My Secret Garden Wedding in a Provence Chateau - The Reception

Our wedding reception passed in a flash! I think every bride and groom feels that their big day passes too quickly, partly because you have to step away at one stage for your wedding photographs. We were thrilled with our portraits by Chloé from Caught the Light, and it's definitely worth making time for your photographer. You'll see in this blog post, all the little extras that I added to personalise our big day. We chose a Secret Garden theme, as we hosted our reception in an historic walled garden. Our colour palette was soft grey, pink and sage green, and I chose a key motif, which appeared on all the stationery, place-markers and we gave each guest a vintage key as a wedding favour. I bought grey and white striped straws, and made little drinks flags to go in our signature cocktails. Looking back - I can't believe how many details I managed to squeeze into one day! These are the reception pictures, you can see the ceremony pictures here.

We celebrated our wedding on 28th May 2011 in a tiny French village called Puyricard, just outside Aix-en-Provence. We hired a private house called Château Grimaldi for three days.

The walled gardens inspired me to choose a secret garden theme, with a key motif. Our colour palette was soft grey, dusky pink and sage green.

My Secret Garden Wedding in a Provence Chateau - The Ceremony

As promised, I'm marking our fourth wedding anniversary by republishing our photographs from our French wedding. It's crazy how quickly the time has gone! Although this wasn't our legal wedding, it's the one that felt most real. We invited ninety of our closest friends and family out to Provence for a three day party, and I loved every minute. As a wedding blogger, I spent many days agonising over which theme to choose. In the end our stunning venue, with its walled grounds, led me to pick a Secret Garden theme, and a colour palette of soft grey, dusky pink and sage green. We had a key motif which appeared on all the invitations, place markers, programmes and pashmina favour tags. There were endless wedding details, all captured perfectly by our brilliant wedding photographer Chloé from Caught the Light and my friend Jemma Harding Photography. Four years on, it's true what they say - your pictures are the lasting memories of your wedding day, so it's worth hiring the best.

Ten Quirky Original Wedding Place-Setting Ideas

You can really let your imagination run wild with your place-settings. Why settle for a simple card, when you could give your guests the welcome they deserve? Combine it with a wedding favour, pretty present or sweet treat, or build anticipation for the speeches, party and dancing {I'm thinking glow-sticks, fake moustaches and sparklers}. I'm all about delighting your guests at every turn - we had old-fashioned fortune tellers and vintage keys at our wedding. What will you choose? More ideas on my Pinterest board.

Wedding Trends for 2015 - Edible Flowers

Hosting a truly original wedding means surprising your guests at every turn, and that's why I love this micro trend for 2015. Edible flowers have been around for years, but it's only now that wedding caterers are getting in on the act. It's partly down to the growth {sorry!} of suppliers in the UK - you can buy your flowers direct from First Leaf and Greens of Devon, or even buy seeds to grow your own! Ask your caterer, or DIY your own edible flower creations. I'm loving these creative ideas {below} for signature wedding cocktails, deserts and cheeses, and how about edible confetti?!

{1. Edible Flower Popsicle Recipe by Marla Meredith}

{1. Love Design Fest | 2. Design Love Fest}

Affordable Wedding Dress Series - Monsoon

One of my best friends from university got married in a wedding dress from Monsoon, and it completely opened my eyes to the brilliance of the British high street. We have the best shops in the world in the UK, and every season they translate {ahem...copy!} the catwalk into affordable garments. And the wedding catwalk is no different! I'll often see stunning gowns I think are Jenny Packham or Temperley London, and actually they turn out to be high street honeys. Here are a few of my favourites from Monsoon - I love the 1920s feel to many of the gowns - they feel like they could have come straight from The Great Gatsby. Don't miss their flower-girl and bridesmaids dresses and their truly fabulous wedding shoe department.

Affordable Wedding Dress Series - Reformation

You've got to love Pinterest. I was scrolling through the wedding pictures looking for inspiration, when all of a sudden I found this dress. A little bit of research and a couple of clicks later, and I'd discovered The Reformation, a boutique brand based in Los Angeles. All their wedding gowns are guaranteed eco friendly, they all cost under £500, and they even offer free shipping worldwide. Many of the gowns below also come in different colours and patterns, so even if The One isn't there for you - why not treat your bridesmaids?

Affordable Wedding Dress Series - Rowan Joy

Bride's looking for a vintage look are going to fall head-over-heels for these gorgeous gowns by Rowan Joy. Her designs are heavily influenced by the decadence of 1920's and grace of the 1930's, with a flattering cut and flowing skirts. Each dress is made-to-order, so she needs three months notice, but this means your gown will be made-to-measure for under a thousand pounds! Take a look at the designs below - more from different eras on her website.

Affordable Wedding Dress Series - Grace Loves Lace

This morning I am mostly loving these beautiful boutique dress by Australian designer Grace Loves Lace. At Grace, they personally create stunning ready-to-wear wedding dresses from the French laces and silks, to create a fabulous boho, vintage gowns you'll love. The dresses all have a pretty nostalgic charm and rather wonderful price tags, starting from only £500! Amazing!

{I want this!} 1. Boho Lace Wedding Dress, £950 | 2. Long Lace Sleeve Wedding Dress, £764

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