A Pretty Vintage-Inspired Garden Wedding - The Reception

After a little bit of a delay {building up the anticipation}, I'm thrilled to bring you the amazing detail-filled reception photographs of Lucy and Jim's fantastic wedding. With tonnes of DIY extras, including a veritable fairground of activities for their guests, it looks a complete treat. There's so many stealworthy ideas, but my favourite picks have to be the watercolour-style wedding cake {created by Lucy's sister!}, the lovely teepee venues, Jim's enormous rose buttonhole, and Lucy's pretty-as-a-picture Ellis Bridals short wedding dress. I love how Jim and Lucy wrote their own wedding ceremony, personalising it with sing-alongs and their own special vows. The reception decorations are gorgeous as well, with prettified jam-jars and tin cans, plus fantastic tea-bag and shortcake DIY'd wedding favours. You can't fail to love it! Big love to Lily Sawyer for capturing every perfect detail, and to Lucy for filling in the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire.

We got married twice, the first time on Thursday 25th July 2013 at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London. This was our legal registry office ceremony, and only our immediate family members were present. Our second wedding was on Saturday 27th July 2013 at North Hill Farm, Chorleywood. 


Our second wedding was a celebration for all our other guests, although we did have an informal ceremony led by our friend. This involved sitting on straw bales, sing-a-longs ('Eight Days a Week' by the Beatles and 'You Give A Little Love' from Bugsy Malone), readings and 'vows' from Jim and I.

A Pretty Vintage-Inspired Garden Wedding with a Short Wedding Dress

Straw bales, a short wedding dress and tonnes of handmade bunting - this wedding is my type of big day! I'm completely in love with the venue, the details, and the gorgeous couple! It's all so English and eccentric and brilliant, with a massive dollop of pretty thrown in for luck! Lucy and Jim celebrated their big day twice {like me!}. Once for the legal ceremony at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London, and then the second time in serious countryside style, in a field overlooking the Chiltern Hills at North Hill Farm in Chorleywood. I love how they made their wedding day their own - with plenty of activities for their guests, including a balloon race, DIY coconut shy, badminton, giant 'Pass the Pigs', space hoppers and a photo booth. Food came in the very trendy form of two vintage food trucks - one 'selling' vintage ice cream, the other fish and chips. Lucy and Jim wanted their wedding to be a big, informal party, exactly the type of wedding everyone wants to attend! Huge thanks to Lily Sawyer for her heavenly pictures - I've got tonnes more detail shots to come in Part 2 - The Reception.

We got married twice, the first time on Thursday 25th July 2013 at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London. This was our legal registry office ceremony, and only our immediate family members were present. Our second wedding was on Saturday 27th July 2013 at North Hill Farm, Chorleywood. 

Our second wedding was a celebration for all our other guests, although we did have an informal ceremony led by our friend. This involved sitting on straw bales, sing-a-longs ('Eight Days a Week' by the Beatles and 'You Give A Little Love' from Bugsy Malone), readings and 'vows' from Jim and I.

Wedding Cakes Suitable for a Queen

Do you remember Kate Middleton's wedding cake? It was an amazing EIGHT tier creation of delicious fruit cake, decorated with up to 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers. Fiona Cairns and her team spent five weeks making it perfect, before it was demolished by hundreds of VIP guests. I'd have saved my piece for posterity - wouldn't you? While you probably can't afford a cake as intricate as Kate and Will's, you could still choose a Fiona Cairns cake, either a bespoke design created by her team, or {would you believe it!} from Waitrose. They've started stocking Fiona Cairns' designs, and I'm really impressed with the selection - it's hard to tell the difference! What's more - you can choose the size and flavour of your cake, and have it delivered direct to your wedding venue.

Real Bohemian Tepee English Garden Wedding: Sarah & Andy

Tepee marquees are official the new trend of this summer season. With their vintage rustic charm, they add bohemian charm to an English countryside wedding, and they have much more personality than your bog-standard marquee. Hire them from Stunning Tents or World Inspired Tents. Gorgeous couple Sarah and Andy chose to host their wedding reception in a tepee marquee in a wildflower meadow next to Sarah's parents home in Suffolk. I'm loving all their personlised wedding details, from the peach giant balloons to the DIY wedding flowers {arranged by Sarah's friend Ruth}, Mexican style bunting and the sheep-skin covered benches. I've always been a fan of family-style dining - it adds a warmth to the wedding meal. Sarah and Andy wanted their wedding to feel like a relaxed summer garden party, and with Pimms on offer, and outdoor games for the children, it was the perfect English wedding. Stunning pictures, as ever, from the hugely talented Justine Ferrari Photography.

How to Beat the Bridal Blues

Planning a wedding can be downright painful ... and all the people pleasing it often requires can zap the spirit and joy out of being a bride. Bridal stress is also pretty unique. It is essentially temporary, yet is connected to much deeper family issues and emotional challenges. It can easily be triggered by practical issues and is exacerbated by family dynamics . There is often a decision to make, or challenge to resolve, at every turn of that journey to the altar. Every little nuance -- and nuisance -- can put you in a momentary tizzy. It is no wonder some women get the bridal blues. Check out this fab guest posting from Tamarisk over at Getting Fluent with Your Feelings. She's full of advice for the stressed out bride....

Here are some of the challenges, and the tips, for brides-to-be:

1. Bridezillas are made, not born. It’s supposed to be the happiest time of your life – and you want it to be – yet planning a wedding is like working a second job as a project manager. You have to find the time to tend to a multitude of details as part of an already busy schedule while managing a plethora of people, family anxieties and demands, your groom, your emotions and an array of tricky wedding dynamics.

A bride has to include stress management, self-nurturing and time to chill out as an integral part of her wedding planning process. When you feel the stress building, take time out, go for a walk, slip into a movie, get a massage, go for a manicure, write in a journal, do something un-wedding. You have to love, honour and cherish yourself if you want to be loved, honoured and cherished by someone else!

2. Everyone has something to say about your wedding – and you are not alone in feeling you can’t win! You may be showered with congratulations and gifts, but you are simultaneously bombarded with unsolicited advice, wedding horror stories you don’t want to hear, and negative vibes from well-meaning friends and relatives.

People tend to see your wedding as a chance to fulfil their own needs and family dynamics erupt in every which direction because as the clan prepares to gather they begin to act out what it’s all about for them – not you! The issues are classic – mum wants it to be the wedding she never had, sister or best friend wishes it were her, your groom is afraid to stand up to his family.

A Bride has to clarify the wedding she truly wants, be assertive and set clear boundaries that no one can penetrate with words or attitudes. Learn the power of saying NO!

3. Getting married can stir up a lot of emotions. The process itself sets forth a period of growth and change that can be very confusing and nerve -wracking. Once you decide to marry you will begin the process of getting ready for marriage, and unresolved emotions about parents and family, past loves and concerns about the person you have chosen will come to the surface to be explored.

A bride can embrace the awareness that she is embarking on a journey of evolution from one part of life to another, and recognise and address the emotions and fears that arise. Trust they are natural and pay attention to any issues that might require support or counselling.

It is important to stay on top of your emotions and be honest with yourself during this time. Don't sweep things under the rug.

 Tamarisk Saunders-Davies runs a successful online counselling service for women, focusing on career-orientated women who are struggling with issues of self-confidence and self-esteem. She's also my best friend!

For more information and to read her blog, click here.

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Introducing Occa Home Wedding Gift List

Where are you going to host your wedding list? The afternoon my husband and I spent choosing all the items for our list is one of my favourite pre-wedding memories. We squabbled a bit over the mugs {I wanted pastel, he wanted bold}, but it felt like such a 'married couple' argument, that it was almost a romantic moment! Now, there's no need to traipse around the shops with a notepad - it's all gone online. My favourite website is the Occa Home Wedding Gift List. It's packed to the brim with over 20,000 stylish products, including 200 designer brands like Vera Wang for Wedgewood, Christian Lacroix Maison and Sophie Conran. I love the clean lines of the site - it's simple and easy to use, both for you and your guests. Here's my fantasy list {wish I could get married again!}, but be sure to take a look at Occa Home and pick your own favourites.

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Jenny Packham Wedding Dress Sample Sale

News just in! Jenny Packham is hosting a Bridal End of Line Sale in London this month! With a beautiful selection of gowns, lingerie and accessories with up to 70% off this is definitely an opportunity not to be missed! This amazing sale is on Thursday 24th April at the Westbury Hotel from 8am to 6pm. If you're keen to buy a wedding dress on a budget, sample sales are your best bet, so be sure to sign up for my free newsletter or follow me on Twitter, so you don't miss a single one!

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Fabulous Pastel Pinwheel Wedding Decorations

It's official, the pompom is passed it! Much as it pains me to say au revoir to my favourite wedding decoration of all time, there's no doubt - 2014 is all about the pinwheel. Just take a look at this exquisite mint and peach combo from Etsy seller PomTree. With pinwheels of every size, they'd make for the perfect desert buffet display, or even the focal point for a civil ceremony altar. They're pretty easy to DIY as well. Take a look at my Pinterest board for more wedding altar ideas.

{I want these} Party Decor Pack, £31 by PomTree

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