Real Autumn Wedding: Angela & Colin

There definitely seems to be a trend connecting autumn, orange and dahlias - as I've seen a fair few weddings that used them last autumn. It's not surprising, as dahlias are just the most gorgeous flowers, jaunty and colourful, and available in every hue under the rainbow. Angela and Colin used them to fabulous effect on their big day, scattering petals over the buffet tables, and arranging them in simple blue jars (also hugely in fashion) and even as a motif on their invitations. Other wedding ideas to copy list are the individual picnic rugs (brilliant favours), the cute ring cushion and the two-tone stripes on the bridesmaid dress- so much more cheerful than a block colour!  Many thanks to Jessamyn Harris for her gorgeous pictures.

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Real Colourful Quirky Wedding: Joycie & Steven

If you want a colourful big day, you're going to get tonnes of wedding ideas from this incredible affair. Joycie and Steven took over a whole street in their home town in California, and gave their guests access to an ice cream shop, an old dive bar and an awesome bowling alley. How cool is that for a series of venues! I'm loving how they kept the colour palette for their clothes muted, while going all-out for a riot of reds and blues in the accessories. Just check out those chequered table cloths, and the heart scattered cake {very Valentine's} and the exquisite red anemones. Most of all, check out the smiles - they clearly had a blast. Gorgeous pictures published with thanks to the teams at Our Labour of Love.

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Rocking Bridal Lashes

As a wedding blogger, I get lots of offers of free stuff because people want me to promote them on the blog. Mostly I turn them down, because I'm too busy with featuring Real Weddings, or because their product just doesn't float my boat. But when Kym from Lash Lab offered me a free set of semi-permanent eye-lash extensions, I knew I had to say yes! I'd already been considering it for my own wedding day, as I'm aiming to do my own make-up, and I'm useless at putting on false eyelashes. So last week, I headed down to her super-glam salon on Brick Lane in East London, and emerged from the treatment 25% prettier. I kid you not - it works that well. Even The Boy noticed something had changed. He wasn't sure what, but he knew 'something' was different. Since then, everyone has commented and said how natural they look. So I can wholeheartedly recommend Kym AND eye-lash extensions, and I'll be keeping them up for my wedding day. Pictured below is me with my new lashes, click here for my before and after shots. The lovely Kym is offering £10 off to anyone who mentions Before the Big Day, so get ready to rock some serious lashes!

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Real Winter Wedding: Gill & Ed

It doesn't get much cooler than a red wedding dress. If you're not the type of girl to rock it in white, then don't feel restricted by tradition - do whatever you want! Gill and Ed had an intimate winter wedding at the stunning Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry, which is filled with fabulous antiques. The whole feel of the wedding was one of cosy luxury, with a dollop of old-fashioned romance. My favourite details are the candle-lit wedding service, Gill's cute furry shrug and the heart-topped cupcakes with their laser-cut cases. Gorgeous pictures as ever, from the lovely Anushe Low.

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That Friday Feeling Wedding Web Links ♥ 10

Could it be that spring is nearly sprung? Maybe I'm too hopeful after all the rain we've had this week, but I've noticed catkins on the trees and cherry blossom blooming. Have you spotted any signs of spring? Even if it pours with rain all weekend, these lovely wedding web links will keep you busy. There's always a blossoming idea on the wedding blogs!

♥ {Above} Free Valentine's printables for coffee drinkers! {Via Australian blog Eat Drink Chic}

♥ Suggestions for spring wedding flowers {via Little Miss Wedding Blog}

♥ Lots of lovely second-hand wedding dresses from a fabulous US wedding blog.

♥ I want my wedding to feel like this one

♥ A simply gorgeous English wedding from a great UK wedding blog

♥ The best free printable Valentine's card ever! Plus paper-cuts are absolutely on trend {via design blog Kind Over Matter}

♥ My love for muslin bags knows no bounds. Particularly when they're DIY and added to wedding invitations.

♥ I love this bride's mermaid hair. Plus hundreds of vintage wedding ideas to steal - don't miss it! {via Cap Classique, a South African wedding blog}

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

♥ Wedding ideas for a Gothic Fantasy Wedding Theme

♥ Hundreds of cheap and chic DIY wedding ideas

♥ Plus don't miss this week's exclusive offers - 10% off your wedding jewellery via Diamond Thrills and WIN a box of petal confetti thanks to Shropshire Petals.

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The Wedding Dress Hunt - Delphine Manivet

Okay, it's wedding blog confession time. After insisting I wouldn't spend more than a thousand pounds on a wedding dress, and that it was outrageous to consider spending any more, I've chosen a Delphine Manivet gown. OUCH! It's SO much more than a thousand pounds, and my wonderful mum has offered to pay for it, but I've got severe buyer's remorse on her behalf. The problem is I love it. I love it more than The Boy {almost}, and when I tried it on for the second time, this wonderful feeling of relief swept over me, because I knew I'd finally found the right dress. It has begun to become a bit of an issue for me. Everyone kept asking whether I'd found my gown, and with only four months to go, it was all becoming far too stressy. Not being a fashion person, it had become something of an endurance test, and I felt I was failing at being a happy bride, because choosing a dress is supposed to be fun, right? Pictured below are some of Delphine Manivet's gorgeous dresses {photos by Kiss the Groom}, but if you want to know which one is mine, you'll need to check out my Twitter feed @beforethebigday, because I can't risk The Boy seeing it here! Click here for more on My Wedding.

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Win Your Wedding Confetti

Happy Friday everyone! It's a good day to offer a FREE wedding prize. My lovely new friends over a Shropshire Petals are offering an amazing confetti box for one happy bride.

The Lilac Blooms Keep-Me Case includes 12 handmade cones, 1 litre of delphinium confetti, a butterfly, tissue for the base, a message card and a gorgeous case for all your wedding memories.

To win this fantastic prize, all you need to do is go to Shropshire Petals' website, and leave a comment here telling me your favourite of their products. Easy! I'll pick the winner out of a hat next Friday. Keep an eye out for more competitions, they'll be coming soon, and click here for more Before the Big Day fabulous offers.

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Anthropologie Wedding Dresses

Yes, you heard that correct. Everyone's favourite store, Anthropologie are launching a range of wedding dresses on 14th February. {Whoop whoop!} Long-admired for it's cool and quirky homeware, jewellery and clothing, thousands of brides choose an Anthropologie-style wedding each year, so it's no surprise they're capitalising on their popularity with a bridal line called BHLDN. I've hunted down a sneak-peak of the dresses via Glamour. What do you think of them? To be honest, I'm not obsessed yet, but I  can't wait to see the full range unveiled on Valentine's Day. If you're looking for more wedding dress inspiration click here.

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