Cute Christmassy Winter Wedding Favours

Is anyone else already getting excited about Christmas? Twinkling fairy-lights, warming mulled-wine, snug scarves and rustling presents under the tree? It's no wonder winter weddings are amongst the most magical. Several of my friends have chosen to host their big day in December, and all their weddings felt like we'd stepped straight into Narnia. Add a little bit of fairy-tale to your wedding reception with these adorable gingerbread house coffee biscuits. Delicious favour, and sweet treat in one, they're the perfect after-dinner treat. Cookie Art London make stacks of amazing biscuits - check out their 'Will You Be My Bridesmaid' set, and edible Christmas tree decorations.

Gingerbread House Biscuits, £12 for 16 by Cookie Art London

Love Before the Big Day? Find us on Facebook and Twitter, and check out our Pinterest boards. Don't miss a single post - sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin! 

Wedding Trends of 2015 - Pretty Meringue Kisses

First spotted on the streets of Shoreditch, the Meringue Girls have made meringues trendy again. They're the new macaroons - pretty, perfect mouthfuls that melt on the tongue. They call them 'kisses', and they're mallow in the middle with a delicious crisp exterior. I'd be tempted to go the whole hog and theme my entire wedding around their pastel shades, with meringue favours and a giant meringue cake {made by Fondant Fox and decorated with meringue kisses}. You could even learn how to make meringues on your hen do, thanks to their popular Master Classes!

Love Before the Big Day? Find us on Facebook and Twitter, and check out our Pinterest boards. Don't miss a single post - sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin!

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.

Love Before the Big Day? Why not sign up to our free RSS feed on BlogLovin?! 

Before the Big Day Wedding Trends of 2013 - Origami

The first of the HUGE trends for 2013 is wedding origami. It's DIY, cheap and cheerful, and completely personalised, making it the perfect recession-beating wedding detail. And it's easy! With the help of YouTube videos and cheap squares of origami paper, I managed to create a very cute origami heart and origami duck yesterday. Check out my pictures on Pinterest. I'd recommend adding origami details to your wedding invitations and wedding favours, and you could even create an origami swan backdrop for your wedding vows. Plus, did you know that in Japan, a thousand paper cranes are traditionally given as a wedding gift by the father of the bride, to wish the happy couple a thousand years of happiness and prosperity? So romantic! Here are just a few wedding origami ideas - for tonnes more take a look at my Pinterest board.

More posts like this one: 
✽ Origami Crane Wedding
✽ DIY Origami Love Notes

♥ Want to see wedding theme ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding advice? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Divine Twine for Wedding Stationery & Favours

Stationery has always been something of an obsession for me, but it wasn't until I start my wedding blog, that I realised I could get genuinely excited about string. Or twine to be exact. Divine Twine. Much beloved by all the US wedding blogs, it's now available in the UK via Not On the High Street. It comes in every colour, and it's perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to your wedding stationery and favours.

♥ Want to see wedding stationery ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding favour ideas? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Message in a Bottle Wedding Favours

Build the sense of intrigue surrounding your big day with a secret message in a bottle. Roll up personalised messages to your guests and leave them as favours at each place setting, or use them to send your save the dates. Perfect if you're planning a nautical or vintage wedding. These sets are from Minature Rhino and include stoppered vials, a charm of your choice, paper and a little cloth bag. If you want to do your own DIY project, then check out Coloured Bottles for a lovely selection.

♥ Click for more wedding favour ideas! ♥ And tonnes of vintage weddings! ♥

Have you discovered our free newsletter? Sign up for free! 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

DIY Wedding Ribbon Ideas

On a recent trip to Newcastle to visit my Dad, he took me to possibly the best shop in the world. It's called RE and it's a wonderful world of wedding inspiration. I'll be featuring many of their gorgeous products over the next few weeks, but let's start with these heavenly ribbons. Add them to your wedding invitations, favours, vases and wrap them round your wedding bouquets and buttonholes. They're a fantastic way to brand your big day. Don't worry if you can't get to the north-east, they deliver.

♥ Want more wedding decoration ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding reception ideas? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Alternative Wedding Buttonholes

*I just love these!*  I've already featured Kikichoo's badges as an idea for wedding favours, but these cupcake couples are perfect for the wedding party. At £1 each, they're a lot cheaper than floral buttonholes, and come in cute pairs and different colours, so you can match up your bridesmaids and ushers. It's one way to drop hints about who you think should get together on the dancefloor!

♥ Want more modern wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding favour ideas? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Why Eco-Chic Brides Love Burlap

Just because it's slightly rough and ready, doesn't make burlap any less chic. In fact, it's its naive rusticity that makes it this season's fabric of choice for eco-chic weddings. Made from vegetable fibres, it's often used to make sacks to transport coffee beans, and it's these bags that are super-easy to recyle into gorgeous accessories and favours. Perfect for a couple keen to be green on their big day.

Product Credits {from top left} - 1. My Adobe Cottage, 2: Lilmissi, 3: The French Nest Co, 4: Ginie Lee, {from bottom left}, 1: Lilmissi, 2: My Adobe Cottage, 3: Funky Shique

♥ Want more eco-chic wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding details? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Custom Wedding Favour Bags

Whatever you choose for your wedding favours, I'd be tempted to house them in these cute little muslin bags. Discovered on one of my many wonders around the wedding web world, they're made by the lovely ladies over at The Wedding Chicks, and they come in a dozen pretty designs. Personalise them with your wedding date and your names, and fill them with sweets, a handmade biscuits, or little keepsakes. You could even stuff them with lavender to make DIY scented bags. The numbered bag would make the perfect Save the Date, or send it as an extra detail with your wedding stationery. If you're not keen on the designs - you could always buy your own via Etsy, and personalise with a stamp.

♥ Want more bright-themed weddings? ♥ Or how about vineyard wedding ideas? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Wedding Reception Inspiration: Ice-Cream

With all the hot weather we've been having, my mind has turned to summer weddings, and how to make them stand out from the crowd. Vintage sweet buffets have been a hugely in vogue for the last couple of years, so why not try a twist on the trend, and organise a vintage ice-cream buffet. Encourage your guests to pick their favourite flavour, add a topping or two, and top it off with a cute personalised wooden spoon - super-easy to DIY thanks to this letter set from The TomKat Studio Shop. I'm loving this shoot by Eat Drink Chic, complete with free downloadable candy-pink striped stationery.

Buy your ice-cream supplies from The TomKat Studio Shop or from PaperMash in the UK.

♥ Want more wedding reception ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding food ideas? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Unique Etsy Weddings: Jolly Edition Wedding Stationery

Every day this week I'm introducing my secret UK Etsy wedding discoveries. We've had a fantastic response so far - please do leave comments with your own favourite Etsy sellers. Today we're all about hand-painted wedding stationery by Jolly Edition, run by married couple, Laura and Tom in Cambridge. Together, they design beautiful, custom wedding stationery and bespoke wedding portraits, with a fun, vintage feel. I love the personality they bring to their work - their wedding stationery is truly a work of art. Don't miss the Jolly Edition website, including fabulous dog-walking cards and cat portraits!

♥ Want more wedding stationery ideas? ♥ Or how about wedding favour ideas? ♥

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter. 

Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Gorgeous Heart-Shaped Pottery Wedding Present

My husband and I {nope still not used to it!!} have just closed our wedding list, and are glowing in our guests' generosity. Some people who didn't even come to the wedding gave us presents - how kind is that! It's all slightly blown us away, and we can't wait to receive all our lovely gifts in a couple of weeks. This wedding business is something of a rush, as a bride, I can't quite believe you get an engagement ring, a gorgeous wedding dress, fabulous shoes, an amazing wedding day, a perfect handsome husband, and then people give you presents??? I feel like the treats should be spread out a bit more! We chose Heals for our wedding list, but if you're looking to go a bit more quirky, how about creating your own list with lots of gorgeous Etsy items on it? First on my list would be these gorgeous heart bowls from JD Wolfe Pottery - there's something about their earthenware nestling goodness that is right up my street.

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding list ideas. Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

My Wedding Favours: Fortune Tellers & Vintage Keys

Wedding favours are a touchy subject. Some people think they're naff, others think they're a waste of money. Personally I think they're another opportunity to personalise your wedding, with the added benefit of giving your guests a warm and fuzzy feeling. At our wedding, we chose to give everyone a vintage key and the girls got grey pashminas, handed out by our amazing wedding planner, Kerry Bracken, as the sun set. The keys fitted in with our secret garden wedding theme, and everyone loved them! Lots of the ladies are still wearing them round their wrists or as necklaces, so they were definitely a hit. My Boy also created wedding fortune tellers, which included a Q&A about our relationship, plus the menu. It was fantastic to see people working out how to use them as they sat down to dinner. For a fortune teller tutorial, click here and search for Cootie Catcher {that's what Americans call Fortune Tellers}. Alternatively, you can buy them via Etsy seller Kat's Crafts. Gorgeous sneak-peak pictures by Jemma Harding Photography.

If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding favour ideas. Before the Big Day - the Best UK Wedding Blog.

Introducing Confetti Wedding Favours

Whether it's a Royal Wedding Street Party or your own fabulous big day, you're going to want to keep your eye on the little details. The wedding favours, the decorations, the table plan, the wedding stationery - it's all those little things that make a wedding stand out from the crowd. So don't miss the Confetti website - it's packed with ideas, and everything's organised by theme {so helpful!}.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our free newsletter and click for more Sponsored Posts. This is a Sponsored Post for Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Introducing Azulsahara Stationery & Wedding Favours

Favours are a tricky subject for many brides. Some say that it's not a UK wedding tradition to give these mini-presents, but personally I'm all for them - not least because they're a fantastic opportunity to show your creative side. Whether you choose an edible option {chocolates are always appreciated}, or something more valuable, make sure you put yourself in the shoes of the guest - the last thing you want is discarded favours left on the table. Wedding stationery company Azulsahara help their brides with a fantastic selection of wedding favours, to match their invitations. This creates a fab 'together' look, where everything is the same pattern. Whatsmore, all their wedding favours are personalised with the names of the bride and groom, and the date of the wedding with no additional cost. Check out their gorgeous selection below, and on their website.

If you enjoyed this post, why sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding favour ideas.  This is a Sponsored Post for Before the Big Day.

Fun Wedding Biscuit Favours

Lots of brides agonise over what to have for their wedding favours, only to have them left, unloved, on the table at the end of the night. I know of one bride who handmade each guest a heart-shaped lavender bag, only to have half of them left behind - heartbreaking! One way to make sure your wedding favours are appreciated is to make them edible, and my latest crush is on these cute iced-bisuits from Biscuiteers. Pick one of the designs below, or get creative, and call on their special bespoke service, where you can work with them to create a brand new range of biscuits just for your wedding.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding favour ideas. Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Vintage Silhouette Stationery & Wedding Favours

There's something uniquely romantic about the silhouette. Hugely popular as gifts in the eighteenth century, they'll add an antique feel to a vintage wedding day. Add your profiles to your wedding stationery, or why not hire an artist to cut freehand portraits of your guests during the reception. I'd do it, but I hate my profile {huge nose}! Contact the Roving Artist or Karl Johnson for on-the-spot art, or Le Papier Studio for prints and invitations.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding favour ideas. Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.

Supporting Japan Part 3

Just a quick new posting in my quest to support Japan. Support their local businesses by picking up a few cute prducts from Japanese Etsy stores, or support Etsy sellers who are donating money to the Japanese Relief Fund. I've fallen for these gorgeous origami crane earrings. Why not buy a few pairs for your bridesmaids, or give paper cranes as favours for your guests?

{Product Credits: 1. Fawning in Love 2. Bandit Octopus Co}

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding favour ideas. Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog

Fabulous Fancy-Dress Wedding Favours

If you want to kick off your wedding reception with a sense of humour, then why not give these little fancy dress items as wedding favours. Cheap and cheerful, they'll get everyone giggling before they hit the dancefloor. Try beauty spots from Printed Wonders for the girls, and moustaches from Mister Moustache for the boys, or vice-versa - you'll have everyone swapping before you know it!

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our free newsletter and click for more wedding favour ideas.  Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog