A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details - The Reception

A little late-coming {I got horribly distracted with Christmas shopping}, but it's time for the delicious second half of this gorgeous wedding. Groom Adam set his bride the challenge of incorporating his football team, Manchester United, into their wedding. Laura managed it with aplomb, creating an incredible 3D table plan, complete with real grass. The red of their shirts proved a slight problem, as it didn't quite fit in with their cream, elegant wedding colour palette, but Adam compromised with cream shirts in the main dining room! There's plenty more stealworthy ideas to snaffle from the pictures - not least the personalised stamp made by BerinMade stationers. Laura used it to brand all their wedding stationery, and to create salt dough heart ornaments. Laura's mum even borrowed it to hand-stamp biscuits, in case any of the guests got peckish on the bus to the reception venue. I'm a huge fan of Laura's antique sapphire and diamond engagement ring as well! Huge thanks to Laura for filling in all her answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire, and to Lissa Alexandra Photography for her fantastic pictures. I've never seen such a fantastic array of wedding portrait shots!

We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.

Our wedding photographer was Lissa Alexandra Photography. Shortly after our engagement, I went to a wedding fair, and I fell instantly in love with her photography style. I knew I had to have her from that moment. I think she was the first thing I booked once our date was confirmed.

A Modern, Elegant Wedding with Quirky Vintage Details

Ice-cream van? Check! Quirky character cars? Check! Fabulous vintage bus? Check! As you can tell, this gorgeous wedding has tonnes of simply fabulous details - many of them with four wheels, and a vintage personality! Laura and Adam were keen to host a classic, elegant wedding, which reflected them as a couple, without having too obvious a theme. Pinks and greens are the dominant colours, and there's definitely a vintage hint to many of the details. I've fallen for Laura's Audrey Hepburn inspired wedding outfit, and her stunning David Austin rose bouquet. Throw in the pretty-as-a-picture church, and historic venue near York, and I'm sold! Enjoy all the gorgeous pictures by Lissa Alexandra Photography - she captured every detail perfectly, and make sure you unashamedly steal Laura's wedding ideas from her answers to Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire! More from the reception published later today.

We celebrated our wedding on Saturday 10th August, with a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Nun Monkton near York, followed by a reception at The Old Deanery, Ripon.

I wanted a venue which was a blank canvas and suited me. Bold green patterned carpets and massive drapes like you get in a traditional castle or stately home venue, just wouldn’t cut it. I chose The Old Deanery for its dark wooden floor boards and cream panelled walls.

Possibly the Best Hen Venue in the World

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to get invited to the launch of a rather special London venture. The Cheeky Parlour is the latest brainchild of the boss behind the uber-trendy Soho House Group. Based in Shoreditch, it offers mini-manicures {£10} and blow-dries {£15} at crazy-low prices, in a super-cool setting. As it's local to my flat, you'll find me propping up the incredible breakfast bar every Friday morning, where I nosh happily on muesli and yoghurt before getting beautified for the weekend. I honestly believe a decent blow-dry is even better than cosmetic surgery, and I always leave feeling super-glam, and that little bit cooler! If you're planning a hen weekend in London, I couldn't recommend it more. They've even got a special package aimed at groups, including my new tipple of choice, Babycham!

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Wedding Trends of 2014 - Carnations

Unloved by many, 2014 is going to see the come-back of the carnation. Not just a supermarket cheapie, this {admittedly very reasonable} bloom looks FABULOUS en masse. In many ways a carnation is just a miniature version of a peony, but available all year round, and in a veritable rainbow of colours. Just like baby's breath, it's a flower saviour for brides on a budget. To make carnations work for your wedding, start with one shade per bouquet or display, and remember this trend is all about quantity over quality. Buy as many as you can, and bunch them together in extravagant displays. But remember it's all or nothing. Don't start adding other blooms, or things could start looking cheap not chic. For more ideas, take a look at my Carnation Wedding Ideas Pinterest board.

{Photo Credit} Unknown

{Photo Credit} Wedding Design by Jeffrey Caballero, picture by Taryn and Shelby of Joielala Photographie. More from this wedding on 100 Layer Cake.

{Photo Credit} 1. Unknown | 2. Flowers by A Hana Design, picture by Closer to Love Photography. More from this wedding on Style Me Pretty

{Photo Credit} 1. Flowers by Brown Paper Design, picture by Docuvitae. More from this wedding on Style Me Pretty | 2. Picture by Orange Turtle Photography, more from this wedding on One Lovely Day

{Photo Credit} Flowers by A Hana Design, picture by Closer to Love Photography. More from this wedding on Style Me Pretty

{Photo Credit} 1. Picture by Mr & Mrs Photography, more from this wedding on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings | 2. Flowers by Michelle Edgemont, picture by Stacey Simpson for Levi Stolove Photography. More from this wedding on Michelle's blog

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Real Misty Winter Wedding with a Gorgeous Short Dress

This incredible winter wedding is proof you can organise a fabulous big day in under a month! Keri and Bill originally planned to marrry in June, but they decided to bring all their family together for the holidays and celebrate both happy occasions. I've fallen for the gorgeous misty moodiness of these lovely pictures by Amy Carroll, and all the charming details. Scroll down for classic winter wedding inspiration, including DIY felt pom-poms and ring-pillow, the owl cake topper, the ruffled cake and the particularly cute 'smitten' mitton-shaped favours. Also loving the silvery and while flower arrangements by Gail VanderLaan and Keri's 50's style mid-length dress, and furry stole. Shorter wedding dresses are so this season!

DIY Bride - Spray-Painted Sheep Cake Topper

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have spotted a flurry of DIY pictures about a month ago. It was all in aid of my friend's last-minute plan-it-in-a-week wedding. Her big bash is actually this weekend {excited!}, but for family reasons, she had to bring the ceremony forward. After much chatting about themes, she decided on a rich gold detailing, and I took the opportunity it get my spray paint on! Not just for graffiti artists, spray paint really is the most versatile of tools. It can turn the most everyday items into a wonderful wedding details. My friend works as a shepherdess, and wanted a cute sheep-style cake topper. I'd spotted this project on Once Wed many years ago, and thought it a genius idea, so tried it out.

I bought toy sheep from Amazon {but I imagine you can find second-hand on eBay}, and lined them up in a shoe-box, took it outside, and got funky with my gold spray paint!

It took a couple of coats, but it was so effective, I did a little satisfaction dance! I reckon if you bought tonnes of them, you could use them as little place-markers, and obviously, you could spray them in any colour to match your wedding theme. I've also seen fruit sprayed gold, and take a look at my jam-jar DIY project. Click for more Before the Big Day DIY bride ideas.

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Real Purple & Lace Themed English Wedding

This wonderful English wedding ticks every one of my boxes. Childhood sweethearts; check. Gorgeous gown; check. Fabulous pink shoes; check. From the colour palette to the gorgeous laser-cut cupcake covers, I'm loving every single detail. Isn't it the quintessential English wedding? There's a reason why so many brides and grooms choose a church wedding followed by a marquee reception - it's a tried and tested template that allows you add your own personal touches. Fantastic pictures, as ever, by Yana Photography.

Introducing Fiona Kelly Wedding Photography

There's a handful of photographers in the UK who I consider up there with the best. They've got a fantastic eye for the easy-to-miss moment, but they're fantastic at formal and detail shots as well. Fiona Kelly is one of those wedding photographers, and that's why I'm delighted to introduce her as Before the Big Day's newest sponsor. Fiona's lovely reportage style means you and your guests will be captured at your most natural - looking your best, with your emotions mirrored in your face. You can see from her gorgeous shots below how good she is at being in the right place at the right time for the perfect shot. What's more, Fiona is super-friendly and a massively relaxing influence on your big day - in the tumult of relatives and friends, you can be sure she'll be calm in the eye of the storm. London-based, Fiona works across the UK and Europe - wherever the wedding calls her! Her packages start at a very reasonable £1795, and include full day coverage {preparations to your First Dance and a bit more}, and your pictures on a USB to print yourself. Of course, if you want beautiful albums, then Fiona can help you with those as well! Take a look at Fiona's wedding photography website to see more of her gorgeous work.

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This is a Sponsored Post for Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Mexican Papel Picado Personalised Weddding Decorations

Yet more incredible paper wedding decorations to brighten up your wedding day space. Whether you hire a marquee or a village hall, these gorgeous personalised banners will create a festival atmosphere at your wedding. Created by Ay Mujer, they're called papel picado, and they're a traditional Mexican folk art made out of tissue paper of every shade. Why not continue the theme, and have a Mexican meal with a margaritas?

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Blackberry Autumn Wedding Theme

One of my best girlfriends is going to be getting married in December, but for family reasons, she had to bring forward the official ceremony to the autumn. Everything happened quite quickly, and she ended up organising her mini-wedding in just a week! {So it is possible!}. I was super-keen to get her just as excited about her autumn wedding as her winter big day, so I went into overdrive with my theme ideas, and created tonnes of Pinterest boards. One of my favourite ideas was a Blackberry Themed Wedding. I found bucket-loads of pretty inspiration....take a look at a few of my favourite ideas below.

Wedding Theme Ideas
✿ Eat: Add blackberries to your wedding cake and fill pick-your-own-style punnets with berries to each table for guests to nibble on between courses. Serve blackberry crumble for pudding.
✿ Drink: Blackberry mojitos are yummy, or just add a few blackberries to bob around in each champagne glass
✿ Dress: Add rich purple ribbon sashes for your bridesmaids dresses, and wrapped around your bouquet
✿ Decorate: If you can catch blackberries before they ripen, they look beautiful added to bouquets, buttonholes and table decorations. Make blackberry jam for wedding favours.

A London Library Wedding with Irish Tartan & Indian Extras

There's nothing I like more than a bride who knows exactly what she wants for her wedding day, and when she can't find it, makes it herself! Lovely Sally handmade all her wedding stationery - including her invitations and table plan, and her pretty seed wedding favours. Then, when she couldn't find bridesmaids dresses in her chosen shade of green, she called on her mum to sew them out of fabric originally designed for suit linings. The end result is a gorgeous, relaxed big day with tonnes of truly personalised wedding details. I love how groom Michael reflected his Irish heritage with his fabulous traditional kilt, and the sunny pop of the gerbera buttonholes. Sally bought her wedding dress from BHS online, and isn't it stunning! Just goes to show you don't have to have a designer gown to look gorgeous on your big day. Another stealworthy idea is Michael and Sally's choice of a fabulous Indian buffet for their wedding reception. If your favourite food is Asian or Mexican, why not choose it for your wedding menu? Huge thanks to Corrado Chiozzi for his fantastic wedding pictures, more of his work coming soon on Before the Big Day!

We celebrated our wedding at Charlton House in London. I knew I wanted our wedding to be fairly simple, my husband wanted it to be somewhere fairly formal, and I wanted fairy lights! Also we both love reading, and so hosting our reception in a library suited us perfectly.

We didn't have a theme as such. We wanted green for the bridesmaid dresses, yellow for the flowers and Indian fabrics and food to feature!

Super-Glam Sophisticated Bridal Jewellery

Brides who like a bit of glitz {I'm thinking Jenny Packham-style glamour}, are going to L-O-V-E my latest wedding discovery. Just take a look at these amazing headdresses from Willow Moone. Aren't they just the bomb?? They pick up on the big jewellery trend that we're seeing right now {lots of v large necklaces spotted in Anthropologie & J Crew}, and add a massive luxury twist. Every piece is hand-created by boutique owner Debbie Bailie-Collins out of perfect crystals, scattered artfully on to the finest ivory illusion bridal tulle. There's something very vintage, flapperish and 20's about them, and I have a serious obsession with the whole collection.

{I want this} 1. Lujon - Crystal Art Deco 1920's Tulle Headpiece, £330 | 2. Ishtar - Crystal Silk Organza Headpiece, £398.89

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A Traditional Countryside Wedding with a Fabric Inspired Theme - The Reception

It's taken me far too long to put up the second half of this amazing detail-filled wedding, {I've had horrible flu}, but believe me, it's worth the wait! Bride Amy read Before the Big Day while preparing for her wedding, and took her decor details to the next level. We're talking 250 meters of hand-sewn bunting, homemade fudge wedding favours, and carefully painted dog food tin can vases. The result is a perfectly rustic English country garden theme, with a pretty green and blue colour palette. I love all the Colefax and Fowler fabrics, and the DIY'd table flowers, picked from Blooming Green Flower Farm. Look carefully at every picture for the little extras, including the twine-tied jam jar lanterns, the blackboard paint table names, menu cork stands and burlap table runners. Huge thanks to Amy for submitting her wedding, and filling in the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, and to Kate Murrell Weddings for her beautiful wedding pictures. Don't miss the two fantastic wedding videos at the end - one by 

We got married on the 27th July at St Michael and All Angels in Withyham, in Sussex, and we hosted our reception in my parent’s garden ten minutes away from the church.

As I work in interior design I was very into the visual side of the wedding planning, and I had a scrapbook full of sketches, pictures and fabrics! I wanted to go for a very traditional English country wedding look, with bunting, a pole marquee, trestle tables and country garden flowers. 

A Traditional English Countryside Wedding with a Floral Fabric Inspired Theme

This is one of those simply perfect weddings, where you just want to dive in and devour all the details. Lovely Amy read Before the Big Day in the run up to her wedding, and along with her husband Alex, they created the most amazing array of pretty DIY'd decorations. Amy works in interior design, so she was very keen on the visual side of the wedding planning, and started with a scrapbook full of sketches, pictures and fabrics. In fact the wedding colour palette was entirely themed on a tiny scrap of fabric - a pretty blue and green floral print on a cream background. The crafty projects are never-ending! Along with her mum, Amy made 250 meters of double sided bunting {now available to hire!}, dried all the confetti in their airing cupboard, and picked and arranged all the marquee flowers. Meanwhile Alex's mum made the fudge favours, and not to be outdone, Alex made the chalkboard table-plan. There's so many stealworthy ideas to choose, but my favourites have to be Amy's stunning self-designed wedding gown, her adorable traditional pageboys' outfits {in knickerbockers made by her mum!}, and Amy's family jewellery - some serious rocks!! Huge thanks to Kate Murrell Weddings for her stunning pictures of the day....more to come in Part 2.

We got married on the 27th July at St Michael and All Angels in Withyham, in Sussex, and we hosted our reception in my parent’s garden ten minutes away from the church.

As I work in interior design I was very into the visual side of the wedding planning, and I had a scrapbook full of sketches, pictures and fabrics! I wanted to go for a very traditional English country wedding look, with bunting, a pole marquee, trestle tables and country garden flowers. 

My Top 5 Beauty Products For Your Wedding Day

{Posting by Julia Bowden, Before the Big Day's Hair & Make-up Expert} As a professional make-up artist, I'm always getting asked 'what is the best beauty brand?'. Sadly it's not that simple, because while one brand will make the best lipstick ever, their foundation won't rock my world. You have to pick and choose. Luckily for you, I'm the original product junkie, on a constant quest to find new and exciting lotions and potions. So while I do the testing, you can reap the rewards, and only buy the best for your wedding day. In my wedding beauty features for Before the Big Day I'll be keeping you up-to-date with all the latest hair and beauty innovations, so you can look your best on your wedding day. Follow me on Twitter for all the latest updates or email me here.

{Photo Credit} Julia Bowden's Wedding Hair & Make-up Work

To kick things off this time round, I just wanted to fill you in on the beauty products I can't shake. No matter how hard I try to innovate, I keep coming back to those old faithfuls. Georgia told me to come up with my Top 5 but I’ve got 7 {whoops…sorry Georgia}! Remember, this isn't just about your bridal make-up bag. In my view the following products are staple make-up investments for every girl. Not just for your wedding day, but for life!

1: Laura Mercier foundation Primer – smoothes your skin ready for foundation and makes it last all day {I promise}! I can't wear a full face of make-up without it. I'm officially addicted.
2: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation - light and sheer, looks like real skin but fabulously light reflective with great natural coverage
3: Bobbi Brown: Pot Rouge in Pale Pink - for the original blushing bride look, very natural, lasts all day and breaths life into your face.
4: By Terry Touch Expert Advanced Under Eye Pen - From the lady who designed the famous Touch Eclat for YSL, this is similar in that it’s light reflective, but it also covers dark circles and plumps the skin around the eyes. An all-in-one dark-circle destroyer.
5: Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Luxurious Mascara – Instant false lash effect, no clogs and great longevity – can't argue with that!
6: Mac Blankety Lip Stick – A lovely nude lip colour that's so flattering and natural – it suits almost everyone.
7: Urban Decay Naked Eye Shadow Palette – A lovely range of shades for creating dramatic or subtle looks – a great all rounder palette you'll use time and time again.

I hope you enjoy them! Till next time xJB

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Introducing Alice Cowen Personal Training for Your Wedding-Ready Body

Brides looking to slim down and tone up for the wedding are in for a treat! Before the Big Day's Nutrition & Fitness Editor, Alice Cowen is back from three busy years in Mallorca, and now available for personal training in the UK. Alice is a secret weapon for her celebrity clients, as she's known to whip people into shape in just a couple of months. She's their go-to girl for red carpet emergencies, and the perfect person to get your bottom walking-down-the-aisle ready, and your tummy honeymoon-bikini-flat! She sorted me out before my wedding, and although I felt the pain, I've never felt more confident as I did on my big day. So if you're looking for a last-minute blast ahead of your winter wedding, or a more gradual long-term figure-change for the summer, then take a look at her website. Alice is based in Dorset, but comes up to London three days a week, and she's also available for Skype training.....and if you think you can get away with cheating on the squats via Skype, think again! This girl is strict! Read more about Alice on her Bootique blog.

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