Before the Big Day on BBC Radio 4's PM Programme

On the eve of the legalisation of gay marriage in the UK, I was thrilled to be invited onto BBC Radio 4's PM programme to discuss the popularity of weddings. I headed down to famous Broadcasting House in central London, and up to the studios, where I met presenter Eddie Mair and my lovely discussion partner, Gareth McLean. As the red on-air light came on, I was more than a little nervous, as you can probably hear in my voice - but I soon settled down, and had a fantastic time! Have a listen by clicking the link below!

{Picture Credit} Lovely pastel radio picture by Simply Hue Designs

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Real Detail-Filled Pastel-Themed Wedding with Bunting & Rosettes

There's nothing I love more than a wedding with tonnes of stealworthy ideas. This gorgeous affair was planned by Michelle of Blissd Events, and you can tell it's a professional job, because every detail is brilliantly put together. Certain things, like the pastel colours and the repetition off a flag motif and little cartoons of the happy couple are repeated through the wedding, and that's what creates to 'together' feel. I'm loving the vintage details, from the old window frame and the car, plus the stationery details - including the Just Married flags, rosette buttonholes and bunting. Incredible flowers by Nancy Lui Chin, and the pictures are by the wedding blogger's favourite, Jose Villa.

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Make Mine a Tiara: Incredible Wedding Hair Accessories

My excitement for all things wedding runs pretty high, by my pulse leapt an extra few beats a minute when I rediscovered the fabulousness which is the Ban.Do website. I first found them way back in 2010, when I fell in love with these glittery heart shoe-clips, but now they do so much more! Just take a look at these incredible bridal hair accessories. They each have cute names, my favourite being the Empress Tiara - oh yes! Which one would you choose?

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Real Peaches & Cream English Wedding with a South African Theme

Some of us blushing brides really get into the whole wedding 'thang'. For some, it's just the special day when they married their gorgeous man, but for others, it becomes something of an obsession, and then a hobby, and then even a career. That's exactly what my wedding became for me, as I started this wedding blog a couple of months before I got engaged {it's a long story involving a very long-suffering boyfriend who eventually got the hint!}. Gorgeous bride, Clare, had a very similar experience. She enjoyed planning her wedding so much, that she started her own company, The Beautiful Wedding Company, which ingeniously combines planning with bridal beauty. You can see her work in the fabulous details in her own peaches and cream wedding. From her exquisite wedding gown, to her gorgeous colour-popping bridesmaids' dresses, every detail is perfectly matched, right down to the ushers' ties. I'm also loving the countryside chic of the barn venue - one of my closest friends celebrated her wedding at Loseley Park, and it's a gorgeous venue. Huge thanks to PR Photography for these beautiful pictures.

We celebrated our wedding at Loseley Park, Guildford on June 18th. The venue is breathtaking, a stunning old manor, surrounded by rolling English countryside, a rose garden, tithe barn and even a Tudor hall. We wanted a venue that was magnificent, English and yet intimate. Loseley Park is also in-between our parents' homes, making it ideal for both bride and groom’s parties!

My dress was aptly called 'Summer' by Maggie Sottero. I tried on tonnes of dresses as I had no idea what I wanted to wear or what would suit me. The wonderful sales assistants at Miss Bush Bridalwear, in Ripley, made sure I tried on everything from the big 'Grace Kelly' style dresses, Grecian styles, full laced dresses…..every style going! 

All I knew was that I did not want any sparkly diamante, I’m much more of a flowers and bows kinda girl. When I tried Summer on it was instantly 'the dress' it fitted so well, made me feel amazing and my mum cried! Definitely the winner!

I wore pearl earrings borrowed from my mother and an ivory rose with pearls in the middle from Etsy in my hair. I wanted a classic chignon hairstyle, but flowers featured in my dress and I wanted to mirror that in my hair.

My shoes were ivory 'Marylyn's' from Rachel Simpson. They had bows on the side {of course!)}, and they were simple, pretty and elegant.  I am a huge fan of Rachel Simpson, her designs are varied yet feminine! 

My bridesmaids wore cornflour blue, full-length, Dessy dresses. My mum found flowers for them to wear in their hair, and they wore silver Carvela shoes.

I enjoyed planning my wedding so much, that I’ve trained to do it as a profession and have launched my own company! Check out The Beautiful Wedding Company.

For our flowers, we picked Sarah More-Molyneux, who's a fabulous florist and owner of Loseley Park. I met Sarah in London to go through flowers and colours. I knew I wanted soft pinks and creams, and Sarah encouraged me to go for roses – as they're timeless summer flowers. Sarah created cream rose buttonholes for the groomsmen, and all the fantastic floral displays in the Great Hall and the Barn.

George and the groomsmen hired their tails from Austin Reed, and the dark grey worked really well with the cornflower blue ties. George wore a Ferragamo tie with giraffes on it {his contribution to the South African theme!}.

My veil was my 'something borrowed' from one of my best friend's. It's full-length, and it looked amazing as I walked down the aisle with my Dad. My Mum didn’t want me to wear a veil, she thought it would detract from the dress, but you only get married once and I was adamant I wanted to wear a veil!

Our wedding photographer was Sasha from PR Photography London. This was one of the easier supplier choices as she photographed my best friend's wedding, and I fell in love with her pictures. Sasha was great - she captured so many special moments, and took George and I off into the rose gardens and caught some of my favourite pictures.
 

 Our main wedding colours were dusky pinks, creams and peaches, with the bridesmaids in 'pop' cornflower blue dresses, which matched the groomsmen's ties. The other key theme was, 'South Africa', as we got engaged there and wanted it to play a part in the wedding. 

We named our tables after African animals, with illustrations drawn by my very talent mother-in-law, who happens to be an artist! She also drew our table planner. It was amazing to add her talent to our wedding, and the stationery was so unique and personal to us. Epic were our printers, they were brilliant and very efficient!

We had hand-made South African soapstone bowls as favours, and mini ivory buckets filled with Percy Pig sweets on each table with a label saying, 'Percy Pigs, Love is Sweet'. These looked lovely and were a fun additional detail, albeit a bit random!

Our cake was three tiers, with an extra cutting cake. The bottom tier and the cutting cake were Rocky Road, and the top two tiers were vanilla sponge. We both hate fruit cake and when our lovely cake lady, Rachel from Surrey Cakes, gave us mini rocky road cakes to taste we were sold! Our guests loved it as they were expecting fruit cake and got a little yummy surprise instead. Our cake had delicate iced pearls and butterflies around it, as well as our gorgeous pink, cream and peach roses.

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Fruity vs Floral Wedding Cakes

Decorating your own wedding cake is a great way to keep costs down. Obviously there's nothing better than designer cake, but you don't want to be stuck with a thousand pound debt just because you went for an amazing confection from Choccywoccydoodah! Budget-savy brides buy their cake tiers from a high-street supermarket like M&S, and add their own decorations. Flowers have been in fashion for years, but recently I've seen a fabulous move towards fruity decor. Which do you prefer? Of course, you could go completely off-piste, and accessorise your wedding cake with macaroons {like this Before the Big Day bride}, or oreo biscuits! Don't miss my fabulous Wedding Cakes inspiration board on Pinterest.

{Photo Credits} 1. Jennifer Van Elk, more from this wedding on Budget Savvy Bride, 2. Sarah Falugo, more from this wedding on Style Me Pretty, 3. Unknown

{Photo Credits} 1. Aaron Delesie, more from this wedding on Snippet & Ink, 2. Unknown, 3. Annie McElwain, more from this wedding on Green Wedding Shoes

{Photo Credits} 1. Bret Cole Photography, more from this wedding on Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2. Unknown, 3. Unknown

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Whimsical Wishbone Bracelet for Your Bridesmaids

I'm always on the hunt for the perfect present for a girlfriend. One of my best friends is just amazing at gifts {for my birthday she gave me a stunning star necklace from Liberty}, and I'm always playing catch-up! So when I spotted these whimsical wishbone bracelets, I knew I had to share. Not only are they a great little birthday present, they'd work perfectly as bridesmaids gifts. Weddings are all about wishing for a fabulous future, and with your bridesmaids wearing these little charms, nothing could go wrong on your big day! I'd even tie one to my bouquet!

{I want this!} Wishbone bracelets, £12.45 by Sea and Cake

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Brides the Show - This Weekend

Super-glam, and a great day out, if you're free this weekend, you won't want to miss Brides the Show. Taking place in London's Battersea Park, it's a brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in all things bridal - play with make-up looks, try on gorgeous wedding gowns and create your own wedding day details in our Imagination Room. There's live demonstrations, daily catwalk shows, and tonnes of brilliant vendors, all packed with wedding ideas and inspiration. I'm a huge fan of wedding fairs - they're best enjoyed with a couple of girlfriends and/or your mum. Just make sure you enjoy a cream tea {plus a glass of fizz} half-way through the day, to keep you sugar-levels up! Tickets are available on the door, and it runs until Sunday afternoon at 6pm

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Winter Weddings

Winter Wedding Decor Ideas

Winter is a beautiful time of year to plan your wedding, which will be magically glistening and stunningly timeless, and the most unforgettable moment of your life that you’ll treasure always.

Planning your winter wedding day will ensure that it runs smoothly and to plan, and hiring a wedding planner will guarantee that this is the case. Your planner can help you decide whether you’d like a wedding abroad, which favours and centrepieces you love, and other things such as bridesmaid dresses and seating plans. For more planning information, go to http://www.hitched.ca/wedding-planning/.

Have a look at the following winter decor ideas for inspiration on your wedding day decoration.

Color Schemes

Popular winter wedding colors are reds, greens and blues, although when it comes to color schemes, a good rule to follow is ‘less is more’. You don’t want to go over the top on these colors as it can become a little too much, but subtle outbursts look stunning.

Reds

Red themes are timeless and classy, and work perfectly in the winter seasons. They especially look amazing with a mix of green and a little gold, and are effortlessly finished off with a touch of red lipstick and small matching details here and there.

Blues

Blue color schemes look beautiful with gold, white and silver, and indicate a very elegant and classy bride and groom. Blue color schemes really suit the winter months, bringing that edge of glistening iciness, but the right amount of warmth to make your guests feel at home.

Neutrals

Neutral colours work just as well for wintery themes, with touches of gold, silvers and browns. Neutral colors bring that rustic feeling to life, and give a sense of that woody countryside feeling that can be finished off perfectly with a classic open fire for your guests to warm their chilly hands.

Centrepieces

Centrepieces come down to the bride and groom’s personal taste, but when it comes to winter, centrepieces should be warming and ideally a conversation starter for all your guests. Beautiful winter centrepieces really bring a room together, and add towards that special little something that makes your wedding so personal and memorable.

Pine cones

Pine cones make for a really simple yet pretty winter centerpiece, and give off quite a rustic feel about them. You can either leave them in their natural state, or spray paint them red and silver or gold, to give your guests a warm wintery feeling.

Floating centrepieces

Putting a single flower into a little vase of water to float makes for such a simple but beautiful centrepiece design. The image below shows some gorgeous wintery ideas, but the same effect can be received by any flower of your choice, and even tea lights. If you like the idea of this but want it on a bigger scale, you could invest in some glass fish bowls and do a mix of the both, floating flowers and a few tea lights to finish it off.

Candy

This is a really cool and quirky idea for a table decoration, and a centrepiece that all ages of your guests will appreciate. With red and white candy sticks and stunning flowers, this is a centrepiece that gives off a definite Christmassy feeling about it, and also works as a joint favour, while the candy sticks are an after dinner treat for your guests to help themselves to.

The Cake

The wedding cake is a classic and traditional part of every wedding, and in more recent years, the bride-and-groom-to-be have decided to personalise their cake in order to differ from the conventional three tiers that everyone is overly familiar with. However, wedding cakes are also the perfect opportunity to theme and design your cake into a festive and wintery feast.

Cute and Simple

If you want a simple wedding cake, that matches your color scheme, a round, tiered cake, finished with ribbon and the bride and groom’s initials on top make for a really cute yet beautiful winter wedding cake.

Alternative

Alternative wedding cake ideas would include gorgeous cupcakes, macaroons and cake filled snow cones, any design that isn't to usual tiered wedding cake, or a tiered cake that is slightly off centre and unique.

Red

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/400538960579702924/

http://www.itakeyou.co.uk/wedding/red-winter-wedding-colourred-winter-wedding-ideas/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/106960559871464522/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/26880928999864410/

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2012/12/03/california-winter-glitter-photo-shoot-from-mirelle-carmichael/

Neutral

http://greenvillabarn.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dusty-rose-champagne-bliss.html

pine cones

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/551057704377072350/

http://www.artinbloomfloral.com/portfolio/wedding.cfm?id=13

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/559431584934752304/

Candy

http://greenweddingshoes.com/a-love-shoot-at-a-christmas-tree-farm/

http://www.bridalguide.com/photo-galleries/real-weddings/tis-the-season/winter-wedding-favors

cute and simple

https://www.etsy.com/listing/111757481/monogram-wedding-cake-topper-rustic-love

http://weheartit.com/entry/20616196

http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-photos/cakes/summer-wedding-cake-ideas/i/66f41281af7578a1-48aa8b72b456c112/f569445bb5bbc0fe

http://junebugweddings.com/wedding-blog/what-junebug-loves/rustic-winter-wedding-inspiration-in-the-french-alps/

http://indulgy.com/post/uJBfipC681/lace

A Summer Barn Wedding with a Music Theme - The Reception

With a music theme, several naked wedding cakes and a stunning barn wedding venue, this has got to be one of my favourite big days from last summer. Katy and Mark chose the stunning countryside of West Sussex for their wedding, and added tonnes of inspirational details to their reception. My faves have to be the personalised, CD wedding favours {entitled 'Do Me A Favour', the simple but sweet menu cards and the picture-perfect bunting. Even the wedding portraits are gorgeous - I love Katy's pretty parasol {buy similar here} - a great photo prop that could come in handy in a shower! Big love to Kelly from Lola Rose Photography for her beautiful wedding photographs.

We celebrated our wedding on 17th August with a ceremony at St Andrews Church in Steyning, followed by our reception at Bartholomew Barn, Kirdford, West Sussex.

Kelly from Lola Rose Photography did our lovely photos. She was recommended to us, deservedly so!

Bartholomew Barn was a great venue for a band and had beautiful scenery. The building itself was stunning as was the gorgeous carp pond. We had music as a theme and I love the colour blue, so we used that for our details.

Mark's sister Kerrie Tillyer did our beautiful wedding flowers, they were absolutely stunning. We had 
frothy hydrangeas mixed with roses and stocks.

We made a CD of some of our favourite songs for our wedding favours. We slipped these into specially designed CD-cases, that also worked as table place names.

We hand painted photo frames {well my husband did!} to hold covers of our favourite albums. Each album represented a table.

Our friend Amy Young made our beautiful wedding cakes. We loved the idea of having a few of our favourites rather than a traditional cake. 

I really enjoyed spending lots more time with mum and my sister organising my wedding day - it was fun! 

Our band ‘The Moveons’ were amazing. We have seen them before and we loved them. Our first dance was Ray Charles ‘Hallelujah I love her'.

My advice to other brides would be give yourself time. If it's not really important, then don't spend a lot of time making a decision on it.

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