A Pretty Rustic Handmade Tipi-on-a-Farm Wedding

One way to keep your wedding costs down, is to organise a backyard wedding. Of course, not all of us have a garden big enough for a massive marquee, but Glen and Teri got lucky, and borrowed a friend's farm! They then hired a fabulous tipi for their reception, and booked nearby Ratsbury Barn in Kent for their wedding ceremony. I love their rustic wedding theme - Glen and Teri both love the outdoors, so they chose natural decor details of burlap and wood. Other stealworthy ideas include Teri's strapless Enzoani gown and the outfits she chose for her flower-girls and pageboys. The overall effect is effortless and boho-chic, and perfectly pictured by James Grist Photography. More shots from their incredible reception, coming later today!

Our special day was Saturday 3rd August. We hosted our ceremony at Ratsbury Barn in Tenterden, Kent, and our reception was held in tipis on a friend's farm.

Our love of the outdoors was the theme for our wedding and so we chose to have very rustic, natural decor.

Best British Bridal Designers - Temperley London

All this week, I'm celebrating London Fashion Week by showcasing the best of British Bridal Designers. Yesterday we were all about the glamour of Jenny Packham's wedding gowns, but today I'm thrilled to bring you Temperley London's latest bridal collection. Themed around Shakespeare's famously romantic play, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', the new Titania collection is stunning! I've fallen for the intricate lace-work - it looks like perfect cobwebs {the non-creepy kind!}, and Alice Temperley's gowns are soooo flattering. I had the best time at a dress-fitting in their Notting Hill atelier. My favourite is the gown below {on the right}, although I'd probably wear a slip underneath....

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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!

A big thank you and huge ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ to everyone who has already voted for me in the Wedding Blog Awards! I'm getting seriously excited about attending the Award Ceremony at The Ritz {oo-eee!}, and it would MAKE MY YEAR if I could win just one of my two nominations. Apparently I'll get an Oscar-like trophy and everything. Goodness knows what I'm going to wear - I'm not quite back to my pre-baby-shape yet, and none of my dresses fit. Voting for me will take you just a minute, and the good karma vibes will float you through to Friday. P.S. This is what I look like when I'm very happy - yup, you could catch goldfish with that mouth!!

{Credit} Chloe from Caught the Light - more from My Wedding

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Best British Bridal Designers - Jenny Packham

All this week, I'm celebrating London Fashion Week by showcasing the best of British Bridal Designers, starting with the fabulous Jenny Packham. Jenny's renowned for her glamorous gowns, much favoured by sophisticated metropolitan brides. I've long loved her intricate beading and sequin designs, and her new Spring 2014 collection is full of exquisite wedding gowns you'll want to add to your wish-list. Feast your eyes on her brilliantly eccentric campaign, and dream! View the full 2014 Bridal Collection.

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A Late Summer Wedding with Cornflower Blue Bridesmaids - The Reception

Cath Kidson and Joules have to be among my favourite UK designers, and I'm thrilled to see prints from their collections in this gorgeous barn wedding. Lorraine chose a mixture of Joules and Alexon dresses for her bridesmaids, and I love the bold mix of print and plain. With DIY table flowers, and a wedding cake handmade by a family friend, there's tonnes of wedding inspiration for a budget bride wanting to create her own details. I love the outside barn venue - its bunting and hydrangea filled jam-jars, plus the 'Borrow a Blanket' basket for chilly guests {buy blankets for a £3 each at Ikea}. Other stealworthy ideas include the blackboard table-plan and menu, the Cath Kidson round table runners and the matching tops to the honey wedding favours. Last but definitely not least, take a look at those pavlova puddings....yummy!! Thank you to Victoria Phipps Photography for capturing every perfect detail - Victoria's one of my favourite wedding photographers!

A Late Summer Wedding with Cornflower Blue Bridesmaids

I've always loved cornflowers - the wild pop of bright blue against a golden field of corn, and their untamed, messy stalks. One day I'd love to see a bride carrying a bouquet of just cornflowers, but in the meantime I'll more than make do with Lorraine and Evan's gorgeous wedding flowers! Astonishingly their bouquets and buttonholes were bought wholesale from Nottingham Flower Market and arranged by a friend {Imogen}, and Evan's sister Lucy. I've never seen such professional DIY bouquets - and I love how they pick up on the bunchy trend I flagged up early this year, where blooms are placed next to each other, rather than carefully placed apart. The 'something blue' theme is carried through to the bridesmaids' gowns and the Evan's tie, and even to the ribbon binding the Orders of Service. I love the baby's breath church flowers {simple and easy to recreate}, Lorraine's stunning Enzoani wedding gown with its elegant train, and More from Lorraine and Evan's Townfield Barn wedding reception later today. Huge thanks to Victoria Phipps Photography for her gorgeous wedding pictures.

Celebrating London Fashion Week - British Bridal Designers

I can always tell when it's London Fashion Week because the streets of Shoreditch around my house are suddenly full of people looking very self-conscious. They might be doing something as boring as taking a call on their mobile or drinking a coffee from Starbucks, but they're doing it as if everyone is looking at them. And they're usually dressed in something slightly silly, but very fashion-forward, with an oddly shaped hem! But it's important to celebrate the bonkers fashion world, because it's thanks to London-based designers that the UK is so famous for its brilliant bridal collections. And that means we don't have to travel abroad to buy the best for our weddings. So all this week, to mark London Fashion Week, I'll be celebrating the best of British Bridal Designers. Keep your eyes peeled for some seriously impressive wedding dress inspiration.

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Introducing Fever Designs for Your Wedding Day

How many bridesmaids is too many? I had five, and I would have had more, but I was anxious about the extra costs of a bigger wedding party. Bridesmaids dresses, shoes, accessories and bouquets all add up, and the more girls you have following you down the aisle, the more expensive it's going to get. I've always recommended looking online for reasonably-priced bridesmaids' dresses, and that's why I'm delighted to introduce Fever Designs, as a great bridesmaid boutique. They have a fantastic range of gowns, in all the season's top colours, and none of them will break the bank. My favourites are the Cecelia and Ivy dresses, both of which come in at under £100. As a bridesmaid-in-waiting, I've got my eye on the Ivy gown in Merlot, as I reckon it'll fit in perfectly with my friend's December wedding colour palette. With a colour-pop bridesmaid dress, you can save money on flowers, and give your bridesmaids bushy bouquets of olive leaves, rosemary or eucalyptus. For more ideas, take a look at my Pinterest pages.

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