Real Monochrome & Pink Wedding: Denee & David

Everyone's individual wedding style is fabulous, but occasionally a wedding comes along that is just so 'you', you want to copy every little detail. Denee and David's big day is soooo my style. The cute muslin lavender bags, the striped ribbon on the buttonholes, the black-centre anenomes and Denee's fabulous Erin Cole veil are all just perfect, and that's before we get to the reception. I love the clear-sided marquee, the chunky church candles and the monogrammed menus. Denee picked slate grey as her signature colour, and the silky ribbon around the cake and table runners create a real feeling of restrained elegance. Massive thanks to the ladies at Simply Bloom Photography for their hugely inspiring pictures.

♥ Want more winter wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about grey-themed weddings? ♥

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BHLDN Siren Wedding Dress Collection

If you're a regular reader of Before the Big Day, you'll know about my slightly {ahem!} unhealthy obsession with BHLDN. It's a fabulous online wedding boutique from the same brand family as Anthropologie {another obsession}, and it's full to the brim with wedding inspiration and ideas. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled across their new Siren collection. It's romantic, vintage and mysterious at the same time, and perfect for brides planning their autumn and winter weddings. Enjoy!

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

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Real Cornflower Blue-Themed Barn Wedding: Lisa & Alan

Barn weddings are something Britain does best. The countryside is bursting with gorgeous, lofty barn conversions that make the perfect setting for a shabby-chic wedding, or a vintage wedding, or in this case, a glamorous winter wedding. I'm loving all the details in Lisa and Alan's wedding, from the colour-popping cornflower flower blue, bridesmaids' dresses, to the Thornton's chocolate wedding favours, and the cute white postbox for guests' messages. Fabulous pictures published with thanks to James from Funky Pixel Photography, and don't miss Lisa's answers to the Before the Big Day Brides' Questionnaire below the pics.

The Before the Big Day Brides' Q&A - Lisa was kind enough to fill in our bridal questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
Cooling Castle Barn in Rochester on 9th February 2012

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We both fell in love with the venue, it was unique and within our budget. We chose simple and elegant decorations, with a colour scheme of cornflower blue and ivory.

 Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
My wedding dress was made by Maggie Sottero, the dress was simply stunning & it was everything that I had always imagined wearing. My shoes were bought from John Lewis and my hair accessories were from Oriental Pearl.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
We hired the suits from a place in Wales, called Oh Suit Hire

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
Our bridesmaid dresses were bought from a family-run bridal shop called Jacqueline's House of Brides.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
We had our favours made by Thorntons, they contained three chocolate truffles with our first initials printed on them. We liked them because they added a little personal touch, and they were reasonably in priced.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
We used a family-run florist based in Kent, called The Darling Buds of Kent. The flowers we used for all of our bouquets are called Norma Jeane Roses. Our button holes were Avalanche Roses. I've always loved roses, so it was an easy decision!

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Our photographer was James of Funky Pixel Photography. We actually won James' services in a competition! We were quite nervous of this to begin with, but after his viewing his work and meeting him in person, we were absolutely delighted to have won & couldn't have picked a better photographer.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
I loved every minute of planning our wedding, although like every bride I had days that were stressful.

Who designed your stationery? What did it look like and how did you come to that decision?
Our stationery was designed by a lady I had met on a Facebook wedding swap shop, she listened to my opinion and designed what I had described.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Try not to stress out and delegate simple tasks your maid of honour and bridesmaids - after all, they're there to help you. Enjoy and embrace every moment from the planning, to the actual big day. And don't let others opinions deter you from having what you want, as this your special day. 

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Real Scottish Romantic Wedding: Kirsty & James

If you loved the snowy gorgeousness of yesterday's wedding shoot, but you weren't sure about hot pink colour palette, you're sure to love this more traditional, Scottish wedding. With warm red as a key colour, and a bride with a clear sense of style, it's absolutely stunning, with tonnes of wedding inspiration. Wedding details I'm loving are the bridesmaids' rich red sashes, Kirsty's exuberant, feminine, tulle wedding dress and her vintage-style veil, and the Scottish piper who led the bridal procession. Kirsty and James picked Eilean Donan Castle as their wedding venue, and I think it's among the most romantic I've ever seen. Huge thanks to the team at Contemporary Wedding Photography for their fantastic, atmospheric wedding pictures of the day.

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Let It Snow

Are you enjoying the snow? Just spotted this gorgeous photograph on a fab blog hosted by Maida Vale Invitations, a modern stationery studio based in Seattle. Imagine saying your vows as the snow gently falls around you, super-romantic, if a little chilly!

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Before the Big Day Theme: Let it Snow

Inspired by the photo above? Well then why not add a bit of snowy loveliness to your big day, thanks to the gorgeous items below?

Product Credits (from top left corner) - Lace Cuff: Jess James Jake, Feather Hair Accessory: One Little Dove, Vintage Lace Dress: Timeless Vixen Vintage, White Blossoms Ring Cushion: AAlicia Wedding, Satin & Tulle Strapless A-Line Gown: Bridal Bliss Designs, (from middle left) White Takes Flight Feather Comb: Boring Sidney, 14k Nena Stacker Ring with Acquamarine: Michelle Lenae, Ping & Jing Wedding Hat: Boring Sidney, Frozen Crystals Tiara: Which Goose, (from bottom left) White Orchid Shrug: Toccata, White Felt & Gold Earrings: 3 Fun, Pearl Studs: Toccata, Lace Gloves: Malam

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Real Elegant Winter White Wedding: Karianne & Philip

Just imagine if you only had a two months to plan your wedding. If it was me, it would be serious panic stations, but luckily, the lovely Karianne and Philip harnessed the expert wedding planning skills of Aimee Dunne, who whipped them up the perfect wedding in only eight weeks. Their winter wedding in the New Forest included tonnes of lovely wedding details, including lots of luxurious white flowers {by Corbins Florist}, flickering candles and marshmallows. Inspired by a Bruce Oldfield wedding dress, Karianne found a seamstress to make her something similar, and paired it with a mid-length veil and an incredible bouquet. Aimee organised for the church to be filled with candles, and a gorgeous ivory aisle runner by Dream Occasions, which created an intimate warmth to the ceremony. I'm loving the Philip's dapper white scarf, the individual roses at each guest's seat, the pashmina favours, and the marshmallows for toasting over blazing outdoor fire-pits {my favourite winter wedding idea ever!}. Gorgeous photographs published with thanks to Andy Catterall.

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