Real Simple Green Wedding: Janina & Lean - Reception Details

It's the moment you've all been waiting for - the amazing reception pictures from this eco-friendly wedding. With simple but sweet details, including bunches of fragrant rosemary hanging from the roof of the wedding venue, the wedding decorations perfectly matched the venue. I love it when brides and grooms use vegetables instead of wedding flowers, and Janina and Lean chose artichoke flowers and cabbage leaves, dusted with what looks like icing sugar. Rustic sticks add to the outdoor-indoor feel, and naked {un-iced} wedding cake continues the homespun feel. Guests ended the night dancing under a canopy of lanterns - an idea I'd love to imitiate. Huge thanks to  We Love Pictures for these beautiful pictures, don't miss the Ceremony Pictures and Portrait Pictures from this gorgeous wedding.

♥ Want to see green themed weddings? ♥ Or how about more eco-friendly wedding ideas? ♥

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Real Simple Green Wedding: Janina & Lean - Wedding Portraits

In the golden afternoon light, fabulous wedding photographers We Love Pictures,  captured these stunning wedding portraits at Janina and Lean's wedding. I've fallen for Janina's natural wedding style, her bridesmaids' pretty peach gowns, and the ushers' cute bow-ties. If only we could recreate the weather in the UK! This stunning wedding was all about the beautiful kitchen garden venue, so I love how Janina chose simple, green rosemary leaves as the main feature of her wedding bouquet. It was so eco-friendly, even the local, giant tortoise wanted a nibble! There's more from this incredible wedding in the final feature this afternoon - you won't want to miss the reception pictures - have a sneak-peak We Love Pictures' blog.

♥ Want to see green themed weddings? ♥ Or how about more eco-friendly wedding ideas? ♥

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Real Simple Green Wedding: Janina & Lean

It's easy to get caught up in the razzamatz of a wedding, and obsess about every single wedding detail, cluttering your big day with too much fuss. At its worst, this can leave no space for the natural love and magic of a wedding day. Janina and Lean chose a simple green garden theme for their wedding, and let the natural beauty of the venue do the talking. The Babylonstoren is one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms in South Africa, with a beautiful kitchen garden. Janina and Lean drew on the garden's ingredients for wedding inspiration, and you're going to fall for every detail. Huge thanks to We Love Pictures for their beautiful images - I've had to split this wedding into three, there was just too much for one post! More coming soon, later this afternoon!

♥ Want to see green themed weddings? ♥ Or how about more eco-friendly wedding ideas? ♥

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Wonderful Wedding Blog Links

What with all this horrible weather and my giant pregnancy bump {one weeks to go and counting}, I've had plenty of time indoors this week, to search out tonnes of wonderful wedding blog links for you. It's been a busy week here on Before the Big Day, lots of exciting plans afoot, not least for my new project, Before the Baby - do take a look if you're interested. In the meantime, all I can think about is my first weekend away in the sunshine once the baby is born. I'm thinking Majorca - any suggestions welcome. I just can't wait to get some Vitamin D - this winter has gone on forever!

{Photo Credit} Dreaming of spring - a blossom wedding shoot by Elizabeth Messina of Kiss the Groom

♥ An insanely amazing wedding in a French castle

♥ Suggestions for a chic signature wedding cocktail

♥ A rustic elopement & a pastel wedding dress

♥ Spring wedding inspiration plus reasonable wedding gowns from BHLDN

♥ It's official, wedding pinwheels are the new pompoms!

♥ A BBQ wedding with a Vera Wang wedding dress

♥ DIY your own watercolour paper flowers

♥ I love a hot-air balloon themed wedding

♥ A crafty wedding, complete with canoe!

♥ More wedding theme ideas than you can shake a stick at

♥ A spectacular English country house wedding

♥ Want to see wedding theme ideas? ♥ Or how about more spring wedding ideas? ♥

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An Original Mushroom Wedding Cake

I don't like mushrooms, but for some reason I love this cake by Erica O'Brien. It's wonderful when cake designers go for something cool and unexpected. Three white tiers seems a bit boring in comparison to this beauty, don't they? {Discovered via US wedding blog Once Wed}

♥ Want to see wedding cake ideas? ♥ Or how about more rustic wedding ideas? ♥

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How To Care For Your Engagement Ring

It's your pride and joy, a symbol of your future husband's love for you, and probably the most expensive piece of jewellery you'll ever own - unless you're really lucky! But it's amazing how few of us actually know how to care for our engagement rings. Just because diamonds are the hardest substance on earth, doesn't mean that they don't need a little love and attention. Here are some top tips from Diamond Manufacturers on how to care for your engagement ring, and keep it super-shiny, ready for your wedding day.

{Photo Credit} Jose Villa

1. Take your ring off before you work with greasy or dirty substances to keep your engagement ring looking cleaner for longer.

2. Certain cleaning chemicals can cause lasting damage to your engagement ring. Don't let substances like hair spray, furniture polish or bleach near your ring. Either take it off when you spring clean, or wear gloves.

3. If you want to clean your diamond ring, soak it in a bowl that contains four parts warm water and one part household ammonia for no more than ten minutes. Brush the ring very gently with an old toothbrush, dip it back into the solution, rinse and leave it to drain on some tissue paper. Use a hair dryer to air dry your engagement ring to avoid water spots.

4. As an alternative, Diamond Manufacturers recommends adding a mild liquid detergent to a bowl of warm water and leaving your ring to soak in the bubbles for around thirty minutes.

5. Last but not least, vodka will give your diamond ring a brilliant sheen! Drop your diamond engagement ring into a glass of vodka to give it its sparkle back. Simply rinse it under a warm tap and rub it dry with a lint-free cloth.

♥ Want to see wedding ring ideas? ♥ Or how about more ring pillow ideas? ♥

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A Fabulous Picnic Wedding Theme

When it comes to any wedding, your biggest budget-basher is going to be feeding and watering all your guests. I think it's only fair to shout them a fabulous meal, particularly if they've come a long way, and many of them will even give you a wedding present. So before you start panicking, have you considered a picnic wedding theme? You could host it in your local park or parents' garden. Simply lay out blankets and cushions, or add gingham table cloths to simple tables, and create picnic baskets or boxes for your guests. Add bread, cheese, wine, ham, olives, salad and other treats, plus a little note encouraging your friends and family to make their own sandwiches. Pretty wedding stationery and details, like striped straws and paper bags, and DIY'd salt and pepper sachets will add to the theme, and DIY'd decorations like bunting will add to the whimsical charm. If you are unsure if you might have gone over budget, you could always take out your wedding calculator just to be on the safe side! For more ideas, check out my Picnic Wedding Theme Pinterest board.

Easter Wedding Theme Inspiration

Are you getting married this Easter? The long bank holiday weekend is a great time to host your wedding, as it means you can extend your celebrations over several days. There's also tonnes of gorgeous wedding ideas to fit in with an Easter wedding theme. You can harness the mood of fresh starts and new beginnings, give eggs for wedding favours, and fill your wedding venue with beautiful spring flowers - daffodils and tulips are seasonal, cheap and cheerful. Here are just a few of my favourite wedding ideas, tonnes more on my Pinterest page, including some fab rabbit origami tutorials.

{Photo Credit} Ring & Easter Egg Ring Basket by Kokoro Photography

{Photo Credit} Place Cards & Egg Basket Wedding Favour by Fairy Folk, $60 for 20

{Photo Credit} 1. Unkown via The Paper Mulberry 2. Bunny Menu Tutorial from Miss Mustard Seed

{Photo Credit} Bunny macaroons recipe by Raspberri Cupcakes

{Photo Credit} 1. Bunny Napkin by Martha Stewart, tutorial here, 2. Spring Pastels Wedding Tablescape - unknown

{Photo Credit} Fun Spring Wedding Shoot by Famous William, but similar bunny ear photo props from Maro Designs

♥ Want to see spring wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more pastel wedding ideas? ♥

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