Real Rustic Forest Wedding: Isby & Henry

Is there anything more romantic than getting married in a forest? Happy couple Henry and Isby picked a gorgeous rustic-elegance theme for their big day, and fabulous photographer Jessamyn Harris was there to record every little detail. My most inspirational spots have to be the CD favours (perfect for the drive home), the bold orange napkins and the personalised beer bottles. Also loving Isby's gorgeous backless dress, and the seed pearls studding her hair - so pretty!

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Wonderful Weekend Wedding Blog Links

This week I've been holidaying in South Africa with my cousin. We've had a fabulous time exploring the wine region, and all the cute little shops and stalls in the area. South African style is a super-cool fusion of European and African, with an almost Swedish minimalism thrown in for good luck. It makes for great wedding style, and my brain has been popping with potential wedding details. If you've been following me on Twitter and Facebook, you'll have seen a few of my favourite wedding details {with apologies for the slightly out-of-focus pictures!}. Even the vineyards make for the most perfect wedding venues in the world, so if you're considering a destination wedding, you know where to look. In celebration of my trip, this week, many of my wonderful weekend wedding blog links come from South Africa - enjoy!

♥ {Photo Credit} We Love Pictures

♥ Loving the incredible details in this vineyard wedding {via South African wedding blog Cap Classique}

♥ Free printable labels for your wedding water {via South African wedding blog The Pretty Blog}

♥ Pretty pastel wedding with a very beautiful bride by Catherine Mac

♥ Clever wedding favour ideas with tonnes of edible favourites {via South African wedding blog The Pretty Blog}

♥ Fantastic South African wedding stationery designs {loving the fabric envelope linings}

♥ Clever single bloom wedding bouquets idea {via South African wedding blog Cap Classique}

♥ Loving the bridesmaids' dresses in this white-themed wedding by Christine Meintjes

♥ Burlap, lace and paper lanterns {via South African wedding blog The Pretty Blog}

♥ Another great DIY bride idea from Elephant Shoe

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Real Rainy Day Sunshine Yellow Wedding: Valerie & Jimmy

YELLOW! It's a happy colour, and it's the precise shade of my daffodils, that are dancing in the breeze on my roof terrace right now. It's also a great way to bring brightness to a winter wedding, as you can see from this fabulous rainy-day wedding. Valerie and Jimmy were worried about the chance of rain on their big day, but prepared for the worst with a polka-dotted umbrella and wellington boots, which made super-cool photo-props. There are sooo many details to copy from this wedding, I'm slightly beside myself. I'm loving everything about Valerie's outfit, from her stunning earrings and the flower in her hair, to the bustle and bloom detailing on her dress. Have you spotted the bridesmaid's daisy pomander? This old-fashioned style of bouquet is making a come-back this season, so consider creating several for your bridesmaids, or hang them off the backs of chairs at your reception. One last detail-spot; don't miss the table stationery. Valerie and Jimmy went for a love-bird motif, and the laser-cut detail on the place settings is simply gorgeous! This wedding is a lesson in gorgeous styling - huge thanks to Stephanie Williams for sharing her fabulous pictures.

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My Latest Obsession - Wedding Macaroons

I'm aware that I'm hugely behind the curve on this, and that the macaron-trend ship has well and truly sailed, but I've suddenly become obsessed with macaroons at weddings. It's part of my new love of colour and brights, which in turn is almost certainly a response to the endless grey of the English winter. Once hugely expensive, you can now by macaroons at M&S, making them an affordable treat, and a lovely present for a girlfriend who's invited you round for dinner. Of course, the Ladurée macaroons {or macarons in French} will always be the ultimate luxury, for the packaging alone! If you can't afford to give all your guests a box of macaroons as a wedding favour, why not try a DIY macaroon wedding cake?

{Photo Credit} Aimeentnguyen via Vintage Rose Garden

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Wedding Flowers - Brights vs Whites

When it came to choosing my wedding flowers, I found it impossible to pick between simple white, or a riot of brights. My overall wedding colour theme was white and grey, so there was plenty of scope for making a real statement with my wedding flowers. The splash of colour would have looked fabulous against my white dress, and the white tablecloths at my wedding reception, but in the end I bottled it, and chose simple white blooms. What are you planning for your wedding flowers and wedding tablescapes? Check out these pictures for some inspirational designer flowers for your wedding, and don't miss my Pinterest page for more fabulous wedding details.

{Photo Credit} Aaron Delesie

{Photo Credit} Green Wedding Shoes

{Photo Credit} Rachel Thurston via Green Wedding Shoes

{Photo Credit} Sarah Yates at Birds of a Feather via Once Wed

And now for the white wedding flower inspiration....

{Photo Credit} My wedding by Caught the Light

{Photo Credit} This Modern Romance

{Photo Credit} We Love Pictures

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Real Yellow & Black Brocade Themed Wedding: Jacqui & Lachlan

This is wedding is a floral triumph! Whoever came up with the idea of planting tulips topsy-turvy was a genius, and just check out the amazing table-scape. Altogether, it's an exquisite wonder of black brocade and sharp lemon, and I love it! Everything is exceptional, from the buttonholes, to the pomanders and the delicate bride's bouquet. Happy couple Jacqui and Lachlan clearly have an eye for detail - and there's buckets of steal-worthy ideas including the lemon parasols, be-ribboned stationery and black glassware. I'm also a big fan of the cute page boys! It just goes to show how remarkable an urban space can be for your own big day. Massive thanks to the team at Our Labour of Love for taking so many pics of the fabulous details.

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Before the Big Day at The In Wedding Show

With just over a month to go, I'm getting seriously excited, and more than a little nervous about The In Wedding Show. The lovely organisers have invited me to be their in-house wedding blogger, and  not only will I be blogging all the fabulous happenings at the show, I will have my own special area, where I'll be inviting you to come and visit me and my crack-team of wedding geniuses {should that be genii?}. We're brimming over with all our helpful hints, tips and ideas for this season's top trends in everything wedding, and we can't wait to share them with you! More information on how to win tickets to my Before the Big Day Inspiration Sessions coming soon, but in the meantime, make sure you buy tickets for The In Wedding Show on Sunday 22nd April at Alexandra Palace in London. They're only £3.50 and every bride who pre-buys gets a free goodie bag - now that's what I call a good deal!! Tickets can also be bought on the door for £4.

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Before the Big Day Personal Trainer - Choosing Your Trainers

Alice: This is the second of my personal training blog postings for Before the Big Day. I'm here to help you get fit and toned for your wedding day. Read about me here, and check out my blog postings here. If you're new to training, or you're looking for a bit of a treat to motivate you, one of the first things you're going to need is a good pair of trainers. Did you know that if you exercise regularly you should be changing your trainers at least every six months? As soon as I meet a new client {even the famous ones}, I send them to a sports fitness specialist, because good trainers are essential to prevent injury. If you have bad knees, or aches and pains, re-consider the state of your trainers, as you don't want to be hobbling down the church aisle!

{Photo Credit} Monkey Puzzle Pictures

My favourite trainer specialist is Profeet in London, who specialise in custom-fitting shoes. You book an appointment, and they use cutting-edge technology like video gait analysis and pressure-plate foot scanning, to make sure you get the perfect fitting trainers. They might not be as glamorous as the Louboutins you've got your eye on for your wedding day, but they'll help get you looking fit and toned for your wedding day. Who knows, you might even slip them on under your wedding dress for comfort!

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Gorgeous Ring-Bearing Dishes for Your Wedding Day

When planning our wedding, it was often the smallest wedding details that I found the hardest to choose. Venue, photographer, wedding planner caterer - all those decisions were easy to make, but the agonies of indecision I had over the table plan and place markers, was something to be seen. The other decision I found impossible, was how to display our wedding rings. I knew that I wanted us to do a 'warming of the rings ceremony', where the wedding rings are passed around the congregation, so each guest can privately wish you the best, but I didn't know how to package them up. In the end, we used a silly little soft bag from Anthropologie, but I wish I'd found these incredible ring-bearing dishes from Paloma's Nest. They're made from white ceramic, and you can either buy one of their designs, or have one personalised with your own message. Described as modern heirlooms, you can see them staying in your family for years - a wonderful momento from your big day.

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Your Wedding Detox

If you're getting married this spring or summer, you've probably started thinking about getting slim and fit for your wedding. My routine consisted of two Bootcamp Pilates classes a week, plus tonnes of sushi, and Twinings Green Tea by the bushel-load. Green tea is a fantastic anti-oxidant, it helps your body get rid of toxins, and it's got just enough caffeine in it to help you off your coffee addiction! If you can't find green tea in your local shop, you can buy tea online pretty easily. It certainly worked, I felt super-lean by my wedding day, which made all the difference to my confidence as I walked up the aisle. For more information on herbal teas - check out the Twinings Facebook page.

{Photo Credit}
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