Real Wedding: Hannah & Archie

If you're planning a vintage wedding, you're going to love the whimsical mood of this beautiful rural affair. Hannah and Archie have a real eye for rustic detail, and their big day is a huge source of inspiration. Just check out the burlap table clothes, traditional bunting and hand-drawn menus. I love how they used old sacks as chair covers, and mismatching napkins, and the informal long dining tables. The barn makes for an exciting and atmospheric venue - perfect for a family wedding. Hannah's darling vintage wedding dress and beaded headband make her a truly unique bride, and I'm adoring the Laura Ashley-style fabric used for her bridesmaids' dresses. The best thing? They all look like they had a fabulous time with barn-dancing late into the night. Fantastic photographs from the super-talented Peter Buncombe.

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HighStreet Bridesmaids

Choosing bridesmaids dresses is a complete minefield. I've got two maids of honour and four bridesmaids, and we're all over 30, so it's not like I'm going to be able to dress them in cutesy Bo Peep outfits. {Although I could....evil laugh!}. They're all completely different heights and shapes, so I'm toying with either a colour scheme, or just letting them wear what they want. However, if you're looking to choose dresses, you can't go wrong with the good old British high-street. Here are just a few of my favourite finds....

Real Wedding: Billi-Jo & Lee

Winter weddings are often the most romantic. All your guests are snuggled under one roof, and if you can find a venue with an open fire, you're in for a treat. Lovely couple Billi-Jo and Lee celebrated their wedding on a chilly day in February at Himley Hall, a traditional eighteenth century listed building. Billi-Jo picked the most gorgeous lacy dress from Brides By Appointment, and it suited her blonde colouring perfectly. I'm also loving the teal bridesmaids dresses, which set the tone for the colour palette of the day. Everything matched, including the ribbons on the wedding cake. Billi-Jo chose feathers to add an Ice-Queen feel to the bouquets, and as ever, I'm a huge fan of black-centred, white anenomes. Keep your eye out for anenomes - they're due to be a super-trend next spring, and they come in every colour. Gorgeous photographs published with thanks to the talented team at Chris Barber Media.

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Wonderful Wedding Ideas

Wedding ideas can come from anywhere, and one of my secret spots for finding inspiration is design websites. Along with all the bigger items, like furniture and lamps, they also have fantastic finds, like the selection below. They're fresh from the new season's collection at Love, Loans & Linen. I'm going to be using the blackboards to label the buffet; Dig in!, Enjoy!, Yum!, the wildflower sticks as favours, and the luggage tags as placemarkers. Check out Love, Loans & Linen for more wedding ideas.

Lush Paper

There's something gorgeous about these vintage wedding invitations. Maybe it's the baby pink, maybe it's because I love letterpress, or maybe it's the combination of the crisp card and slightly wonky letters. Either way these invites are my new favourite stationery. Paperlush by name, and I say paper lush by nature. What do you reckon?

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Giant Hairclip

Not really a wedding idea, but I simply had to feature this giant hair clip. I love it! It's hilariously large, and deliciously comic, and best of all, useful. Designed by Adia Kibur, and available online from Shopbop, they come in gold, silver and black. Sometimes bigger is better.

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♥ Wedding Fairs ♥

If you always get that back-to-school feeling in September, cheer yourself up with the new season of Wedding Fairs! Targeted at brides and grooms who are planning their spring and summer weddings, they're a great way to spot all the latest trends for 2011. I'll be at most of them, in particular, the National Wedding Shows, where I'll be tweeting my favourite finds. Prepare for the onslaught of ideas by following my Twitter feed here. Listed below are the details of the big events, although there will be local fairs unique to your area - just search online.

♥ On the search for a bit of advice on planning your wedding? Don't miss The National Wedding Shows. The first one is in London between 1st-3rd October at Earl's Court, and the second is at the NEC in Birmingham, between 8th-10th October. It's an absolute must for all those planning their perfect wedding - I've been several times, and it's a great day out. With over 300 wedding experts and inspirational features you're bound to feel inspired. Buy tickets early, and get a free goodie bag!

♥ If you've got a bigger budget, or just big idea, check out The Designer Wedding Show. It's held in Battersea Park in London, and offers more than 100 exhibitors of wedding gowns, accessories, cakes, stationery, entertainment, cosmetics, shoes, tiaras, hats......you get the picture! Save the 8th-10th October in your diary and book tickets here.

♥ If you love vintage weddings, then don't miss the London Vintage Wedding Fair on October 24 in Notting Hill. A huge hit last year, this year promises to be even better! Don't miss the amazing stands selling everything from antique lace and Thirties dresses to handmade shoes, jewellery and headgear. Browse over a glass of bubbly - and don't forget to pick up your goodie bag on the way out! Tickets are £7 in advance and £10 on the door.

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Real Wedding: Mary & John

If you're looking for wedding ideas, you're going to love this traditional and romantic Irish affair. John and Mary celebrated their big day on the beautiful West Coast of Ireland, at Spanish Point. Featuring an historic castle, a stunning sea-side view and a gorgeous princess gown, you're going to love this wedding. The strawboys even paid the happy couple a visit, keeping an ancient Irish tradition alive and kicking! For centuries these original wedding crashers have arrived uninvited at country weddings and entertained the guests. Their presence is thought to bring good luck for the happy couple, and despite their slightly messy appearance, they're always welcome. Other stealworthy ideas include Mary's matching bridesmaids dresses and ushers' ties, her gorgeous long veil, and her simple half-up, half-down hair style. Don't miss the hilarious caraicature cake toppers, and all of Mary's other vendors detailed below. Fantastic pictures published with thanks to Mary Brown Photography.

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Mary 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?
Carron in County Clare in Ireland on 7th June 2010

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We chose the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point because the view of the sea there was beautiful. The hotel took care of all the decorations so one less thing for us to think about.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
Purple – my favourite colour

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
My dress was from the Ella Bridals Collection, which I purchased from Aphrodite Bridal in Newcastle West, Limerick. They were extremely helpful and the dress just felt so soft and light that I loved it. My sister-in-law lent me her tiara. I purchased simple silver sandals from a local shop and I already had a necklace and earrings.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
We rented it from Mike O’Connell’s Menswear in Limerick

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
They were purchased from Brides First Choice in Limerick.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We chose a four-tier topsy-turvy cake from the Cake Gallery in Ennis. My husband-to-be was in charge of choosing the cake because he has a sweet tooth. He saw a picture in a magazine and thought it looked cool and different. Each tier was a different flavour! The personalised figurines were from Anita Caricatures.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Yes, lotto tickets. They were used in a wedding we had been to previously and we thought they went down very well and added a little excitement to every table.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Mulqueens Flowers in Ennis. I wasn’t too bothered about the specific flowers, so I just showed the florist a swatch of the bridesmaids dresses and told her our budget, and she did everything else.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Mary Brown Photography in Dublin. She is married to a friend of my sister-in-law and came highly recommended. We viewed her website and loved her natural style. We arranged a meeting with her, loved her personality and knew she would fit in well on the day.

Did you have any entertainment at your wedding?
We had up-and-coming Irish indie band O'Emperor. They had a busy summer recording their debut album, Hither Thither (out 1st October) and playing the festival circuit, but since their lead singer and guitarist, Paul, is John's cousin, they made an exception to play at our wedding.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
It was a little stressful to say the least as we didn't leave ourselves a lot of time to plan it, but it was nice to work on things together.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
It’s never too early to start planning – don’t leave everything to the last minute. You want to be nice and relaxed on the lead up to the wedding, not stressed out. When sending off RSVP cards with the invites remember to write a number on the back of them and keep track of what name matches what number as people will reply and forget to put down their names. Put some time into planning your honeymoon – it tends to get a back seat compared to the wedding – remember the wedding is just one day, the honeymoon will be a lot longer. Packed for your honeymoon before the wedding – there may not be a lot of time afterwards. Get a good nights sleep the night before – it is a long day. Also eat a good breakfast – there is not much time for eating until you get to the meal.

If you have a lace up dress give yourself extra time to get this tied – it may take a few attempts to get it right! Have water and a few snacks in the wedding car – you will be hungry after the ceremony. Have baby wipes in the car in case your dress gets dirty. Bring extra hairpins as your hair or veil might fall down. Wear comfortable shoes. Keep a list of all the gifts you received and from whom on Excel so you know who to send thank you cards to. Cherish every moment of the day – it passes very quickly.

Supplier List
Hair: Evelyn Tigue at Ev’s Hairdesign, Quin Tel: 086 845 2278
Make-up: Keane for Beauty in Ennis
Church Musician: Singer and harpist, Jean Wallace
Videographer: SES Digital

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