Real Summer Countryside Wedding: Victoria & Richard

English summer weddings don't get better than this! Victoria and Richard celebrated their big day in the New Forest, with a traditional ceremony in the local church, followed by a marquee reception in the garden. For all those brides worrying about the English weather, just check out the gorgeous sunshine. There were perfect blue skies from start to finish, and they held their champagne reception on the lawn - bliss! I'm loving Victoria's stunning Ritva Westenius Couture gown and her cathedral length veil, plus her elegant pearl ear rings courtesy of W&W Private Jewellers. Stealworthy details include the herbilicious napkin bundles, the luggage tags, and the cute peg display for place cards and hats. Victoria chose family-style, long tables rather than round ones, which makes for a much more informal dining, and the airy marquee was decorated with stephanotis, white roses and orchids. Truly a stunning affair, all photographed by the talented Patrick from Butler Madden Weddings. For further suppliers don't miss Victoria's answers to the Before the Big Day Bridal Questionnaire below the pics.

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Victoria was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
The New Forest, on 12th June 2010

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We chose our local church followed by a reception at our family home. We wanted an informal, relaxed wedding with a rural and rustic feel.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
We chose a green and white colour theme.

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision? I picked a Ritva Westenius Couture gown, after visiting half a dozen bridal boutiques specialising in more floaty materials / Grecian style dresses rather than strapless / corseted dresses. I ended up falling in love with the material of this dress and increasing the lace! I teamed the dress with gorgeous pearl ear rings from my husband's company W&W Private Jewellers who come highly recommended!

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
He wore a traditional morning suit - I've no idea where it was from, but at least he got a completely new outfit, waist-coat and tie included!

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
My mother made three green dresses for young bridesmaids

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We had a traditional 3-tier fruit cake made by friend and wedding guest, Lucy Till, who I'd highly recommend.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
No, we didn't have any favours, because my opinion is that bought favours can be naff and they're a slightly American tradition (wrongly or rightly). Couldn’t think of anything homemade that represented ‘us’, so preferred not to have favours!

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
We had a local (& extremely knowledgeable) florist called Jill Stagg {01590 616201}, and we picked a selection of white flowers particularly stephanotis, orchids, roses amongst greenery. We had an amazing floral archway at the church entrance, and the flowers on the marquee poles were particularly gorgeous. Family members helped out with the arrangements on the tables.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We chose Patrick Butler-Madden, because he's a friend, but also a fantastic photographer. We researched his previous work and met with him to discuss our requirements, to make sure he was the right decision. On the day he was really professional and unobtrusive, and photographs were fantastic – highly recommended!

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Yes - it was a great opportunity for some family time as everyone was involved with various 'jobs'.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Enjoy being engaged – it's a special time. Then just do a couple of 'jobs' each weekend rather than a mad rush months in advance or near the end. It shouldn't be a stressful exercise or chore, so aim to approach it in a relaxed manner!

♥ Want more countryside wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more church wedding ideas? ♥

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Real Elegant Scottish Wedding: Claire & Simon

I'm showing unashamed favouritism to this gorgeous Edinburgh wedding for two reasons. One is that it was photographed by a hugely talented friend of mine, Patrick from Butler-Madden Weddings, and the other is because the stunning bride Claire, is wearing the same dress that I chose for my wedding!  It's the Anatole dress by Delphine Manivet, and Claire teamed it with Delphine's unique lace stole, and her dreamy cathedral-length veil. Both the stole and veil are made using Calais lace, which is famous around the world for its traditional style and quality. But despite my favouritism, there are so many stealworthy ideas from this elegant wedding. I'm loving Claire's bouquet, with it's combination of large and small roses, plus a smattering of eryngium blooms {they look like thistles}, which also make an appearance in Simon's buttonhole. Also loving the presence of the Scottish guard at the end, complete with bagpipes, plus the polaroid camera guest book and scrolled stationery. Don't miss Claire's answers to the Before the Big Day Brides Questionnaire below, and in a first for Before the Big Day, take a look at their amazing wedding video by Angus Pigott! Be warned....it made me cry, and wish I'd booked a videographer for my own wedding.

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Claire was kind enough to fill in our bridal questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
In Edinburgh in October last year.

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
The venue was Prestonfield House. I have known it from childhood as magical place, full of atmosphere and fantastic for a party. The drinks reception took place in the hotel which is beautifully decorated, so all that was added were some candles. The marquee where the dinner took place was a blank canvas and the only thing I knew I wanted was lots and lots of candlelight.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
I based everything around a thistle-like flower called Eryngium which has a wonderful blue/green colour hue.

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
My dress and veil came from Delphine Manivet, I loved interesting and modern feel of her designs. My shoes came from Gina and I think they were my favourite bit of my outfit. They were very very high and covered in Swarovski crystals, more like jewellery than shoes and I love them.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
Simon’s suit was made by a retired tailor who is a family friend.

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
These came from a company called D’Zage. They had a fabric that perfectly matched the blue/purple colour I was looking for. D’Zage was also good because it was the only company I found that could provide suitably cut dresses for my two bridesmaids who were 11 and 15. We bought the dresses through a bridal shop in Edinburgh called La Novia, the service we had there was absolutely appalling and I would not recommend them.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
My mother-in-law made our cake, it was simple and pretty. We decorated it with flowers and a friend made peg people to sit on top. They were so sweet and she managed to match them to our outfits. They are a lovely memento of the day.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
We didn’t really do favours, but all the women had a small box of Laduree macaroons at their place setting. This was my mothers’ idea as a tribute to the time when we lived in Paris. She was very keen for us to have an entire macaroon wedding cake, so this was a compromise.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Our florist was Tony from By Appointment Only Design. I had seen images from their website and when we met, I felt that he had really listened to what I was asking for and was going to develop it into something wonderful. What Tony came up with was absolutely stunning - from the lavender and candlelit walkway into the marquee, to the variety of arrangements on the tables round the room and on the peripheral console tables. His attention to detail was outstanding.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Patrick Butler-Madden, who was fantastic. He was recommended to us through friends and we are so pleased with our photographs. The reception was difficult to photograph as much of it took place in dark interiors, but he coped brilliantly and we have a wonderful album to look back over. Patrick was relaxed, incredibly friendly and he captured the day perfectly. Patrick also arranged for a colleague to make a short, informal film of the day. For us this 5 minute, beautiful and happy video has captured the day far better than any big production could possibly achieve and we feel incredibly lucky to have it.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Mostly! Working full time and organising the wedding at a 400 mile distance was sometimes challenging and required good communication. I did enjoy spending lots of time at home in Edinburgh with my family.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Enjoy being engaged, this is a very romantic time and it whizzes by with all the preparation, so make the most of it. From a practical point of view, make sure you leave enough time to get ready and that someone is responsible for making sure the order of services have all been delivered...

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Real Italian Destination Wedding: Guiliana & Rodi

If you're not already planning your summer holiday or honeymoon, this amazing destination wedding is going to make you long for a holiday in Italy. Gorgeous couple Guiliana and Rodi chose the Amalfi Coast for their wedding, and it looks amazing! I'm loving all the little details, from Guiliana's cute mode of transport to the church {is that golf cart? a mini-moke?}, Rodi's smart three-piece suite, and the azure blue theme colour picked out in Rodi's tie and in the wedding flowers. Guiliana was a beautifully elegant bride - I adore her lovely satin-rimmed veil, her double hair-band, and her simply stunning off-the-shoulder wedding dress. Stunning pictures published with thanks to Patrick from Butler-Madden Weddings.

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