Introducing Guide To Be - A Brand New Wedding Review Site

Regular readers will know I'm always going on about the importance of personally recommended wedding suppliers, but what if none of your friends have got married yet? Or if you're getting married in a different part of the country? How can you find out whether all those local vendors are really as good as they say they are? Well that's exactly the situation Eve faced when she was living in Sydney, but planning her wedding in Glasgow. It was nearly impossible for her to visit lots of venues, attend caterer tastings and arrange florist consultations, and she really needed the inside scoop on suppliers. Eve was astonished there were no independent sources or dedicated wedding review sites {like Trip Advisor for weddings}, and so after her big day, she teamed up with her sister and launched Guide To Be.

This brilliant BRAND NEW site is all about connecting brides with truly excellent wedding suppliers, and I'm delighted to be part of the very exciting launch! The idea is that newlyweds write reviews of all the suppliers who helped out at their wedding, and then other brides-to-be can make an informed choice. I've already written several of my own reviews, so if you know of excellent wedding photographers, videographers, caterers, florists, dressmakers, etc, etc, head straight over to Guide To Be and get your review up now! Just imagine - your own experience could help that desperate bride struggling to find the perfect wedding band!

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A Fun Rustic Wedding with a Divine Claire Pettibone Dress

There's nothing I like more than a backyard marquee wedding, with a relaxed happy bride {in Converse!}, and an OMG Claire Pettibone wedding gown. Add in pretty handmade, shabby-chic details, sage green Dessy bridesmaids dresses, and a traditional ice-cream bicycle seller, and you've got a quintessentially English wedding. All that was missing was the rain! I love Katy's DIY'd wildflower favours, her pretty baby's breath bouquet, and all the hand-decorated jam-jar wedding details. Huge thanks to Hannah from Written With Light Photography for sending over all the pictures - enjoy!

We got married on 21st September 2013 in St Michael's Church, in West Hill in Devon, followed by our wedding reception in Tom's parent's gorgeous garden. I always knew a rural view and beautiful outdoor location was going to be a non-negotiable part of our wedding day, and as we are fortunate enough to have this on Tom's parent's doorstep, hosting our reception in their garden was a bit of a no brainer! 

We couldn't risk it for a biscuit weather-wise, so we hired a traditional canvas marquee. As far as decorations go I wanted to keep things as natural as possible we had a stunning location and didn't plan on distracting from that.

Real Pretty Pastel Wedding with a Lovely Lace & Peony Theme

This dreamy pastel-themed wedding will leave you longing for lazy summer days. It's an exquisite combination of pink, peonies and mercury glass vintage vases, and I love it! With a wedding dress by Marisa Bridals, bridesmaids' dresses by Priscilla of Boston and a gorgeous vineyard venue, you'll want to copy every wedding detail. Don't miss the brocaded wedding invitations and the beaded plates - every area of this wedding was perfectly planned by Yong Suk Willendrup, and pictured by Jen Huang Photography.

Unique Embroidered Wedding Dress

This embroidered wedding dress has 2014 boho wedding trend written all over it! There's something deliciously fun and folky about it, and the fact it's handmade in Slovenia, by boutique designer Jarka of Atelier De Couture JK, makes it all the more unique and delicious. Jarka makes several I-want-this wedding gowns, not least this gorgeous slinky sparkling number, so be sure to take a look at her Etsy shop. L-O-V-E.

{I want this!} Embroidered Wedding Dress, £584 by Atelier De Couture JK

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Fun Embroidered Flag Wedding Cake Topper

Sometimes I spot things on Etsy that make me happy, and I can't wait to share them with you! These cute flag wedding cake toppers were yesterday's discovery, and it took extraordinary willpower for me to save this feature for today! Aren't they just the best? Picking up on the make-do-and-mend trend that's huge for 2014, and the ombre trend that's still taking the wedding world by storm, they're not just cake toppers, they're cutting-edge wedding style! Created by Betawife in Texas, you can personalise them with whatever slogan or names that you wish. L-O-V-E!

{I want this} Flag wedding cake toppers by Betawife - £27.63

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An Elegant Wedding with Giant Pink Balloons & Jimmy Choos - The Reception

It's pom pom time! Regular readers will know I've been a fan of DIY tissue pom poms ever since I made them for my own wedding. They were such a success, and so easy to make, that I've been recommending them as the cheap and chic wedding decoration. Fab couple Joe and Mimi chose pastels as their wedding colour palette, and I love their cheerful peach, pink and cerise poms. Throw in a Kate Moss-inspired wedding cake, a brilliant photo booth and hundreds of vases of avalanche roses, and I'm a very happy wedding blogger indeed. Enjoy Chris Giles Photography's brilliant wedding pictures, and Mimi's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire. There's tonnes of great tips and vendors there for you to steal!

Joe and I got married on July 27th 2013. The service was held at St. Margaret's Church, Fernhurst in West Sussex, and then the reception was at The Duke Of Cumberland Arms, a beautiful 15th Century pub. 

I didn't have any bridesmaids - instead my daughter Evie and my niece, Holly were my flower girls. They wore beautiful silk chiffon dresses from I Love Gorgeous, which had a dusky pink satin ribbon tie and hand embroidered roses. 

An Elegant Wedding with Giant Pink Balloons & Jimmy Choos

It's rare for a wedding to include three of my favourite decorations in the world - giant fluffy pompoms, a carnival-style sign, and enormous round balloons! But Joe and Mimi have managed to tick all my wedding boxes, with their beautifully styled, quintessentially English big day. Like all sensible couples, Joe and Mimi drew on the talents of many of their friends and family to save their pennies and create a truly personal wedding. Mimi's mother made her wedding dress, drawing inspiration from Phillippa Lepley's designs, Joe's good friend hosted their wedding at his pub, The Duke Of Cumberland Arms, and Joe {yes THE GROOM} made the wedding cake! He is a professional chef, who specialises in cakes and cake decorating, but still - that's some pretty impressive skills. I've fallen for Mimi's pretty 'just-picked' bouquet, her apricot and pastel pink colour scheme, and her beautifully dressed flower girls and page boys. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Chris Giles Photography.

Joe and I got married on July 27th 2013. The service was held at St. Margaret's Church, Fernhurst in West Sussex, and then the reception was at The Duke Of Cumberland Arms, a beautiful 15th Century pub.

I am extremely lucky to have a mummy who was once a professional seamstress - she had made my two other sisters wedding dresses, and so I challenged her to do mine - a combination of a few Phillippa Lepley designs. 

Introducing Brillpix Photography for Your Wedding

Brides often email me asking for advice on how best to spend their wedding budget, and in my view, your two top spends need to be 1. Your Wedding Venue, 2. Your Wedding Photographer. You want a venue that speaks for itself - somewhere beautiful, that doesn't need many decorations and details. That way, anything you add will be the fun cherry on top, rather than a necessity. A great venue will save you money - scrimping is a bad idea. The same principle applies to your wedding photographer. You need to allocate a decent chunk of your wedding budget to make sure you find someone fabulous. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it's difficult to emphasise how important your wedding photographs will be to you after your big day! They will be EV-ERY-THING! And that's why I'm delighted to introduce Brillpix Photography. Steve Brill understands weddings, and he understands what brides and grooms want from their wedding photographer. As well as being brilliant {sorry, obvious pun!}, he's experienced, friendly, professional, and ridiculously passionate about his job. He really cares about his couples, and on your day, he'll be there when you need him, and quietly snapping fabulous shots when you don't! Brillpix Photography prices start at a very reason £995 for all day coverage, including a free engagement shoot {essential in my view!}, and all your edited photographs on a disc to print as you wish. Steve's based in Northamptonshire, but happy to travel across the UK, so snap him up fast!

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