BBD Theme: Provence Honey

Inspired by my recent trip to Provence to search for wedding venues, all this week I'll be featuring foodie Before the Big Day wedding themes. Let's start this Bank Holiday Monday with honey. A sweet addition to your wedding, you can use pots of it as favours, honeycomb and bees as a motifs and shapes, and the rich yellow colour for your bridesmaids' dresses. I'm loving the products below to add a touch of honey to your big day - don't miss the special discounts for BBD readers, listed below!

Product Credits - {from top left}1. Beautiful Soaps, 2. Cultivar, 3. Nomsa, 4. Luxe Deluxe {from middle left} 1. Shop Rhubarb, 2. EM Wedding, 3. Ello There, 4. Beautiful Soaps {from bottom left} 1. MN Hince, 2. EM Wedding, 3. Belles For Her, 4. Lazy Giraffe

Photo Credits - {from top left} 1. Once Wed, 2. Jelson Jargon via Brooklyn Bride, 3. The Knot {from bottom left} 4. Brooklyn Bride, 5. The Knot

Product Credits - {from bottom left} 1. E Rosas Jewelry, 2. BriGuys Girls, 3. Lucky Duct, 4. Shop Rhubarb {from middle left} 1. Happy Hound {from bottom left} 1. Roundabout, 2. Timeless Paper, 3. Forest Candle Studio

We ♥ Offers - just mention Before the Big Day to get your discount.
Happy Hound & Lucky Duct are offering 10% off. 
Lazy Giraffe is offering 10% of their gorgeous jewellery.
MN Hince is offering free shipping on orders of their exquisite earrings and jewellery over $20.

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Real Wedding: Melissa & Anthony

Award winning photography on Before the Big Day! A picture from Melissa and Anthony's gorgeous wedding was shortlisted for photograph of the year, and came third out of hundreds of entries - congratulations to photographer Julia Ford! Check out the winning picture of their ceremony in the Great Barn in Devon below. There's also plenty of stealworthy ideas from this lovely countryside wedding. Melissa has a sweet ivy tattoo, and decided to continue the motif with ivy florals and beautiful silver cufflinks for Anthony. Simple, elegant and completely personal - perfect wedding theming. Many thanks to Julia Ford of Modern Photographic and Wedding Magazine for her beautiful pictures. Scroll down for a message from Melissa, and a list of her vendors.

Message from the Bride - We spent a few special days in Devon when we first got together and have been going back there every year since, so it seemed the natural place to hold our wedding. The idea was to bring a bit of London style to the country, but it was a challenge to find somewhere both modern and stylish in the midst of such a rural area. The sophisticated feel of The Great Barn was perfect, and the dramatic lighting during the ceremony gave the room all the drama of a cathedral. It was a spring wedding, so we wanted to create a sense of everything bursting to life, from the fresh green and white colour scheme to the table centres of wild spring bulbs.

I’ve never wanted to be a ‘princess’ bride, which is why I chose a simple halterneck gown with a touch of Hollywood glamour. My bouquet of viburnum opulus, white ranunculus and ivy complemented the day’s spring theme, and also honoured the memory of my mum who passed away a few years ago. She had planted a viburnum tree when I was born, and I’ve always loved the vibrant green colour of the pom-pom shaped blooms. Anthony looked gorgeous in a bespoke Ozwald Boateng suit accessorised with a delicate hyacinth and ivy buttonhole.

We kept the reception tables simple with scattered rose petals and oak-leaf shaped place cards. Because ivy featured in both my bouquet and Anthony’s buttonhole, I decided to commission special ivy-leaf earrings for me, and a pair of matching cufflinks for my husband-to-be. Continuing the green theme, our invitations were printed on packets of forget-me-knot seeds, and  we asked each guest to plant them in their gardens as another pretty reminder of our special day.

Vendors
Dress: Ana Cristache
Groomswear: Ozwald Boateng
Florist: Sarah Pepper Flowers
Ivy Cufflinks & Bracelet: Nicola Crawford of Silver Leaves

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That Friday Feeling ♥ 2

Welcome to my second Friday Feeling feature, where I share my favourite wedding-web spots of the week, so you can enjoy them too! Meanwhile, I'm off to Provence this weekend to try to find a venue for our wedding next May....wish me luck! {Pictures courtesy of Jen Huang Photography via Ruffled}

♥ Gorgeous heart-spotted wrapping paper via Oh So Beautiful Paper
♥ Help your photographer work out which guests are your best friends with handmade floral boutonnieres and fascinators from 100 Layer Cake
♥ Some of the best florals I've seen in years via Ruffled
♥ An amazing burleque-inspired big day via Rock 'n Roll Bride
♥ Prepare to drool....check out celebrity engagement rings care of Brides Magazine. Who needs a £100k rock, not me! {yes I am lying}
♥ I have fallen head-over-heels for this rose cake by Janet Mohapi Banks - it's too beautiful to eat!
♥ Advice for the men in your life {husband, ushers, father} on whether to buy or rent a suit for your big day thanks to the lovely boys over at I Am Staggered
♥ Finding it hard to pick a dress? Take a scroll-stroll through the gallery on Wedding Magazine for inspiration.

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Real Wedding: Anna & Andrew

Using fruit as a motif in a wedding is a fantastic idea, as it represents a relationship coming to fruitition, the start of something new, and the sweetness of life. Anna and Andrew chose apples and blossom as their theme, and green as their colour, and it all tied together beautifully. The happy couple celebrated their big day at the gorgeous Layer Marney Tower in Colchester, with ceremony in the beautiful Church of St Mary the Virgin within the grounds. Since Andrew hails from Scotland there was an abundance of men in kilts, including the cutest little page-boys. I'm also loving Anna's kitten heels {so sensible on your wedding day}, the bridesmaids' bold silk dresses, and the sweet little mice cake-toppers. Stunning calligraphy on the place-markers, and such a clever idea to use pearl-topped pins to fasten them onto the apples. Many thanks to Marianne Taylor for her fabulous photographs.

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Twigs & Honey

Not keen on veils? Wondering what on earth to wear instead? Try one of these exquisite fascinators from Twigs & Honey. Chic, original and utterly romantic, they'll add a touch of pretty pastel to your big day, without breaking the bank. Self-taught, boutique designer Myra Callan creates every one from her studio in Oregon, and is more than happy to take on bespoke requests. Don't forget your bridesmaids, they'd look stunning in these feathered hats or corsages, and you could choose different colours according to their personality. Check out The Twigs and Honey website for Myra's whole collection.

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Before the Big Day Wedding Theme: Pinwheels

If you want to add a touch of childish whimsy to your wedding, why not use pinwheels? They're super-versatile, super-cheap, and come in every size, style or colour. If you made them right, they'll even spin in the breeze. Either as favours, placemarkers, as an alternative to bridesmaid bouquets, or lining the aisle, they're bound to spark smiles. Learn how to make your own at Style Me Pretty or Hello My Name is Heather, or if you're not the artistic type {nope me neither}, buy them from one of the lovely suppliers below. Don't miss the special discounts for BBD readers!

Inspiration photo credits all via Style Me Pretty {from top left} Jessica Moores, Kirsten Ellis {from bottom left: Kirsten Ellis, Rule 42, Lisa Lefkowitz


Product Credits - {from top left}Green Pinwheel: Twirlie Whirlies, Giant Bridesmaid Pinwheel: Rule 42, Invitation: Crossroads Cottage, Cupcake Pinwheels: Twirlie Whirlies {from middle left} Green Cupcake Pinwheels: Crossroads Cottage, Pinwheel Placemarks: Giggles Apu, {from top left} Spotty Cupcake & Blue Pinwheel: Twirlie Whirlies, Favour Bags: Crossroads Cottage, Peach Pinwheels: Twirlie Whirlies

We ♥ Offers
Giggles Apu are offering a 20% discount before shipping until June 1st. Just mention Before the Big Day!
Rule 42 are offering 10% off their custom pinwheels wih the code "BTBD10"
Crossroads Cottage is offering 10% off an order of $100 or more with a mention of Before the Big Day.
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Real Wedding: Ella & Sam

It's difficult to define romance, but for me, this gorgeous Greenwich wedding gets right to the heart of the matter. Ella and Sam celebrated their big day at Rangers House in the park, followed by a lovely dinner at Davy's Wine Vaults. Both of them looked totally fabulous, but I've falled head over heels for Sam's floral shirt and bow-tie. Super-original and lovely to see a groom looking fashionable - boys, be inspired! Violets and Velvet were responsible for the florals, and I'm loving the pink roses and eucalyptus in Ella's bouquet. Other stealworthy ideas have to be the bridesmaids' amazing sequinned jackets and patterned tights, plus the double-decker bus. Note sure why, but I've always had a soft spot for the Routemaster. Stunning pictures thanks to the lovely Chloe Browne from Caught the Light.

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Do You Like Butter?

Sometimes something, or someone catches your eye, and you lose all rationale, and have to have it. That's exactly how I feel about this little buttercup ring. I want it, I have to have it, and I'm going to race you all to Kathi Roussel's online shop to buy it. Ready, steady.....go!

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