Wednesday 20 January 2010

Great British Stationers

It's tends to be the first wedding decision you make, and therefore, it's often the hardest. But picking the stationer to design your big day invitations just got easier! Check out these two great British companies and their fabulous templates, which you can adapt to suit your colour palette and theme. The first set of pics are from Ever After Designs, who are currently offering a Before the Big Day readers a10% discount on all orders, plus one free sample per customer. The second and third sets of pics show invitations from Entwine Design. They offer bespoke invitations, plus these fantastic table plan designs, which are just the bomb!




Sunday 17 January 2010

Credit Crunch Bride

Some of the gorgeous stationery out there is way over the budget of any credit crunch bride. When invitations are coming in at over £5 a pop, something's got to give. But it doesn't need to be your invites, you just need to get creative! Making your own stationery can be cinch if you're willing to do some printing, stamping and sticking of your own.What's more, it'll really make your big day your own.


The secret is to find a template. Thanks to the huge generosity of graphic designers out there in the web-world, there are simply hundreds of patterns out there that you can use. Check out The Wedding Chicks for a whole selection of templates (including those pictured above) and I Do It Yourself, one of my best web finds for while!


And it's not just stationery! Check out this template (pictured above) created by Rachel from Benign Objects. Originally designed for Christmas, Rachel very kindly altered it for The Wedding Chicks, so you can now use it to make your own personalised pillow boxes, CD cases and labels. Perfect for favours! Rachel also created the most amazing Save the Date hankerchiefs for her own wedding, click here for more.

Saturday 16 January 2010

Beautcamp Brides & Grooms

It's the New Year, so everyone and their dog has an excercise resolution, and none more than the bride and groom planning a summer wedding. The countdown has begun, and if you're planning to shed a couple of pounds before the final suit and dress fitting, then you'll be wanting to get started. Here are a few recommendations.....

If you live in London, then look no further than Beautcamp Pilates. Straight from LA, the latest fitness craze promises a Hollywood body, thanks to its revolutionary technique incorporating the famous Systeme Dinamique (nope, me either). It's hard work, but they swear you'll have a new body within ten sessions, and that's the type of promise I like!



If you don't mind someone shouting at you, then try British Military Fitness. Whatever your level, they'll get you enrolled on an outdoor class run by serving or former members of the armed forces with recognised fitness training qualifications. They promise to motivate you back into fitness, and they even offer a free first class.

If you're more of the independent type, then try I Am SuperChick (admittedly more for the girls!). They offer women online personal training programmes, guaranteed to fit around your lifestyle, while their virtual locker-room will help you count calories and track your progress. If you have a weakness for mid-afternoon treats - this site will keep you trim.

Friday 15 January 2010

Real Wedding: Pooja & Harsh

Palm trees, the scent of crushed rose petals underfoot and a sea breeze to cool the air. Could this be the perfect destination wedding? Pooja and Harsh celebrated their big day in the Dominican Republic in a flurry of stunning saris and sequins. Only an Indian wedding could combine bright pinks, reds and oranges, and carry it off in style. Both Pooja and Harsh's outfits are exquisite, and I love the traditional margiold garlands. Fans a brilliant idea for favours if you're celebrating in the heat - they come in every colour, so you can match them to your theme. Huge thanks to Karen Wise for her gorgeous photographs.

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Real Wedding: Kristen & Toshi

Loving the bright details and irreverant style of this gorgeous big day shot by the fab Christine Chang. She's totally caught the personalities for bride and groom, Kristen and Toshi. I'm particularly impressed with how the pink and orange of the bridesmaid's bouquets are reflected in the cute cupcakes, and the way the colours pop against the wedding party's dark blue outfits. Add in the candy bar and the goodbye sparklers, plus the hilarious cake-topper - and it's well on the way to being one of my favourite ever real weddings!

Sunday 10 January 2010

Real Wedding: Erica & Chet

This gorgeous urban wedding shows city-dwelling brides and grooms how to make the most of their venue. Erica and Chet celebrate their big day in a fabulous warehouse space, which they softened with a recurring bird motif, including hundreds of soaring silhouettes suspended from the ceiling. Check out how they've used a designer birdhouse as a container for their wedding wishes, and even the pencils are personalised with 'Erica & Chet Tie the Knot'. I also love the shade of blue they've chosen for their colour palette, along with the tiny red accents. Altogether a fabulous clean, modern look to balance the rough edges of the background brick. Stunning photos as ever from the team at Our Labour of Love.

Thursday 31 December 2009

Real Wedding: Mariam & Ben

It's pretty hard to have a totally original big day, but this cute couple Ben and Mariam had a pretty good go at it! Check out Mariam's gorgeous fabric and button bouquet for starters. Then look at the later photos to spot her second dress of the day, a sari for the reception. At this point you should note that neither of them are Indian they just thought it'd be fun! Whatsmore, instead of doing the first dance together, they continued the Indian theme, and did the Jai-Ho" dance from Slumdog Millionaire with their friends. Isn't that just the coolest idea? Fanastic photos as ever from Christine Chang.

Sunday 27 December 2009

Your Lucky Number

What's your lucky number? For the Chinese, it's the number eight, because ba in Mandarin and baht in Cantonese rhymes with the word prsoperity, which is pronounced fa or faht. Elegant couple Shining and Karl must be superstitious because they planned their big day for August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08). Their gorgeous celebration took place in New York, with one special guest - their dog Whiskey, who carried the rings to the altar in a pouch on his collar. Other ideas to copy include Shining's stunning dress with a simple sage green sash (a fantastic way to introduce colour), the bamboo holder for place markers, and the traditional Chinese bird cages. I love Shining's orchid and veil combo as well - there's nothing more elegant than an up-do! Endless thank-you's to Karen Wise for her photos - exceptional as ever!

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