Homemade DIY Rustic Wedding Signs

One of my favourite DIY details at my wedding were the homemade wooden wedding signs. I'd spotted tonnes of them on Etsy, but with our tight budget, we were keen to DIY as much of our wedding as possible. Thank goodness for my helpful father- and brother-in-law! Between the two of them, they rustled up some fantastic signs, all made out of old wooden pallets, which cost next to nothing. The day before my wedding my in-laws scattered signs throughout the village, so nobody got lost. They also made for great wedding decorations around our wedding venue. Take a look the pictures from my wedding day {by Chloe at Caught the Light}, plus a few more for inspiration. If you want more ideas on what to write on your signs, check out my Pinterest page or Facebook page.

{Pictures above by Caught the Light}

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Real Fun-filled Farm-style Wedding

Brace yourselves for a wedding inspiration overload from this gorgeous vintage-themed countryside wedding. Fabulous couple, Julia and Mark planned a beautiful rural wedding with wild flowers, tractors, green gingham tablecloths, and a huge cheese cake. They decorated their barn reception with pretty DIY wedding details, including candle holders tied with lace and twine, a wooden place settings board with luggage label tags hanging off different door handles, and lovely bundles of herbs on each plate. Guests had a great time flying kites {such a fun idea, the daylight equivalent of sky lanterns}, dressing up in silly wigs, and later in the evening lighting sparklers. Fabulous pictures by the lovely Artis Studios.

Real Elegant French Chateau Wedding

Totally obsessed with this immensely classy wedding in the Loire Valley in France.The location is just divine, and shows you how hugely atmospheric the right venue can be, and how much it can add to your big day. When the gardens are this exquisite, you'll hardly need to add any flowers, saving your pennies for the honeymoon, or a gorgeous Croque en Bouche profiterole cake like the one picture below. The pictures for this wedding come thanks to Punam Bean, who truly captured the happiness of Cailen and Sean's big day. Just look at the smiles! Sean's dress is pure fairy-tale and I love the little lavender bouquets and boys' buttonholes. As for the last picture, who doesn't want their day to end with sparkle?

A Castle Wedding with a Simple, Elegant Theme

If you want to feel like a princess on your big day, then you're going to need to hire a castle for your wedding venue. Luckily there are plenty of venues in the UK to tick your castle-box - not least the dramatic Hedingham Castle in Essex hired by gorgeous bride and groom, Liz and Mike. Liz wholeheartedly adopted the regal feel for her wedding style, wearing a beautiful, champagne gown from Allure Bridal, teamed with a divine, sparkly tiara by Andrew Prince. Sparkly emerald cut diamond earrings, plus an art deco design wedding ring completed her elegant look. Mike lived up to his bride's style, with a smart grey morning suit and dove-grey waistcoat. The whole ceremony was beautifully pictured by Kristian Leven, enjoy his shots - many more to come later today, including all the detail photographs from the elegant, ivory and platinum themed reception.

We got married on Friday 5 April, 2013 at Hedingham Castle in Essex. We had our ceremony in the castle itself before going over to the Georgian house and marquee for our reception.
 

The first part of my outfit I bought was my tiara. It was made by Andrew Prince in London who I went to see after seeing some of his pieces in a bridal magazine. His shop was being refurbished when we went, but he set me up with a Snow-White style mirror and a cabinet overflowing with tiaras and jewellery. The young girl in me who had dreamed of being a Disney princess was in her element!

I chose a tiara that had emerald cut accents that coordinated with my engagement ring {an emerald cut diamond solitaire}. It was more expensive than I had budgeted for, but I had to have it. It was as close to a real diamond tiara as you could get {Andrew makes the tiaras for Downton Abbey, that’s how good they are!}, and I couldn't get married in anything else. My mum bought it for me as a birthday present on the condition it became a family heirloom, and is now kept in a safe so that I don't wear it out. The moment my tiara went on was the moment I became a Bride and everything fell in to place for me. All the nerves disappeared and I just felt incredible.

Introducing Bob Owen Wedding Photography

Looking back, it's like my wedding passed in a flash. Or perhaps it was more of a blur - particularly after two glasses of champagne at our reception! I remember after our big day, we couldn't wait to see our official wedding pictures. We begged our friends to send their iPhone shots - just to try to piece together the bits of our big day that we missed. You're bound to feel the same way, and that's why I'm thrilled to recommend Bob Owen Photography. His beautiful reportage style captures the fleeting, precious moments of your wedding day, making memories on your behalf. With twenty-five years of experience, you can be sure you're putting yourself in good hands. Bob is wholly professional and easy going - just the type of person you'd want to have around on your wedding day. His packages start at a reasonable £1200, and he offers both the option of an album, or digital copies of your pictures. I've been enjoying looking through his blog - it's full of beautiful shots, and testimonials.

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Wedding Trends of 2014 - Air Plants

Can I let you into a secret? If you want to be ahead of the wedding fashion curve, then take a look at the wedding blogs from across the Atlantic. All the way over in California, they're always one step ahead of the trends, and every year, about three or four of the mega-trends wing their way over to the UK. One of the big ones for this summer and autumn is air plants. These cute, often spidery plants, are a great way to add green to your big day, while being super-eco friendly. They require hardly any water to grow {unlike cut flowers that often need loads}, and air plants will still be alive after your big day, as a growing reminder. But the best thing? They look fantastic! Just take a look at these wreaths by Peacock Taco. Shop owner Robin has lots of favour ideas too - take a look at her shop! P.S. I found lots of air plants for sale on Amazon and eBay.

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A Swedish Boat Club Wedding with a Simple White Theme - The Reception

This simply stunning wedding goes to show that you don't need tonnes of wedding details for the perfect wedding, just lots of love, good cheer, and fantastic friends, Johan and Maria celebrated their big day by the water, in a boat club decorated by their family and friends. I love the elegance of the single green-white carnations, white candles and pastel green table stationery. The views of the water are just spectacular, and it goes to show that you don't need tonnes of decoration if your venue stands out. Lucky Maria went to school with wedding photographer Annevi Petersson, who shot these beautiful wedding pictures. Don't you wish your going away transport was a boat!

We celebrated our wedding on 24 August 2013, in Åhus in Sweden. We got engaged in 2002, but it took another ten years, and two beautiful children later and a lot of encouragement from the bride until Johan proposed a second time!

He chose the very same spot that we got engaged 10 years earlier, in a park by the water. He went down on his knee and popped the question and I cried, because I'd almost given up on my dream wedding. But in fact, Johan had planned for the proposal over the last year.

A Swedish Boat Club Wedding with a Simple White Theme

There's something incredibly romantic about a wedding by the water, and this beautiful wedding is a lesson in simple Swedish style. After ten years together and two beautiful children, Johan and Maria celebrated their big day with a church ceremony, wedding rings designed by the bride, and a fabulous wedding reception in a rustic boat club. I love Maria's stunning tiered wedding dress and her cute birdcage veil, teamed with an elegant pearl necklace. A super-chic look, and I love her carnation bouquet - regular readers will remember I flagged up carnations as a big wedding trend for 2014! Big love to Annevi Petersson of Annevi Weddings for her beautiful pictures - more coming soon in Part 2.

We celebrated our wedding on 24 August 2013, in Åhus in Sweden. We got engaged in 2002, but it took another ten years, and two beautiful children later and a lot of encouragement from the bride until Johan proposed a second time!

He chose the very same spot that we got engaged 10 years earlier, in a park by the water. He went down on his knee and popped the question and I cried, because I'd almost given up on my dream wedding. But in fact, Johan had planned for the proposal over the last year.