Gorgeous Heart-Shaped Pottery Wedding Present

My husband and I {nope still not used to it!!} have just closed our wedding list, and are glowing in our guests' generosity. Some people who didn't even come to the wedding gave us presents - how kind is that! It's all slightly blown us away, and we can't wait to receive all our lovely gifts in a couple of weeks. This wedding business is something of a rush, as a bride, I can't quite believe you get an engagement ring, a gorgeous wedding dress, fabulous shoes, an amazing wedding day, a perfect handsome husband, and then people give you presents??? I feel like the treats should be spread out a bit more! We chose Heals for our wedding list, but if you're looking to go a bit more quirky, how about creating your own list with lots of gorgeous Etsy items on it? First on my list would be these gorgeous heart bowls from JD Wolfe Pottery - there's something about their earthenware nestling goodness that is right up my street.

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Real Snowy Winter Wedding: Lara & Simon

Have you ever read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe? Well this wedding feels like it's straight out of the wintery wonderland through the wardrobe doors. It's set in the beautiful snowy, Dorset landscape, with stunning photographs, which are so evocative of winter, that they almost make you shiver. Lara and Simon celebrated their big day just before Christmas last year at Kingston Country Courtyard near Corfe Castle. I'm loving how the reds of the bridemaids' dresses and flowers stand out against the snow, and the elegance of Lara's cute feather fascinator and embroidered wedding dress. I'm seriously impressed by Tom Redman's fantastic pictures, particularly the fun shots of Lara and Simon throwing snowballs at each other - you can tell they were having a brilliant day!

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Introducing Last Night of Freedom Stag Weekends & Hen Nights

Have you had your hen night yet? Have you dropped heavy hints about what you want to do? My maids of honour know that I'm a bit of a control freak, so they asked me what I wanted them to organise. My only insistance was no strippers! My maids said they found the planning quite stressful, and that's where a company like Last Night of Freedom can step in and take over. They put together the best hotels, activities and night-life options in over fifty of the best stag and hen party destinations in the world, and they sell all the accessories that you need to go with it. So if you're looking for decorations and forfeit games, plus personalised cardboard cutouts, and slightly creepy {but very funny} morph suits - you know where to go!

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Amazing Paper Lantern Wedding Decorations

Apart from tissue pom poms, paper lanterns are my TOP tip for cheap and chic wedding decoration. I've always loved looking at them in wedding pictures, and a couple of weeks ago two friends used hundreds of them at their own French wedding. They had white lanterns in the garden, and a combination of peach, orange and yellow in the marquee. Every one had a tiny LED light inside, so as the sun set, they started to glow. It was a truly magical effect. I'll be featuring their wedding any day now, but in the meantime check out Hanging Lanterns to buy your own.

{Product Credit} Print by Lola's Room

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Real Summer Garden Wedding: Nkechi & Mitch

Well I don't know about you, but I'm slightly besotted by this gorgeous summer wedding. It's a combination of the stunning photography by Jen Huang, and the sophisticated style of bride, Nkechi. I'm loving her 'Gone With the Wind' style dress, her cute birdcage veil {sooo this season}, and her elegant disc earrings. Throw in her dapper husband Mitch in black tie, and I'm sold. Jen is a photographer in the US, but she tells me she's always keen to travel!

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My Wedding Favours: Fortune Tellers & Vintage Keys

Wedding favours are a touchy subject. Some people think they're naff, others think they're a waste of money. Personally I think they're another opportunity to personalise your wedding, with the added benefit of giving your guests a warm and fuzzy feeling. At our wedding, we chose to give everyone a vintage key and the girls got grey pashminas, handed out by our amazing wedding planner, Kerry Bracken, as the sun set. The keys fitted in with our secret garden wedding theme, and everyone loved them! Lots of the ladies are still wearing them round their wrists or as necklaces, so they were definitely a hit. My Boy also created wedding fortune tellers, which included a Q&A about our relationship, plus the menu. It was fantastic to see people working out how to use them as they sat down to dinner. For a fortune teller tutorial, click here and search for Cootie Catcher {that's what Americans call Fortune Tellers}. Alternatively, you can buy them via Etsy seller Kat's Crafts. Gorgeous sneak-peak pictures by Jemma Harding Photography.

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All The Latest Wedding Sample Sales

Wedding dresses can be a huge part of your budget if you pay full price. Luckily there are lots of sample sales each year. in London and around the UK. Do a good search on google, and keep an eye out on the wedding blogs. If you sign up for my free newsletter, you won't miss a single one - hint hint!

♥ One of Kate Middleton's favourite designers, Jenny Packham, hosts her massive summer sample sale for two days this week, starting Thursday 16th June!! It's the perfect place to pick up your bridesmaids' dresses, plus you might even spot a gown that would work as a wedding dress. With prices from 70% off dresses, jewellery, accessories and lingerie, you can't go wrong. Hot foot it down to 3a Carlos Place on Mount Street in central London from 10am on Thursday and Friday morning.

♥ With a wedding coming up, you're going to be focusing on your beauty regime more than ever. So you won't want to miss the Space NK sample sale, with up to 50% off beauty products, including Diptyque, Rodial, brides favourite Laura Mercier and much more. It's a great opportunity to pick up some presents for your bridesmaids too. The sale runs from 23-25 June, from 8am - 8pm on Thursday & Friday, and from 9.30am on Saturday at The Music Room at 26 South Molton Lane in London.

♥ Have you checked out the Before the Big Day Wedding Themes for more wedding inspiration?

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Real Farmyard Country Wedding: Emily & Ryan

You know the saying 'never work with children or animals'? Well the opposite is true for weddings. The best weddings feature small children dressed as pageboys or bridesmaids, plus a completely random but cute creature of some sort. My obsession with the tequilla donkey is long-lasting, but I've also featured weddings with camels, horses and even an elephant, and they're all amazing. This wedding has goats and a dog in a bow-tie, so it gets a double tick in my book. Then throw in a sprinkle of 'country chic', a dollop of rural charm and tonnes of shabby-chic details, you're talking something pretty special. Check out the stunning pictures, published with thanks to Simply Bloom Photography.

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