The Wedding Food Revolution

In the last few years there's been something of a wedding food revolution. Sit-down wedding dinners and buffets are being replaced by a much more dynamic style of dining, in the shape of mobile food trucks. Much more glamorous than your local hotdog trailer, these vintage-style caravans come in all shapes and sizes. Pick a cupcake or ice-cream van as a fun wedding detail, or select several to cater for your entire wedding. Your guests will have the fun of choosing what they'd prefer to eat, there'll be less waste, and it'll slim your wedding budget. Plus you get a big dollop of vintage heavenliness at your wedding.

Enjoy Cupcakes have just added Coral to their collection of cute caravans. Unfortunately she lives in the US. {Picture Credit: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty}

Vintage Scoops is the brainchild of Mrs Scoops, who owns Bettty, very cool retro ice cream van
{Photo Credit: Paul Wilkinson Photography}

The Splitscreen Ice-Cream Co. serves mouth-watering, organic award-winning ice cream from a seriously cool and iconic vintage Volkswagen van.

The Flying Ducks offer a retro dining experience from a vintage caravan. It really is a thing of wonder!

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Vail Family Photos - They Hyslops on Vail Mountain

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were able to run around outside with all of the fall leaves. If you look closely at the photos from my session with the Hyslops, you'll see that the Gore Range was showing some signs that winter was on it's way. Now we're in the thick of it, but it doesn't matter which season we're in. The mountains will always make for a stunning background for any photo session!

Click here to see more Vail Family Photos

Exquisite Whimsical Wedding Veils

These wedding veils are just exquisite. I can't tell you how excited I was when I stumbled upon SIBO Designs' Etsy shop. I'm a strong believer in the veil - until I tried mine on, I didn't feel like a proper bride! My Delphine Manivet wedding dress was very simple, so I needed a cathedral length, lace veil to add interest. And when Delphine kindly gave me one of her handmade veils, edged with lace from the famous designers in Calais - I couldn't have been more thrilled. SIBO Designs' veils are just as beautiful, but considerably cheaper - leaving you more money to spend on wedding day jewellery!

{I want this!} Gorgeous wedding veils by SIBO Designs

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Sparkly Wedding Cocktail Accessories

Everything looks better with a bit of sparkle. So why not add these cheeky drink stirrers to your wedding cocktails? Even a simple G&T would look flare with these tinselled marvels, but I'd recommend choosing your own signature cocktail, and coming up with a fabulous name. Available in gold or silver, they'd look pretty fabulous at a Christmas party as well. DIY or buy them from Em for Marvelous {cool name for a shop!}.

{I want this!} Tinsel drink stirrers £47.14 for 100 by Em for Marvelous

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Pretty Paper Wedding Garlands

Flowers are the traditional go-to wedding decoration, but what can you do if your budget doesn't stretch to billions of blooms? I'm a huge fan of that unsung hero: paper. Create pompom peonies out of tissue paper for a tenth of the price, string the ceilings with paper chains, and add LED's to dozens of paper lanterns for romantic low lighting. Or take inspiration from the gorgeous paper garlands created by Maisy & Alice. I love these strings of stars, but there's a huge range of geometric fabulousness on their website, including stunning 3D heart garlands.

{I want this!} Star Garland, £8.24 for 9 feet {& upwards} by Maisy & Alice

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Vail Family Photographer - The Losa Family

I ran my first set of mini sessions recently and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Families were able to select a 30 minute time slot over the course of a weekend and I gave myself a 15 minute break between each session.  Each of the families had filled out a questionnaire before their arrival and the small breaks gave me a chance to get the room ready for their specific requests.  

Heather had told me that she wanted plain and simple backdrops, so we stuck with a white background and a black backdrop.  They brought in 2 changes of clothes and were done within 20 minutes.  

As you can guess, I have a soft spot for families with 2 boys, so it was great to see them all interacting and it gave me a glimpse into what's in store for me in a few years.  Luckily, the boys smiled sweetly and let me get some great pics for their Mom! 

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Pretty Rainbow Wedding Journals

Planning your wedding? These pretty leather-bound journals from Jackdaw Bindery are the perfect way to record your creative musings and inspirational wedding ideas. I love the rainbow pages, but you could choose your signature wedding colour instead, and add a monogram or motif. I'm ordering one for a friend to use as a pregnancy diary, and they'd make lovely presents for your bridesmaids. Each journal is handmade in Chichester by Louise Knight-Richardson, who's a professional book-binder by trade - I love how romantic and Victorian that sounds!

{I want this!} Leather-bound journals, from £19 by Jackdaw Bindery

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Vail Senior Photos - Matty in Eagle Vail.

I've mentioned it before in other posts, and I'll say it again.  I really enjoy doing high school senior photos.  The clients can take direction and you don't have the pressure that comes with other styles, such as corporate or wedding photography.  It's usually a pretty relaxed and casual atmosphere.

Matty's recent session was no exception.  We had a tight deadline to work with and there was a huge storm rolling in.  It's hard to tell from the photos, but we had a huge plunge in the temperature during the session and it was snowing by the end.  I've done plenty of shoots in the snow, but this was a particularly cold day.  Matty was a total pro though and you can't tell from the photos how cold it really felt.  This was my last shoot before the snow came, so you can see the last of some great fall colors in the background.

Click here to see more Vail High School Senior Photos.

My New Favourite Wedding Florist

Finding a florist for your wedding can be a complete minefield. There's a lot of generic designers out there who'll do a great job, but if you're looking for something a bit different, a bit quirky and unique, then you'll love Rose & Wolf Flowers. It's run by a friend of a friend of mine called Georgina Agutter, and I've been following her work on Instagram for the last few months. I love the slightly haphazard style of her romantic wedding bouquets, and the clean precision of her more formal work. Take a look at her Facebook site for her latest wedding designs - I love the pop of colour in this whimsical bouquet.

{Picture Credit} Rose & Wolf Flowers - email here

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Before the Big Day Feeling Popular on Twitter

Goodness me - how did this happen! Thank you to all my new followers - I hope I'm interesting enough!!! Have you found me on Twitter and/or Facebook? Why not join in the conversation? {Or ready my mad ramblings about crab sticks!}

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Vail Maternity and Newborn Photos - The Cartin Family

At the start of 2014, I ran a promotion for a maternity and newborn package.  Luckily there seems to have been a bit of a baby boom in our valley lately, and the promotion was a great success.  The Cartin's are one of the lovely families that I was lucky enough to work with.  They both love the outdoors, so we headed to a great spot in East Vail to take some family photos for their maternity session.  As you can see from the foliage, we still had some of the great fall colors in the aspens.  It was a beautiful day and a great way to capture their family dynamic before a special wee man arrived.  Scroll down to see the photos from their newborn session with Stanley.

A few weeks after these photos were taken, Master Stanley arrived and graced us with a wonderful photo session.  This young man didn't make a peep for the entire time I was there.  He slept and let me contort him into lots of different poses.  I joked that I should have taken a video of him, so that I could show it to all of the newborns as a 'how to' video.  He was an absolute delight!

Click here to see more Vail Family Photos.

Beautiful Wedding Jewellery for the Budget Conscious Bride

When I was planning my wedding, I was all about trying to create a luxe look on a budget. But that's easier to do with wedding decorations and stationery.....when it comes to your wedding gown and jewellery, it's much harder. I splashed out and bought a designer gown, but I paired with realistic, but fake diamond jewellery {apart from my engagement ring!}. So I was thrilled to discover these pretty perfect pearl drop earrings by Olivier Laudus. They're made out of cubic zirconia, but only you need to know that! If anyone asks, I'd say they're a vintage find from this little boutique you found in London!

{I want this!} Pearl drop earrings, £39.99 by Olivier Laudus

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Vail Newborn Photographer - Baby Lola

I'm trying to start 2015 with a clean slate, so it's going to be a December blitz of blog posts for the next couple of weeks, as I try to finish posting photos from some of my favorite sessions this year.  We'll start with Little Miss Lola.  I had just bought a handful of new backdrops from Bubblegum Backdrops and Lola was kind enough to help me test them out.  Being that I live in a houseful of boys, I always love a good girly fix when I can get one.  Didn't she do a great job?!

Click here to see more Vail Newborn Photos.

The Perfect Unnecessary Wedding Detail

Aren't these gorgeous?! Sometimes it's the simplest of wedding details that really gets me going. And anything to do with stationery really rocks my world. These rustic stickers by Ohhh So Darling make me want to start writing letters, just so I can use them to seal the envelopes. They'd be the perfect way to brand your wedding. Stick them to your napkins and invitations, wrap them around paper straws, or use them on your confetti sachets as pictured. So many fabulous DIY ideas, and at only £7 for 100, you can afford to go sticker-crazy!

{I want this!} Rustic Personlised Stickers, £7 for 100 by Ohhh So Darling
Buy glassine bags like these from eBay seller Tilly Mint

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Big Wedding Bunting Love

Back when I first started Before the Big Day {four years ago - eek!}, it was really difficult to find bespoke wedding details. The USA was miles ahead of us in terms of creativity. But now, brides in the UK who want unique wedding decorations can find loads of individual boutique sellers. One of my favourite resources is Etsy. If you've never heard of it, you've missed out - take a look! This morning I found a brilliant shop called BaloolahBunting, which sells romantic lacy bunting. The pretty laser-cut flags create a stunning effect - perfect for wedding decorations. I can imagine them fluttering in a summer's breeze, or adding light in barn wedding venue. Baloolah have also branched out into other wedding accessories, including ring pillows and table decorations - all of it gorgeous!

{I want this!} Laser Cut Bunting, £42 by BaloolahBunting

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How To DIY Your Wedding Cake - Butterfly Theme

Take one simple white wedding cake, add a flock of butterflies, and caboom! you've got an incredible, dramatic work of art. Just goes to show what a touch of DIY can do. Each butterfly is handmade, complete with antennae {!}, and they come in a variety of species and colours. Buy your beautiful bugs from Butterfly Bazaar, and learn how to decorate your cake in a special tutorial here. For plain white wedding cakes, you can't do better than good old Marks & Spencer.

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Whimsical Hand-Embroidered Wedding Heirlooms

These are so whimsical and old fashioned, that they're the very essence of romance. Instead of carving your names into a tree, Jessica from Minature Rhino {I know, interesting name!} will do it for you, in her own inimitable style. Each item is carefully embroidered by hand, and they're heirlooms of the future. They'd look great on a sweetheart table, or you could simply send one to your future husband on the morning of your wedding. Alternatively, you could ask Jessica to create a custom design for your bridesmaids. Don't miss her website, for a feast of inspirational ideas.

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Beaver Creek Chapel Wedding - Jennifer and Scott

I was so excited to shoot Jennifer and Scott's wedding at Beaver Creek this fall. It was nice to get out and do a wedding after a busy fall season of family photos. The architecture of the Beaver Creek Chapel is beautiful, with an intricate wood ceiling that adds interesting lines to low angle photos, and amazing stone work on the exterior.

Jennifer and Scott had a morning ceremony followed by a reception later that evening at The Pines Lodge.  We had bright blue skies that morning, so we spent a lot of time shooting in the shade.  The afternoon was a completely different story and we were lucky to grab some photos of the happy couple before the rain really set in.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from their special day.

Click here to see more Beaver Creek Wedding Photos.