Introducing Paper Themes Bespoke Stationery

Stationery makes me happy. I've long been obsessed with beautiful writing paper and notelets, cards and stickers, so choosing my wedding stationery was my favourite aspect of wedding planning. In the past, wedding invitations have veered towards the staid and boring, but thanks to a new flock of fantastic boutique UK wedding stationers, that's all changing. Bespoke stationer Paper Themes enables you to truly personalise your stationery, to fit in with your wedding style. From vintage to modern and everything in-between, they've got a fab selection of gorgeous and reasonably priced invitations. Once you've chosen your bespoke design, you can then pick up matching favours, table numbers, place cards and table decorations to match. Take a look at their website for more wedding stationery inspiration.

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Finding the One - Vintage Wedding Dresses

Finding 'the one' is the most important step in preparing your big day, and I'm not talking about your groom. Picking your dress could be the hardest decision you ever make - after all, how often are you going to let yourself spend that much money on one gown? The secret is to choose a style you like, and then personalise it with the help of a professional dressmaker. Here are two fantastic options to help you on your way. The first collection comes thanks to The Vintage Wedding Dress Company and the second from Clapham-based company Ellie & Charlotte. Both offer a selection of silhouettes which you can then adapt into a unique and personal gown, designed just for you!

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Before the Big Day Beauty Advice - Scent Your Wedding

Brides are always going to want to look their best on their wedding day, and there's a huge beauty and fragrance market out there ready to persuade you that their product is the one for you. On my wedding day I eschewed a professional make-up artist and did my own {very light} make-up with mainly Mac and Chanel products. The only item I bought new was the fabulous Chanel Perfection Lumiere, on the recommendation of my sister. It really made my skin look glowy, and I'd definitely recommend it as an extravagent pre-wedding purchase. If you do want a make-up artist for your wedding, try my friend Julia Bowden, she's a professional, and she'll make you look amazing! A new discovery I've made since my wedding day is Neom Organics. Their luxury products smell divine, and they've recently started a bespoke scenting service for your wedding day. The idea is that a special scent will give your wedding day the ultimate atmospheric touch. You can even have candles made as favours so that your guests can take away the memory of your big day.

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Real Destination Butterfly-Themed Wedding: Lisa & Bud

Another sunshiny wedding for you to keep in with my being-on-holiday vibe! Lisa and Bud celebrated their big day on the beach, with butterflies, and leis and orchids, and an incredible outdoor sit-down dinner. With the help of the amazing wedding coordinator, Miki Nguyen, the happy couple created a beautiful butterfly-themed wedding. Did you know the butterfly symbolises the start of a new life? Such a fantastic theme for a wedding. Gorgeous pictures published with thanks to Punam Bean Photography.

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Win VIP Tickets to the National Wedding Show

It's treat time for readers of Before the Big Day! The lovely people over at the National Wedding Show have given your favourite wedding blogger two pairs of tickets to give away for the London and Birmingham National Wedding Shows. All you need to do is leave a comment below, or send me one via Twitter {tag it @beforethebigday} and I'll enter you into the competition. Make sure you leave your email address and say whether you want tickets to London or Birmingham or either. The London show runs from 30th Sept - 2nd Oct, and the Birmingham one is 7th-9th October. I've got a pair of VIP tickets for each {normally £35 each}, and a pair of normal tickets for each. VIP tickets get you a free glass of bubbly, access to the VIP lounge and a good bag packed full of treats. Wedding fairs are a great way to bond with your mum or bridesmaids, so be sure to take them along for a day of fab wedding inspiration. I'll draw the winner on Monday 26th September.

{Product Credits} Dresses by Sassi Holford via Ellie Sanderson

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Cheerful DIY Wedding Stationery Stamps

Send your greetings to your guests via these fun DIY wedding stationery stamps. Just choose an ink that matches your wedding colour palette, and get stamping! They'd be a great addition to the backs of your wedding invitation envelopes, or to decorate your wedding stationery and thank you letters. You could even use them as a motif on your wedding favours. Give the personalised name stamps to your bridesmaids as thank you presents. Handmade by Eat Pray Create {winner of the best company name ever!}.

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Real Golden Beachside Wedding: Molly & Amber

As I'm sunning myself by the pool on our second honeymoon {it rained in the first} in Greece, I thought it only fair that I featured a beautiful sun-drenched wedding to cheer you up in the September rain. I'm loving the incredible laid-back, rustic chic style of this wedding. Brides Molly and Amber chose a lovely muted palette for the wedding colour theme, and I'm loving their complimentary dresses. Don't you just love beach weddings? Stunning pictures published with thanks to Our Labour of Love.

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Introducing Mahlatini Luxury Safari Holidays & Honeymoons

What type of honeymoon are you dreaming about? Believe me, you'll want to go somewhere super special, with a good dose of relaxation at the beginning. We actually delayed our honeymoon till today {yippee, leaving on a jet plane!}, but I actually wish we'd honeymooned straight away. You need a treat, otherwise you can feel a bit flat after your wedding day ends. There's tonnes of holiday companies offering honymoons of every hue, but one of my favourites is Mahlatini. They're specialists in luxury African travel, and every one of their honeymoons look incredible. From Botswana to Zambia and plenty of countries from the middle of the alphabet {including the Maldives and Mauritius}, they'll recommend the very best hotels and lodges, in the very best locations. They're honeymoon specialists, and even offer a HoneyMoney service, where your guests can contribute to your honeymoon instead of buying you presents. What will you choose? Safari or resort, or both? Take a look at their dream-inducing website here Mahlatini.

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Three Ways to Decorate Your Wedding Cheaply

Wedding decorations can really blow your budget, particularly if you're decorating an empty space. Make an impact with these three cheap and cheerful wedding decorations. I've always been a huge fan of DIY pom poms, but if you're not a DIY-bride, then you can pick up these fantastic lacy rosettes, pinwheels and poms via Paper Polaroid. My favs are the rosettes!

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Our Wedlock Wedding Tradition

My favourite moment of our wedding actually happened the next day. We stole away near the end of our evening drinks, and locked a padlock onto a metal arch in the garden, that was covered with jasmine. There's a Chinese or Russian wedding tradition that suggests that if a couple attach a lock to a gate and throw away the key, then they'll be together forever. We decided to make this tradition our own, but I decided to keep the key safe and sound in my jewellery box. One day we'll go back, and check that it's still there!

{Photo Credits} 1. Before the Big Day, 2. & 3. Jemma Harding Photography, Dress: Temperley London

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