A Garden Wedding with a Bird Theme & Jenny Packham Dress - The Reception

It's time for the reception pictures from this gorgeous Midsummer's Eve wedding. Sonya and Terry chose 20th June for their big day, and basked in stunning sunshine - lucky things! With a romantic garden theme and a vintage bird motif, there's plenty of stealworthy ideas for you to enjoy. Sonya DIY'd many of her wedding details, including the bird-stamped luggage tags for her wedding wish tree and the rustic hessian napkin wraps {very effective!}. My favourite spots include the bird-named reception tables, birdcage centre pieces, pink striped balloons, rustic pastel iced cakes, and the fabulous giant pink and peach balloons. Huge thanks to Tanya from Eden Photography for capturing every detail!

We celebrated our wedding at Kilternan Church of Ireland in Co. Dublin, and afterwards with a reception in The Village at Lyons in Celbridge, on 20th June 2013. 

We always wanted to have an intimate wedding for family and friends to share with us. We knew that as our wedding day was on Midsummer's Eve, that we wanted a summer garden, romantic theme, and the venue suited this perfectly.

Summer Garden Wedding with a Bird Theme & Jenny Packham Dress

1. A Jenny Packham wedding dress. 2. A romantic garden wedding theme. 3. A bird motif. Three of my favourite things, all featured in one gorgeous wedding! Sonya and Terry celebrated their wedding in Ireland on a beautiful summer's day, at a stunning venue called The Village at Lyons. Sonya really wanted a garden wedding, and drew inspiration from the romantic grounds of The Village at Lyons, including its cascading stream, delicate bridge, and secret stone doorways. Her wedding stationery, decorations and just-picked flower arrangements all mirrored the feel of her wedding venue, with pastel colours of pinks and peach as a palette. There's plenty more details in the reception pictures, coming later this afternoon, but first, drink in Sonya's elegant Jenny Packham wedding gown, and her bargainous eBay wedding shoes, that luckily turned out to exactly match the beading on her dress. Even Sonya's hair-style reflected her romantic wedding theme, with her headpiece specially designed to look ethereal and Elvish, like in Lord of the Rings. Huge thanks to Tanya from Eden Photography for permission to publish Sonya and Terry's fab wedding pictures!

Introducing Terrasenses Destination Weddings in the Galapagos & Andes

As a destination bride myself, it goes without saying I'm a huge fan of destination weddings. Whether you invite along your family and friends, or elope {so romantic!}, I figure the more exotic the location, the more memorable the occasion. That's why I'm delighted to introduce Terrasenses Destination Weddings. Terrasenses are fantastic travel company who specialise in exceptional holidays to Ecuador, and in association with Etica Events, they also offer destination weddings and amazing honeymoons. Whatever your budget, you can be sure their 'fairy godmother' planners will be on hand to create your perfect, personalised big day - be it intimate or deluxe! Terrasenses offers the most incredible wedding locations you can imagine, from a ceremony aboard a yacht moored off the unique Galápagos Islands, a wedding in the cloud forest, and even a weddingmoon in the Amazon. Terrasenses will organise everything on your behalf, and even offer creative suggestions for wedding decorations, organic menus and the perfect wedding stationery. Imagine a sunset boat cruise, an exciting jungle wedding, or a once-in-a-lifetime beachside ceremony on an exotic Ecuadorean island - it's the stuff dreams are made of! For more information, including suggested itineraries and brochures, take a look at Terrasenses Destination Weddings.

We ♥ Charlie Brier Vintage Wedding Dress Sample Sales

Have you heard? Massively exciting news! Charlie Brear from The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has just announced her annual trunk sale, and it's SOON. Taking place on Thursday 23rd January in London, viewing is by appointment only. This gorgeous boutique is renowned for its heavenly gowns, both vintage and vintage-style, and this is your opportunity to get your hands on them at discounted prices! For full information and to book an appointment, call 0207 637 4898.

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Intricate Hand-Painted Watercolour Wedding Stationery

A few months back, I was lucky enough to attend The French Wedding Show, as their in-house wedding blogger & real life bride. I've been meaning to post the pictures {by Caught the Light} for months, so stay tuned for that feature, coming soon! While I was there, I was lucky enough to meet some truly fabulous vendors, including the brilliant wedding stationery designer, Gemma Milly. Gemma's stand was hugely popular throughout the show, as it was cleverly created with lots of pretty, vintage details. Looking at her work, you can see she has a fantastic eye for conceiving a wedding as a whole, and designing the prefect wedding stationery to suit the theme and colours chosen by the bride and groom. Receiving one of her bespoke invitations couldn't fail to get your guests excited about your big day, and building anticipation is key to creating a wedding that stands out from the crowd. I'm gushing, but just take a look at her work, and you'll love it too!

{I want this!} Gemma Milly's Watercolour Collection

{I want this!} Gemma Milly's Garden Vintage Collection

{I want this!} A bespoke design

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A Mint Themed Country Pub Wedding with Rustic DIY Details - The Reception

Barn wedding venues are pretty much the most popular in the UK. They're such versatile spaces with all the benefits of a marquee, without the potential for cold ankles! Laura and Ben chose the gorgeous Olde Bell for their wedding venue. It's a hotel with a barn attached, and it's actually where my husband and I spent our mini-honeymoon after our official London wedding ceremony. The gardens are stunning, as you can see from Laura and Ben's stunning wedding photographs by Kate Gray Photography. I absolutely love all of Laura's clever wedding details. Make sure you read her answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire - she saved lots of money by using great local vendors, and DIY-ing much of her reception stationery, using hessian, an old London map, and vintage-style luggage labels. My favourite details? The personalised rustic signs, Laura's simple Grecian-style hair band, the wedding favours reflecting their heritage, and the incredible wedding cake, complete with totally original flavours! Don't miss Part 1 here.

We got married at The Olde Bell, Hurley on Saturday 21st September 2013. We looked at seven local venues on Christmas Eve 2012, and this one just felt right.


The Olde Bell had a country feeling that Ben & I grew up with, and we instantly knew we could easily achieve the soft, romantic wedding atmosphere we were hoping for. The grand hotels we looked at just seemed a bit formal for us, and we didn't like the thought of knowing that people other than our guests would be in the venue on the day.

A Mint Themed Country Pub Wedding with Rustic DIY Details

It's been way too long since I featured a gorgeous real wedding, and it's definitely time to introduce all you newly engaged brides-to-be to the wonders of stealworthy ideas. These are the snippets, goodies and wedding details that you can only get from the fabulous pooled creativity of real brides. Stunning couple Laura and Ben are a great example. With their rustic barn wedding, pretty mint and vintage theme, and eye for a bargain, their wedding is chock-full of wedding inspiration. Laura loves a good DIY project, and packed loads into her wedding to give it that personal touch so key to making your wedding stand out from all the others you'll go to this summer! You'll love her handmade table names, printed 'Wed-Libs', and rustic wedding signs. For favours, Laura chose to reflect her and Ben's heritage, with palm leaf fans sent over from the Philippines {Laura's mother is Filipina}, and miniature bottles of Ouzo for the boys {Ben's mother is Greek Cypriot}. I love Laura's elegant wedding style; the lace overlay of her fitted wedding gown, and her simple up-do and cathedral-length veil, decorated by her mum with diamante. Enjoy these brilliant pictures by Kate Gray Photography of the wedding ceremony, and stay tuned for all the reception shots, later this afternoon.

We got married at The Olde Bell, Hurley on Saturday 21st September 2013. We looked at seven local venues on Christmas Eve 2012, and this one just felt right.



I was spoilt as my hair and make-up was done by the ridiculously talented Lauren Appleby who again happens to be one of my best friends and one of my bridesmaids. Lauren is trained in everything from stage hair and make-up, to wigs and special effects make-up for TV and film, and even body paint! Having someone I know so well to help me get ready was what dreams are made of. Thank you so much for making me look so beautiful ☺!

Ethereal Boho Bridesmaid & Flower Girl Dresses

There's something eternally romantic about a gaggle of flower girls and page boys following a bride up the aisle. I always wanted lots of little girls at my wedding, but when it came to the date, no one I knew had any daughters. In the end I just had five grown-up bridesmaids, and one page boy, who ended up sleeping through the whole ceremony, completely missing his 'Here Comes The Bride' flag-waving moment. If I had my big day again, then I'd definitely dress my flower girls in these whimsical gowns from I Love Gorgeous. They're pretty and feminine, and I love the styling of their 'Midsummer Night's Dream' shoot. Feast your eyes on the stealworthy wedding detailing, from strawberry baskets, vintage china, sparkly shoes, LOVE balloons and that giant flower pomander. Styling by Mary Mathieson for I Love Gorgeous, photographs by Christina Wilson.