Amazing Alice in Wonderland Wedding Shoot

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite wedding themes of all time. Like many classic stories, it's got tonnes of potential wedding details. From the Queen of Hearts as a colour theme, to the Mad Hatter's Tea-Party for your reception, and Drink Me, Eat Me labels for favours, you'll have your work cut out for you to keep up with every wedding detail. You could even dress your waiting staff as White Rabbits. For more wedding inspiration, take a look at this fabulous wedding shoot by Erika from Photo Madly. For more pictures, do check out the Alice in Wonderland wedding blog, where this shoot first appeared.

Credit List
Photography by Erika Szostak for Photo Madly
Cakes & Dessert table by Flutterby Bakery
Flowers by Amanda Refoy Flowers
Alice's bespoke dress by Marrianne Designs
Props by Peter Gosbee & Alice Dreams: A Wonderland of Curiosities
Make-up by Alessia Mancini
Hair by Elloise India Willett
Assistant Photography by Mike Oddhayward
Models: Alice - Miriam Gisbey, Mad Hatter - Peter Gosbee. Special thanks to Andrew White for his invaluable help in organising the shoot.

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Before the Big Day Personal Trainer - Healthy Eating Tip

{Advice from Alice} A power smoothie is a great way to start the day. This particular drink is quick to make and full of goodness, with protein from the yoghurt, two of your five a day in the raspberries and a banana, and oats to keep you full all morning. It's low fat and super good for you - a great way to start your wedding diet! Don't miss Alice's other wedding personal training blog posts for Before the Big Day.

For one Power Smoothie, all you need is:
1 small bowl of fresh or frozen raspberries
1 glass of skimmed milk
1 0% bio fat free yoghurt
1 tbls runny honey
1 banana
1 cup of oats
apple juice for consistency

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Wonderful Wedding Blog Links

This week I am mostly shattered! It's been a long one - recovering from my overnight flight from South Africa, and getting used to being back at my day job. It's also been a very exciting week behind the scenes for Before the Big Day. Next week I'm hoping to welcome not one, but two new wedding gurus to the blog. They'll be following in the footsteps of our wedding blog's personal trainer, Alice Cowen, who's been blogging up a storm of fitness hints and healthy recipes. I've also started my preparations for The In-Wedding Show, where I'll be hosting four fabulous wedding inspiration sessions. With a stand and a room to decorate, it's the perfect excuse to buy tonnes of vintage props!

♥ Why your wedding pictures can still be fabulous in the rain! Photo Credit {above} Our Labour of Love

♥ I'm besotted with this bride's wedding dress - it's like a T-shirt! {via wedding blog Once Wed}

♥ Win this fabulous Paula Pryke book 

♥ Colourful bridesmaids dresses you'll love!

♥ Two lovely DIY ideas for Mothering Sunday from Heart Handmake UK {my new favourite blogger}

♥ Heirloom underwear

♥ I'm going to try to make one of these this weekend

♥ Loving the buttonholes in this spring wedding {via wedding blog Grey Likes Weddings}

♥ Love this idea on how to stamp the inside of your envelopes

♥ Romantic hair trend {via wedding blog Flights of Fancy}

♥ A cool industrial wedding with baby's breath {via wedding blog Inspired By This}

♥ I want this summer dress

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Real Cornflower Blue-Themed Barn Wedding: Lisa & Alan

Barn weddings are something Britain does best. The countryside is bursting with gorgeous, lofty barn conversions that make the perfect setting for a shabby-chic wedding, or a vintage wedding, or in this case, a glamorous winter wedding. I'm loving all the details in Lisa and Alan's wedding, from the colour-popping cornflower flower blue, bridesmaids' dresses, to the Thornton's chocolate wedding favours, and the cute white postbox for guests' messages. Fabulous pictures published with thanks to James from Funky Pixel Photography, and don't miss Lisa's answers to the Before the Big Day Brides' Questionnaire below the pics.

The Before the Big Day Brides' Q&A - Lisa was kind enough to fill in our bridal questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
Cooling Castle Barn in Rochester on 9th February 2012

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We both fell in love with the venue, it was unique and within our budget. We chose simple and elegant decorations, with a colour scheme of cornflower blue and ivory.

 Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
My wedding dress was made by Maggie Sottero, the dress was simply stunning & it was everything that I had always imagined wearing. My shoes were bought from John Lewis and my hair accessories were from Oriental Pearl.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
We hired the suits from a place in Wales, called Oh Suit Hire

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
Our bridesmaid dresses were bought from a family-run bridal shop called Jacqueline's House of Brides.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
We had our favours made by Thorntons, they contained three chocolate truffles with our first initials printed on them. We liked them because they added a little personal touch, and they were reasonably in priced.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
We used a family-run florist based in Kent, called The Darling Buds of Kent. The flowers we used for all of our bouquets are called Norma Jeane Roses. Our button holes were Avalanche Roses. I've always loved roses, so it was an easy decision!

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Our photographer was James of Funky Pixel Photography. We actually won James' services in a competition! We were quite nervous of this to begin with, but after his viewing his work and meeting him in person, we were absolutely delighted to have won & couldn't have picked a better photographer.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
I loved every minute of planning our wedding, although like every bride I had days that were stressful.

Who designed your stationery? What did it look like and how did you come to that decision?
Our stationery was designed by a lady I had met on a Facebook wedding swap shop, she listened to my opinion and designed what I had described.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Try not to stress out and delegate simple tasks your maid of honour and bridesmaids - after all, they're there to help you. Enjoy and embrace every moment from the planning, to the actual big day. And don't let others opinions deter you from having what you want, as this your special day. 

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Incredible Simple & Chic Wedding Stationery

If you're a long term fan of Before the Big Day, you'll know I'm a bit of a wedding stationery obsessive. Out of all the wedding details, including wedding dresses and wedding flowers, it's the wedding invitations that really get me excited. Because of budget concerns, we DIY'd our own wedding stationery, but in my wedding dreams, I wanted a bespoke design from Follow Studio. The good news for budgeting brides and grooms is that Follow Studio now has a cheaper 'Made to Measure' line. The fabulous designs feature clear lines, pretty fonts, and a selection of accessories made of natural materials, including linen tape, kraft envelopes, mini wooden pegs and burlap twine. Gorgeous!

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Reasonably Priced Vintage Boho Wedding Dresses from Minna

One of my bug-bears is how much wedding dresses cost. Truly, it drives me up the wall to see a simple silk shift of a dress being sold for over two thousand pounds, when we all know that if it didn't have the word 'wedding' in the title, it would cost 75% less. Well finally a reasonably-priced, vintage inspired, wedding collection has been launched by eco-luxe brand Minna. Their 'To Have And To Hold' dresses cost from £200, and they also offer a stunning range of veils, hair adornments and capes to complete the romantically boho bride look! Trust me - you'll love them! P.S. My lovely wedding planner Kerry Bracken has just bought two for her own wedding day - a serious seal of approval.

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Made Your Wedding Day Sparkle

There's nothing like adding a puff of fairy-dust to your wedding day, and as my fashion icon Patsy once said, "You can never have enough hats, gloves or shoes" {Absolutely Fabulous}. So give your girlfriends and bridesmaids a treat with these gorgeous sparkly shoes and matching clutch from BHLDN. Or snaffle them for yourself, and add a touch of twinkle under your wedding gown.

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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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