Greek Goddess Bride Style

Choosing your 'look' for your wedding day can be difficult, particularly if you're anything like me, and your normal look is pretty thrown together. With two wedding days to plan, I was lucky enough to try two different bridal styles, although both ended up pretty similar {hair up, hair down!}. Whether you're thinking sleek and sexy, or boho and feminine, consider this gorgeous Grecian bride style. With a simple bouquet of olive branches, and an elegant leafy crown, plus a divine Samuelle Couture wedding gown, you're good to go - no need even for shoes! Fabulous styling by Kelly Oshiro, incredible pictures by the lovely Jose Villa.

 

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A Delphine Manivet Wedding Dress

Have you chosen your wedding dress yet? My gown was by Delphine Manivet, who back then, was a relatively new designer. Now she's stocked in Browns Brides and even dressed Sarah Jessica Parker for a recent awards show in Hollywood. Her dresses are exquisite, and although they're expensive, they're not crazy-money like Vera Wang. Still - it took me a while to get used to the idea of spending so much on a dress, and the only way I could square it in my mind, was to sell it after my wedding day. That way, it got worn more than once, and the cost was halved. Well now my nanny is doing exactly the same thing! She wore the stunning Hyppolite Delphine Manivet gown on her wedding day, and she's keen to sell it to another bride. It's marked Small, so perfect for a Size 6 or 8. Do get in touch with her if you're interested, and if you're a budget-conscious bride {who isn't!}, take a look at my article Five Tips to Get Your Designer Wedding Dress for Less.

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Not-Too-Pricey French Lace Wedding Dresses

This morning I am mostly loving these beautiful boutique dress by Australian designer Grace Loves Lace. At Grace, they personally create stunning ready-to-wear wedding dresses from the French laces and silks, to create a fabulous boho, vintage gowns you'll love. The dresses all have a pretty nostalgic charm and rather wonderful price tags, starting from only £500! Amazing! P.S. Don't you just love the bougainvillea flower crown, and flapper-style sparkly head-scarf?

♥ Want more wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about boho wedding ideas? ♥

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Fall in Love with Claire Pettibone Wedding Dresses

There must be something in the air - I've been day-dreaming about planning my wedding all over again! Maybe it's the lovely sunshine, or the wedding invitations dropping through my letter box, but I'm going to have to start a fantasy wedding Pinterest board to get it out of my system. First on every bride's list is the wedding gown, and my favourite designer at the moment has to be Claire Pettibone. Her wedding dresses are a work of art! Here are just a few of my favourites, but do have a browse through her collections - they're all up on her website.

{Above) Beauty, {Below} Devotion

Jenny Packham Wedding Dress Sample Sale

News just in! Jenny Packham is hosting a Bridal End of Line Sale in London this month! With a beautiful selection of gowns, lingerie and accessories with up to 70% off this is definitely an opportunity not to be missed! This amazing sale is on Thursday 24th April at the Westbury Hotel from 8am to 6pm. If you're keen to buy a wedding dress on a budget, sample sales are your best bet, so be sure to sign up for my free newsletter or follow me on Twitter, so you don't miss a single one!

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Boho-Style Wallet Friendly Wedding Dresses from Minna

I need to start this article with something of a disclaimer. Despite all my {strong} feelings against the necessity of spending a fortune on your wedding dress, I ended up buying my gown from Delphine Manivet for over £2k. I loved it, and I felt beyond amazing on my wedding day, but I felt sooooo guilty about the cost. It just seemed such a crazy sum to spend on one dress and one day. To make up for it, I'm always on the hunt for beautiful wedding gowns, and one of my favourite designers is Minna. Her stunning boho gowns feature intricate lace, pretty florals, cute pom-pom edging and even bunting {!}, but most of them come in at under £600. Her headpieces and veils are super-reasonable, and they even stock adorable flower girls dress, like this stunning Alexa dress. When I recommended Minna to my wedding planner, Kerry Bracken of Lavender & Rose Weddings, she bought three - one for each stage of her wedding! Take a look at them in action in my features on her wedding. ** P.S. I just checked out Minna's Facebook page, and discovered details for their up-coming Trunk Sale. Save even more from 11th April until 3rd May! **

Unique Embroidered Wedding Dress

This embroidered wedding dress has 2014 boho wedding trend written all over it! There's something deliciously fun and folky about it, and the fact it's handmade in Slovenia, by boutique designer Jarka of Atelier De Couture JK, makes it all the more unique and delicious. Jarka makes several I-want-this wedding gowns, not least this gorgeous slinky sparkling number, so be sure to take a look at her Etsy shop. L-O-V-E.

{I want this!} Embroidered Wedding Dress, £584 by Atelier De Couture JK

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British Wedding Dresses by Halfpenny London

I found wedding dress shopping surprisingly stressful. I'm not really a big shopper, and the idea of dragging my girlfriends around endless boutiques, scared the life out of me. In the end, I only went to about four wedding dress shops, plus one sample sale. In retrospect, I wish I'd done more, and enjoyed the experience a bit more. As a result, I'm a huge fan of doing your research online - that way, you can pick two or three of your favourite designers, and get your bridesmaids together for one big day. One designer definitely worth putting on your list is Kate Halfpenny of Halfpenny London. A stylist-to-the-stars, Kate has a truly fabulous collection this year, and it's always worth visiting her boutique, because she keeps a selection of vintage gowns as well. I love her wedding dresses - they're elegant and pretty, and there's something deliciously eccentric and English about them as well. Here are a few of my favourite designs - LOVING the giant floral headdresses by the way!!

Romantic Layered Wedding Gowns by Claire Pettibone

I've long been a fan of Claire Pettibone wedding dresses, and her collection for spring 2014 is as fabulous as you'd expect. She's famed for her romantic vintage-inspired gowns, and her latest collection - named Decoupage - suggests she was inspired by the traditional art of layering paper cutouts. The result is a line of divine dresses, featuring layers of chantilly, silk and vintage lace. It's the backs of the dresses that really take my breath away - just imagine the stunning view for your guests as you stand, saying your vows. Which is your favourite? Take a look for Claire Pettibone Trunk Shows in the UK - you never know, you might pick up a bargain! P.S. Her Still Life collection for Autumn 2014 brides is incredible!

We ♥ Charlie Brier Vintage Wedding Dress Sample Sales

Have you heard? Massively exciting news! Charlie Brear from The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has just announced her annual trunk sale, and it's SOON. Taking place on Thursday 23rd January in London, viewing is by appointment only. This gorgeous boutique is renowned for its heavenly gowns, both vintage and vintage-style, and this is your opportunity to get your hands on them at discounted prices! For full information and to book an appointment, call 0207 637 4898.

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Wedding Trend for 2014 - Two-Piece Wedding Dresses

If you're the opposite of a Princess bride - i.e. someone who's loves poufy Vera Wang-style wedding dress, then you're going to fall head-over-heels for these amazing modern gowns by ShopDionne. They're bang on trend for 2014, which is going to be all about the two-piece wedding gown. Stylish and economical, separates are much more likely to be worn again, so they're a great choice for brides with one eye on their budget. Dress designer, Anya is Canadian, and she sells her mini-collection of wedding gowns on Etsy. Each item is stylish, and handmade, and really reasonably priced.... the top gown in particular, looks almost couture in style, and it comes in at under £1400.

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Best British Bridal Designers - Temperley London

All this week, I'm celebrating London Fashion Week by showcasing the best of British Bridal Designers. Yesterday we were all about the glamour of Jenny Packham's wedding gowns, but today I'm thrilled to bring you Temperley London's latest bridal collection. Themed around Shakespeare's famously romantic play, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', the new Titania collection is stunning! I've fallen for the intricate lace-work - it looks like perfect cobwebs {the non-creepy kind!}, and Alice Temperley's gowns are soooo flattering. I had the best time at a dress-fitting in their Notting Hill atelier. My favourite is the gown below {on the right}, although I'd probably wear a slip underneath....

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Best British Bridal Designers - Jenny Packham

All this week, I'm celebrating London Fashion Week by showcasing the best of British Bridal Designers, starting with the fabulous Jenny Packham. Jenny's renowned for her glamorous gowns, much favoured by sophisticated metropolitan brides. I've long loved her intricate beading and sequin designs, and her new Spring 2014 collection is full of exquisite wedding gowns you'll want to add to your wish-list. Feast your eyes on her brilliantly eccentric campaign, and dream! View the full 2014 Bridal Collection.

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Celebrating London Fashion Week - British Bridal Designers

I can always tell when it's London Fashion Week because the streets of Shoreditch around my house are suddenly full of people looking very self-conscious. They might be doing something as boring as taking a call on their mobile or drinking a coffee from Starbucks, but they're doing it as if everyone is looking at them. And they're usually dressed in something slightly silly, but very fashion-forward, with an oddly shaped hem! But it's important to celebrate the bonkers fashion world, because it's thanks to London-based designers that the UK is so famous for its brilliant bridal collections. And that means we don't have to travel abroad to buy the best for our weddings. So all this week, to mark London Fashion Week, I'll be celebrating the best of British Bridal Designers. Keep your eyes peeled for some seriously impressive wedding dress inspiration.

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Five Top Tips on Buying Your Designer Wedding Dress for Less

Wedding dresses are crazily expensive - some surveys even suggest they count for 20% of some bride's wedding budgets. I really struggled to find a reasonable wedding gown that felt like 'the one', and in the end, my mum very kindly gave me my Delphine Manivet dress as a wedding present. It was worryingly expensive, and I spent months trying to find it second-hand, but at that time Delphine was a reasonably new designer...now she's stocked in Browns Brides! I managed to recoup some of the money by selling my gown to another bride, who visited me at home to try it on. I felt very sad to let it go, but it halved the overall price, and assuaged my guilt sightly. So in the spirit of saving money, and looking hot for less money, I thought I'd give you these top-tips for getting your wedding dress for less.

{Wedding Photographer Credit} Me on my French wedding day by Jemma Harding Photography}

♥ Find out whether your wedding dress designer does sample sales, and be the first in the door.

♥ Search on eBay. I know there are tonnes of Temperley London and Jenny Packham wedding dresses available, and most brides expect you to want to try before you buy. If your designer is French, search on French eBay {tip: you'll need to use the word 'robe' for dress or 'voile' for veil}. My wedding dress for my London wedding was designed by Australian dressmakers, Rose & Ruby, so I searched on Australian eBay.

♥  Check out wedding blogs that allow brides to list their wedding dresses. Once Wed is a US wedding blog with a great listings section, and Rock My Wedding in the UK also offers second-hand dresses.

♥ Scour the Secondhand Dress websites. My favourites are Sell My Wedding Dress and Preloved, but there are loads - just type "secondhand wedding dress" into Google.

♥ If all else fails, ask for a discount. You'll be surprised how often shops will offer 10%-20% off, and you've got nothing to lose by asking.

P.S. There is another option. Don't go designer! Tonnes of high street stores like Monsoon sell off-the-peg wedding dresses that look just as good as designer gowns. And if you don't tell...neither will I....

P.P.S. I have now sold both my wedding dresses!

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A Dreamy Affordable Blush Wedding Gown

We don't feature enough wedding dresses on Before the Big Day - something I definitely need to change! After all, lusting after the perfect Jenny Packham wedding gown is virtually a rite of passage for every bride. If only we could all afford them! So when I spot a semi-affordable wedding gown {just over £1000}, that completely blows my mind, I consider it my responsibility to spread the word. This incredible blush, backless wedding dress by Truvelle makes me want to get married all over again. It's the combo of the swishy, pink-champagne, chiffon skirt and the rose gold sequinned bodice that's getting me excited - it's elegant and sexy at the same time! Don't miss Truvelle's Etsy shop for more incredible gowns. P.S. Want to save money on your wedding dress? Check out all my Wedding Dress Sample Sale news.

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We ♥ Charlie Brier Vintage Wedding Dress Sample Sales

Have you heard? Massively exciting news! Charlie Brear from The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has just announced her annual trunk sale. Taking place from 19th-21st September, viewing is by appointment only at their central London showroom. This gorgeous boutique is renowned for its heavenly gowns, both vintage and vintage-style, and this is your opportunity to get your hands on them at discounted prices! For full information and to book an appointment, call 0207 907 7719.

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

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Amazing BHLDN Wedding Sale

One of my favourite interior shops of all time is Anthropologie, which you can find in London on the King's Road and Regent Street. So when the same company opened a vintage-style wedding shop called BHLDN a few years ago, I was beyond excited. Unfortunately it was after my wedding, so I couldn't directly benefit, but I never tire of telling brides about the amazing products they have on offer. So I'm exceedingly excited to tell you all about their April sale, which has just started. It includes massive discounts off their wedding dresses, bridesmaids gowns, accessories and wedding details, and you'll want to get clicking right away!

♥ Want to see bridesmaids ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding offers? ♥

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Caroline Castigliano Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Your wedding dress can be a huge part of your budget if you pay full price. Luckily there are lots of sample sales each year, and this spring is no different! For one week only, internationally renowned designer Caroline Castigliano is hosting a massive sample sale from 13th-17th March in London. With over 100 ex-display, catwalk and exhibition wedding gowns available, and up to 70% off, you don't want to miss it! Places are limited so book early on 020 7636 8212. For more upcoming sample sales click here, and sign up for my free newsletter or follow me on Twitter, so you won't miss a single one.

♥ Want to see wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about more real wedding ideas? ♥

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Vintage Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Massively exciting news! The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has just announced its annual trunk sale. Taking place this month, from 21st-23rd of February 2013, viewing is by appointment only at their central London showroom. This gorgeous boutique is renowned for its heavenly gowns, both vintage and vintage-style, and this is your opportunity to get your hands on them at discounted prices! For full information and to book an appointment, call 0207 907 7719.

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

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