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With a stunning beachside ceremony, and an incredible reception at
The Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia, this was never going to be an ordinary wedding. Kimberlee and Chris chose Malaysia, as it's half-way between their two families {Australia and the UK}, plus it's breathtakingly beautiful. I'm completely obsessed with the amazing venue, and stylish touches added by the bride and groom. Stealworthy ideas include Kimberlee's simple but chic rose bouquet, her bridesmaids' neutral gowns, the boys' fabulous
Next suits {steal!}, and the cute lego wedding cake toppers. Kimberlee and Chris also created a 'Get to Know The Guest List' booklet, to encourage their friends and family to get talking - such a good idea! Enjoy all of Kimberlee's fab advice - as an events planner, she's something of an expert on these things - and of course,
Ruby Yeo Photography and
Christine Lim's incredible wedding pictures.
We celebrated our wedding on 15th March 2013 at The Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia. With me being from Australia and with Chris being from London, we had always discussed a wedding abroad. We decided on Malaysia as it was the perfect half-way point for both families, and because it is breathtakingly beautiful. I plan events every day for my job with Chillisauce, but even so, I really enjoyed planning my wedding. It's totally different when it's your own day, and it brought Chris and myself closer together. It was a huge task researching a destination wedding but totally worth it. I wouldn't change a thing. We didn't really have any DIY projects - we came up with the idea of having individual keys for each guest, that unlocked a small box at their seat. Also we created a 'Get to Know The Guest List’ page on each table, with funny anecdotes and introductions everyone who attended the wedding. Travel was also a key theme at the wedding which we tied in at the reception; we found all our little decorations and stationary on Amazon and had them shipped over a few weeks before. The temperatures in Malaysia in spring are so hot we opted for boiled sweets rather than chocolate favours, which we also ordered from a small supplier on Amazon.
My advice for brides, would be let your man get involved too. It doesn't have to be something stressful - just something to which you can both contribute. Mood boards are your key to wedding success, especially if you are planning a destination wedding. We could show the wedding planner exactly what we wanted without needing to be there. The Four Seasons catered the food and drinks at our wedding. We chose a luxurious BBQ buffet of chicken, lobster and steak {that guests could have freshly prepared on request}, and an open bar. The wedding planner at The Four Seasons was a great help and they catered for the cake. We decided on a one-tiered, simple ivory cake, decorated with dusky pink and ivory roses. As we were so far from home, it seemed silly to buy a huge cake that we knew wouldn't get eaten.
We didn't have to worry about a wedding florist, because The Four Seasons took care of everything. We had to have the specific colour rose shipped in especially, as the island is so small. When it came to choosing our wedding photographer, we researched for a long time, before we came across Ruby Yeo Photography. Her previous work was so amazing that we had to have her! Chris owns his own photography business - Chris Perry Photography - so selecting our wedding photographer was one of the most important things in our wedding planning.
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After yesterday's crazy storm, who wouldn't want to escape to a desert island! While I can't whisk you away, I can help you dream of a destination wedding thanks to Chris and Kimberlee's beautiful beach wedding. They chose the incredible
The Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia for their wedding venue, which meant they could rely on the hotel to provide many of their wedding details, including their flowers and wedding cake, and of course, the hilarious golf-cart wedding transport! Kimberlee added plenty of her own wedding details as well - despite having to plan her wedding from so far away. I love her idea of providing keys to unlock a box at each guest's table place - it's an original idea I haven't seen at any other weddings. Also the pretty parasols were a fantastic idea, and Kimberlee's fishtail
Vera Wang wedding gown is definitely a stealworthy idea!! Enjoy these incredible wedding photographs by
Ruby Yeo Photography and
Christine Lim {second shooter}, more to come from their reception later. P.S. You can watch
their wedding video too!
We celebrated our wedding on 15th March 2013 at The Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia. With me being from Australia and with Chris being from London, we had always discussed a wedding abroad. We decided on Malaysia as it was the perfect half-way point for both families, and because it is breathtakingly beautiful. The hotel already had such amazing scenery, that we decided to keep everything else simple from a wedding theme point of view. Chris and I have similar tastes so agreeing on things was easy.I really liked the idea of cream and ivory roses for my bouquet and we continued this theme by having an aisle of rose petals on the beach and around the arch way at the ceremony. I always knew I was looking for something individual when it came to the dress. After many dress shop appointments, and boutique visits I found the perfect one. A sleek, white fitted fish-tail gown from Vera Wang. Chris and his groomsmen wore matching baby-blue suits from Next, plus their own shoes and ties.Chris and I first met in London when I took a job at central London event agency called Chilli Sauce . Chris was already working there and I was a new starter, and in our industry there are lots of socialising, trips away and nights out, that led to us getting to know each other. Chilli Sauce plans hen and stag parties, and coincidentally, that's working on shared projects is how our relationship flourished from friendship to love.
Chris and I had been together five years when at Christmas he proposed. It was Christmas Eve morning, when Chris suggested we go out for breakfast at my favourite spot, Annie's Café in Chiswick. I brushed it off as one of my Christmas treats, and thought nothing more of it.
We returned home and Chris presented me with a bound album filled with photos, mementos and reminders of things we had done, and places we had been, in chronological order leading up to a the last few days, before proposing. Chris had placed a video camera in the Christmas tree that captured the whole thing. We have both said since we will enjoy sharing it with our family, friends and in the future our children! When it came to choosing our wedding photographer, we researched for a long time, before we came across Ruby Yeo Photography. Her previous work was so amazing that we had to have her! Chris owns his own photography business - Chris Perry Photography - so selecting our wedding photographer was one of the most important things in our wedding planning.
We didn't have to worry about a wedding florist, because the The Four Seasons took care of everything. We had to have the specific colour rose shipped in especially; as the island is so small. Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free newsletter, for exclusive content and special offers! Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.
This is one of those amazing weddings where the bride thought of every single detail, and DIY'd a fair few {like most} of them. A regular reader of
Before the Big Day, Kelly came up with several fabulous themes, and combined them all with panache! Travel plus secret woodland and a colourful palette equals wedding heaven. And the ideas to steal - there's too many. Just take a look at the amazing handmade hot air balloon table names, the stunning paper cut-style seating plan, and the pinecone place markers. Kelly was up till late the night before her wedding, decorating her tepee venues with six friends - so if you're considering to DIY your decor, remember to arrange a helping hand {or 10}. I love how she placed a sprig of rosemary at each seat, and the hand-stamped balloons on the stationery are the cutest. Instead of a cake, Kelly and Pete chose a massive array of sweetie treats....my type of wedding! Enjoy Kelly's hints and tips in her answers to the Before the Big Day Brides' Questionnaire - there's tonnes of advice for budding brides. Huge thanks to
Richard Galloway for his
stunning wedding photographs.
We got married in the beautiful Secret Garden at Wasing Park in Berkshire. It was a bright and sunny May Day. I liked the idea of a secret garden full of surprise and intrigue, and Wasing Park was the perfect venue. We kept areas hidden so as to surprise our guests with each stage of the wedding.
Our photographer was Richard Galloway. He is an old friend and a professional wedding photographer. We felt we couldn't have made a better decision, as he knew us, and knew that we were planning something fun and curious. Richard's style is reportage, and we wanted more natural shots than traditional posed wedding photographs, so he was the perfect fit.
My dear friend Anna is a graphic designer, and she said that for our wedding, she wanted to give us a gift of the design and execution of our wedding invitations. She carefully created the paper cut design and information sheet, in keeping with the woodland theme, with carefully cut deer and birds in a style similar to Rob Ryan. We even bought in the paper from an old Italian stationer! Lots of energy and patience, but the result was truly elegant.We had a combination of decorations and themes - a travel theme, a secret woodland theme, and a night theme of fire. We also wanted plenty of colour to give the feel of a fiesta, but a country garden version.In keeping with the secret woodland theme we decorated the tables with giant pinecones, and the tent poles with fir and ivy. We wanted it to feel like a feast for the eyes, with plenty of colourful bunting, and paper decorations to add to the ambience. Our wedding florist was a very talented lady called Yolanda Chiaramello She had plenty of experience in floristry, and wanted to work with us on her first wedding. She was excellent at talking through our dreams and visions, and turning them into reality.
Every detail, from the Tizer bottles hosting a single bud, to carefully chosen and placed blooms, and our bouquets were perfect. Yolanda's attention to detail made it an absolute pleasure to work with her. She surpassed our expectations and then some.We are big world travellers, so we chose tepee hats as our marquees, with plenty of travel themed props. Our table names were handmade hot air balloons, which looked like they were floating, thanks to the wonders of fishing wire.
We also had a table laid out with a globe, a guest book made out of a vintage photograph album, and framed photos of dear family members that are no longer with us. The look I was aiming for was a traveller's writing desk, complete with typewriter and other ephemera. I had a few too many DIY projects! I crafted all of the boy's buttonholes, each one bespoke. I also made all of my chicas {most special ladies} a bespoke buttonhole - each one individually designed. I made with six litres of home made vodka {2 lemoncello, 2 mandarin and 2 wild berry}, and the marshmallow and Ferrero Roche sweetie trees. I hand picked all the decorations, made chocolate pots, and the table plan with paper sourced in New York and spray-painted mdf....I enjoyed most of my wedding planning. We had a two-year engagement so it gave us plenty of time to finely tune every detail. I also work in TV Production so genuinely enjoy organising! Towards the end it was at points stressful, but overall it was great. The night before I had six of my closest friends and my sister helping me out decorating the tepees when really I should have been doing my bikini line. We were folding napkins with rosemary and hessian until 10pm, and organising the table settings - this was quite testing, but also made me realise how special my closest friends and sister are to me.
My advice to brides? GO FOR IT {and double your budget!}. If you have a vision, there is nothing wrong with creating your own wedding from scratch. I would really recommend sticking to your plan and try not to be persuaded by packages or the standard. Personal touches go a long way – people really appreciate them and it makes your wedding tailor-made to you. Write lists. Create a bridal book and put all your thoughts and ideas in there. Use Pinterest to build up a mental image of the wedding you are trying to create. Think of your friends with good talents, and ask them to get involved. Enjoy - it is the most amazing thing to do - getting married to your partner for life. So make sure you relish every single moment!Instead of cake, we had a desert table full of a selection of sweets and naughties – some DIY'd by me, but my best friend's mum {the best baker in the world} created a batch of her amazing brownies which we laid out on vintage china. My stepsister, Catherine Clark, is a chef and created the most magical confection – with everything from homemade Daim Bars to Scottish Tablet – oooooh naughty! Our wedding breakfast was a Pakistani feast, so we added lots of exotic sweets as well. More advice - make sure you plan at some point on the day to sneak of with your new husband. The day goes so quickly and it really is important you savour every moment and take a moment to look into each other’s eyes, cheesy as it sounds it is really very important.
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Regular readers of this wedding blog will knew there's nothing I like more than a
Real Bride Submission. The lovely Kelly read
Before the Big Day while planning her wedding, and I'm thrilled to feature all her incredible wedding ideas.
Like me, she hosted her wedding in a secret garden, and chose a mixture of themes for her decorations and props, and a colourful palette. There's so many exciting stealworthy ideas in the reception pictures {hot air balloons, pinecone place markers and Tizer bottles!!}, but first feast your eyes on Kelly and Pete's stunning wedding ceremony. I love the hay-bales and natural wedding arch, Kelly's colourful bridesmaids and the festival-style silk banners - plus giant balloons {yippee!}. Kelly has the most incredible wedding dress story - be sure to read her answers to the Before the Big Day Brides' Questionnaire, and enjoy
Richard Galloway's stunning wedding photographs.
We got married in the beautiful Secret Garden at Wasing Park in Berkshire. It was a bright and sunny May Day. I liked the idea of a secret garden full of surprise and intrigue, and Wasing Park was the perfect venue. We kept areas hidden so as to surprise our guests with each stage of the wedding.We had a combination of decorations and themes - a travel theme, a secret woodland theme, and a night theme of fire. We also wanted plenty of colour to give the feel of a fiesta, but a country garden version.The story of my wedding dress is amazing but true. My first love and now very dear and fabulous friend is now head of menswear design at fashion house Bottega Veneta based out of Milan. He knew as my mummy was no longer with us, that I would want some support with this very important task. I was so grateful for his expertise, time and guidance - he turned a situation that could have been quite sad and difficult, into a very special experience, and for this I will forever be in his debt.We started of by going to Harrods and Harvey Nichols so as I could try on lots of gowns, and from this impression he sketched a dress that would be suitable for my body shape, and would make me feel and look a million dollars. From this point we found a talented dress maker {Charlotte from What Mother Made}, and Greg flew over from Milan for every fitting! I was a very lucky girl indeed.I was also a exceptionally lucky to have shoes especially made for me from this seasons collection from Bottega Veneta, but in cream leather to match my dress.
I bought my veil from Caroline Castigliano. It was very long, and we used the lace from the dress to create a trim for the veil. I had fresh flowers in my hair and borrowed a stunning crystal leaf tiara from my sister-in-law, so my accessories all tied in with the secret woodland theme.
I had two bridesmaids, my sister and goddaughter, and I allowed them to freestyle and choose their own dresses. One wore a royal blue shoulder-less cocktail dress, and the other wore a bright raspberry cocktail dress. Even though the colours didn't match, they worked perfectly, as they had identical bouquets, which tied the outfits together with panache. I wanted to have plenty of colours, and the bridesmaids' dresses felt like a right fit. I had also two flower girls who had cute silk dresses teamed with sunflower headbands, and two pageboys, who were suited and booted in waistcoats and cravats.Pete chose to support a new tailor in Surrey. He went for a classic black tail suit, in very fine silk. His best men rocked the same outfits, but with a shorter jacket. He had the option to change to the shorter jacket in the evening, but kept his tails on. Pete and his best men all wore white ties and looked very dapper. He had two best men, one of whom is a barber, so they all wore very sharp haircuts!Sadly my mother is no longer with us, and I was keen to remember her on my big day. When she got married she wasn't allowed to walk down the aisle to the Hawaiian wedding march, so I was determined I would instead, and so we hired a Dixie jazz band to play me down the aisle.Our wedding ceremony was outdoors and overlooking fields, so I was keen to reflect the natural world in our decorations. We had hay-bales for pews, and I asked our florist, Yolanda Chiaramello to create an arch to walk through, on my way down the aisle. Yolanda met the brief perfectly by choosing beautiful willow, ivy and wild flowers that impressed our guests, and fitted the surroundings perfectly. Working with our incredible humanist celebrant Zena Birch made our planning somewhat magical. Zena met with us regularly to talk through our intentions, and the ceremony. We individually wrote letters to her, and she used these {amongst other elements} to create our bespoke ceremony. Zena came up with the idea of playing pass-the-parcel with our rings, and even sent our final written ceremony to us the week before our wedding day. This - the most important part of our planning - was very, very special and heartfelt, all thanks to Zena.Our photographer was Richard Galloway. He is an old friend and a professional wedding photographer. We felt we couldn't have made a better decision, as he knew us, and knew that we were planning something fun and curious.
Richard's style is reportage, and we wanted more natural shots than traditional posed wedding photographs, so he was the perfect fit.Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free newsletter, for exclusive content and special offers! Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.
