Wedding Blog UK ~ Wedding Ideas ~ Before The Big Day

Friday 8 November 2013

A Enchanted Forest Wedding Themed Around Music & Love

I couldn't be more excited about sharing this wedding with you! It's an incredible enchanted forest wedding, and it's like something from a fairytale. Gorgeous bride, Nuria got in touch to submit the photographs from her big day, and as soon as I saw them, I jumped at the chance. Nuria and Jordi run their own stunning boutique hotel, called La Garriga de Castelladral so it made perfect sense to host their big day at home. La Garriga is the most amazing wedding venue - and Nuria and Jordi used every space, from the luxurious bedrooms, to the large stone terrace, bright banqueting room, and of course, the incredible forest for their wedding ceremony. I've fallen for Nuria's relaxed luxe wedding style - her elegant Manuel Mota gown, cloak-style veil {such an original way to wear a veil}, and family heirloom jewellery. Other stealworthy ideas include their pretty ribbon and rosemary ring pillow, the indoor-rugs-used-outside, and the simple vintage furniture. Plus the wild horses.....every wedding should have wild horses! For more information on weddings at La Garriga, take a look at Nuria's blog.

We got married on the 7th of July 2012 at La Garriga de Castelladr, a magical boutique hotel in the middle of nature, one hour from Barcelona in Spain.

Thursday 7 November 2013

DIY Rustic Barn Wedding with Bright & White Details - The Reception

There's nothing I like more than seeing the results of a wedding planned with the help of Before the Big Day. So it gives me great pleasure to feature Kate and Graham's stunning wedding pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography. Kate found Victoria thanks to a blog post on Before the Big Day - and I'm tickled pink that it all worked out so well. Kate and Graham celebrated their wedding at Cogges Manor Farm, with a bright and white theme in two separate barns. The whole affair was a massive DIY project from start to finish. Cogges is a dry venue - which means you only get the building, and have to add all your own decorations {including tables, lighting & heating!} and choose your own suppliers. We had exactly the same thing for our wedding, and although it means lots of work, you really do get your wedding your way. You'll love the ribbon decorations in the bright 'party barn' - the swags from the rafters are such an effective way of adding colour to a room, and the theme is also reflected in the DIY table plan and table cloth details. Have a good read of Kate's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire for more ideas, and if you love her Stella York wedding dress as much as I do, you'll be interested to know it's for sale on Preloved for only £560!

We celebrated our wedding in June 2013 at Cogges Manor Farm, Whitney, Oxfordshire. Our main requirements for our wedding venue were to find a truly rustic barn, and somewhere we'd have the freedom to choose our own suppliers and decorate ourselves.

Our whole wedding was a massive DIY project! We decorated both barns ourselves, organised everything, right down to designing our own wedding stationery, cooking home-made piccalilli to serve with the hog roast, creating the ribbon table plan, and I made my own hairpiece!

DIY Rustic Barn Wedding with Bright & White Details

When it comes to your wedding planning, your venue is key. It'll set the mood for your big day, and many of your other details and theming will emerge from its location and style. Kate and Graham found Cogges Manor Farm on a cold November day, and despite the weather, they fell in love. They wanted a truly rustic barn, that they could decorate themselves, and Cogges was perfect. They even took a gamble that the Farm might not have received their wedding licence in time, but luckily everything worked out perfectly. I think Cogges might be one of my favourite venues ever! The colour of the stone, and the combination of rustic and luxe, is just gorgeous! As Kate and Graham were using two of the barns, they were able to have two separate themes - white for the ceremony barn, and brights for the celebratory reception barn. There are so many wedding details, it's hard to choose my favourites, but the rustic signpost, pretty self-designed wedding stationery and goat {!!!} come high on my list! Enjoy these gorgeous pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography - Kate found her thanks to Before the Big Day! P.S. Kate is selling her Stella York wedding dress on Preloved for only £560.

We visited several of barns but few that were really rustic, and very few that didn't already have preferred suppliers. We visited on a cold November day but our visit confirmed that Cogges was perfect for us . It was beautiful and you hired the barns, but then were free to organise everything yourself {everything, down to tables and chairs, cutlery!}.

Wednesday 6 November 2013

A Fantastic Wedding Favour Idea

In my view, wedding favours and wedding insurance are two of the best things we inherited from the USA. I know that traditionally, British couples didn't offer wedding favours, but they're such an easy way to make your wedding stand out from the crowd, that I always encourage my engaged friends to come up with something clever. Get creative, and your wedding will stay in your guests' memories, while others will fade into the background. We gave pashminas to all the girls who attended our wedding, and as we were eating outside, they were very welcome, and people still remember the gesture. I love the idea of filling these favour bags from Clementine Weddings. Add a couple of Paracetamol, a plaster or two, some mints, and a Berocca, and you guests will thank you the morning after the big day. Clementine Weddings has an amazing selection of muslin favour bags, so do take a look at their Etsy shop for more wedding inspiration.

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Monday 4 November 2013

Atmospheric Scottish Tea Party Wedding - The Reception

A wedding is all about family, so I love it when I read a bride's answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire, and hear how wedding DIY bought everyone together. Danielle and Allan involved both their mothers and sisters, and even a dad in Project Wedding, and created everything from their wedding stationery, to flowers and favours, and even those delicate-looking cupcakes. Danielle's a strong believer in spotting what you like and making it yourself for less - great advice! I love Danielle's tea-cup table flowers, and the little jam-jar favours filled with jelly-beans - such a pretty detail that wouldn't get left on the table {everyone loves jelly-beans!}. Feast your eyes on these fab pics by Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography - I'm so impressed by her use of fun props like the postbox!

We got married on 21st March, which was a Thursday, in The Popinjay Hotel in the stunning Clyde Valley, between Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. We wanted somewhere small and intimate, with a kinda old worldy feel. We wanted a small wedding, but also wanted all our loved ones to be part of our day, so we had fifty-five people at our wedding on Thursday, and then had a big ceilghd on the Saturday in Sloans Bar & Restaurant which is a magnificent old building.

Our wedding photographer was Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography. We met her at our first Wedding Fayre. We felt really strongly about picking the right photographer for us - so many of our friends had said their wedding day had went by in a blur, and we wanted someone to catch those magical moments for life. Chantal has a keen eye for capturing emotion, laughter and beauty. Both her and Scott are a great team. We wanted relaxed photographs that didn't look too staged and the pictures are amazing

Atmospheric Scottish Tea Party Wedding with DIY Details

This gorgeous wedding looks like something out of a painting! I've fallen for the stunning portraits of the bridal party - taken by the very talented Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography, and the atmospheric old worldy feel to The Popinjay Hotel wedding venue. Add in the kilts and thistles, and you've got a truly Scottish big day. Danielle drew on the talents of the women in her, and Allan's families to create plenty of DIY details. Everything from the flowers to the wedding cake was homemade, plus the children's activity boxes {such a good idea}, and the jelly-bean jam-jar favours. It must be difficult to match bridesmaids dresses to the bold tartan of kilts, but Danielle managed a potential colour clash with skill, by choosing a lovely warm neutral colour for her girls. Isn't the flower girl's little fur shrug the cutest! Enjoy Danielle's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire - she bought plenty of high-street and internet bargains and then customised them, so they look a million dollars. A great idea for a budget-conscious bride. Check back later for the Reception Pictures from this fab wedding.

We got married on 21st March, which was a Thursday, in The Popinjay Hotel in the stunning Clyde Valley, between Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland.

We wanted somewhere small and intimate, with a kinda old worldy feel. We also wanted to feel like we were out in the country, but close enough for our friends and family to reach. The main room of The Popinjay had a wall of windows onto lovely gardens.

Friday 1 November 2013

Funny Haha Wedding Photo Props

One way to guarantee fantastic photographs of your wedding guests is to hire a really good wedding photographer. The other, is create, or hire a photobooth. Personally I recommend both! Your photographer can do all the day shots, and then, after the cake is cut, and the first dance is done, the photobooth comes into its own. Your slightly drunken guests will be drawn towards it like moths to a flame, and you'll end up with an amazing gallery of hilarious shots. The true photobooth aficionado understands the need for truly excellent props, so you'll be pleased to know I've collected a few of my favourites on my {originally named} Photobooth Prop Ideas Pinterest board. Enjoy!

{I want these!} 20 Plastic Photoprops, £96 by Mister Mustache in Ukraine {tonnes of fab creativity coming from Ukraine at the moment!}

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Introducing St Michael's Hotel & Spa for Your Wedding

One of the best weddings I've ever been to was in Cornwall. It was extraordinary - it almost felt like we were in a different country. The weather was beautiful, we were by the sea, and palm trees were growing everywhere.... plus the cream teas were to die for! That's why I'm delighted to recommend St Michael's Hotel & Spa for your wedding venue. This luxury hotel in Falmouth is right on the coast, with stunning views across the sea, and a sub-tropical garden {yippee - palm trees!}. I've fallen for the airy dining rooms, and the chic nautical decor, not to mention the amazing spa. With St Michael's Hotel you have tonnes of choice - you can either celebrate a civil wedding at the hotel, or have your ceremony at a nearby church, and then follow up with a fantastic reception and dinner at the hotel. All your friends and family can stay {make sure you get the Atlantic Suite for your honeymoon night}, and of course you can have plenty of pre- {and post-} wedding spa treatments! They'll even do your make-up in your room on the morning of your wedding, and you could sneak in a quick St Tropez tanning session the night before. It's the perfect location for a destination wedding without the airfare!

{Photo Credit} Kirstin Prisk Photography, more from this wedding on Kirstin's blog

{Photo Credit} Ross Talling Photography, more from this wedding on Ross' blog

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