Cute DIY Peg Doll Wedding Cake Toppers

Cake toppers may seem a small extra wedding detail to you, but I know one couple for whom it was almost a relationship-breaker. It seems these little statues can create the strongest of emotions; the groom thought they were irrevocably naff, while the bride-to-be felt her wedding cake would be naked without one. Personally I'm in the pro wedding cake topper camp, but there's no doubt that they require careful choosing to avoid the naff-factor. I've long loved these cute Goose Grease peg doll toppers, and now you can DIY them yourselves! Goose Grease Undone offers paint-your-own peg doll sets, while Goose Grease will custom your cake toppers on your behalf, so it all depends on how crafty you feel.

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Real Country Rustic Wedding: Ruth & Pete

Wahey for the sunshine! We're not getting enough of it this spring. So in celebration, I'm featuring  a stunning English garden wedding, fresh from the portfolio of talented duo Renira & Jane Photography. Ruth and Pete celebrated their big day in Mayfield in East Sussez with a cute shabby chic floral theme. I'm totally besotted with Ruth's non-white wedding dress. It's super-classy to do your wedding in your way, and I'm loving her patterned dress and the simple daisies in her hair. There's so many other details that I've fallen for, that I'm finding it hard to choose which ones to mention first! The mismatched fabric bunting, the lanterns, the Cath Kidston-style chair-cushions, the gorgeous open-sided marquee, the hand-potted herbs on the tables and Ruth's hand-tied rustic bouquet - everything is unique and personalised. Don't miss the cute little illustrations on the place cards.

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✽ Real Summer Countryside Wedding

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♥ Want to see stately home weddings? ♥ Or how about more dark blue themed weddings? ♥

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Five Wedding Jewellery Traditions

Weddings are one giant tradition-fest! From the white wedding gown, to the church service, the best man's speech, the first dance and the bouquet toss, your big day will be a constant nod to tradition. You might find some of the customs restricting, but when it comes to bridal jewellery, you're going to L-O-V-E the traditions, mainly because the bride comes out of it pretty well!

1. Pearl Earrings - Traditionally the groom or the father-of-the-bride gives the bride pearls on her wedding day. The jewels symbolise unblemished perfection, purity and innocence, and the ancient Greeks believed pearls would help ensure marital bliss and prevent newlywed brides from crying. Needless to say, I'm particularly keen on this custom!

2. Bridesmaids' Jewellery - I discovered this fabulous tradition when my cousin asked me to be her bridesmaid. Aged nine, I was thrilled to be given an elegant gold necklace. It was the most exciting present I'd ever received, and to this day I still have it as a momento of their wedding day. You don't have to spend a fortune on your bridesmaids' present - a lovely piece of prom jewellery from Jon Richard would be a lovely thank you gift for their help and support on your big day. Plus it'll make them look glam in the wedding pictures.

{Photo Credit} 1. Unknown | 2. Ben Q Photography - view the whole shoot on the Wedding Chicks

3. Cufflinks - Just like your bridesmaids, it's traditional for your ushers to receive a present on your wedding day. On our big day we skipped this custom, and gave our ushers sunglasses instead {we had a destination wedding in France}! But I did give my husband a lovely pair of cufflinks on the morning of our wedding day, and he now wears them every day to work.

4. Your Engagement Ring - a solitaire diamond is traditional, but we all know engagement rings come in every shape and size. Men are meant to spend one month's salary, but according to a recent survey, a third of brides are happy to chip in for their engagement ring!

{Photo Credit} 1. Elizabeth Messina of Kiss the Groom - view entire shoot on Inspired By This

5. Wedding Ring - Of course! We all know about the tradition of giving wedding rings, but did you know it started in ancient Rome? It used to be just the bride who received a ring, but in the 1920s the American jewellery industry started a marketing campaign aimed at encouraging men to wear a wedding ring as well. Those Mad Men were pretty successful, and by the late 1940s, double-ring ceremonies made up for 80% of all weddings. Will your husband wear a wedding ring?

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✽ Reasonable Engagement Rings

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♥ Want to see wedding jewellery ideas? ♥ Or how about more bridesmaids ideas? ♥

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Introducing Zalando Online Shopping For Your Bridesmaids

My postman and I have a fabulous relationship. It's not something you normally get in London, but considering my slight {okay huge} online shopping addiction, we see each other every morning. I hardly ever buy anything on the high street anymore, it's so much cheaper and convenient to try clothes on at home. You can add your own shoes and jackets, and check out how each dress fits in with the rest of your wardrobe. That's why I'm delighted to introduce Zalando. It's a fabulous online shopping boutique, stocking thousands of brilliant brands, including French Connection, Seven For All Mankind and Alice Temperley, to name just a few. With a stylish wedding boutique {perfect for the city bride}, and a great selection of men's clothes as well, it's the perfect go-to site for your wedding preparations. I'm also loving Zalando's colour search function - it's an efficient way to find the complete outfit for your bridesmaids. Take a look at these gorgeous colour combinations below - coral, turquoise and amethyst are what all the best dressed bridesmaids are wearing this summer.

{Product Credits} Top L-R 1. Even & Odd Cocktail Dress, £14 | 2. Patrizia Pope Summer Dress, £185 | 3. Ravel Peep Toe Heels, £55 | Middle L-R 1. Pier One Peep Toe Heels, £50 | 2. Anna Field Classic Heels, £25 | 3. Louche Shari Dress, £65 | 4. Les Néréides Earrings, £60 | Bottom L-R 1. Ted Baker Earrings, £34 | 2. Orla Kiely Wallet, £110 | 3. Even & Odd Summer Dress, £34 |

{Product Credits} Top L-R 1. Just Cavalli Clutch, £110 | 2. Deimille Sandals, £160 | 3. Sweet Deluxe Jewellery Set, £25 | Middle L-R 1. Naf Naf Gown, £225 | 2. Tramontana Jersey Dress, £50 | 3 Cutie Dress, £46 | Bottom L-R 1. Pura Lopez Classic Heels, £210 | 2. Belle Roma Sandals, £180 | 3. Ravel Pumps, £50 |

{Product Credits} Top L-R  1. Black Lily Feather Earrings, £17 | 2. Even & Odd Summer Dress, £34 | 3. Sebastian Peep Toe Heels, £310 | Middle L-R 1. René Lezard Cocktail Dress, £170 | 2. Even & Odd Summer Dress, £26 | 2. René Lezard, £170 | 3. Gianni Chiarini Clutch, £55 | Bottom L-R 1. Hush Puppies Lolita Heels, £49 | 2. Casedei Flip Flops, £300 | 3. Me & Zena Bicycle Necklace, £38 |

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Real English Countryside Summer Wedding: Katy & Neil

Brides looking for stylish wedding inspiration, should look no further than this gorgeous Surrey summer wedding. I've fallen for the elegant monochrome colour palette, the bride Katy's birdcage veil and the bridemaids' super-chic wedding dresses. It's an English countryside wedding with a dash of sophistication, and from a wedding style point of view, it really works. Other food-focused details to copy include the French macaroons {my favourite are from Laudurée} and the multi-tiered strawberry Victoria sponge cake -the very essence of Englishness. Huge thanks to Patrick from Butler Madden Weddings for his gorgeous pictures.

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Real Vintage Medical Themed Wedding: Rebecca & Ben

I've made you wait, but it's finally time for the incredible wedding reception pictures from this unique medical themed wedding. Rebecca and Ben chose The Morritt in Greta Bridge in County Durham for their wedding reception, and after many months of successful bidding on eBay, Rebecca personalised her and Ben's big day with a fabulous array of wedding details, including old medicine bottles as vases, an ancient doctor's bag for wedding gifts, and vintage first aid boxes filled with sweets. Table flowers looked just-picked, with snowberries and autumn foliage to reflect the season. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Rebecca and Ben chose their own cheeses for a tiered cheese cake, and Rebecca's parents handmade chutney as wedding favours for eating on the day. So many wonderful details, all in one wedding - it's definitely an all-time favourite for me! Huge thanks to Sharron Gibson from The Image Garden and Vanessa Adams, her second shooter, for these gorgeous wedding pictures.

Our photographer was Sharron Gibson from The Image Garden. I found her on the internet by searching for vintage-style photographers. She is actually based in the South, but came all of the way up to photograph our big day. 

Sharron was wonderful, stayed all day and evening and felt part of the wedding! She also brought an assistant photographer, Vanessa Adams, to help who was lovely. As we set off for our honeymoon 24 hours later, she had already sent me a montage of her favourite photos which I was delighted to receive.

Ben and I got married on 8th September 2012 at St Edmunds Church, Sedgefield in County Durham, followed by a reception at The Morritt, Greta Bridge.

We wanted to have a lot of people, and provide a lot of food and drink. On our budget it made sense to pick a smaller, more personal hotel that we could fill to the brim.



I had tonnes of DIY wedding projects. I wanted a table plan, but I didn't want to spend time or money on it. I found a website called Here Comes the Bride, and they suggested using a mirror. They took the measurements, and printed out {and decorated} individual cards with adhesive on the back. My mirror had a gold rim, so my Dad and I sprayed it silver! When we put it all together, it worked really well. 



When I was planning our wedding theme, my sister suggested starting with the florist and working back from there....and she was right! I met with three florists and knew instantly when I had found the right one - Adam Prest......he was AMAZING!!! He is based in a farm outside of Sedgefield where he grows some of the flowers he uses. It was great to use someone local!



I could not describe really what I wanted....but he just knew. It was his idea for grey bridesmaids dresses!!!! I said I wanted the flowers to look like I had been out in the garden and picked the flowers. I also said I did not want them to be symmetrical or all the same length or size......the rest was down to him.

He selected a rose called Amnesia, white snowberries and a silvery foliage which I loved! He also suggested candelabras of varying heights for the tables. We were both keen that every table looked different!

Our wedding favours for the men were small jars of chutney {handmade by my Mum and Dad}. They make a lot of chutney, and because we were serving cheese at the end of the meal, it was the obvious decision! We made bibs and bow ties for each of the jars, and I made small top hats for all of the men to wear at dinner, which sat on top of the jars. 



The girls' wedding favours were different. My Mum is very arty and decorated small grey boxes (from Paperchase) with tiny flowers dried from the garden. Again each one was different, and we baked individual Rolo brownies to go in them! We also printed minute recipe cards for the brownies and put them in the box.

I really wanted a vintage feel but having been to several weddings prior to ours in 2012 it was difficult to come up with something original. So I was thrilled when I discovered vintage medicine bottles on eBay. I bid on them regularly in the run up to the wedding until I had enough for four/five per table. They were only a couple of quid each and make lovely mementos!

I was keen to have something original for our wedding cards from guests, so to continue with the medical theme, I found a vintage doctor's bag (also on eBay) for only £30.



The medical dictionary was my own, and I HAD to buy the vintage medical book 'The movement of the heart and blood', as it seemed very romantic!! 



I loved organising my wedding! It was great to put a personal stamp on the day. I tried to see it as a party, rather than a wedding, and I think we managed to create that kind of atmosphere. It did however dominate the nine months between engagement and the big day, and I am glad you only have to do it once!! 


My advice to brides planning their wedding is to start early. Book in all of the big things then have a bit of a break! Use the internet. There are so many ideas and craft websites out there. If you can’t find what you want....have a go at making it!! 

Invest in your dress.......it is definitely worth it!! Don’t make everything match. It was more fun having several subtle themes intermingled with each other, and it personalised the wedding more. Have a wedding folder.....it's geeky, but having everything in one place makes life so much easier!

When it came to our wedding cake, we both love cheese, so we had a cheese wedding cake! You can get them in set combinations on the internet, but we were keen to pick the cheeses ourselves, so we went to a small cheese shop called Cheese on the Green in Rugby {where Ben’s parents live} and tried all of them! It was very good fun!

I got a really naff cake topper online with a bride rugby tackling the groom.....my Mum hated it, but it looked really good after my florist had dressed the cake. To serve with the cheese, my Mum and Dad made chutney and fruit cake, while crackers and fruit were provided by the hotel along with our evening hog roast.

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