Cute Christmassy Winter Wedding Favours

Is anyone else already getting excited about Christmas? Twinkling fairy-lights, warming mulled-wine, snug scarves and rustling presents under the tree? It's no wonder winter weddings are amongst the most magical. Several of my friends have chosen to host their big day in December, and all their weddings felt like we'd stepped straight into Narnia. Add a little bit of fairy-tale to your wedding reception with these adorable gingerbread house coffee biscuits. Delicious favour, and sweet treat in one, they're the perfect after-dinner treat. Cookie Art London make stacks of amazing biscuits - check out their 'Will You Be My Bridesmaid' set, and edible Christmas tree decorations.

Gingerbread House Biscuits, £12 for 16 by Cookie Art London

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Wedding Trends of 2015: Semi-Naked Wedding Cakes

Look alert wedding peeps - there's a new trend in town. Hot on the hills of last year's naked wedding cakes, bakers have started dressing their cakes again! But not too much. Just a touch of frosting, a whisper of white, a hint of what's to come. They're pretty much the prettiest cakes in town. Feast your eyes! P.S. This semi-naked look is sooooper easy to DIY.

Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

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Vintage Wedding Decorations - Cloche & Bell Jars

My latest wedding decoration obsession are these vintage-style bell jars. They're perfect for a botanical or garden themed wedding, or a vintage-themed wedding, and I love their versatility. You can literally fill them with anything! I love how the bell jars in the picture below are filled with herbs, but I've seen them covering designer shoes {imagine naming your wedding tables Jimmy Choo, or Christian Louboutin!}, wedding cakes, vintage books and even sylvan scenes of moss and toadstools. For more ideas, check out my Pinterest board - it's stuffed with excellent wedding inspiration and ideas. For more pictures from this fabulous event styled by Sterling Engagements - check out the wedding blog Grey Likes Weddings.

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DIY Autumn Leaf Wedding Confetti

This is such a genius idea, I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before! I love everything autumn, and there's nothing I like more than going out for a long walk, and picking up lots of natural momentoes - think polished conkers, spiky horse chestnut cases, and mottled leaves. So this quick and easy wedding crafting project ticks all my boxes.

All you need is a huge pile of pretty autumn leaves, a heart punch {buy them here}, kitchen towel, and a couple of hefty books. Punch out pretty hearts and press them between kitchen towel, and tada! You've got perfect autumn confetti. Use it to decorate your wedding reception tables, or put it in cones for your friends to throw at you as you come out the church. Tutorial here.

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A Pretty Shabby-Chic Wedding with a Mint-Green Cake!

You'll easily spot my favourite detail in this lovely pastel-themed wedding. It's the mint green wedding cake! I love everything about it - from the ruffled icing {very this season}, to the shabby chic lace bow, and the pretty mini-bunting topper. It's perfect! There's plenty more stealworthy wedding details - you'll want to copy Heather's bridal style, her Pronovias wedding dress, unstructured bouquet and DIY'd limoncello wedding favours. I'm also a big fan of their twine-wrapped jam jar vases. Fabulous pictures by Jack from Firsthand Photography. If you missed Part 1 of this wedding click here!

A Pastel-Themed Stately Home Wedding with a Pronovias Gown

Take one Princess-style gown, sprinkle it with confetti, and add an elegant chignon, and you've got the recipe for a beautiful bride. Everything about this lovely shabby-chic wedding is romantic, from the white vintage car, to the incredible stately home venue, and the mint-green wedding cake. I've fallen head-over-hells for Heather's stunning Pronovias wedding dress - you'll want to add it to your must-try list. And her bridesmaids' strapless Coast dresses were a great buy! Enjoy these Getting Ready and Ceremony pictures by Firsthand Photography - look out for the inspiring Reception shots in Part 2, later today.

We celebrated our wedding at St Edmund's Church at Holme Pierrepont, with our reception next door at Holme Pierrepont Hall.

Red Lipstick on Your Wedding Day: Do or Don't?

While I was in London over the summer, I stumbled out of the rain into the nearest shop I could find, which happened to be MAC. Browsing the lipsticks, I decided to pass the time trying on red lipstick - a shade I've never worn. It looked fab, and it got me thinking - would you wear red lippy on your big day? Or do you think it's too bold? It's a look Sarah Meredith Wedding Make-up could easily re-create for you on your wedding day. Here are a few brides who are completely owning the look!

Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

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Luxury Wedding Stationery without the Price Tag

As a wedding blogger, I'm always on the look-out for new wedding products and services. So imagine my excitement, when at a recent dinner party, the gentleman on my left told me he'd just launched a new stationery website. Papier.com has a fantastic array of invitations and cards, all of which can be personalised online, with a simple click of the mouse. I've already ordered some monogrammed cards, and I've fallen for this watermelon invitation for New Year's Eve bash. Their wedding stationery line is fab as well - just take a look at these fun folksy invitation. You can even choose colourful inserts for your envelopes. L-O-V-E!

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Wedfest - A Music Festival Wedding Theme

Glastonbury was probably one of the best weekends of my life. We got lucky with the weather, and we managed to blag VIP tickets, but it wasn't the posh loos or the free drinks that made it so special - it was the atmosphere. It felt like a mini-hedonistic holiday. No wonder dozens of couples want to recreate the same mood at their wedding - if you're going to spend all that money, you want people to dress up, drink fizz and dance like crazy. Lots of boutique stationery companies are getting on the bandwagon {sorry!}, and now you can buy festival-style wristbands and lanyards for your Save the Dates and wedding invitations. Just make sure you hire a decent DJ, or a wedding band from Leeds to create the full effect.

{Product Credits} All from Wedfest

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An Easy Wedding Decoration DIY

You don't have to be a graffiti artist to fall in love with spray paint. Any crafter worth her salt knows it's the easiest tool for fast, effective results. You can easily turn the mundane into something incredible. My friends recently celebrated their wedding at an incredible venue in East London. They needed to personalise the reception space, but didn't have much of a budget. For under a £100 they bought dozens of white paper lanterns, and saved jam-jars. A simple spray of neon spray paint, and a bag of Ikea tea-lights, and they had a brilliant, original wedding decorations {like these}. My colour of choice is gold - particularly for autumn and winter weddings. Just take a look at these fantastic DIY ideas - find more on my Pinterest page.

Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

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Real Mexican-Themed Colourful Wedding

Add a huge shot of colour to your wedding day with a Mexican theme. It's got to be one of the easiest wedding themes ever, and if you're happy to do a bit of DIY, it doesn't need to be expensive. I've fallen in love with Day and Max's gorgeous rehearsal dinner, designed by the hugely talented Lisa Vorce. Just check out the striking combo of yellow table cloths and red napkins, plus ribbons of every shade. Fill some old tin cans with daisies or tulips, add some fabulous tissue paper garlands and bunting, and you've got a fiesta made in heaven. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Aaron Delesie.

A Rainbow Wedding Theme

Add a bit of colour to your big day with a fabulous rainbow wedding theme. From cakes to favours, flowers and bridesmaids dresses, there's nothing in a wedding that can't benefit from a splash of colour. Take a look at the wedding inspiration board below for plenty of DIY ideas. Use paint testers as place markers, string up multi-coloured ribbons in doorways and on chairs, and fill muslin bags with rainbow jelly beans. For more rainbow wedding inspiration check out my Pinterest pages.

{Photo Credit} Laura Murray Photography

Product & Photo Credits: {clockwise from top left} - 1. My Hayley Girl, 2. Craftzine Blog, 3. via Suzie Beezie, 4. No credit yet, 5. via You Are My Fav, 6. Peter Carlsson, 7. Jelly-bean crayons from Spoon Sisters, 8. Paint strips tutorial from Grace & Light Studio

{Photo Credit} Laura Murray Photography

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A Colourful Bali Destination Wedding

Okay, I need to come clean straight away. Despite my heading, this isn't actually a real wedding. It's a rehearsal dinner held by the bride and groom to welcome their guests to Bali, but it's so gorgeous, I couldn't resist publishing. Sherry and Ben hosted their dinner on a private beach a mile from their wedding resort, and if you've ever thought of having a destination wedding, this one is enough to make you book your ticket pronto. Event designer, Lisa Vorce, created this effect with local products sourced from local markets, which is why I love shopping in Bali - it's so colourful and so cheap! When Sherry and Ben arrived they were greeted by traditional Balinese flower girls, and they even hired a traditional rain stopper {the serious-looking chap in the last picture} to scare away the showers. More favourite stealworthy ideas? The tropical fruit, woven palms, comfortable cushions for lounging, colourful petals and bamboo flags. But the best feature is the turquoise sea and white sand - beach weddings are the best. Heavenly pictures published with thanks to Aaron Delesie Photography.

A Fun-Loving Wedding featuring a Tractor & Space Hoppers

You can't help but fall for this fun-loving couple. Tasha and Niall DIY'd their wedding from the ceremony up, and their personalities shine through every brilliant detail. I love their handmade marquee decorations - the bunting, ribbon chandeliers and burlap table runners, and their genius idea to ask all their friends to make cupcakes for their wedding cake. They hosted their reception in Tasha's parent's orchard, and filled it with lawn games, giant jenga, a child-out area, and even a calypso bar. Amazing! Enjoy these pictures by Michael from My Beautiful Bride - he's really captured the spirit of the occasion.

It was an easy choice to have the wedding reception in the garden of my family home where I grew up, as it's so beautiful there. 

A Fabulous Festival-Style Marquee Wedding

This incredible boho wedding features a folly, a tractor, and a trio of Space Hoppers. It's pretty special!  Tasha chose her family home for her marquee reception, but took a chance on the weather, and picked an outdoor folly on the edge for a corn field for her wedding ceremony to Niall. Luckily the sun shone, and all the guests loved their personalised vows. Other DIY details include all the wedding flowers, which were arranged by the mothers of the bride and groom, the design of Tasha's wedding dress, and most of the marquee decorations. They even managed to persuade a local farmer to lend them a tractor and trailer for wedding transport. Love it! Don't miss the reception pictures in my second post of today - brilliant wedding photographer Michael, from My Beautiful Bride has done us proud!

It was an easy choice to have the wedding reception in the garden of my family home where I grew up, as it's so beautiful there. However it was harder to decided where to host our ceremony.

My husband's three-piece suit was by Duchamp London. He teamed it with a purple tie and simple white handkerchief and shirt.

An Outdoor Wedding with Chandeliers & Tea-Cups

If you're thinking of a shabby chic wedding with a touch of glamour, you're going to fall head-over-heels for this exquisite summer wedding. Liz and Chris celebrated their big day at The Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse in the wine country near Santa Barbara, with a flurry of gorgeous details. I'm loving the outdoor chandeliers, the peach and silver florals, blackboard menu and the old-fashioned striped straws. Don't miss their gorgeous stationery - complete with elegant calligraphy, personalised stamps and a hand-drawn map. I've always thought truly exceptional wedding stationery is the secret to getting your guests excited about your big day, and this suite proves it! Huge thanks to Aaron Delesie for his stunning photographs. He's new to Before the Big Day, but we've got plenty more gorgeous weddings from his portfolio coming soon!

Introducing 77 Diamonds Engagement Rings

When my husband went down on one knee in the snow, he wasn't holding the elegant diamond solitaire I now wear every day, but a giant comedy ring with a rock-shaped stone! He was too nervous to buy my actual ring without me. But then choosing an engagement ring can be an overwhelming business. After a house and a car, it's going to be the third biggest purchase your boyfriend ever makes! Then add in the fact you're going to wear it for the rest of your life..... It's not surprising more and more men are proposing with a temporary fun ring {like my husband!}, and making the trip to the jewellers a joint project. Luckily award-winning jewellers, 77 Diamonds, are here to help.

They've introduced an easy-to-understand Diamond Buying Guide {click on the pic to zoom}, so you can get all the info at home, without the pressure of an over-enthusiastic sales-person. With seven C's to consider, this is definitely a page to accidentally-deliberately leave open on your computer!!

Their brilliant website will help you choose the ring of your dreams, whatever your budget. Now all you need is the Ring Size Chart, and you're good to go! Look out for the vintage-style rings - they're my favourites!!

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Les Trois Soeurs Designer Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Les Trois Soeurs has got to be one of London's best designer wedding dress boutiques, so you can imagine how excited I am to discover the dates of their sample sale. It's taking place at their Beaufort Court boutique in Canary Wharf, on the 5th September. With a selection of over 70 sample wedding gowns and bridal accessories with up to 70 per cent off, it's definitely not one to miss! They're promising a fantastic selection of dresses from top designers, including David Fielden, Amanda Wakeley, Temperley Bridal and many more. There's no appointment required but they recommend you get down early for the full selection.

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And the Bride wore..... Sequins

Wow wow wow! Now we're talking some serious glamour. Just take a look at this di-vine wedding dress created entirely out of sequins. I'm in love! The gowns are created by Gibson Bespoke, and each one is tailored specifically for you. They're the perfect wedding dress for brides wanting to stand out from the crowd. Choose from silver, rose gold, champagne and even rich purple, plus a selection of patterns. Each one is designed with a show-stopping 20" train, and a guarantee to make you feel like a vintage a screen sirens.

{Picture Credit} First image by Catherine Farquharson, others from Gibson Bespoke

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A Pretty Vintage Wedding with a Brownie Wedding Cake

Take the prettiest of pink details, gorgeous Art Deco bridesmaids gowns, and a stunning English rose bride, and you've got wedding heaven. Lovely Nicola and James celebrated their wedding day at Dulwich College, and I've fallen for its stunning historic rooms, and lovely grand staircase. Nicola chose a pretty vintage feel for her big day, and spent months planning DIY ideas and creative projects on Pinterest. The end result is a gorgeous wedding day with tonnes of stealworthy wedding ideas. My favourite details? Nicola's elegant chignon and veil combo, her beautiful Sarah Seven gown with its lace back, and the white taxi transport! Beautiful pictures by Lily Sawyer Photography. Be sure to check out Lily's blog - I'm a huge fan of her work. Don't miss the wedding reception pictures - coming later today.

We celebrated our wedding at Dulwich College on the 23rd May, which was just around the corner from James and my first home. We'd always thought it to be a beautiful place, whenever we walked past on a sunny afternoon.