Silver Spoon

Vintage and romantic, this gorgeous silver-plated cutlery will make that first mouthful of wedding cake taste all the sweeter. Hand-engraved by a beach-living Etsy crafter, these mismatched pieces are given a new lease of life as charming future heirlooms. Team them with hammered spoon table signs or cake toppers, and start your married life as eco-friendly upcyclers. Buy them from the Beach House Living boutique and surprise your fiancé as you sit down to your first meal as husband and wife.

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My Wedding - The Stationery

This is where I tell you all about planning my own wedding. After all, if I'm publishing all these Real Weddings, it's only fair I share my trials and tribulations. Read the rest of my wedding diary here.

All the bride-guides tell you that stationery is super-important because it's the first indication your guests get of your wedding style. Now it's really easy to just put that down to gumph, and say to yourself that no one really cares what the font looks like on your invite, but I LOVE stationery, so I'm choosing to believe this particular bride-guide rule. As a consequence I have spent hours and hours looking at the various different styles and colours and fonts. I've considered the wonderful world of letterpress, and quickly turned away from it on account of expense. I've looked into DIY, I've searched Etsy, I've looked at the US stationery blogs Oh So Beautiful Paper and Paper Crave, and I still haven't decided what I'm going to do. There's just too much good stuff out there. My brain is full to busting of paper, and I'm still only halfway to deciding. On my good days, this is all part of the pleasure of planning a wedding. On my bad days, when I'm feeling broke, it's just another thing to stress about. Today was a bad day {£600+ on a plumber's bill - ouch!}, so I'm deliberately writing this to get my creative joy back.

I quickly decided against the generic British wedding invitation. They're gorgeous, they're classic, but I'm all about being original, so I'm in the market for some serious creativity. Letterpress stationery uses heavy card, and presses the font into the paper, before filling it with ink. It creates the most gorgeous effect and looks expensive, mainly because it really is super pricey. We're talking £6 an invite. So that was out. I love the idea of lots of little tags and accessories and stamps, so that opening the invitation is a bit like unwrapping a present. Check out the pictures {above} from MaeMae Paperie, and you'll see what I mean.

My emphasis is on a natural, garden feel to the wedding, so I'm drawn towards the more rustic, eco-friendly paper. However, I also love sage green, and the shutters of the Chateau are green, so stationery in that shade would be a hint towards the location. Wood is a major trend this season, and I'm all for using different materials to keep your guests guessing. You see - too many choices already!

Follow Studio {below} is probably my favourite stationery boutique right now. It's an Australian outfit, and they use these glorious sludgy colours and organic fonts. The only problem is the expense. It works out as £4 an invitation, and that's before all the extra stationery. But then again, it would be a beautiful collection designed by a talented graphic designer. Indecision-agony!

The budget alternative is to print my own. Or at least, to print some of the accessories. I'm really keen to create a welcome pack for my guests, with an info booklet and other bits and pieces, like a personalised Do Not Disturb sign for their hotel door the morning after the wedding. Along those lines, I recently purchased my first printer - an HP OfficeJet 6500, and I'm going to be having some fun practicing. If printing is easier than it looks, then I may well buy a DIY invitation set, and go it alone. I've been looking at Download & Print for their free invitation suites, and Mae Mae is planning to do her own collection too. My article for Before the Big Day on printables is here, if you want to find out more.

I'll leave you with my two wild cards {above}. They're nothing like my other ideas; one is purple, and the other startling blue. They don't fit in with my theme, but I love them too much to let them go right now. I'm super-keen on the wax seal - wouldn't it be exciting to receive an invitation in the post with one on the back. Exactly the sense of anticipation I'm trying to create for our wedding.

Have you chosen your stationery yet? Please do leave a comment about how you made your decisions! What did you go for? Send me a pic, and I can put it up on the blog, or big up your stationer here.

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Real Wedding: Lucy & Paul

Don't hate me, but I spent yesterday by the sea-side. Yes, I know it was a Monday, but we were lucky to have the day off, so we sunbathed on Sandbanks Beach - bliss! So with memories of the sea, it's not surprising that this gorgeous Brighton Marina wedding caught my eye. Lucy and Paul celebrated their big day with the scent of salt in the air, at The Seattle Hotel, which made for some super-glam photographs with yachts in the sunny background. They kept with the kiss-me-quick theme, choosing a Punch and Judy show to entertain the younger guests, and a cool Modish scooter as their wedding transport. Lucy looked fresh and funky in her gorgeous Cymbeline Paris gown, and simple silk-edged veil. My favourite detail has to be the luxurious pink tea roses Lucy chose for her signature flower. They're exquisite, and set off the colouring beautifully. These stunning pics are by Brighton-based photographer Lisa Devlin, don't miss her website. Also, scroll down for a message from the bride about how she planned her Big Day.

Message from the bride: “We chose The Seattle as the venue for both the ceremony and reception as it had a great trendy low key vibe and the added bonus of the balcony making you feel like you on holiday in some glamourous resort. We looked at loads of other places but only the Seattle seemed to fit our personalities and style. Our flowers were by Pollen. Donal did an amazing job for our budget and I just loved them. He came over to our house and was so enthusiastic when I showed him my stash of pictures and then a photo of some Illusion Roses from a book he got really excited and just ran with the idea - he told me it would be beautiful and he was right.

My Big Tips: Enjoy the planning and accept you can't have everything you want. Nude seamless underwear is best, keep the lacey basque type stuff for the honeymoon! Get a good photographer - there is nothing nicer than looking back over your photos to give you a lift. The day goes by in a bit of a blur so it's good to remember. We really wanted to give everyone a good time so spent the bulk of our budget on good food, good wine and good entertainment. Friends and family still talk about it now so we know we chose well. Being the centre of attention isn't for everyone and at times I wanted to put my fingers in my ears and pretend my name wasn't Lucy. So take time out for a kiss with your husband or quick breather with your mates.

Make-up: Sylvi du Sauzay, Suits: Del Tailors, Rings: John Harrington, Cake: Louby Lous, Childrens' Entertainer: Mark Wild, Music: Imagine The Beatles

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Divine Sweetness

Yummy! Don't these look incredibly edible? I'm a huge fan of French macaroons - I love their pastel colours, their crispy chewiness, and the fact they're super-chic right now. Add them to your big day for a touch of je ne sais quoi. But wait! There's a secret to these tasty treats. They're actually replicas made of polymer clay by the clever artist at Divine Sweetness. Perfect as place card holders and wedding favours, they'll act as a sweet souvenirs of your big day. Flavours include raspberry, strawberry, pistachio, lemon-meringue, bubblegum and cacao. Good names for your tables, non? *Update* Diving Sweetness have just offered 10% off their macaroons for Before the Big Day readers {fabulous!}. Just type beforethebigday at check out.

Independent Bride

Ladies looking to be original, listen up! If you really want your dress to be one of a kind, and you don't want to make it yourself {gulp!}, then I'd really recommend heading over to Etsy. It's one of the best sites for handmade and vintage gorgeousness, and it's chock-a-block with talented dress designers from around the world. The best news? Their prices are tiny compared to the big names. *Plus don't miss exclusive offers for Before the Big Day readers detailed below.*

Product Credits - {clockwise from top left} 1. Wedding Heaven, 2. Magnolija Dress, 3. For Your Wedding, 4 & 5. Claire LaFaye

Product Credits - {clockwise from top left} 1. Cow Girl Heaven, 2. For Your Wedding, 3. The Peppermint Pretty, 4. Tutus Chic, 5. The Peppermint Pretty

We ♥ Offers
Cow Girl Heaven are offering free shipping with the code Big Day

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Real Wedding: Amy & Jonny

You're going to love this wedding so much that you're going to want to eat it up with crumpets and honey. It's a classic English countryside affair, with lots of sweet floral accents. Amy and Jonny's chose the charming St Peter’s Church in Ightham for their ceremony, and made it extra special with singing from members of the City of London Choir. This was followed by a reception in Amy's family garden, held in a marquee decorated with stunning florals and white lanterns, plus loads of personal touches. Check out the cute lavender bags made by Amy’s mum and the Cabbages and Roses fabric napkins handstitched by the bride herself. Also loving Amy's gorgeous Amanda Wakely Sposa dress and veil, and her peony hair-clip, designed by Yasmin Rizvi. Great bridesmaid dresses too - midnight blue is such an elegant colour. Gorgeous photos, as ever, from the lovely Marianne Taylor.

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Love-Light

A little bit kitch, a little bit cutesy, but a lot cool, I love these lamps! Unearthed by uber-cool style-boutique Caravan in Shoreditch, and available online, they're the latest in lighting. Decorate your rural themed wedding with a couple, and add a smidgen of forest fantasy. Alternatively, put them on your wedding list, and welcome them as low-maintenance pets into your home. Not just for Christmas, but for weddings too!

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Real Wedding: Alison & Rob

Vintage, feminine and totally gorgeous. That's three words to describe Alison and Rob's exquisite English wedding last autumn, but I've got a lot more! Pretty pink and baby blue were their signature colours, and they themed their wedding in an old-fashioned style with mismatched antique tea-cups, cupcake-stands, rose-studded lavender bag favours and minature luggage tags as place-markers. It poured with rain on their big day, but it didn't spoil their reception, which the happy couple hosted in the beautiful Sun Pavilion, with its stained glass, domed roof. I love how Alison and Rob chose a flowering plant on each table, instead of cut blooms - so much more eco-friendly, and fitting with their English garden theme. Other stealworthy ideas include the bridesmaids' corsages, the simple scrolling font on their stationery, and the Elvis song table names. All these gorgeous pictures published with thanks to Olivia Brabbs Photography.

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