Thursday 19 April 2012

Whimsical Vintage Wedding Paper Bunting

Loving this pretty upcycled paper bunting that I spotted on my online stroll around fab crafting site Folksy. Created by the online Scottish boutique, Peony and Thistle, they're made out of the pages of rescued vintage books, so every banner is unique. They'd be perfect for a shabby chic wedding.

 ♥ Want to see some shabby chic wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding decoration ideas? ♥
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Wednesday 18 April 2012

Real Brights Autumn Garden Wedding: Kirsten & David

You've got to love sunflowers at a wedding. I've fallen head-over-heels for the beautiful wedding flowers in this fabulous big day from last autumn. The golden light and the glowing orange details colours create wonderfully warm effect, and I'm loving the outdoor family dining, the lanterns and the beautiful twinkling overhead lights. Throw in a beautiful bride with a flower in her hair, and hand-painted wedding stationery and I'm in heaven.  I'm loving all the vintage prop details, the old watering cans, the jam-jars filled with flowers, the blackboards, and the birds nest confetti baskets. So many stealworthy DIY-able ideas, you'll want to save these pics on your Pinterest board for sure! Huge thanks to Jessamyn Harris for her truly beautiful pictures.


Wedding Credits
Venue and Food - Barndiva
Planning and design - A Savvy Event
Florals - Fleuressence
Hair & Makeup - It’s a Date

♥ Want more autumn wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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Today I ♥ - Sandpaper Wedding Confetti Hearts

Let's me honest, weddings can be a pretty girly affair. So why not add these touch lough 'Kiss Me' confetti hearts to your wedding tables, as a nod to the man in your life. Punched from sandpaper, they'll juxtapose nicely with your pretty pink peonies, and flowered napkins, and they're perfect for a rustic style big day. Pick them up from Etsy shop ScrapHappieAZ {they also come in pink and polka dots!}.


♥ Want more rustic wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding detail ideas? ♥
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Tuesday 17 April 2012

Choosing Your Wedding Venue - 6 Questions to Ask

You're engaged! Congratulations! So where are you getting married? If you don't have an obvious venue, this can be the question that strikes fear into a bride's heart. If you're finding it really hard to choose where to celebrate your wedding day, don't worry, you're not alone. I have two newly engaged friends, who are right now tearing their hair out over where to get married. They're both very different - one couple are looking for the perfect field and farm, the others are on the search for the best London landmark, with Kew Gardens high on their list. The venue is key to the type of wedding you'll be having, and that's why it can be the hardest decision. Until you know your wedding style, it's hard to pick your wedding venue. And until you pick your wedding venue, it's hard to pick your wedding style. Argh!! But fear not, help is at hand thanks to Before the Big Day. Here are five questions to help you make a decision.


{Photo Credit} Caught the Light

1. How many people do you want to invite?
2. Home or abroad?
3. Urban or countryside?
4. Decorated or empty?
5. Smart or casual?
6. Budget - big or small?

Or there is the Lucky 7th option....have two weddings like we did! One in France, and one in London. One large and one small. One expensive, one budget. One countryside, one urban. One inside, one outside. One casual, one elegant. The best of both worlds!

♥ Want to see some wedding theme ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding decoration ideas? ♥
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Before the Big Day in the BBC Magazine

After the immense excitement last week, when I appeared on the BBC World Service, you can imagine the incandescence when I discovered Before the Big Day had also earned a mention on the BBC magazine website! *Happy dance!* Please do take a look....here!


{Product Credit} Tongue-in-cheek posters created by Livy Love Designs


♥ Want to see some wedding theme ideas? ♥ Or how about Real Wedding ideas? ♥
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Wow Wow Wow Jenny Packham Bridal Collection 2013

It doesn't take a huge amount to get me excited, but my pulse leapt three feet when I spotted a sneak-peak of the Jenny Packham 2013 Bridal Collection on Before the Big Day's Facebook page. I knew I had to share them with you instantly! We're talking some seriously divine wedding dresses, with an English garden theme. With names like Azalea, Marigold and Mimosa, I'm finding it hard to pick a favourite. They're not available until September this year, but any lovely brides getting married in Autumn/Winter 2012 are in for a treat! P.S. If you're looking for a reasonable wedding dress, have you spotted the Sample Sale section of Before the Big Day? Follow me on Twitter to find out about all the Wedding Dress Sample Sales.



♥ Want more wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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Monday 16 April 2012

Real Zingy Citrus Wedding: Ashley & Allen

A gorgeous tangy wedding for your delectation this lunch time. I'm loving the zingy feature colours Ashley and Allen chose for their wedding, and check out their fantastic candy bar! Stealworthy ideas include the cute blue-bird stickers they used to seal their sweetie bags (why not pick your own wedding mascot?), the gorgeous lacy wonder of a cake and the fab bridal bouquet of citrus freasias beribboned in blue. Also loving the groom and ushers casual outfits, if the weather's hot, it's almost cruel to make the boys wear full suits. Just give them a tie and a sharp white shirt and let them roll up their sleeves. Don't miss Ashley's lovely flat yellow shoes - I love a bride in flats! Big love to the team at Our Labour of Love for their inspirational photos. They always have tonnes of great portrait poses to copy.


♥ Want more yellow-themed wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about fruity wedding ideas? ♥
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Win! 10 Pink Lady Jackets For Your Hen Night


What's your favourite movie of all time? When it comes to romance, there's nothing like an-oldie-but-goodie, and my guilty pleasure is Grease, every time. There's something special about the moment when Sandy becomes one of the Pink Ladies, and John Travolta swoons at her stiletto-clad feet. That's why I'm super-thrilled to announce a fabulous competition to win 10...yes 10 Pink Lady Jackets from All Fancy Dress, for your hen night or hen weekend. That's enough for you and all your besties. Forward this link to your maid of honour now!

All you need to do is Like Before the Big Day on Facebook, and leave a comment, telling me the colour of Sandy's shoes in the Grease clip below. Make sure you leave your email address as well. I'll announce the winner at midday on Monday 23rd April.



♥ Want more wedding competitions? ♥ Or how about Real Wedding ideas? ♥
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Sunday 15 April 2012

Real DIY Boho Wedding: Sal & Ben

This incredible boho vintage wedding is for all those brides out there who are worrying that they don't want to do the what's expected of them on their wedding day. The gorgeous Sal and Ben threw wedding tradition to the wind, and styled their big day to reflect their personality. That meant no white wedding dress, no morning suits, no vintage car and no tiered cake. Instead they chose a rocking red theme, happy yellow daisies, a teepee reception, a three-wheel motorbike for wedding transport and a chocolate wedding cake. What's brilliant about these amazing pictures from Lumiere Photography, is that they clearly had a truly fabulous wedding. Look at their faces - there's no tension, just pure illuminating joy. Now that's what you want to look like on your wedding day. I'm loving the family-style dining, Sal's DIY-wedding dress {made by her mother!}, and the historic Walmer Castle wedding venue. DIY brides should take a look at Sal's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire {below the pictures}. It's seriously inspirational stuff.





The Before the Big Day Brides' Q&A - Sal 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?
Walmer Castle in Kent on August 15th

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We wanted a beautiful location, with a fabulous atmosphere and Walmer Castle had it all. We also wanted something affordable and close to our family, so it worked out perfectly. Unfortunately I think they've now stopped doing weddings. We hosted the reception outside, in tepees, and lots of our guests stayed over in the campsite.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
Our wedding colour theme was natural browns and bright red.

Who made your wedding outfit, and how did you come to that decision?
My mum made my wedding dress for me, and I bought my wedding shoes from Jasper Conran.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
His suit was second-hand from a vintage shop in Fulham in London

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We had cupcakes made by a friend, and we left it to her to choose the type of cake and the flavour!

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
For favours, we hand-made chutney and jams. We really wanted to give our guests something useful and tasty!

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
We actually arranged the flowers ourselves, after buying them from a local wholesaler – we saved tonnes of money! We chose gerberas {giant daisies} for the main flower.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Alix from Lumiere Photography because she's a friend, and she takes fantastic, high-quality pictures.

Did you have any DIY projects?
Everything! The dress, reception decorations, favours, entertainment {our friend is a DJ} and place settings - only the catering was outsourced.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Make it personal!

♥ Want more autumn wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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