Real DIY Budget Bride

About a month ago, I got this wonderful email from a fellow just-married bride. Katie had just celebrated her own wedding in Wales, and she wrote to tell me how she'd found tonnes of DIY inspiration from Before the Big Day, and would I like to feature her wedding? Well of course I would, with a cherry on top! So here's a sneak peak of Katie on her wedding day, with a promise that her big day will appear on the wedding blog tomorrow. Have a read of her email below the pic, and if you've got a wedding you'd like me to feature on Before the Big Day, do get in touch!

Dear Georgia

I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for your amazing blog :) I hope you had the most amazing day yourself in France? I 'borrowed' so many DIY ideas from Before the Big Day that made our day (my day ha ha) the most perfect and special of my whole life so far! Our wedding was in Llangollen in North Wales. We had a church wedding full of upbeat hymns, then pictures down by the river, and then the bridal party went and played a round of crazy golf! When we got to the hotel reception venue, our friend was playing his acoustic guitar to our guests and I joined him for a song (McFly 'It's all about you!'). We had a receiving line of just me and Josh which meant that we got to hug everyone at least once!

We had our speeches before dinner which was the best decision as everyone was in high spirits and the men involved were so nervous. My husband's grandpa was part of the speech were he stood up and announced that we couldn't go on having an affair and that it was over - brilliant! Then a delicious hog roast dinner followed by MY speech...gulp...I hadn't told anyone I was doing it but I'm so glad I did :) I gave out trophies based on my hen weekend with different categories like 'best dancer'!

We then had a swing singer, cheesy disco, cake and lighting of paper lanterns (in the rain outside!), followed by a disco with our guests until 3am. Fab day.

Now it's all over, I still read your blog and I've already planned my little sister's wedding even though she only just got engaged...need to focus on other things than wedding.

Anyway, we did it all on a budget of £7k and it was the most fun and romantic day, we had 60 guests who all pretty much knew each other and I so enjoyed my crafty fun stolen from your blog! Thank you! We had moustaches on sticks, place names in apples, a wedding cake from Marks & Spencers with butterflies stuck in, tiaras for the ladies, picture boards all around the venue of all the guests, and my favourite of all, my table plan made from sticks, fairy lights and seating cards!

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Real Rock n' Roll Wedding: Emily & Jasen

Strong lust for this gorgeous wedding in the mist. Stunning couple Emily and Jasen celebrated their big day in autumn style with dozens of fabulous design-details worth stealing.  Lets just start with the cute badges, peg-cake toppers and Chinese lantern table arrangements, and move quickly on to the free candy-bar, table stationery and hilarious direction sign - I'm loving it all! A huge thank you to the team at Our Labour of Love for their beautiful pictures. So often wedding photography is predictable and formulaic, and I think you'll agree Whitney and Jesse totally break the mould with their brilliant work.

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Before the Big Day Paper-Bag Wedding Theme

'A paper bag?', I hear you cry. 'How on earth can paper bags be a good idea for a wedding theme?'. Well take a look at these pictures for some serious wedding inspiration. The humble paper bag can be many different things to many different brides. From menus to favour containers, the kraft paper bag comes in many creative guises. Add a touch of calligraphy and fill with special treats, and you've got an eco-friendly autumn wedding trend in the making. Pick up your paper bags at rock-bottom prices from Wholesale Paper Bags.

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Real Sea-Side Wedding: Jamie & Adam

If you plump for a nautical theme, it'll carry you on a huge wave (sorry) of inspiration. There's almost too many motifs to choose from, starting with blue and red, moving through stripes and then anything fish-themed. The secret is to only pick a few details, or else your big day will end up feeling like a Brighton fish-and-chip restaurant - all theme and no substance. Quirky couple Jamie and Adam totally kept their wedding within the boundaries of chic, using only a life buoy and the lighthouse as props, and serving an amazing lobster lunch for their guests. I love how they've used lots of different flowers, while keeping the colour palette plain white, and their fab retro car is just the bomb! Big thanks to the team at Our Labour of Love for their gorgeous photographs.

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The Best Wedding Invitation Ever!

Isn't this the best wedding invitation you've ever seen!  Definitely one to inspire long-distance couples.

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Location, Location, Location

One huge expense for every wedding is the venue - not least because they usually hike the prices on food and booze. One way to avoid that expense is to hire a marquee for your garden.  Worried about a naff canvas atmosphere and freezing breezes?  Well check out these pictures and think again - with the right accessories and lighting, you can turn your tent into anything you want, from a cosy Kazbah to a boutique boîte, complete with a sparkling starry-sky ceiling.

Photos above thanks to DP Marquees. Check out their website for their fantastic range of stunning marquees and bespoke interiors.  Also, try White Canvas Tents for their exclusive, lined range.

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Real Glamorous Wedding: Simone & Paul

The bride in this wedding is seriously beautiful. Be warned! You won't want to look too hard at these pictures if you're having a bad hair day. But save them for later, because they're packed full of gorgeous red-themed wedding details, that you'll be wanting to copy for your own big day bash. Paul and Simone celebrated their big day in Franschhoek in South Africa, on the most glamorous farm I've ever seen. They had an 'Alice in Wonderland' inspired wedding, with beautiful romantic touches, from red roses to endless strings of fairy lights, plus a tea-cup wedding cake topped with cute in-a-rush rabbits. Other dreamy details include the paper parasols, Simone's three-band pearl bracelet, her sweet plaited up-do and the mini-cloches covering individual rose blooms on the reception tables. Huge thanks to the team at We Love Pictures Too for their fabulous photographs - we love!

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Real Barndance Vintage Wedding: Kelly & Neil

One of my best girlfriends got married last weekend, in a fabulous barn wedding with tonnes of fabulous details, which I can't wait to share with you. Unfortunately we've got to wait, because she's headed off on her honeymoon in Bali! In the meantime, whet your wedding appetite with Kelly and Neil's incredible autumn wedding at The Priory Barn in Little Wymondley. Kelly DIY'd lots of her wedding details, in particular the vintage button and fabric table numbers, the sweetie bags and the lining in the vintage suitcase. I'm also loving the amazing wedding flowers, including lots of ivy for fidelity. Check out the giant wreath - it's such a beautiful statement piece and a truly gorgeous wedding idea. Stunning pictures published with thanks to the lovely Binky from Binky Nixon Photography.

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