An Elegant London Wedding with Sparkly Vintage Details - The Reception

Possibly the hardest job for any wedding photographer is to get the perfect portrait shots of the bride and groom. Only a truly talented tog can tread the narrow line between romantic and cutesy, loving and lovey-dovey. These gorgeous shots by Cotton Candy Wedding Photography are a lesson in how to do it well! It helps that the fabulous Lennie and Geraint are comfortable in front of the camera, and clearly super loved up! But aren't they fabulous? I'm also seriously obsessed with Lennie's fantastic wedding reception details. From the hand-painted wedding stationery {by one of her bridesmaids}, to the champagne cork place markers and mercury glass vases, every detail is elegant and perfectly placed. Huge kudos to Lennie for using {handmade!} tumbling white macaroons as decorations for the naked wedding cake - it's the first time I've seen them used as decorations, and it's SO effective. Enjoy the pictures, and don't miss Lennie's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire, including her clever idea for a wedding guest book!

We got married on the 2nd November 2013 in our little church, St Mary Magdalen's in Mortlake, followed by our reception in the wonderful Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park, London.

St Mary Magdalen's was a no-brainer it is a beautiful church in our parish. Also we live locally to Richmond Park, and spend a lot of time either wandering through on a wintery Sunday afternoon, or picnicking in the summer, so Pembroke Lodge was ideal. 

An Elegant London Wedding with Sparkly Vintage Details

I've long been a massive fan of winter weddings. They're a brilliant first step to making your wedding stand out from the crowd - after all most couples chose to celebrate their big day in the summer. With a winter wedding, you're more likely to get your guests to accept {no summer holidays}, and you can have so much fun with cosy wedding details - I'm thinking spiced cider and hot chocolate for your drinks reception, gloves and blankets for wedding favours, and a roaring fire in the middle of your reception venue. Lennie and Geraint chose Fireworks Night for their wedding day, and Pembroke Lodge as an inspired wedding venue. The Lodge looks over the the Thames Valley, so they had an amazing view of all the local firework displays - for free! Lennie and Geraint chose a London and Paris theme for their big day, to reflect the cities where they met, and romanced. They added jewel colours for their palette, including bright purple and teal blue - perfect shades to pop on a dull November day. I love Lennie's dramatic United Nude shoe-boots, her berry-filled bouquet, and snug fur coat - the whole wedding party look so glamorous! More gorgeous wedding details to come in the reception photographs - huge thanks to Gem and Phil from Cotton Candy Wedding Photography for these lovely shots!

We got married on the 2nd November 2013 in our little church, St Mary Magdalen's in Mortlake, followed by our reception in the wonderful Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park, London.

After trying on a lot of dresses in a lot of styles the Marylise Sofia dress felt right. It was understated, and made me feel elegant and beautiful, without any lace or sparkles - which is what I thought I would end up with! It also made a bridesmaid cry and my mum speechless which meant it was the one!

Romantic Fluffy Wedding-Day Petticoats

It only took once glance for me to fall in love with these incredible petticoats from Doris Designs. They're just so pfoofy!! Brides looking for a unique look could add them to their wedding gown, or why not enhance the shape of your bridesmaids' dresses with a bit of bounce? You could choose matching or contrasting colours to suit your wedding theme. Doris designs and sells the petticoats for adults and children, and I've completely fallen for the skirts in toddler sizes. SO cute!

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Fun Wedding Lawn Games

It seems impossible to me that anyone got bored during our wedding reception. It all passed in a flash - we walked out of the chapel into a swirl of confetti, dashed around chatting to as many people as we could, had our portrait pictures taken, and then before I knew it, we were sitting down to dinner. Two hours gone in a matter of minutes! However it's quite possible that time might drag slightly for your guests, particularly if they don't all know each other that well. One way to break the ice, is to provide fun wedding lawn games, and to ask your ushers to get the guests involved. This works particularly well with families, as children of nearly all ages can get involved as well. The lawn games also make fantastic photo-props for your wedding photographs. If, like me, you're not completely comfortable in front of the camera, doing something fun and a little silly will make you relax, and appear more natural in your wedding pictures. Take a look at these fabulous photographs for inspiration. P.S. We bought boules from eBay for our French wedding, and the competition got pretty fierce amongst the ushers!

{Photo Credit} Kristyn Hogan via Elizabeth Anne Designs

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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A Rustic French Wedding with a Flower Market Theme - The Reception

It's been a long wait, but here, at last, are the incroyable pictures from Kerry and Greg's amazing South of France wedding. As I've mentioned before, Kerry runs her own wedding planning company called Lavender & Rose Weddings, so my expectations were running high - but her wedding reception details have completely blown my mind! I love to see a wedding with tonnes and tonnes of flowers, and there's so many arrangements here, it looks like Kerry and her fiance Greg opened a flower shop for the day! Then there's the clever photo booth backdrop, created with real flowers to look like wallpaper, and the stunning ribbon banner decorations, and I've not even got started on the champagne cocktail bar with six different kinds of syrups to flavour the champagne {lavender, poppy, peach, raspberry, blackberry & blackcurrent}, as well as crystallised flower petals {rose, lavender and mimosa} to pop in the glasses. Every single wedding detail is intrinsically perfect, and brilliantly orchestrated, and yet the day itself was casual, fun and light-hearted - exactly what you want from a perfectly-planned wedding. Have a good read of Kerry's answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire - particularly if you're planning a wedding in the South of France, and Alban Pichon's beautiful wedding pictures. Don't miss Part 1 and Part 2 of this gorgeous wedding.

We celebrated our wedding on 13 September 2012, with two ceremonies - a civil ceremony in the town hall {the only legally recognised type of ceremony in France}, followed by a symbolic outdoor ceremony at the a Provencal villa called Bastide St Mathieu, in Grasse.

I wanted an outdoor celebration mixing French {Gregory is French} and British traditions. I really wanted our guests to feel relaxed and comfortable, so made sure not to include anything formal or formulaic. Theme-wise I wanted it to be a beautiful explosion of colour, life and flowers - a real feast for the eyes. Grasse is famous for being the perfume capital of the world, and I was keen to reflect that in our wedding details.

A Rustic French Wedding with a Flower Market Theme - The Second Ceremony

I can't tell you how excited I am to bring you the second part of this incredible wedding. The lovely Kerry Bracken runs her own wedding planning company called Lavender & Rose Weddings in the South of France, so her big day was always going to be pretty special, but in truth, it's slightly blown my mind! Kerry hosted her wedding in Grasse, famous for its history of making perfumes, so she chose a French flower market theme, featuring tonnes {and tonnes} of flowers, plus plenty of vintage perfume bottles. You wait till you see the abundance of flowers and vegetables, and the incredible ceremony venue - set in a French olive grove - it's amazing! I love so many of Kerry's wedding details, it's hard to pick, but I'd start with her pretty flower-accessorised up-do, her Dad's cool floral shirt, her bridesmaids' flower crowns, and the lovely vintage bench that Kerry and her groom, Gregory, sat on during their ceremony. Enjoy these stunning photographs by Alban Pichon, and be sure to click back later today for the fabulous reception details. Don't miss Part 1 and Part 3 of this gorgeous wedding.

We celebrated our wedding on 13 September 2012, with two ceremonies - a civil ceremony in the town hall {the only legally recognised type of ceremony in France}, followed by a symbolic outdoor ceremony at the a Provencal villa called Bastide St Mathieu, in Grasse.

I live in Cannes in the South of France and most of my husband’s family do as well. My English and Irish family love the South of France and I knew they would jump at the chance of coming to a wedding in France. The South of France is just the most perfect location for a wedding with fantastic food, stunning scenery and beautiful weather. The French Riviera being THE place for parties and luxury entertaining has some of the finest wedding vendors in France.

A Rustic French Wedding with a Flower Market Theme & Three Wedding Dresses

I've been waiting and wanting to publish this incredible wedding for MONTHS!! I know when a wedding planner gets married, that it's going to be a pretty special affair - but when that wedding planner happens to have been MY wedding planner, my excitement level goes through the roof! Kerry Bracken started her fabulous business, Lavender & Rose Weddings in the South of France, just before I got married. I was one of her first clients, and it was clear from the start that she was going to be hugely successful. Creative and efficient, Kerry is the best in the industry, and I can't recommend her enough. As soon as I heard she'd got engaged, I shot over an email asking to feature her wedding on Before the Big Day, because I knew it would be incredible. In fact, it's so good, that I've had to divide it into not two, but three separate features - not least because Kerry wore three different wedding gowns. I'll let Kerry's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire speak for themselves, but suffice to say, my favourite details are Kerry's stylish birdcage veil, her brilliant coral nails {every detail matters!}, the cute 2CV wedding transport {so French, so vintage, so perfect!}, and Greg's super-smart outfit from The Kooples. Big love also to Alban Pichon for his AH-mazing wedding photographs. Don't miss Part 2 and Part 3 of this amazing wedding.

We celebrated our wedding on 13 September 2012, with two ceremonies - a civil ceremony in the town hall {the only legally recognised type of ceremony in France}, followed by a symbolic outdoor ceremony at the a Provencal villa called Bastide St Mathieu, in Grasse.

I had three wedding dresses - all from Minna. My first gown is called Nadine, and it's a cream, vintage-inspired, short lace dress with pink floral belt detail, short sleeved cream vintage inspired fitted lace dress with pink floral belt detail. I wanted a short dress to contrast with my official wedding dress, and also something I might wear again.

Introducing Get Your Bride Body for Your Wedding Look

Nearly every bride I know has wanted to tone up in time for her wedding day, and I was no different. Thanks to a few changes to my diet, and a couple of exercise classes a week, I dropped a dress size, and toned up my arms, bottom and thighs. When it came to my wedding day, I was so glad I made the effort. I felt fabulous in my wedding dress, and super-confident as I walked up the aisle. I can imagine there's nothing worse than standing at the altar, and having the 'does my bum look big in this' thought pass through your mind. That's why I'm thrilled to introduce Get Your Bride Body. This fantastic programme invites to you take a 100 Day Challenge to get you looking your best for your wedding, by guiding you through a comprehensive weight loss and fitness programme.

With weekly meal plans {including shopping lists}, an exercise programme tailored to your fitness level, motivational videos and exercise demonstration videos, Get Your Bride Body have taken care of everything. And should your willpower start to slip, you can rely on Bride Body's team of Experts, and their Little Black Book of Weight Loss Secrets, to get you back on track. Just take a look at their real life success stories for inspiration, and read the Get Your Bride Body blog for extra tips. Now all you need is new kit! P.S. Your future husband will love it too!

{Photo Credit} Trembley Photography, more from this wedding on Rustic Wedding Chic

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My Top 4 Valentine's Day Beauty Buys

{Posting by Julia Bowden, Before the Big Day's Hair & Make-up Expert} You've made it through January detox, given up booze, done the 5:2 diet, and now it's time to eat chocolate, drink red, get romantic and treat yourself! Maybe he'll pop the question tonight - you never know!? So what better time to pull out all the stops and slap on some bright show stopping lip colour. All the catwalk trends for 2014 are swaying towards kaleidoscopic bright lips - a great look for a vintage-style wedding. My advice? Go easy on the eyes when wearing bright lips, and complete your look with a swish of black liquid liner and mascara at the most. Check out my fab 4 faves...

{I want this} Clockwise from Top Left

1. Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square, £17.50

2. Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Riviera, £23

3.  MAC in Russian Red, £15

4. By Poppy Lipstick in Hot Rose, £20

Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day! xJB

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Non-Traditional Engagement Rings

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, jewellers across the land are preparing for an influx of nervous grooms, looking to choose the perfect ring for a very successful engagement proposal. My husband stuck to tradition, and chose me a stunning solitaire diamond, representing strength and everlasting love. But what if you want something a little different, a little bit quirky? Rubies work well for a Valentine's Day proposal - with their rich red colour, they represent desire and devotion. Sapphires are just as expensive as diamonds, and I love the deep blue stone in Kate Middleton's engagement ring. Plus, the stones represent reliability and steadfastness, two attributes you'd definitely want in a husband! Meanwhile, if you've been with your future husband for a long while, or you've met later in life, an emerald engagement ring would be perfect, as the stones symbolise a mature and constant love. The other option is to ignore the symbolism completely, and just choose the colour you like the most!! Which gemstone would you choose?

{Photo Credit} Awake Photography - see more of this amazing window-themed engagement shoot

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