Looking Good

With my wedding in May, I'm looking to start the New Year with a brand new health plan, which makes me one of more than 70% of brides-to-be want to svelte-up ahead of saying their vows. If you find dieting on your own difficult, check out nkd diet. They're my secret weapon in the battle against the bulge! They take all the hassle out of dieting by providing all your meals for a month, for only £199. They count the calories and deliver to your door, and on average women lose 2-3 lbs a week. Check them out! ** nkd diet are offering 5% off all 28 day plans to Before the Big Day readers - just add the code bigday at the checkout **

Slinky Wedding Dresses

If you're looking for a slinky wedding dress rather than a pufffy Princess number, then you can't do better than Belle & Bunty. Recently discovered via fantastic The Ebury Collection, every gown is gorgeous. Pick your favourite design, and Alice (Belle) and Hannah (Bunty) will make it to order in whatever colour you choose. Incidentally, do check out The Ebury Collection, they're a brilliant resource of wedding services and suppliers. P.S. If you're one of my friends, no buying, because I'm going to get one!!

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Something Blue

Is it wrong to want more than one engagement ring? I dearly love my diamond solitaire, but when I spotted this gorgeous sapphire ring, I fell in love. Maybe it could be my something blue? Designed by Eidel in Toronto, the delicate setting is called "cat's claw", because the four claws are almost invisible. Simply stunning!



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Real Wedding: Jenny & Devin

This bright winter wedding has such a cosy feel, thanks to the barn-style venue. It's almost like a ski chalet with all the wooden beams and glowing lanterns. I'm loving the bunting, mossy initials, fairy lights and the multiple cakes, while the tablescapes of linen and lace napkins plus blue-tinted vases add a feminine edge to a masculine surrounding. Jenny's dress, shrug and mini-veil are gorgeous, and I love that she walked down the aisle by herself. Seriously gorgeous stationery - the mix of rustic and chic dark blue exactly matched Jenny and Devin's wedding style. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Punam Bean.

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Groom's Ties

Treat your groom with one of these dapper skinny ties. Handmade by vKnit in Hertfordshire, each tie is knitted and felted in soft lambswool. They come in several colours, and each contain 33,980 v-stitches. They're perfect tie for a winter wedding.

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

For the team at Wedding Style Guide the year has drawn to a close. Before we leave we'd all like to send our sincerest thanks to everyone who has made this year such a fabulous one for WSG. To our readers, suppliers, advertisers, brides and fans a huge Merry Christmas and a safe and happy 2011. We look forward to giving you even more of what you love in the coming year.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Love Annabelle, Jane, Emma, Emilie & Silvana xx


Picture courtesy of marthastewart.com

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Suzie Willks & Nick O'Halloran

In the new summer issue 17, on sale now, we were thrilled to get offered to opportunity to run the gorgeous wedding of the even more gorgeous Suzie Willks & Nick O'Halloran. Married in front of 170 guests on the 21 August this year in a marquee on the banks of the Ornamental Lake in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, Suzie and Nick's celebration was warm, colourful and love filled. Stylists extrodinaire A Lavish Affair created a simply breathtaking space filled with flowers, candles and topped off with a grand chandelier from Harry the Hirer.

A note from the stylist:
"The brief - a warm and inviting 'feels like home' setting. After the ceremony, the space converted into a luxutious French-style lounge. A vintage chandelier hung over seating areas set amongst an abundance of gorgeous florals, candles and framed family photographs. Soft neutral pieces were enhanced by the bride's choice of vivid colour florals"

Suzie's amazing gown was designed for her by the very talented Jane Hill with the photography by Blumenthal Photography.

A note from the photographer:
"Suzie and Nick are such a beautiful couple, it is hard to imagine we would have achieved anything but beautiful photographs. The attention to detail put into the styling ensured every shot had a consistent colour palette and a point of interest. The brilliant, bright colours looked just fantastic and photographed so well"







Photographer - Blumenthal Photography
Bride's dress - Jane Hill
Florist - Victoria Whitelaw
Grooms suit - Tom Ford @ Harrolds
Ceremony & reception - Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Event coordiantor & stylist - A Lavish Affair
French Provincial Furniture Hire - Splendid Days
Cake - Alison Louise
Caterer - Blakes Feast
Stationer - Chapel Press

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Pretty Shades all in a Row

I adore this palette of colours for a wedding. So soft, feminine and pretty and would suit so many varying themes and styles. Why put all your bridesmaids in the same colour? Offering a selection of colours from which to choose would then give the girls the opportunity to wear a colour they're truly happy with. Such a neat idea! Visit www.net-a-porter.com to view their gowns and colourways.


Lanvin draped silk gown £1,841 & Alberta Ferretti draped silk-chiffon gown £2,322


Michael Kors stretch-jersey one-shoulder gown £1,603 & Rachel Gilbert Sasha embellished silk-chiffon gown £1,053

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Nicole Richie & Joel Madden

I have to say I thought Nicole Richie looked beyond gorgeous at her recent wedding to musician Joel Madden. Married on the Estate of her father Lionel Richie, Nicole wore three different gowns designed for her by her close friends Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman of Marchesa. Channeling Grace Kelly, Nicole noted she'd always wanted a dress inspired by the gown Kelly wore at her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. Of course the wedding was a flamboyant affair, styled by celebrity wedding planner extrodinaire Mandy Weiss. Check out this weeks issue of Who Magazine for all the pics.




Photos courtesy of cocoperez.com

Posted by Emilie Harrison

DoodleLove Wedding Stationery

So my search for wedding stationery has come back to haunt me. I found a fantastic designer called Follow Studio in Australia, but I left too little time to receive proofs, so reluctantly I've had to restart my search. Time just catches up on you, not least because the invitations have to be sent out three months in advance. I've made one New Year's Resolution already - this time, my graphic designer must be UK-based. But where to find them? I've discovered that great places to look for eye-catching, unusual stationery are websites like Etsy and Wedzu. I've made one discovery already, Doodlelove, via Folksy. Check out their website for more designs.

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Moving On Up

After 20 glorious years in Sydney's Paddington, Collette Dinnigan has relocated her flagship store to 104 Queen Street, Woollahra. The new, light filled space was inspired by Collette's love of Belgium design. The pale grey interior features white panelling and a mix of aged sandstone and luxurious carpet flooring. Soft lines feature throughout and the space surrounds a sunny courtyard perfect for coffee and shaded by olive trees. The store, of course, also features a spacious bridal room available by appointment only. Visit www.collettedinnigan.com.au for further info.



Posted by Emilie Harrison

Wedding Present Idea

Add this gorgeous sampler to your wedding list, and you'll have a gorgeous momento of your big day, and a future heirloom for your children. Old-fashioned crafts like sampler-sewing and knitting are making a comeback right now, so you'll also be right on trend. Super-stitcher Debby will personalise your design, and hand-make it within ten days. Check out her store Sew Lovely for more ideas.

Sketchy

It's no surprise to hear there's been an intense bidding war from the worlds best designers for the honour of designing the wedding dress of the decade, if not the century, for future Princess Kate Middleton. Rumour has it British designer Bruce Oldfield has secured the job, however the list of designers putting sketches forward to the future Princess is amazing. Oh to have these designers knocking down your door dying to dress you. How on earth would you choose?! It makes sense to hear Kate's opted for a British designer and no doubt this will put Bruce's future collections firmly in the spotlight. Here's a peek at some the designs put forward.


Sketches by Reem Acra & Valentino


Sketch by Prabal Gurung


Sketches by Karl Largerfeld & Jason Wu


Sketch by Monique Lhuillier


Sketches by Vera Wang & Gucci
Pictures courtesy of cocoperez.com

Posted by Emilie Harrison

A Nice Thought

I received a gorgeous email from our Kailis competition winner, Penny, overnight and thought I would share with you some of what she had to say.

"I was at home covered in flour baking mince pies when WSG rang to tell me I had won the Kailis jewellery prize. I couldn't believe it, sticky and floury and hot from the oven it couldn't have been more of a Cinderella moment! At the moment our wedding plans are so very new it's hard to get my head around them being more than just a dream. This beautiful prize will not only make that elusive wedding day seem real but will be with me into the future when it's just a memory"

Congratulations again Penny and we look forward to seeing some pics of you in your amazing prize!

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Real Wedding: Rachel & Phillip

Designing your wedding invitations is probably the easiest way to personalise your wedding. If you've got a printer and a plan, you can make stunning stationery without too much effort. And as long as you practice first on cheaper paper, it can work out as a penny-saver as well. Rachel is one bride who did just that, and every paper detail for her wedding is ah-mazing. Check out the baker's twine, monogram wax seal and calligraphy-addressed envelopes for starters. But there's much, much more. Rachel and Philip combined modern and rustic with some serious flair, so it's worth noting the bunting, jute tablecloths, screen-printed handkerchief favours and the mini hangover kits for the morning after. Stunning pics as ever from the lovely team at Simply Bloom Photography, and don't miss Rachel's own website for more stationery ideas.

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