Terrarium Wedding Favours

Ever heard of a terrarium?  Me either, until I started searching for mossy inspiration for my Midsommer's Night Dream feature. After a couple of clicks, I found myself exploring delicate worlds of miniature ferns, bromeliads and the occasional toadstool.  Perfect for the anti-gardener, many of terrariums come sealed, and require little or no care.  Use them as a table centre-piece, or favour your guests with miniatures, and add an air of magical mystique to your big day.

Terrarium Credits - Miniature: Warm Country Meadows, Round: DoodleBirdie, Gnome: Green Briar, Mossy Bird: Made by Mavis, Bottom Left: Warm Country Meadows, Trilogy: Green Briar, Toadstool: Warm Country Meadows, Bottom Right: Green Briar

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Real Pink & Peony Wedding: Sarah & Ben

Check out the colour at this wedding!  It takes some bravery to theme your big day around bright pink, but stunning couple, Sarah and Ben styled theirs brilliantly, and wow, don't the colours pop in Nikole Ramsay's fab photos. I get seriously emotional about peonies, so I'm adoring their addition to the cake and posies, and Sarah's Spanish style mantilla veil is perfection. You can buy a really similar one from Delphine Manivet.

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Real Glamorous Wedding: Helen & Gregg

You're going to love these photographs from fantastic British photographer Mark Bothwell. Gorgeous couple Helen and Gregg hosted their big day at Gosfield Hall in Essex - such a stunning venue. I'm loving the lilac touches, personalised Love Hearts and twinkling chandeliers, but the best thing is how incredibly happy they both look! Some lovely wedding ideas for the man in your life - just check out how dapper Gregg looks in his top hat and tails. 

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Free Valentine's & Wedding Favour Stickers

When I'm meandering around the internet, picking up wedding blog ideas, one of my favourite places to visit is Cup of Jo. It's a gorgeous blog, full of creative inspiration, most of it non-wedding, but equally fabulous! Yesterday Jo posted these cutie-pie print-your-own Valentine's stickers, created by the hugely talented team at Twig & Thistle, and I knew I had to share. Aren't they the best? For instructions, head over to Twig & Thistle's blog. They'd definitely work as wedding favours as well.

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Real Rustic Wedding: Sarah & Jason

Outdoor weddings are right up my street. I'm planning my own garden big day, so any wedding inspiration on how to embrace the great outdoors, gets a huge tick in my book. Sarah and Jason chose a rustic vintage look for their day, with accents of blue and green. Wedding ideas to steal include the raw birch centrepieces, Sarah's amazing floral crown, the lavender and organic honey favours, and the wooden boxes of flowers - rustic bliss! I'm also loving the blackboard menu and the ceremonial circle of white petals. Sarah's gorgeous wedding gown was designed by Amy Michelson, and all the bridesmaids' shawls were bought from Etsy - my favourite wedding shopping site. Now, sit back and enjoy these heavenly pictures from the team at Simply Bloom Photography.

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Strawberry Fields Wedding Theme

Despite the howling gales outside and the pouring rain, my thoughts have turned to summer - I guess I'm just good at going to my happy place!  But I've been helped along hugely by this the fifth edition of e-zine Utterly Engaged, and in particular, this feature of theirs inspired by strawberry shortcake.  So many ideas, in particular their use of layered linens to create a truly individual effect. In other words, a wonderful source of DIY wedding ideas - don't miss their monthly online magazines.

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Real Pink Detailed Wedding: Sarah & Andy

Delicate pink has to be the most romantic of colours, perfect as a subtle hint against the white of the traditional bridal gown. Sarah and Andy used it to fantastic effect on their big day, adding peonies (always my fav), scented sweet-peas and traditional roses, for a luxurious feel. Gorgeous details-to-copy include the oh-so-elegant blossom stationery, multiple mini vases (so this season) and diamond Love necklace *sigh*. So many wedding ideas, it's a wedding blogger's dream! Huge thanks to photographer Juliette Neel for her fabulous pictures.

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That Friday Feeling Wedding Web Links ♥ 9

Wedding stationery has mostly been my obsession this week, because I've finally designed my invitations, and I'm now seeking out quotes to get them printed thermographically. Choosing my wedding stationery was agonising. I LOVE graphic design, and I hugely admire so many stationery designers, but my wedding budget meant I couldn't afford bespoke invitations. Your budget might be bigger, or you might just fancy a drool, so check out all these gorgeous web-links from my favourite wedding bloggers. PLUS don't miss the free Valentine's printables. DIY shows you love them more!!

♥ {Above} Gorgeous Follow Studio stationery all the way from trendy Sydney - don't miss the whimiscal gorgeousness of their wedding stationery blog for amazing wedding ideas.

♥ Seal everything with a kiss {via Eat Drink Chic}

♥ Lovely bunting inspired wedding stationery via one of my favourite wedding blogs Beyond Beyond.

♥ Cute FREE printable Valentine's Day cards from How About Orange via Oh So Beautiful Paper, the best wedding stationery blog in the world!

♥ Arcadia Stationery introduction from Love My Dress wedding blog - loving their work.....

♥ Fantastic laser cut stationery via OMG I'm Getting Married. A great find for a bride and groom looking for original wedding ideas.

♥ DIY brides will love this! Wedding invitations you can download and print for free via Ruffled wedding blog.

And now for a couple of Vintage Before the Big Day postings!

♥ We love Azulsahara and Wedding Soon for their unique designs and their support for Before the Big Day.

♥ My own attempts at DIY wedding stationery on the Save the Dates for my own wedding.

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Real Countryside Wedding: Sarah & Val

This is just the most dreamy of weddings, and huge thanks must go to Sarah and Val for letting me feature their big day, and the lovely Annie Beedy for her gorgeous photographs.  Particularly inspirational is the lemon drizzle cake and the country-garden flowers, as they add a delicious homemade whimsy to the whole affair, while the mushroom grey and clean white lines of the marquee add elegance.  The garden looks stunning, the little birds on the tables are the cutest, and I'm always a huge fan of paper lanterns, by day and night. LOVE it!

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My Wedding - Buying Dresses in NYC

This is where I tell you all about planning my own wedding. After all, if I'm publishing all these Real Weddings, it's only fair I share my trials and tribulations. Read the rest of my wedding diary.

Buying Wedding Dresses in New York
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have spotted that I've just been on holiday. My cousin lives in the Caribbean {lucky me}, so I took off mid-Jan for a spot of sunshine. The flight stopped in New York, home of some of the best wedding shopping in the world, and I was off the plane in a shot, ready to try out some of the best bridal boutiques I could find.

First stop was Saja Wedding. I've already featured them on Before the Big Day, and Saja's dresses are simply gorgeous. Ethereal and floaty, they're perfect for a summer wedding. From simple to detailed, Saja also creates a heavenly range of accessories. Here are a few of my favourites from my marathon trying-on session!

Next stop, was the legendary J. Crew Bridal Boutique on Madison Avenue. It's a gorgeous place, with giant dressing rooms, and a dreamy selection of gowns, shoes and accessories. I do most of my shopping alone, but the group that was due to arrive after me included 12 bridesmaids, all looking for dresses along with the bride! J. Crew's dresses start wonderfully cheap, so I was hoping 'The One' would be one of those under $500. Here are a few of my favourites.

Last on my list {it was a flying stop}, was Lovely Bridal. A recent addition to the bridal market, it's a cute shop in Soho, just doors away from super-trendy Bleeker Street and the Magnolia Bakery. The changing room here was even bigger, and trying on the dresses was a real experience. They stock lots of fantastic designers, but my eye was drawn to the Delphine Manivet gowns, and those from LA designer Alix & Kelly.

So which one did I choose? I'm afraid I can't tell you that - not because I'm keeping it secret, but because I still haven't decided...... So with only 4 months to go until my big day, I still haven't chosen my wedding dress - argh! Please tell me which is your favourite - maybe we could have a vote?

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