Real Elegant Love-Filled Wedding with a Pink, Silver & Cream Colour Palette

This is one of those weddings which reminds you of the truly important things in life; your family, your friends, and the love you share for your future husband. Lucy and Matt wanted their wedding to pay tribute to Matt's mum, who died a few years ago. She loved cream roses, so that formed the base of their wedding colour palette of pink, silver and cream. They then added buckets of brilliant wedding details, including a traditional sweetie favour buffet, complete with vintage scoops, jars, and hand-stamped paper bags. I love Lucy's flattering strapless Sophia Tolli wedding gown, her simple but sweet jewellery designed and made by her grandmother, and a veil that Lucy designed herself via Wedding Veils Direct {a top tip, as wedding veils are often very overpriced}. I've got tonnes more gorgeous reception pictures to show you in the next feature, in the meantime, enjoy this shots by Kirsty at This and That Photography. P.S. Lucy submitted her wedding to Before the Big Day, why don't you?

Matthew and I got married on 18th May 2013 at Warbrook House and Grange, in Eversley, in Hampshire. We wanted a venue that was elegant and special, yet welcoming and not stuffy, and so soon as we went to visit Warbrook House, we knew it was exactly right for us. The grounds are stunning and we had complete run of the Main House, which meant it was only us and our guests around.

The thing that really sealed Warbrook for me, was the Morning Room, a beautifully light space with an adjoining conservatory, that my bridesmaids and I used on the morning of the wedding. It made the getting ready process so special, and I am so pleased that our wedding pictures captured how happy and relaxed I was on that morning {surprising for me as I do have the tendency to be a little bit of a stress head!}.

Five Fantastic Wedding Guest Book Ideas

Last week I was sorting out the chaos of books on our coffee table, and I re-discovered our wedding guest book. It's chock-full of hilarious polaroid pictures, and ever-more surreal messages, as the evening went on, and our guests got more tipsy. It's a wonderful trip down memory lane, and we've only been married for two years! The difficulty with guest books is persuading your friends and family to take time out from all the fun they're having, to actually write a message. We've had friends who've bought round their book after their big day, because we failed to write in it on the actual event. One failsafe method is to add a polaroid camera {like we did}. At least then you'll have some sort of photographic record! Or you could try one of these gorgeous creative ideas from my favourite Etsy sellers. They're so pretty, your guests can't fail to want to write in them! P.S. I considered a big wooden sign for our own wedding, but we'd already hired a van to get all our wedding stuff out to France, and I had to stop somewhere!

{I want this!} 3D Heart Wedding Guest Book by Mio Gallery

A Fab Alternative for a Star-Bride

Modern brides are eschewing the classic veil for some seriously on-trend accessories. Why not use your wedding day as an excuse to purchase that fabulous feathered hat you've had your eye on for months? Or add a dramatic diamond clasp to your chignon? Right now I'm channelling stars with these cute starlet crown from Giant Dwarf.

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Seven Easy Ways to get The Best Out Of Your Bridesmaids

They're your best girlfriends, they know all your secrets {like that one time, at bandcamp...}, and now you've asked them to be your bridesmaids. But what does a bridesmaid actually do? As a bride who had five fabulous maids, these are my top tips on how to get the best out of your girls. For more bridesmaid inspiration, be sure to check out my Pinterest board.

{Wedding Photographer Credit} Jose Villa

♥ Ask them nicely! It's an honour to be asked to be a bridesmaid, and you want to build some excitement around the anticipation of your wedding day. So take your friend out for glamorous cocktails, and make a bit of an event out of popping the question. This makes it sound like a proposal! But any excuse for cocktails....

♥ You could even send them a card. I featured these gorgeous bridesmaid cards a few weeks ago. Or even a fabulous DIY bridesmaid box, like this one made by Bethany on her blog Rinse Repeat.

{I want this} DIY bridesmaid box made by Bethany on her blog Rinse Repeat.

♥ Make it clear right from the start who is going to be paying for the bridesmaid dresses. Traditionally the bride paid for the material, and the bridesmaids made their own gowns {!}. Unless your friends are particularly crafty, that's sooooo unlikely to happen, so now the bride's family usually foots the bill. If you want all the girls to be wearing matching shoes, then you'll need to pay for those too.

♥ If you're happy for your girls to choose their own dresses within a certain colour palette, then I recommend sending them a swatch of some sort, so they're all on the same page. For my wedding, I told my bridesmaids I wanted them to wear something in soft grey, which in retrospect was a terrible idea, because it meant they had to buy a grey dress {which they might not have wanted to do}, and they all had a different idea of soft grey. The result was a very un-put-together look, which offended my wedding blogger eye!

{Wedding Photographer Credit} Unknown

♥ Be honest about what you want from your hen night. I'm a control freak, so I told my maid of honour exactly what I wanted, and she organised it on my behalf, with just one extra surprise {not a stripper}. If you're like me, then don't be embarrassed to being a little bit bridezilla, this one time. As long as it doesn't involve spending a crazy amount of money, your maid of honour will probably be relieved.

♥ Give them a good sense of the schedule on the morning of the wedding. They need to be ready before the bride, so they can then help you dress. Are they going to be doing their own hair and make-up? Remember they're going to want to look fabulous as they walk down the aisle {all those people looking}, so give them the time to prepare.

♥ There's a lovely tradition that the groom gives the bridesmaids a present on the morning of his wedding. Now it's more likely for the bride to give her girls a piece of jewellery, to wear with their wedding outfits. If you give them a simple designer bracelet or pendant necklace, then every time they put it on, it'll remind them of your big day!

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A Dreamy Affordable Blush Wedding Gown

We don't feature enough wedding dresses on Before the Big Day - something I definitely need to change! After all, lusting after the perfect Jenny Packham wedding gown is virtually a rite of passage for every bride. If only we could all afford them! So when I spot a semi-affordable wedding gown {just over £1000}, that completely blows my mind, I consider it my responsibility to spread the word. This incredible blush, backless wedding dress by Truvelle makes me want to get married all over again. It's the combo of the swishy, pink-champagne, chiffon skirt and the rose gold sequinned bodice that's getting me excited - it's elegant and sexy at the same time! Don't miss Truvelle's Etsy shop for more incredible gowns. P.S. Want to save money on your wedding dress? Check out all my Wedding Dress Sample Sale news.

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Real Pearl-Themed Glamorous Barn Wedding: The Reception Details

There's a deliciously warm feeling to this big day. I reckon it's partly down to the lovely cream and gold colour palette, and partly down to the lovely barn reception. I've always loved rustic wedding venues, and barns can be dressed down for a straw bales and bunting-style wedding, or up for a glamorous wedding like this one! Emma and Alistair chose Lains Barn in Oxfordshire for their summer wedding, and used delicate birdcages, vintage pictures frames and orchids in their wedding decorations. You'll want to fill your Pinterest boards with shots of Emma's amazing Justin Alexander wedding gown, her pretty flower girls, their DIY pearl-detail place markers and their hand-stamped sweetie bags. Huge thanks to Kate Gray for her beautiful wedding pictures. I first discovered Kate's creative children's portraits for my baby blog, Before the Baby, so I'm thrilled to now publish her wedding work!

We celebrated our wedding at Lains Barn in Wantage, Oxfordshire on 21st June 2013.

My wedding dress and veil were made by Justin Alexander, my shoes by Karen Millen and my accessories were from Swarovski. 

Real Pearl-Themed Glamorous Barn Wedding: Emma & Alistair

There's something glamorous about a cream and gold palette at a wedding. Add a Justin Alexander wedding dress, hundreds of orchid blooms and pretty pearl detailing, and you've got a truly stunning big day. Emma and Alistair chose Lains Barn in Oxfordshire as their wedding venue, and I love the warm intimacy of space, and the romantic drapes and fairy lights. My other loves include Alistair's fantastic modern suit and waistcoat combo from Jack Bunneys, Emma's side ponytail hair-style and Kate Gray's, lovely wedding photography! Plus, I'll let you into Emma's money-saving secret - all the orchids were silk flowers from Silk Blooms rather than fresh blooms. No one could tell, and it means her wedding bouquet will last forever! Stay tuned for Emma and Alistair's wedding reception details, you won't want to miss the pretty birdcage details.

My wedding dress and veil were made by Justin Alexander, my shoes by Karen Millen and my accessories were from Swarovski. 

My decision over my wedding dress and veil were based on wanting something elegant, with great attention to small details, but without being over the top.

DIY Wedding Chalkboard Fabulousness

Regular readers of Before the Big Day might have spotted my love of chalkboards at weddings. Whether you DIY with blackboard paint, or buy school-style boards for your menus {like I did}, I think they're a great way to communicate with your guests. So when I spotted these amazing chalkboard vinyl stickers by Charlie Chalk Designs, you can imagine my excitement. Super-cheap, and super-effective, they're a hugely creative way to decorate your jam-jar glasses or vases, and would make for great table numbers. My favourites? The Vespa labels. I had a silver Vespa when I met my husband, and we buzzed around town all summer. Happy memories!

{I want these!} 12 Vespa Motorcycle Chalkboard Labels, £4.58



{I want these!} 12 Curly Mustache Wedding Chalkboard Labels, £3.92

{I want these!} 25 Sets Love Bird Mason Jar Chalkboard Labels, £13.08

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