Wednesday 23 October 2013

Decadent Festival Wedding Shoot

Regular readers of this blog will know there's nothing I like more than a good wedding theme! Particularly when it's teamed with tonnes of wedding ideas, and some truly fabulous photography. Take a look at this genius wedding shoot inspired by the mighty Glastonbury Festival {my favourite weekend away!}. The brainchild of Lesley from The Vintage Hire Company, and Jo from The Gloucestershire Wedding Company, the shoot was the perfect opportunity for local wedding vendors to showcase their talents. A mix of rustic and edgy, the atmosphere is 'anything goes', and I love the mix of colours. Ideas to steal include the bell tents for lounging, the giant balloon wedding decorations, the 'Access all Areas' wedding stationery, and camper van photo prop. And for sheer originality - arranging the wedding flowers in old boots!!  Huge thanks to Christy of Christy Blanch Photography for sending this shoot through to me - all the details of the other vendors below!





Tuesday 22 October 2013

Fabulous, Celebrity-Loved, Lacy Wedding Garters

If you're looking for a celebrity endorsed wedding garter {and who isn't!!}, then look no further than these gorgeous lacy numbers from Florrie Mitton. Hilary Duff chose one for her wedding day, and even if you're not American, wearing a garter is a fun tradition to adopt on your wedding day. Each one is handmade in the UK, and comes presented in a gorgeous box. They're like a secret surprise for your husband at the end of the night!


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Monday 21 October 2013

Reliving the Wedding Blog Awards

Apologies for the slight radio {or blogging} silence, I've been away for a long weekend in Mallorca, staying with my amazing personal trainer friend, Alice Cowen at her boutique well-being bootcamp Bootique. Now back in London, and considerably slimmer {and a little bit achy}, I've finally had time to enjoy the photographs from the Wedding Blog Awards! You can check them out here, and in the December/January issue of the magazine {out soon}, but here are a few of my favourites. It was such a fabulous night - and I still can't quite believe I won Editor's Pick prize - such an enormous privilege. I can't wait for my prize - a holiday at the Hotel Imperiale Taormina in Sicily!


{Photo Credits} 1. Editor of Wedding Magazine, Ciara | 2. Me with Ciara and Julia Holberry, from sponsor Hotel Imperiale Taormina


{Photo Credits} 1. Mark Francis from Made in Chelsea, who hosted the awards | 2. Me with Mark Francis & Before the Big Day's Beauty Editor, Julia Bowden {who also did my amazing hair and make-up on the night}

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Saturday 19 October 2013

A Balinese London Wedding with Hot Pink & Lush Green Details

It's super-rare for me to see anything truly original in the wedding world - I spend too much time scanning wedding photographers websites and Pinterest. But this fabulous wedding rocked my world. Fleur and Will chose a Balinese wedding theme, and added tonnes of brilliant wedding details. The food was Pan-Asian, the cocktails a signature drink called Pantai Punch {Pantai is Indonesian for Beach, the couple's surname}, and the decorations bought in from Bali. Even the waiters wore traditional batik sarongs bought by the bride's father in a market in Bali. Everything was so carefully thought out, and creative - to brilliant effect! There's so many stealworthy ideas, but here are a few of my favourites - the leaf place names {an easy & effective DIY}, the beautiful orchid table flowers {which could also work as favours}, and Fleur's amazing colour palette of hot-pink and lush green. Special mention must go to wedding planners Palette Events, who Fleur recommends wholeheartedly, along with Simon from To Have & To Hold Photography who took these amazing wedding pictures! Have a good read of Fleur's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire - there's tonnes of great vendors to check out!


We married in London in August 2013. The service was held at St Mary The Boltons, and the reception at the Westminster Boating BaseWe had attended a wedding at the Westminster Boating Base not long before, and after some searching decided it had the best of everything. It's hard to find a London venue that allows for some outdoor space, some views and more-or-less a blank canvas. Our wedding photographer was Simon at To Have & To Hold Photography


We organised our wedding from Dubai where we now live which threw up many challenges! We knew that we wanted it to be in London - due to the outrageously international nature of our own lives and those of our family and friends, it seemed the most convenient for the greatest number of people! 



Friday 18 October 2013

A Long-Distance Balinese London Wedding with Hot Pink & Lush Green Details

This wedding was always going to be one of my favourites. The lovely Fleur helped me out with Before the Big Day correspondence, before she moved from London to Dubai, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be featuring her wedding to Will. Needless to say, Fleur read Before the Big Day in the run-up to her wedding, but like me, she'd always had secret ideas for her wedding theme. Having grown up in Indonesia, it made perfect sense to draw on the tropical colours and culture of Bali to decorate her wedding day, and the result is amazing and exotic. I love the vibrant colour pop of Fleur's bridesmaids' hot pink and bottle green Dessy gowns, and the extravagance of her massive peony and orchid bouquet. Will looks equally dapper in black tie - a trend I love for sophisticated London weddings. Throw in a pair of amazing gold Freya Rose shoes, a divine Elizabeth Fillmore wedding gown, a Javanese head-dress, and a self-designed gold lace bolero, and I'm in wedding heaven. More fabulous pictures by To Have & To Hold Photography coming soon in Part 2 - The Reception!


We married in London in August 2013. The service was held at St Mary The Boltons, and the reception at the Westminster Boating Base


For a long time I knew I wanted the theme of my wedding to be Balinese. I grew up in Indonesia and my parents still live there. I've always considered it a beautiful and very special place, ever since I was a child. We used predominantly greens {because of the tropical lush greens of Bali, and because it's my favourite colour} and bright pink for a vibrant contrast.





Thursday 17 October 2013

Wedding Trends for 2014 - Watercolour Wedding Theme

Ombre weddings have been massively fashionable this year. I'm a huge fan of swathes of colour, and the shading effect is simple stunning, particularly as a contrast against the lovely white background of a wedding marquee or wedding dress. For 2014, the trend has developed into a more subtle effect, where the colours gently blend into each other, just like a watercolour painting. As you can imagine, this style works best on wedding stationery, but it can also look fabulous on your wedding cake, or your bridesmaids' dresses. And it's surprisingly easy to DIY, with tonnes of bloggers posting tutorials {see the links below}. Take a look at these gorgeous ideas - many more on my Watercolour Wedding Theme Pinterest board.


{Photo Credit} 1. Watercolour Wedding Cake, picture by Onelove Photography 2. DIY Watercolour Escort Cards, by Once Wed wedding blog


{Photo Credit} 1. Julia Mikos | 2. Watercolour Wedding Cake, picture by Harwell Photography


{Photo Credit} 1. DIY watercolour marshmallows by Idlewife blog | 2. Unknown



{Photo Credit} Dip-dye watercolour chandelier, pictured by Dallas Curow, more from this shoot


{Photo Credit} DIY Watercolour Lavender bags by 100 Layer Cake wedding blog


{Photo Credit} Unknown

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Wednesday 16 October 2013

Cupid's Bow Wedding Cake Topper

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that one of my biggest regrets from my wedding, was not buying a cake topper! You'd think as a wedding blogger, that such an obvious wedding detail would have been on my To Do List, but it escaped my eagle eye. The consequence is that I'm obsessed with looking out for the wedding cake topper that could have been. This morning I spotted this fabulous contender by Icing 101 - isn't it fab!! P.S. This arrow is only £20, but if you're DIY-minded and want to make your own - check out this tutorial from the nesting blog Somewhere Splendid.



{Credits} Picture by NIKKI N Photography, Cake by Bakery On State

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Tuesday 15 October 2013

A Pretty-as-a-Picture, Pastel-Themed, Vintage Wedding

As promised, it's time for the reception details from the heavenly summer wedding. With delicious vintage props and stunning DIY burlap details, it's a wedding blogger's delight! Kelly and Ren organised their own big day, and decided to rip up tradition, by opting out of having ushers and bridesmaids or speeches and cake, and instead chose to have a drinks and canapé reception before the ceremony, lawn games afterwards, and a cheese board selection in the evening. They even walked down the aisle together, along with their daughter, as a wonderful statement of family. Fabulous inspiration for any bride wanting a non-conventional wedding. More wedding ideas to snaffle include the lovely fingerprint guest book and Kelly's handmade burlap jamjar glasses with pretty pastel straws {LOVE striped straws}. Huge thanks to The Cole Portfolio for their fantastic photographs of the day - and enjoy Kelly's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire!

We got married at the beautiful Hill Place in Swanmore, Hampshire. I helped style a photo shoot at Hill Place in 2010, and fell in love with the homeliness and character of the elegant Georgian house, as well as the beautiful grounds. 


Hill Place has its own unique style, and we knew that it would fit perfectly with our vision of our day. To compliment the property, we opted for pastel tones and vintage props.



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