami tutorials.

{Photo Credit} Ring & Easter Egg Ring Basket by Kokoro Photography


{Photo Credit} Place Cards & Egg Basket Wedding Favour by Fairy Folk, $60 for 20


{Photo Credit} 1. Unkown via The Paper Mulberry 2. Bunny Menu Tutorial from Miss Mustard Seed


{Photo Credit} Bunny macaroons recipe by Raspberri Cupcakes

{Photo Credit} 1. Bunny Napkin by Martha Stewart, tutorial here, 2. Spring Pastels Wedding Tablescape - unknown


{Photo Credit} Fun Spring Wedding Shoot by Famous William, but similar bunny ear photo props from Maro Designs

♥ Want to see spring wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more pastel wedding ideas? ♥
If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter
Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Friday 22 February 2013

Real Shabby Chic Wedding: Annabel & Richard

With a stunning rose studded marquee, and tonnes of pretty shabby chic details, you're going to love the Easter-inspired real wedding. Fantastic couple Annabel and Richard chose Sheldon Manor for their wedding venue, and I've fallen for its historic prettiness, and gorgeous gardens. Annabel was a bride on a budget, but there's absolutely no sign of it - just take a look at all her amazing wedding details. I'm seriously impressed by all the DIY work that went into this wedding - take a look at the pretty spring flowers - all arranged by Annabel's mother, while Richard's mother created all the lavender-filled heart wedding favours and the fun squishy 'Just Married' letters. Other stealworthy details include the stunning rose-patterned marquee, lovely pastel table decorations, and traditional bunting. Save money like Annabel with Ikea lanterns, a self-decorated M&S wedding cake, and smooth stones as place-markers. Huge thanks to Ben Edward Photography for his stunning pictures.


We celebrated our wedding day at Sheldon Manor in Chippenham, Wiltshire on the 7th April 2012.
We wanted somewhere totally beautiful, very English and that had the 'wow' factor. Not that we were showing off, but we knew that the part of the country and the time of year would make people fall in love with the venue, just we like we had. 


I wanted my dress to be like the venue and a bit like me - unfussy! I tried on a few very different styles but knew before I tried 'the dress' that this was the one! Our budget was not big - we were paying for our wedding ourselves so everything had to be quite well researched. My dress was an absolutely beautiful Sassi Holford wedding gown, simple, with no bling, teamed with a lovely champagne silk sash. I felt so amazing in it, I never wanted to take it off!

Friday 4 January 2013

Pastel Bridesmaid Inspiration for Spring

After the weather forecast promised sunshine, only for it to rain, I've decided I'm done with winter, and started looking ahead to spring! First up for my spring-clean are bridesmaids dresses. I love these bright pastel gowns, and wedding accessories from BHLDN. Their bright tones are bang on trend for 2013, and your girls would be sure to wear them again and again. Last year was all about muted shades, but I'm predicting a big colour flush for this year - you heard it here first, look out for the brights!



♥ Want to see pastel wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more bright weddings? ♥
If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter
Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Blush Blossom Wedding Inspiration & A Claire Pettibone Gown

Dreamy blush dresses, vintage less, and delicate cherry blossom. It doesn't get better than Claire Pettibone wedding dresses, and divine pictures by This Modern Romance. I love the decadent mood, the dramatic veils worn high over the forehead, and the heavy peony hair accessories by Erica Elizabeth Designs. The pink parasol is a work of art, buy one from Bella Umbrella in the US, or Brollies Galore here in the UK. It seems next wedding season is all about a narrow silhouette - stunning!






{Wedding Credits}
Wedding Dresses & Bolero: Claire Pettibone
Wedding Umbrella: Bella Umbrella
Hair & Make-up: KC Witcamp
Hair Pieces: Erica Elizabeth Designs
Produced By: Be Inspired PR
Cake: Cupcakes Couture
Flowers: Dolce Designs Studio
Shoes & Jewellery: Ruche Bridal
Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals

♥ Want more blossom-themed wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about spring wedding ideas? ♥
If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter
Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Real Welsh Spring Wedding: Llior & Will - Part 2

It's time for Part 2 of this lovely vintage 1920s themed wedding, and there's tonnes of stealworthy wedding ideas from the elegant reception at Soughton Hall in North Wales. With favours and food sourced from Llior's parents' farm, and tonnes of DIY wedding details, it's hugely inspirational. Llior designed her own wedding dress, made her own veil on the morning of her wedding, and hand stamped the seating plan and place names. A real labour of love! I'm loving all the wedding ideas, and I'm also slightly obsessed with Victoria Phipps Photography's incredible pictures. Don't miss Part 1, with more of Llior's helpful wedding hints.





We had tonnes of DIY projects. I designed my wedding dress, my veil, and the wedding stationery. I also (slightly painfully) sat up night after night using single stamp type letters to create the seating plan and place names. Plus I made the heart shaped clay favours that accompanied the luggage tag place names. Hours of fun!


My husband and I designed our wedding stationery. We chose a picture from our engagement shoot with Victoria Phipps in London {a picture of the sign Love Lane}. We also used the picture in a frame at the wedding, and it married in well with the London-sign table names.



For wedding favours, we had individual mini strawberry yogurt cheesecakes made with my parents' yogurt from their Welsh Dairy, called Llaeth y Llan or in English, Village Dairy. These bespoke favours were presented in glass jars with black screw tops, with a love note sign off.|


The wedding cake was glorious selection of Welsh cheeses and a beautiful three-tier lattice topped Welsh game pie. Our family is in the food trade, which is fantastic, because we know about all the best produce to buy for special events like weddings!





I really enjoyed planning our wedding. I feel there's a big space that needs filling in my life....I need another one to do!!




♥ Want more spring wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage wedding ideas? ♥
If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter
Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Real Vintage Welsh Spring Wedding: Llior & Will

Vintage-loving brides are going to adore this beautiful Welsh wedding. Llior and Will tied the knot at the beautiful Soughton Hall in Northop, in North Wales. The house and grounds look incredible, particularly the grandeur of the old gates and turrets. I'm loving all of the 1920's wedding details, from the bridesmaids' cute lace gloves and feather fascinators, to the vintage transport {cute car!} and Llior's elegant wedding dress, which she designed herself! Also love the idea to bring in the 'Something Blue' tradition with the bridesmaids' hydrangea bouquets and the ribbon on Llior's garter. Tonnes more wedding inspiration as you scroll through the pictures - Llior has very kindly filled in Before the Big Day's Bride's Questionnaire, so you can be sure to snaffle all her wedding inspiration. Huge thanks to Victoria Phipps Photography for these beautiful pictures - don't miss the reception shots, which I'll publish later this afternoon.



My original plan was to wear a wedding dress that I had made on my career break trip around the world. But when I tried it on when I arrived home, it didn't feel that special anymore. Plus my mother missed out on all that first bridal fuss, and the experience of seeing your daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. So we both decided to start from scratch with my own wedding dress design.


We set off around local fabric stores looking for a seamstress. We found a fab local lady and she interperated my wedding dress design and thoughts so beautifully, it was amazing. From week to week the dress just transformed, there was a lot of 'let's let the fabric speak to us moments'. My mother and I pinned the veil together on the morning of the wedding {something to do at 6am when you cant sleep for nerves}, so it was very much a DIY project for the two of us.


For my bridesmaids we chose the dresses and shoes from a mish-mash of small boutiques in London, plus lovely Coast faux-fur maroon shrugs.


We chose Fresh Floral Design in Chester for our wedding flowers. I had a bouquet of white roses, and we picked blue hydrangeas for my beautiful bridesmaids. The table flowers were a combination of white Peonies, white roses and white hydrangeas.


We wanted our wedding to be simple and elegant, with a 1920's vintage theme. Our main aim was to create fabulous lasting memories.





Will had his wedding suit made at King & Alan Tailors in Wimslow. {It all went a bit wrong though. He was meant to have a round collar and cuff shirt, and a full fabric tailored three-buttoned waistcoat, but these didn't come about because they forgot!}.




Victoria Phipps was our wedding photographer. I saw her pictures advertised in a wedding magazine and I loved her style. A few months prior to the wedding we had a lovely engagement shoot in London with her, which was a great way to get us relaxed before the big day. Victoria's pictures are so timeless and I like her easy and beautiful approach to wedding photography.



♥ Want more spring wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage wedding ideas? ♥
If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter
Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...