A Relaxed Boho Country Wedding Inspired by a Painting - The Reception

With a brilliant boho teepee reception venue, an incredible lake-side location, and even a bell-tent village for guests wanting to camp overnight, this stunning big day ticks all my boxes. Lisa and Marcus decided on a relaxed, country wedding, and discovered the amazing Lyndon Top campsite as a wedding venue. Theirs was the first wedding ever held there, and it made for some challenging logistics. Everything, including electricity, had to be brought in - but didn't it make for an incredible wedding? I love all Lisa's wedding details, from the DIY'd reception flowers {including cornflowers - my favourite!}, the boho but elegant teepees, and the Lisa and Marcus' decision to forego cake and favours, and choose cheese instead! Nowadays it's all about having your wedding your way, and picking and choosing from the standard traditions. Enjoy Lisa's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, and feast your eyes on Victoria Phipps Photography's amazing work!

We celebrated our wedding on 6th July 2013 at St Mary's Church in Ashwell. We hosted our wedding reception in a teepee at Lyndon Top, overlooking Rutland Water. Our teepees were from Papakata, who I would highly recommend. Their teepees look fantastic and their attention to detail is excellent.

We were hoping to create a relaxed, country wedding, with a hint of boho, and were delighted to find a field overlooking Rutland Water, so we had a fantastic view of the lake as well.

A Relaxed Boho Country Wedding Inspired by a Painting

This beautiful boho wedding has me wanting to recreate my own wedding all over again! Lovely bride Lisa, was inspired by a the painting, 'Midsummer Eve' by Edward Robert Hughes, and painted her own design for her wedding invitations, Save the Dates, and table stationery. I've fallen in love with the relaxed country feel, the dreamy lakeside teepee wedding reception, and Lisa's divine messy bouquet, made up of spray roses, sweet-smelling honeysuckle, and mint. Every wedding detail fits perfectly, from Lisa's bespoke head-dress, her sweet page boys' and flower girls' outfits, and her divine David Fielden dress - which was actually the top and bottom of two dresses put together. Enjoy these wonderful pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography, and stay tuned for the amazing reception photographs. You wait till you see the Lyndon Top lakeside reception venue!

We celebrated our wedding on 6th July 2013 at St Mary's Church in Ashwell. We hosted our wedding reception in a tipi at Lyndon Top, overlooking Rutland Water.

We were hoping to create a relaxed, country wedding and were delighted to find a field overlooking Rutland Water, so we had a fantastic view of the lake as well.

Wedding Trends of 2014 - Sequins

Spotted on the 2014 Spring/Summer catwalks, sequins were everywhere, and they'll be a massive trend for 2014 weddings. But these weren't the pink sequins of a six-year old wanna-be-Princess, they were elegant, modern and striking. Marc Jacobs chose striking petrol blues, Givenchy vertical black stripes, and Tom Ford, a square snake-skin effect. To translate this into the wedding world, planners are picking individual details and giving them a subtle shimmer. You don't want your whole wedding themed around sequins, just a few special accents. Whether it's your dress, the table cloths, or just your confetti, stick to golds, blues and even dark greens. I love these ides below, but take a look at my Pinterest board for more ideas.

{Photo Credit} 1. The Cake That Ate Paris | 2. Sequin Love Sign, £250 by Pocket Full of Dreams UK

Wedding Details - The Best-Dressed Cutlery / Flatwear

I'm ready to admit that I'm getting pretty niche with this wedding detail, but if you can obsess with the nitty-gritty on a wedding blog, then where else?! So let's talk cutlery wrapping. Yes I know the norm is to put the knife and fork on either side of the plate, but why do what's normal when you can be original and creative? Cutlery wrapping is a great way to add pizzazz and colour to your wedding reception tables, particularly if you can't afford to splash out on tonnes of flowers. Wraps are super-easy to DIY, whether you're going for a rustic theme, {use hessian like our real bride did her}, light-hearted {love the chevron pattern}, or pretty. Here are a few of my favourites, check out my Pinterest board for more!

{Photo Credit} Picture by Katrina Louise, see the rest of this wedding on The Wedding Chicks

The French Wedding Show

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to partner up with The French Wedding Show. Organised by the lovely Anne-Laure from Et Voila Weddings, the show is designed to help couples planning their wedding in France, to meet fantastic French suppliers who speak English. Add in a heady dollop of wedding inspiration, lots of delicious cake, lovely people and buckets of French wedding venue ideas, and you've got The French Wedding Show in a nutshell. As I got married in Provence, I have real life experience of what it's like to plan a wedding in France, so Virginie invited to me along to offer advice and ideas. I had the MOST fantastic day, meeting tonnes of excited brides and grooms, and sharing my enthusiasm for destination weddings. One couple are even getting married in the same venue as me!! All the vendors were hand-picked, and top quality, and lovely people to boot. I can't wait till next year's show, but in the meantime, enjoy these stunning pictures of the day by Chloé from Caught the Light, who just happens to have been my wonderful wedding photographer! Click for more details of wedding fairs.

Brides who booked early received a very exciting goodie bag!

The French Wedding Magazine! Read your copy online here - it includes an article on How to Theme Your Wedding by me!

The stunning 20th Century Theatre venue in Notting Hill....which would also make a brilliant wedding venue.

Stunning dresses by The Mews, who stock a dreamy range of French designers, including my favourite, Delphine Manivet.

I love the vintage crate filled with baby's breath!

Beautiful wedding flowers by Jenny Moss, an English florist who lives in France (Tel: 0556 618 202)

Wedding stationery by Gemma Milly

Me & my fish-bowl of Haribo Heart Throbs wedding favours, DIY'd out of glassine bags bought from eBay.

I DIY'd the giant purple balloon decorations, using a lot of helium, and silver streamers, all bought from eBay. The hardest bit was tying the knot in the balloons!

Talking to brides and grooms!

Anne-Laure from Et Voila Weddings offering advice to brides and grooms.

Just a few of the fabulous vendors.....
♥ Jenny Moss - Stunning English wedding florist who lives in France (Tel: 0556 618 202)
♥ Gemma Milly - Beautiful wedding stationery
♥ The Mews - English stockist of French designer wedding dresses
♥ The Cake - Stunning wedding cakes in the South West of France
♥ Toni Lazzaro -A brilliant make up artist in Paris
♥ Ariane Douguet -A fantastic soprano singer
♥ Discotecnik - DJ, DJ live and bands in the South East
♥ Jazz Around Midnight - Jazz band in Paris and all over France
♥ Studio 80 - Videographers in Paris and all over France
♥ Virginie'e - A fantastic make up artist in the South West of France
♥ Carre Vert - French wedding florist

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Spring 2014 Wedding Fairs

Spring is wedding fair season! All the best wedding suppliers are getting booked up for 2014's summer weddings, and newly-engaged brides are hunting far and wide for wedding inspiration. Listed below are the details of the big events, although there will be local fairs unique to your area - just search online. Plus it's always worth trying the Brides Event Diary.

♥ First up is the Chosen Boutique Wedding Fair. We've got one taking place at The Paintworks Event Space in Bristol, on Sunday 26th January, and another in London at the Islington Assembly Hall on Sunday 27th April. Chosen showcases unique, bespoke and vintage British Heritage design for your big day. Exhibitors range from individual hand-makers to bespoke design houses, so you can be sure to find something original to add to your big day.

♥  The National Wedding Show is one of the largest fairs of all. Taking place from 21st-23rd February in London, and 28th Feb-2nd March in Birmingham, it's HUGE! With more than 250 exhibitors of exquisite wedding gowns and accessories, stunning cakes, bespoke stationery, and fabulous wedding photographers, it's a veritable treasure trove of wedding ideas. Click here to buy tickets.



♥ Brides living in London are in luck! A Most Curious Wedding Fair is on their doorstep. Brides looking for innovative and quirky ideas should note the 4th-5th April in their diary, and head down to trendy Hackney Downs Studio. A Most Curious has taken a solemn vow to bring brides and grooms the very latest fashions, with the foresight to be changeable, en vogue and never tired or standing still. If it's beautiful, fresh, fun and cool or just about to be cool, we will incorporate it into our wedding fair so it can, in turn, can be incorporated into your big day. Tickets are £5 for the 5th, and £10 for the glamorous press night!.

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A Garden Wedding with a Bird Theme & Jenny Packham Dress - The Reception

It's time for the reception pictures from this gorgeous Midsummer's Eve wedding. Sonya and Terry chose 20th June for their big day, and basked in stunning sunshine - lucky things! With a romantic garden theme and a vintage bird motif, there's plenty of stealworthy ideas for you to enjoy. Sonya DIY'd many of her wedding details, including the bird-stamped luggage tags for her wedding wish tree and the rustic hessian napkin wraps {very effective!}. My favourite spots include the bird-named reception tables, birdcage centre pieces, pink striped balloons, rustic pastel iced cakes, and the fabulous giant pink and peach balloons. Huge thanks to Tanya from Eden Photography for capturing every detail!

We celebrated our wedding at Kilternan Church of Ireland in Co. Dublin, and afterwards with a reception in The Village at Lyons in Celbridge, on 20th June 2013. 

We always wanted to have an intimate wedding for family and friends to share with us. We knew that as our wedding day was on Midsummer's Eve, that we wanted a summer garden, romantic theme, and the venue suited this perfectly.

Summer Garden Wedding with a Bird Theme & Jenny Packham Dress

1. A Jenny Packham wedding dress. 2. A romantic garden wedding theme. 3. A bird motif. Three of my favourite things, all featured in one gorgeous wedding! Sonya and Terry celebrated their wedding in Ireland on a beautiful summer's day, at a stunning venue called The Village at Lyons. Sonya really wanted a garden wedding, and drew inspiration from the romantic grounds of The Village at Lyons, including its cascading stream, delicate bridge, and secret stone doorways. Her wedding stationery, decorations and just-picked flower arrangements all mirrored the feel of her wedding venue, with pastel colours of pinks and peach as a palette. There's plenty more details in the reception pictures, coming later this afternoon, but first, drink in Sonya's elegant Jenny Packham wedding gown, and her bargainous eBay wedding shoes, that luckily turned out to exactly match the beading on her dress. Even Sonya's hair-style reflected her romantic wedding theme, with her headpiece specially designed to look ethereal and Elvish, like in Lord of the Rings. Huge thanks to Tanya from Eden Photography for permission to publish Sonya and Terry's fab wedding pictures!