Wintery Star Wedding Bouquet

Frosty mornings have got me thinking about winter weddings! Take a look at this gorgeous winter wonderland snowflake bouquet. It's the perfect accessory for an ice queen bride, and a family heirloom in the making. Created out of three layers of frosted acrylic snowflakes, surrounded by crystal acrylic beads of 'ice', and tied with white satin ribbon, it's a fairytale wedding bouquet. Handmade by Etsy seller, Bridal Bouquets By Ky, it comes even comes with a complimentary boutonnière for your groom. Take a look at Ky's Etsy shop for more beautiful everlasting bouquets.



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Rustic Deer Park Wedding Shoot

Searching for real weddings on wedding blogs are a fantastic way to find wedding inspiration, but often it's the wedding shoots that come up with the truly original ideas. It's something about the alchemy of putting several wedding specialists in one room! I've fallen hard for his gorgeous rustic wedding shoot, themed around the wedding venue, The Deer Park Hotel in Honiton, Devon. Just take a look at the adorable deer theme, reflected in the laser-cut wedding stationery, cute favour biscuits and silhouette cake topper. I love the use of bullrushes in the table flowers, and the groom's tweed three-piece suit. Great inspiration for photo props for your wedding pictures - why not try fishing and archery on for size! Stunning shots published with thanks to Firetop Photography. More credits to the fantastic wedding experts who put this together below the pics!








{Shoot Credits}
Stylist – Sue Fyfe-Williams - Synergy Styling and Photography
Photographer - Venetia Norrington - Firetop Photography at Synergy Styling and Photography
Designer – Kate Walker Bridal
Tweed suit –The Scotland Shop
Hair – Bridal hair by Helen
Make up – Elle Hitchens
Florist – Claire Hassall from Haughty Culture
Cake – Nicki Knox from Eat, Sleep Cake
Bunting & favours – Angie Stubbs from Bunting with loveCookies with love
Brooch bouquet/ boutonniere - Aunties Vintage China
Chair covers – Beautifully seated -
Archery equipment – Outside Adventure Consultants Ltd
Models – Samantha and Luke “Deer” from ShootDHSmodels

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Customisable Vintage Wedding Dresses

From the moment I got engaged, I knew the style of wedding dress I wanted; simple, elegant, exquisite and vintage. Finding it in the price bracket I wanted, was harder! Throw in the fact I don't like rummaging at vintage sales, and the chances of me coming across the perfect vintage wedding dress were slim. Luckily The Vintage Wedding Dress Company solved the problem, and although I ended up buying my wedding dress from Delphine Manivet, I'd recommend their wedding gowns to any bride. Fashion stylist, Charlie Brear sources stunning vintage dresses, but she's also created a range of vintage-style dresses, under her Decades collection, so you can have the vintage effect, without the tiny sizes, and scuffed hems. I love her latest additions to the collection - each gown is customisable, so you can create your own, individual look.



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Real Yellow-Themed Vintage Wedding: Kat & Ben

This wedding is a serious peach, packed with wedding details galore, and tonnes of wedding inspiration. I'm loving everything from the wedding flowers {pom pom buttonholes - woohoo!}, linen suits {chic boys}, pageboy flags and programme fans. But there's more! The mismatched table vases, the yellow parasols and the giant flower in the bride's hair. Everything is perfect, not least the Our Labour of Love photography - yum!


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Mother-of-the-Bride Traditions

Weddings can bring up the stickiest of situations. Butting one family up against another, and adding the stress of a big day can lead to fireworks. Luckily there's a whole bunch of wedding traditions that'll help take the sting out of certain decisions. So if you're worried about where your in-laws should sit on the top table, what the mother-of-the-bride should wear, and which side of the church is bride or groom,  you're going to love these Top Wedding Traditions.


{Product Credit} Wedding bags by Alphabet Bags

1. If you choose to announce your wedding in a newspaper, traditionally it is the father of the bride who takes the step, and pays the bill.

2. The mother-of-the-bride should choose her outfit first, and inform the mother-of-the-groom of the colour and design. This way, there's no risk of accidental matching! My mother's favourite company is Jacques Vert.

3. Traditionally the bride's family pay for the wedding, and the groom's family contribute to the groom's and ushers' suits, the wedding flowers, and wedding transport.

4. During the wedding service, the parents of the bride sit on the left side, in the front seats. The groom's family will then sit on the right side. Immediate family take up the next few rows, on their appropriate side depending on their relationship to the groom or bride. Friends then sit behind family. It's best to put a little note to reserve the front few rows.

5. British wedding traditions state that the bride stands to the right of her Father. They lead the procession, followed by the bridesmaids and pageboys.

6. The groom's mother is seated first {usually by the head usher or another sony}, about 15 minutes before the ceremony begins. The mother of the bride is seated just before the processional (again, usually by the head usher). The bride's mother is the first to be escorted out (usually by her husband) after the bride and groom leave.

7. The first speech is traditionally given by the father of the bride, ending with a toast to the bride and groom. The groom then thanks the bride's parents and the guests, before making a toast to the bridesmaids. Finally, it's the best man.

 8. British wedding tradition dictates that the top table should be, from the left: chief bridesmaid, groom's Dad, bride's Mum, groom, bride, bride's Dad, groom's Mum, best man. If this is too difficult {divorced parents, etc}, then why not consider asking each set of parents to host their own table?

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Gorgeous Glittery Wedding Jewellery

Once you've found your wedding gown, you're going to want to accessorise to the max, and I've fallen for this gorgeous wedding jewellery. Discovered on one of my rambles around Etsy, it's just the right combination knock-out and chic, without being too glitzy. The shop is called Luxe Deluxe and it's a one woman show, run by Adrienne in Edinburgh. Lovely, large ivory/white swarovski pearls are stacked with rhinestones and tiny Swarovski crystals, and swing below sparkling rhinestone set sterling silver studs. It looks like you're wearing the real thing, but the price-tag tells the truth!

♥ Want more wedding jewellery ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding accessory ideas? ♥
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Happy Thanksgiving

Joe and I want to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

One of the things that I'm most thankful for is having such an amazing husband.

It's a beautiful thing so happy planning!

xoxo

Halloween in Happy Valley. Through the Lens Series, Entry 36.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!  It's 6:30am and I've been up since 5am editing a maternity session from last weekend.  We have a big day ahead of us with a Turkey Trot and feasting with friends this afternoon.  I'm going to squeeze in another Christmas card session this afternoon too, so getting my editing out of the way at 5am is the way to go for me today.

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm working on Christmas card photos, so I can't post them just yet.  So now is a good time for me to put up a few photos from Halloween.  Russ and I both big fans of Monsters Inc. so I couldn't resist buying a Sully costume for Maxwell this year.  Unfortunately for me, he was not as enthusiastic about the idea as I was.

We got to celebrate Halloween 3 times this year.  We went Trick or Treating in Minturn the night before Halloween with our friends Emma, Evan and Tyce.  This is my favorite event for Halloween because the people watching is fantastic.  Minturn's main street consists of store fronts with homes dotted throughout and both the businesses owners and the home owners go all out to make it special.  It's also a small enough town that you can be done in an hour, which is important in the valley, because you never know how cold it might be.

The next day they had a big party at Maxwell's school and parents were invited to come along.  We played in the gym and the kids had a big picnic with cookies, candy and a little bit of fruit.  We ventured on to Miller Ranch that night as you can see by the photos, Maxwell was done with that silly costume by this stage.  He was much happier to be munching on pizza in his Superman t-shirt.  Maybe we'll try a Superman costume next year...

Happy Turkey Day!

Getting dressed in the back of the car in Minturn.  We learned pretty quickly before leaving for Minturn that costumes and car seats don't work well together.  

Emma the Pink Unicorn and Evan the Bumblebee in Minturn. 

Tyce the Dragon.

Halloween at Daycare with Ben the Cowboy.  Maxwell wouldn't let me get one photo with the head on his outfit!

Hmmmmm, sugar cookies or chocolate chip.                                            I'll start with a sugar cookie.

So happy to be out his costume at Miller Ranch.




Rose Cut Silver Diamond

I've recently fallen in love with Christine Mighion Jewelry.

The Indiana artist creates Eco-friendly and gorgeous jewelry.

Might be something to consider if you're looking for a great engagement ring, this is definitely a great option!

(photo credit: Christine Mighion Jewelry Etsy shop)

Real Blue-Themed Boho Wedding: Abi & Nath

If you're an eco-bride, a hippy-chick, or you just love the great outdoors, you're going to adore this countryside wedding. Abi and Nath fell in love with their venue Fforest Farm in Wales, and encouraged all their friends and family to come down and celebrate with them, before bedding down in tipis and tunnel tents for the weekend. I'm loving their free spirit, the gorgeous rural venue and the fact they did their wedding their way. DIY brides can take inspiration from the handmade cake, dress and entertainment, all of which was done by friends and family. Get those people working for you! Other stealworthy ideas include the Monsoon bridesmaids dresses {cheap and chic}, the white bunting {always my fav}, and the thistles, which are becoming a bit of a Before the Big Day trend this week. Gorgeous pictures as ever from Hannah at  Kinver Miles Photography - we heart her work big time!

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Rubber Stamp Your Wedding Stationery

It must be the geek in me that loves the idea with these incredible stamps from Paperwink.  They'll give your invitations a personal touch, and hint to your wedding style long before the actual big day.  Just over £10 each, you'll be able to use it again and again, long after your honeymoon you'll find yourself stamping every letter that crosses your path, including your Amex bill!

♥ Want more DIY wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding stationery ideas? ♥
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Food & Wine

I love food. And if you're like how I was, having awesome food at your wedding is top priority. But you can have great food without getting it catered if you have some family help and some great recipes up your sleeve. If you're looking for dishes that go great with the wine you'll be serving at your wedding, F&W has posted their top 50 Pinterest recipe finds, which I think are pretty darn delicious looking too!


(photo credit: Food & Wine webpage screenshot)

Dog Martini Bowtie

This is just too cute. That's all I have to say about this!


(photo credit: Luxe Mutt Etsy shop)

Real Rustic Barn Wedding: Vanessa & Aaron - Part 2

With more fabulous wedding details than you can shake a stick at, plus lots of wonderful DIY ideas, this wedding is a keeper! I'm completely in love with Vanessa and Aaron's quirky vintage style, from Aaron's mismatching socks, Vanessa's happy yellow bridal shoes {from Clark's}, and the bridesmaids elegant sage green gowns. But it's the DIY details you're going to love the most, because they're going to inspire you to create your own. Vanessa designed her own wedding stationery, but she didn't stop there - scroll down for the stunning rustic details, including 'words of wisdom cards' by way of a guestbook, homemade honey, pompoms, striped straws and tonnes of burlap accessories. Don't miss the quintessentially English lawn games, including giant chess and Connect 4, plus a classic old-skool ice-cream van. Vanessa also created fun packs for children, to keep them busy during the wedding reception. Huge thanks to Lawson Photography for their beautiful pictures - don't miss Part 1, and be sure to check out Vanessa's stationery company, Beautiful Ink.


The bridesmaid’s dresses were from Celebration Bridal near my home in Yorkshire and were long chiffon dresses in sage green, which suited my blonde bridesmaids perfectly. They also had flowers in their hair and their bouquets had long trailing yellow ribbons trailing.


My mum loves flowers, so she took the helm in finding the florist, and fell in love with Blossom Flowers in Chorlton, who create really natural and seasonal wedding flowers. Becky from Blossom created all the bouquets and buttonholes using yellow, cream and green flowers and foliage, that looked stunning. My bouquet was tied with tulle to match my dress, and the buttonholes had a hessian bow around them. 



Aaron and I met at University in Huddersfield over 6 years ago. We took a small weekend break to Edinburgh in October 2010 and unbeknownst to me, Aaron had already asked my Dad for permission to marry me. We did lots of sightseeing while in Edinburgh and took a ghost tour late one night. After this we went back to our hotel, where Aaron got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was such a lovely surprise, that it didn’t actually sink in until the next morning when the excitement really set in!

Our photographers were Lawson Photography and we just fell in love with their photography style - and how everyone is happy and smiling in such a natural way in all their photos!




Pete and Laura Lawson work as a team and captured every moment and tiny detail of our wedding; they are also lovely, friendly people who really put Aaron and I at ease in all the photos. They live just round the corner from Rivington Hall Barn, so it was meant to be!

Our venue was Rivington Hall Barn in Lancashire near where my parents live and where I’ve grown up.



We chose yellows and greens for our colours, to represent the country garden elements we were trying to achieve. We kept our colours running throughout, from the striped straws to the wedding stationery I designed. It all just felt very natural and personal which was what we wanted.

I really struggled to find personal and unique stationery that could reflect our day, so being creative I designed our own! I got the main invitations letterpressed by the wonderful Ashley Print & Design in Leeds. I enjoyed creating our stationery so much that set up a small business designing stationery called Beautiful Ink. This year, Country Homes & Interiors Magazine awarded us Runner Up in the Country Business of The Year competition, which is really exciting!


We had tonnes of DIY wedding projects! Aaron was very good at putting up with my requests to spend our Saturday’s decoupage or printing. We made so many elements. We made our table plan using a cheap frame, and tying string across it, and pegging tags to it. 

Instead of a guestbook we made 'words of wisdom cards' with sentences leaving spaces for guests to fill in the words/adjectives. It gave our guests an opportunity to pass on their advice to us as a couple - reading them back the next day was very entertaining.


My dad keeps bees in a field near his house so we decided to give mini honey jars as favours. My dad painstakingly retrieved all the honey and jarred it for us so we created labels and nametags so they could double up as place settings. Everyone seemed to love them!


The table flowers were all arranged by my mum and had a very natural 'handpicked' feel to them in vintage looking sweet jars with Hessian wrapped around them. Our table numbers were bought from eBay, and we decoupaged wallpaper samples onto them, and stuck them on tiles so they'd stand up. We also sourced wood cross-sections to act as bases for the flowers. 

I loved planning our wedding, and on the day I felt such an immense sense of achievement that everything looked and went as I’d envisaged. I don’t think I’ve ever taken on anything so demanding and time consuming, yet so much fun. I loved researching ideas, contacting suppliers and coming up with handmade touches and extra details to make our day special. And it was perfect. The sun even shone, if you can believe it!


Aaron and I stumbled across Claire from Just Darling Cakes when walking through Huddersfield one weekend. We went in for a chat and came out with a wedding cake order! She was so lovely and helpful and completely understood our wedding theme.


Our cake was a white-tiered cake in vanilla sponge, lemon cake and carrot cake. It had daisies, roses and other garden flowers cascading down the tiers, with hints of yellow and green. It looked stunning and tasted great!


My wedding shoes were a sneaky bargain. I’d dreamed of having designer wedding shoes but this wasn’t very realistic and then I stumbled across a pair of yellow suede heels in Clarks that were gorgeous and super comfy! In the evening Tom and I swapped our shoes for a pair of comfy Toms so we could dance the night away!

My advice would be to be prepared for different scenarios such as bad weather, so on the day you can relax, knowing everything has been organised, and if it rains you have a back up plan so won’t be disappointed. Everyone does say this but the day flies by, and it's not often you get all your friends and family in one place so enjoy every conversation, special moment and wedding detail, as it will be over so quickly. The other option is to hire good photographers who will capture it all for you!

♥ Want more DIY wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more barn weddings? ♥
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