Stunning Seaside Wedding Shoot

This incredible shoot is fresh from an amazingly talented team over on the west coast of the US, where all the best wedding trends seem to start. With a divine wedding dress by Samuelle Couture and smart nautical stationery by Feast Art and Calligraphy, plus styling by Joy Proctor of Joy de Vivre, I'd be tempted to copy every detail for my wedding! I love the combination of white calligraphy on dark blue, the vintage stamps, and the rustic hessian table cloth. I predict coloured glasses will soon become a huge trend in wedding tablescapes, and I'm pleased to see giant bouquets are still on trend. Another fun idea is a mix-your-own-cocktail trolley - as previewed by my wedding planner Kerry Bracken in her Provence wedding. Photography by the incredible Jose Villa - check out his blog for more fabulous wedding inspiration.

A Pancake Wedding Theme?

Happy Shrove Tuesday everyone! Now you wouldn't have thought pancakes and weddings were natural bed partners, but you'd be wrong. It only takes a quick search on Pinterest, to discover a veritable plethora of fantastic ideas. From this divine pancake wedding cake, to cute mini-pancake canapé bites, and of course, salmon blini - there's tonnes of inspiration. My favourite idea is the self-service choose-your-toppings stand. Perfect for the couple who love to brunch. It's almost enough to make it worth getting married on a Tuesday.....

{Photo Credit} Ruffled wedding blog

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Delicious Decorations for Your Wedding Cocktails

This is a blog post for the bride who {just like me} wants to leave no detail untouched. Who believes everything can be prettified that little bit more. And who likes sugary cocktails. I've recently rediscovered passion fruit caipirinhas, after a year of enforced absence due to pregnancy and breastfeeding, and they're making my world a better place. What would make them even better are these incredible flavoured cocktail sugar rims. Handmade by a husband and wife team in Chicago, they come in every colour and flavour you can imagine, and they make me happy! Buy some for your wedding day, and make your guests happy too! P.S. They also do heart popcorn seasoning....I'm thinking wedding favours?

{I want this!} Cocktail Glass Rimming Sugar, £2.83 by Dell Cove Spice Company {enough to do 15-18 glasses}

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Rustic Watercolour Wedding Stationery

What is it that's so romantic about watercolours? There's something about the sweep of subtle colour, that gets me thinking about sunsets and sorbets and Monet's water lily paintings. It's the perfect theme for a summer wedding, and this gorgeous, rustic, watercolour invitation suite from La Pomme et La Pipe would be the perfect introduction of your big day to your guests. I'm a huge fan of this little boutique - do take a look at their whole collection!

{I want this!} Watercolour wedding invitation suite, approx. £5 per invitation set {one invitation, one rsvp postcard, one accommodation card, one envelope} from La Pomme et La Pipe.

Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin! For more Watercolour Wedding Theme ideas, check out my page on Pinterest. 

Real Luxury Lace-Themed Wedding: Jennifer & Kirt

Exquisite summer wedding alert! I've got a complete humdinger for your delectation. It's another Jose Villa wedding, and they're always exquisitely pictured, and chock-a-block with stealworthy ideas. From the elegant candy-striped stationery, to the vintage car and cute dog pageboy, I'm wanting to copy every detail. Recreate the tablescape with a selection of different-sized vases, scraps of lace wrapped round linen napkins, and a sage green table cloth. Add in some antique silver borrowed from a local shop, and you'll be well on the way to extreme elegance.

A Kite Wedding Theme

Last year DIY pinwheels and pom-poms were very much the 'in-thing' for weddings. They're still huge this season, but I'm on the search for a new fresh idea for 2015! And I think I've spotted a wedding trend in the making.....kites! They're cute and colourful, and easy to DIY, and they'd add just the right lovely of fun and whimsy to your wedding day. They'd also make for fantastic photo props for your wedding photographs and engagement session. Plus I can just imagine your flower girl and page boys flying holding little kites as they walk down the aisle. For more kite wedding inspiration, take a look at my Pinterest board.

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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Amazing Boho DIY Vintage Wedding Part 2

It's Part 2 time for this incredible DIY-fest of a wedding. There is so much wedding inspiration in this fabulous big day, that I've had to split it in two for risk of blowing your minds! If you've missed Part 1, check it out here. From the wedding stationery to the wedding cakes {yes that's cakes plural}, no details was too small to DIY. I'm loving the recurring owl motif, the hankies '4 tears of joy' the incredible Wedding Land hand-drawn map, the burlap runners, the sweetie favour bar and the vintage camera on each table {to reflect Marissa's love of photography}. I don't think I've ever seen such a personalised wedding, and you can tell it must have been one amazing loved-up party! Huge thanks to the team at W Scott Chester Photography for their incredible pictures, and a heartfelt congratulations to Marissa and Caleb! P.S. If you want to see more pictures from this lovely wedding {plus extra wedding inspiration ideas}, do check out Before the Big Day's Facebook page.

Amazing Boho DIY Vintage Wedding

If you're a boho bride, a vintage bride, or an obsessed-with-details DIY bride, this wedding is going to knock your socks off! It's an enchanting festival-style affair, with magical wedding details, and a big dollop of homespun fabulousness. I've taken the divide and conquer approach, so instead of flooding your eyeballs with too much wedding inspiration in one go, I'll be publishing the next half of the wedding at lunchtime, so you can enjoy it with your sandwiches. But there's tonnes to feast on in this batch of pictures, so let's get started. Marissa and Caleb celebrated their wedding on a Wednesday since they wanted to say 'I do' on their five year dating anniversary {love this idea!}. They DIY'd tonnes of their wedding details, including the incredible wood ceremony entrance, with its vintage screen doors AND the lovely altar area, with its Anthropologie-style letters and owls. I'm loving Caleb's laid-back style, Marissa's cute DIY broach bouquet {buy a similar one from Etsy}, her handmade floral bunting, her bridesmaids' colour-pop pink dresses plus yellow bouquets, and the personalised fingerprint tree guestbook at the entrance. If you want to create a similar wedding style, but don't have time to do all the wedding details yourself, then I must recommend Etsy weddings, for beautiful homespun products. Huge thanks to the wonderful team at W Scott Chester Photography for capturing every golden moment in such style.

The Wedding Food Revolution

In the last few years there's been something of a wedding food revolution. Sit-down wedding dinners and buffets are being replaced by a much more dynamic style of dining, in the shape of mobile food trucks. Much more glamorous than your local hotdog trailer, these vintage-style caravans come in all shapes and sizes. Pick a cupcake or ice-cream van as a fun wedding detail, or select several to cater for your entire wedding. Your guests will have the fun of choosing what they'd prefer to eat, there'll be less waste, and it'll slim your wedding budget. Plus you get a big dollop of vintage heavenliness at your wedding.

Enjoy Cupcakes have just added Coral to their collection of cute caravans. Unfortunately she lives in the US. {Picture Credit: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty}

Vintage Scoops is the brainchild of Mrs Scoops, who owns Bettty, very cool retro ice cream van
{Photo Credit: Paul Wilkinson Photography}

The Splitscreen Ice-Cream Co. serves mouth-watering, organic award-winning ice cream from a seriously cool and iconic vintage Volkswagen van.

The Flying Ducks offer a retro dining experience from a vintage caravan. It really is a thing of wonder!

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Exquisite Whimsical Wedding Veils

These wedding veils are just exquisite. I can't tell you how excited I was when I stumbled upon SIBO Designs' Etsy shop. I'm a strong believer in the veil - until I tried mine on, I didn't feel like a proper bride! My Delphine Manivet wedding dress was very simple, so I needed a cathedral length, lace veil to add interest. And when Delphine kindly gave me one of her handmade veils, edged with lace from the famous designers in Calais - I couldn't have been more thrilled. SIBO Designs' veils are just as beautiful, but considerably cheaper - leaving you more money to spend on wedding day jewellery!

{I want this!} Gorgeous wedding veils by SIBO Designs

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Sparkly Wedding Cocktail Accessories

Everything looks better with a bit of sparkle. So why not add these cheeky drink stirrers to your wedding cocktails? Even a simple G&T would look flare with these tinselled marvels, but I'd recommend choosing your own signature cocktail, and coming up with a fabulous name. Available in gold or silver, they'd look pretty fabulous at a Christmas party as well. DIY or buy them from Em for Marvelous {cool name for a shop!}.

{I want this!} Tinsel drink stirrers £47.14 for 100 by Em for Marvelous

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Pretty Paper Wedding Garlands

Flowers are the traditional go-to wedding decoration, but what can you do if your budget doesn't stretch to billions of blooms? I'm a huge fan of that unsung hero: paper. Create pompom peonies out of tissue paper for a tenth of the price, string the ceilings with paper chains, and add LED's to dozens of paper lanterns for romantic low lighting. Or take inspiration from the gorgeous paper garlands created by Maisy & Alice. I love these strings of stars, but there's a huge range of geometric fabulousness on their website, including stunning 3D heart garlands.

{I want this!} Star Garland, £8.24 for 9 feet {& upwards} by Maisy & Alice

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Pretty Rainbow Wedding Journals

Planning your wedding? These pretty leather-bound journals from Jackdaw Bindery are the perfect way to record your creative musings and inspirational wedding ideas. I love the rainbow pages, but you could choose your signature wedding colour instead, and add a monogram or motif. I'm ordering one for a friend to use as a pregnancy diary, and they'd make lovely presents for your bridesmaids. Each journal is handmade in Chichester by Louise Knight-Richardson, who's a professional book-binder by trade - I love how romantic and Victorian that sounds!

{I want this!} Leather-bound journals, from £19 by Jackdaw Bindery

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My New Favourite Wedding Florist

Finding a florist for your wedding can be a complete minefield. There's a lot of generic designers out there who'll do a great job, but if you're looking for something a bit different, a bit quirky and unique, then you'll love Rose & Wolf Flowers. It's run by a friend of a friend of mine called Georgina Agutter, and I've been following her work on Instagram for the last few months. I love the slightly haphazard style of her romantic wedding bouquets, and the clean precision of her more formal work. Take a look at her Facebook site for her latest wedding designs - I love the pop of colour in this whimsical bouquet.

{Picture Credit} Rose & Wolf Flowers - email here

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Before the Big Day Feeling Popular on Twitter

Goodness me - how did this happen! Thank you to all my new followers - I hope I'm interesting enough!!! Have you found me on Twitter and/or Facebook? Why not join in the conversation? {Or ready my mad ramblings about crab sticks!}

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Beautiful Wedding Jewellery for the Budget Conscious Bride

When I was planning my wedding, I was all about trying to create a luxe look on a budget. But that's easier to do with wedding decorations and stationery.....when it comes to your wedding gown and jewellery, it's much harder. I splashed out and bought a designer gown, but I paired with realistic, but fake diamond jewellery {apart from my engagement ring!}. So I was thrilled to discover these pretty perfect pearl drop earrings by Olivier Laudus. They're made out of cubic zirconia, but only you need to know that! If anyone asks, I'd say they're a vintage find from this little boutique you found in London!

{I want this!} Pearl drop earrings, £39.99 by Olivier Laudus

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The Perfect Unnecessary Wedding Detail

Aren't these gorgeous?! Sometimes it's the simplest of wedding details that really gets me going. And anything to do with stationery really rocks my world. These rustic stickers by Ohhh So Darling make me want to start writing letters, just so I can use them to seal the envelopes. They'd be the perfect way to brand your wedding. Stick them to your napkins and invitations, wrap them around paper straws, or use them on your confetti sachets as pictured. So many fabulous DIY ideas, and at only £7 for 100, you can afford to go sticker-crazy!

{I want this!} Rustic Personlised Stickers, £7 for 100 by Ohhh So Darling
Buy glassine bags like these from eBay seller Tilly Mint

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Big Wedding Bunting Love

Back when I first started Before the Big Day {four years ago - eek!}, it was really difficult to find bespoke wedding details. The USA was miles ahead of us in terms of creativity. But now, brides in the UK who want unique wedding decorations can find loads of individual boutique sellers. One of my favourite resources is Etsy. If you've never heard of it, you've missed out - take a look! This morning I found a brilliant shop called BaloolahBunting, which sells romantic lacy bunting. The pretty laser-cut flags create a stunning effect - perfect for wedding decorations. I can imagine them fluttering in a summer's breeze, or adding light in barn wedding venue. Baloolah have also branched out into other wedding accessories, including ring pillows and table decorations - all of it gorgeous!

{I want this!} Laser Cut Bunting, £42 by BaloolahBunting

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How To DIY Your Wedding Cake - Butterfly Theme

Take one simple white wedding cake, add a flock of butterflies, and caboom! you've got an incredible, dramatic work of art. Just goes to show what a touch of DIY can do. Each butterfly is handmade, complete with antennae {!}, and they come in a variety of species and colours. Buy your beautiful bugs from Butterfly Bazaar, and learn how to decorate your cake in a special tutorial here. For plain white wedding cakes, you can't do better than good old Marks & Spencer.

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Whimsical Hand-Embroidered Wedding Heirlooms

These are so whimsical and old fashioned, that they're the very essence of romance. Instead of carving your names into a tree, Jessica from Minature Rhino {I know, interesting name!} will do it for you, in her own inimitable style. Each item is carefully embroidered by hand, and they're heirlooms of the future. They'd look great on a sweetheart table, or you could simply send one to your future husband on the morning of your wedding. Alternatively, you could ask Jessica to create a custom design for your bridesmaids. Don't miss her website, for a feast of inspirational ideas.

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Sunshine Yellow Romantic Wedding Inspiration

Brides looking for sunshine on their big day should definitely choose a yellow theme. That way, even if the sun doesn't shine, your wedding will still be bright and cheerful! You're going to love this latest {and final} feature from the romantic wedding shoot by Annie Beedy of Mim & Honey, featuring flowers by Riley Messina of Erba Floral Design and wedding cakes by Cambria Goodwin of Butter. Exquisite blooms, combined with quirky vintage details create the perfect wedding style - I'm loving the holiday momento plate, the humours cake-toppers, and the flowers that look like brussel sprouts!! Complete gorgeousness!

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Pale & Romantic, Peach & Pink Wedding Inspiration

Brides looking for a romantic theme to their wedding day are going to love my next three wedding inspiration features. They're all part of the same pale and romantic styled shoot, shot by Annie Beedy of Mim & Honey, featuring flowers by Riley Messina of Erba Floral Design and wedding cakes by Cambria Goodwin of Butter. Annie's long been one of my favourite photographers - her pictures were some of the first I ever featured on Before the Big Day. So when she emailed me offering these exquisite shots, I jumped at the start. In this pink and peach-themed shoot, I'm loving the luxury of the multi-layered roses, the pink sponge interior to the wedding cake, and the simplicity of the plain white candles planted in old wine bottles. Ask your wedding cake designer to texture the icing for a similar rustic look, and add old keys, antlers and vintage crocheted mats to your wedding tables to recreate the rustic-chic look. Incredible!

♥ Want more peach-themed weddings? ♥ Or how about wedding cake ideas? ♥

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Real Spanish Flamenco-Style Wedding

Cherries and a flamenco-style wedding dress = me in heaven. This incredible Basque country wedding took place in San Sebastian, home of more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than Paris. So not only is it an incredibly beautiful town, but the food is amazing. The happy couple chose wedding dream-team Lisa Vorce {planner}, Mindy Rice {florist} and photographer {Aaron Delesie} to create their perfect wedding, and didn't they do a fabulous job! I'm loving the beautiful old-fashioned stationery in grey, the French lavender and kumquat tree table decorations, and the traditional dancers outside the church. It's always wonderful when you include local traditions in your wedding. And have you spotted the fantastic welcome bag in the last picture? It looks so tempting - and presents are a great way to welcome your guests, particularly if they've travelled a long way.

My DIY Wedding Ceremony & Advice

Before I got engaged, I presumed that the type of couple that wrote their own wedding ceremony were either massive hippy-types, or hugely arrogant of their own writing skills and a bit sappy. As we're neither, I'm not sure how we ended up writing our French wedding ceremony. It was partly thanks to our friends {The Ducks}, who hosted their own fabulous Caribbean-themed wedding with their own inspiring ceremony, and partly because we don't believe in God. With a church wedding firmly off the cards, and the civil ceremony so depressingly meh, we weren't left with many options. I did buy the Humanist wedding ceremony guide, but deary me, that booklet knows how to take the romance out of vows. So we wrote threw caution to the wind, and using the Church of England ceremony as a template {minus God}, we came up with our own. And now you can read it, and hopefully see that it wasn't a naff sludge-fest, but actually quite meaningful and dead romantic {my Boy's terms}. Hopefully it should still act as a decent template, should you be looking for one! Click here to take a look. You'll notice from the gorgeous Caught the Light pictures below, that we said our vows in a churchy-looking place. We were very lucky that our venue had an unconsecrated chapel, so we had the beauty of an historic building, without the religious obligations.

{Photo Credit} Our wedding by Caught the Light

P.S. Remember that to legally get married you have to either have a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony of some kind. We had our civil ceremony in London, so strictly speaking the French wedding didn't count. Although for us, it was our wedding day, and the 28th May is what's engraved in The Boy's wedding ring {mine is too narrow}.

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