Real Vintage South African Wedding: Marzaan & Joe

This vintage wedding comes all the way from South Africa. Marzaan and Joe celebrated their wedding in the wine region of the Western Cape, in a cute village called Fraanschhoek. Marzaan had two heavenly dresses, and wore a gorgeous garland of flowers instead of a veil. I'm loving her garter and her lovely laid-back hair-style. It rained all day, but who cares when you've got a stunning gallery-style venue. My favourite details? The pairing of a modern setting with vintage detailing - check out the lovely antique silver candlesticks and flower containers, plus the old books and monochrome ribbon. Throw in a blackboard menu, and a pile of fancy-dress for the photobooth, and you've got a wedding made in heaven. Huge thanks to the team at We Love Pictures for their fantastic photographs from the day.

Ushers & Groomsmen Gift Ideas

Are you planning to hand out presents on your wedding day? Traditionally the groom gives the bridesmaids a little something, and possibly even the ushers get a look-in. As a couple, we completely failed on this front at our wedding. We'd run out of money and time, and apart from our wedding favours, no one received any presents, and I still feel slightly guilty about it! If I had my time again, I'd love to create bespoke cosmetic sets for my bridesmaids, and for the ushers....well, how about DIY-ing cocktail sets like these, according to their favourite tipple?

{Photo Credit} 1. Bourbon drink set by Victor Sizemore Photography, 2. Cocktail Drink Set, picture by Autumn Wilson Photography, view entire wedding on Style Me Pretty

{Photo Credit} 1. Hip Flasks by Captured Photography by Jenny, view entire wedding on Style Me Pretty

{Photo Credit} 1. Old-fashioned Shaving Set by Aravaggio Photography, view entire wedding on Style Me Pretty

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Your Rainbow Wedding Diet

{Posting by Alice Cowen of Fitness DNA, Before the Big Day's Personal Trainer & Nutritionist} If you're finding it hard to focus on your wedding diet, here's a fun, simple and easy way to eat more healthily. I call it The Rainbow Diet. Not only is it super-slimming to eat more vegetables and fruit, but if you eat a multi-coloured diet, you'll be getting a mixture of antioxidants, which are the clever substances believed to lower the risk of cancer, heart disease, and memory loss. Different colours contain different kinds of antioxidants, hence a rainbow diet gives you the best all round nutritious diet. Each day try and eat something from each of the colours of the rainbow!

{Photo Credit} David Malan

Red such as tomatoes, red grapes, red onions, beetroot, peppers, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, radish, watermelon.

Orange such as squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, tangerines.

Yellow such as yellow squash, turmeric, mustard, yellow pepper, banana, sweetcorn.

Green such as spinach, asparagus, avocado, artichoke, broccoli, peas, beans, apples, grapes, kale, sprouts.

Blue such as blueberries

Purple such as grapes, aubergine, purple carrots, plums.

Try it and see how you feel after a couple of weeks.

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Cheap & Cheerful Wedding Favours with a Touch of Whimsy

This one wedding blog post could save you fortune - I've found the perfect website for wedding favours - and some of them work out as 50p each! Take a look at the amazing Wedding in a Teacup Etsy shop and start getting excited. My favourites are the cute personalised paper favour bags containing wild-flower or forget-me-not seeds. They'll add a pretty touch to your wedding table, and send everyone home with lasting memory of your big day. Love them? Well you'll like their hangover kit favour bags even more!

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How to Save Money on Your Wedding at Ikea

When we picked our wedding venue in France, one of the first things I researched, was the nearest Ikea! Luckily there was one only an hour away, as I knew that I didn't want to have to ship out all the amazing wedding accessories I'd spotted for our big day. Candles, canapé serviettes, French-style napkins and lanterns - we picked them all up super-cheap, and none of our wedding guests knew the difference. At one stage we even considered buying glasses, as they worked out as cheaper to buy from Ikea than rent, but in the end our caterer provided them for free. Take a look at my latest Ikea wedding finds - from blanket favours in case your guests feel chilly, to pretty lace-style plant pots, water bottles, wine carafes, orchid table decorations, and even giant artificial potted plants to decorate your marquee. It's a veritable treasure trove!

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'Pencil us in' - Wedding Save the Dates

This is such a brilliant idea, I can't believe I haven't stumbled upon it before! Gorgeous laser-engraved Save the Date pencils!! Designed and made by the lovely people at CamDeco in England, these cute little golf pencils can be customised with any message you want. They're perfect as Save the Dates, or sweet little favours. Don't miss CamDeco's fab shop - they've got lots of rustic-style wedding favour, invitation and decoration ideas you'll love.

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Vintage Carnival Wedding Decorations

Deep down, I'm a just a stationery geek at heart. Fonts are my current obsession, which goes some way to explain why I've fallen hook-line-and-sinker for these incredible vintage carnival-style marquee lights from Lamplight Design Co in the UK. They'd look amazing in any wedding venue - just place them near the dance floor for the best photo prop ever! Here's a few of the designs they've got in stock, but you can always contact them for a bespoke design.

{I want this!} LOVE Marquee Light Sign, £450

{I want this!} Marquee Curved Arrow Light, £60

{I want this!} Vintage Boardwalk Heart Marquee Light, £90

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Easy Valentine's Day Wedding Crafting

DIY brides are going to love this easy project. All you need is some ink and these pretty stamps. The options are endless - decorate cards, invitations, favour bags, place-card, page boys.....before you know it, you'll be wanting to put your mark on anything that moves.

{I want this!} 1. Little Stamp Store, £4 / 2. Little Stamp Store, £6 / 3. Little Stamp Store, £7

{I want this!} 1. Clarise Stamps, £ 8/ 2. Jolyon Yates, £12.95 / 3. Little Stamp Store, £7.75

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A Vintage-Themed Village Hall Summer Wedding

Struggling to find the perfect venue for your big day? Then you're going to fall head-over-heels for this clever village hall wedding. Lovely couple Kerry and Dave didn't like the interior of the building, so they decorated it with fabric, making it look and feel exactly like an elegant marquee. And what a transformation! No drafts, no need to hire loos, and a brilliant reception venue right next to the church. So clever! Kerry and Dave wanted a relaxed and family orientated big day, so there was no grand design - just plenty of lovely details to inspire you. My favourites? Kerry's elegant half-up hair-style, her sweet-smelling bouquet by  {I spy freesias}, the gorgeous vintage American-style car, and the celebratory strawberry themed afternoon tea. Huge thanks to the lovely Lisa Webb Photography for submitting her beautiful pictures of the wedding - I'm hoping to feature much more of her work!

Planning Your Wedding: Day 1 of Wedmin

Did you know? More people get engaged on New Year's Eve than any other date bar Valentine's Day. And with one recently gone, and the other fast approaching, it's fair to say there's a lot of newly engaged girls walking around, admiring their sparklers. In my family alone, I've got two new brides-to-be, and I'm getting crazy-excited about potential dates, themes and photographers. So if you're feeling butterflies-in-the stomach happy, or indeed nervous about wedmin (wedding + admin = blogger-speak), here's one word of advice......Pinterest. Any ideas you might have, pictures you might like, photographers you spot - just save them onto Pinterest. It's the easiest way to save and share ideas. Check out my Before the Big Day Pinterest page to get you started, or for those of you who like to old-skool style stationery, here are a few of my favourite planners.

Happy New Year!

I'm back! After a long hiatus of blogging, a country-move and two babies - 2017 will see my return to wedding blogging. It's been nearly seven years since I first started writing Before the Big Day, and it's always been a project close to my heart. I actually started the blog 6 months before I got engaged - much to the hilarity of my husband's friends, who could see the hint from a mile off. Blogging helped me plan my weddings {yes, I managed to swing two of them!}, and I hope the wedding inspiration and ideas you find on these pages, will help you plan your perfect big day!

{Photo Credit} Scott Lawrence Studios {Source} Style Me Pretty

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Pretty English Garden Themed Bridesmaid Accessories

Thanks to this stunning sunshine, I've been spending hours in the garden, playing with my boys, and dreaming about the perfect English summer wedding. Think fluttering bunting, colourful kaleidoscopes of dahlias, the chinking of champagne glasses and the delicate strains of a string quartet floating in the air. The shops are full of pretty floral accessories for your bridesmaids, gift them a few of these pieces and they'll look 'blooming' amazing!

{I want this!} Clockwise from Top Left: 1. Byron Lars Brocade Garden Floral Sheath Dress, £66.36 {70% off} | 2. Pearl Wreath Hair Clip, £15.16 {50% off} | 3. Terraced Garden Dress in Pink, £138 | 4.  Secret Garden Stud Earrings, £55.16 | 5. Gracie Floral Necklace, £55.16 | 6. Raphaella Booz Botanical Heels, £49.56

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Versatile Two for One Wedding Dresses

Trending in wedding fashion right now? Versatile two-piece wedding dresses. It's the natural evolution of brides wanting a formal gown for their ceremony, and a shorter, sexier number for their evening reception. This season it's all about adapting your look from romantic and floaty, to something more modern and chic. The clever designers at BHLDN {the wedding shop spin-off from my favourite whimsical lifestyle store Anthropologie} have come up with delicate overlay dresses teamed with elegant strapless gowns. Try the Bella and the Fleuretta on for size - both currently on sale on the BHLDN website, which is easily one of my favourite wedding boutiques.

{I want this!} Fleuretta Gown $1000

{I want this!} Bella Gown $1470 {on sale!}

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Statement Wedding Dresses by Zahavit Tshuba

Brides looking to make a serious statement with their wedding gown should look no further than Zahavit Tshuba. This fabulously bling-y designer from Tel Aviv, makes the most swoon-worthy gowns. Ornate lace, frothy trains, exquisite beading, and sequin bustiers - they all make an appearance in her latest collection. It's seriously sexy stuff - just take a look! You can buy Zahavit Tshuba's gowns from Les Trois Soeurs online, or from their London Canary Wharf boutique.

My Favourite Wedding Photo Prop {this week!}

Today I will be mostly adoring these moustache straws, and wondering whether I can organise a moustache themed party in their honour. What do you reckon? They'd also make the most amazing talking point at your wedding, and create hilarious wedding photographs. We had stick on moustaches at our wedding, and everyone loved them! Wedding photo-prop moustaches available from Little Retreats!

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Incredible Colourful Ombre Wedding Cakes

No matter what your mother says, wedding cakes don't need to be white. In fact, the current trend for 2012 is for ombre cakes. Not sure what ombre means? Me either until I looked it up - apparently it's a fashion word, meaning the graduation of colour in a garment, or in this case, cake. I'm loving the tone changes, and the romantic ruffles. And if your mother insists on white, you can choose a secret, ombre interior, and surprise your guests! What are you going to choose for your wedding cake?

How to Buy Your Wedding Dress For Less

As soon as you get engaged, people are going to start asking you about your wedding dress. Have you found one yet? Do you know what style you're going to go for? Which is your favourite designer? I had no idea. In fact, I found the whole process just a little daunting. There's a certain amount of pressure to go with a group of girlfriends, and drink champagne, and enjoy that moment when they put the veil on, and everyone cries a bit. That wasn't ever going to work for me, because I like shopping on my own, and I was very conscious that all my girlfriends have busy lives, and I didn't want to be all bridezilla and insist they came with me shopping every Saturday. So I did a bit of shopping on my own, and quickly realised that I didn't like most dresses. I also found it hard to organise appointments, and I got a bit fed up having to travel all around London to go to all the shops. Why can't they all just be on one street? So it was a grumpy bride that stumbled out of the rain into Delphine Manivet. That's where I found my gorgeous gown, the Anatole. But man was it pricey! And that's why I loved this email from a Before the Big Day Reader, Annie.

Hi - Just stumbled on your blog, I absolutely love it! That's been the best part of wedding planning reading all of these amazing blogs! I was just wondering if your Delphine Manivet wedding dress was the Rapheal style and if you were thinking about selling it at all as I am trying to buy a second hand one as it is over my budget but completely to die for! Annie x

Giant Gold Glitter Bow for Your Bridesmaids

It's a well known fact that whatever dress you choose for your bridesmaid, she'll hate it. And she'll never wear it again. It's just one of those things you have to accept as a bride, and a best friend. But that doesn't mean you can't choose an accessory that she'll wear again, and I have just the thing! Take a look at this fabulous giant gold glitter bow. Created by Lovely Littles and Co, they come in every colour, and they'd make the perfect presents for your bridesmaids. Buy them early, and they can wear them at Christmas!


{I want this!} Giant gold glitter bow by Lovely Littles and Co

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An Ibiza Seaside Wedding with Blush & Lace Accents

A gleaming white Rolls Royce, a sparkly wedding theme, and a seaside venue on the island of Ibiza - you can tell this wedding is going to be a cracker already! I've fallen for the gorgeous bride, Claire and her stunning 'Amelie' gown by Gemy Maalouf, and you'll love her pretty-in-pink bridesmaids dresses. If you're planning a destination wedding, you'll find every single picture is going to be seriously Pin-worthy. Huge thanks to Ily Grantham for her stunning photographs, and to Claire and Jonny for filling in my questionnaire with so many helpful tips.

A Beachside Wedding in Ibiza with Jimmy Choos & Bouganvillia

This amazing Ibiza wedding will have you dreaming of summer! It's a stunning example of a destination big day. Simple, chic, and perfect. The great thing about getting married abroad is that the venue usually speaks for itself - you don't need stacks of extra wedding decorations. Plus all your friends feel like they're on holiday, so they come ready to party! Enjoy Ily Grantham's beautiful pictures - she really did capture every perfect detail, and don't miss Claire and Jonny's answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire for all their top suppliers!