Diamond Jubilee - Wedding Inspiration.

In light of the Diamond Jubilee this weekend, I thought I'd have a browse and see what lovely things I could find for a Diamond Jubilee inspired wedding. Think red, white and blue (of course!), indulgent foods, Summer drinks, sophisticated outfits, and all topped off with a bit of sparkle.





Cake pops are THE best, and can be used in a variety of ways. Use them as favours on your tables or stack them up on your gift table and leave a note to tell guests to help themselves. Make them yourself - they're easy to do!
Source: http://media-cache3.pinterest.com/upload/227361481157511441_sTWhto2X_f.jpg

I mentioned before how much I love statement shoes. Now I could personally never pull these gorgeous thangs off, but if individuality is key to you, these are perfect and would look gorgeous with a shorter bridal dress.
Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/14284923788382297/



Don't forget to include some glitzy glamour - your 'maids will feel gorgeous. Gold may not be the first colour choice that comes to mind, but so long as you choose the right shade and style, it can be pulled off. Be wary of it with fairer skinned ladies so that it doesn't wash them out, but gold looks fab for those with a tan.

This dress is a little more pricey than some things I feature, but it is from Coast and their dresses always feel light and princess-like when they're on so if you can stretch to it, I'd recommend!
Source: http://www.asos.com/Coast/Coast-Allure-Midi-Dress-with-Corsage-Belt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2075148&cid=8799&Rf-200=11&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Champagne (£116)


I think I'm in love with this tiara. Not too OTT, but with the perfect amount of sparkle, perfect for a princess. Debenhams have some stunning and very affordable bridal jewellery, with this piece being from the 'Butterly' by Matthew Williamson range. It's currently on sale for just £36 as well.
Source: http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_37484+MWTA023699_-1?breadcrumb=Home~Women~Jewellery~Bridal+jewellery

These earrings would be a great present for your bridesmaids as well. Just £20 from the Jon Richard collection at Debenhams. They even feature Swarovski Elements!
Source: http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_37484+JRER022752_-1?breadcrumb=Home~Women~Jewellery~Bridal+jewellery



Peonies = wow. And it's the wow factor you'll want for a wedding with this theme! I always things peonies have a vintage feel to them as well, so they're perfrect for your royal occasion.
Source = http://media-cache2.pinterest.com/upload/256071928782617405_AHSaIqlH_b.jpg



Keep the cake simple. It's just going to be devoured anyway! I love the simplicity of one red flower, but if you want more but fresh flowers are blowing your budget, then look online for artificial ones. There's some great quality ones available these days, including foam flowers that look stunning as they have a matte effect finish and look quite realistic.
Source: http://media-cache3.pinterest.com/upload/181058847489510336_ENJ0vukr_c.jpg

Hope you've enjoyed this post - please comment and I'd love it if you could share my page. I'd also like to hear of any ideas you have for a good old British wedding!

DIY Doily Lamp. (cute!)

I think I'm in love with this idea! What a beautiful, economical and budget-conscious way to fill a marquee. If your venue allows, have these hanging down from the ceiling. And if you don't have hanging lights available, you could always get creative with LED lights stitched on!

Source = More Design Please.

The Hair Bow.

Came across this on Pinterest yesterday... what a fab and easy way to do your hair. If it's not your cup of tea as the bride, why not try this for your bridesmaids or flowergirls? It'll save a fortune on getting hair done professionally!

Source = We See Rainbows.

H&M - Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses..?

A family friend told me today how she'd bought her bridesmaid dresses from H&M. I was so interested I asked her to send me a pic straight away - I love H&M but had never thought of them doing occasion wear, and was sure I hadn't seen it in their store in Norwich. What I got sent though was the most beautiful grecian style dress. It got me wondering... what other goodies do they have? I won't be sharing the dress the family friend sent me out of courtesy! Here's what else I discovered though.

 

Um... cute or WHAT?! Whilst I could never personally pull this style off, it might be the perfect dress for your wedding. It's adorable, and gorgeous for a Spring or Summer wedding. At at only £29.99 you can't go wrong!

Whilst this might not be everyone's cup of tea, I thought this dress would look perfect as a bridesmaid dress if you're looking to have the rainbow colour trend added to your wedding. Team it up with a bright bouquet and statement shoes and perfecto! Also an idea for older bridesmaids as well perhaps. Only £24.99 as well!

This little number looks gorgeous for older bridesmaids too. The dusky pink is bang on trend as well for Spring weddings. It comes in white too. Only £24.99.

So then it got me thinking... what about younger bridesmaids/flowergirls? Then I came across this cute thang!

 

And only £9.99?! Adorable! And they go perfectly with these peep toe flower shoes...

 

Bargain at £5.99. So what has this post taught you? Don't forget to love your high street!

Source: www.hm.com

Budget savvy centrepieces.

One of the hardest things my other half and I have found is finding centre pieces that don't cost the earth. We decided on using old glass vases that will be filled with freshly cut flowers but together by the best man's girlfriend who is a trained florist and has such amazing ideas.

So today we saw ourselves having a wander around the city center going in charity shops. We managed to find some really lovely pieces, most of them being just 99p! I was really happy, and even more so when we went into our QD store and found some beautiful glass decanters. I will post pictures later (when I can find a lead to put the pics on my laptop!) but they were stunning, and we've bought 10 so there's one on each table in the marquee and a couple on the top table. And they were only 99p each! Bargain or what?!

I thought I'd share some of my findings on other price conscious center pieces.

Photo courtesy of Alpha Design Co.

This gorgeous shabby chic/Spring oversized cup and saucer was bought for just 99p in a local charity shop.You could even use old china or porcelain cups and saucers if you'd prefer, or, if you look around hard enough, you can find companies that even hire out vintage cups, saucers and other cutlery.

Photo courtesy of www.bride.ca.

What an amazing idea to save money and to create an extremely unique centrepiece. This could sit in the middle of your table and also act as favours! You can grab mini plant tubs from most garden centres, or try budget stores like QD, Wilkinsons, or Poundland. Ribbon can be bought from charity shops or market stalls, and why not get your bridesmaids baking the mini cupcakes? Bargain!

Photo courtesy of offbeatbride.com.

I personally adore this idea as I'm a massive reader. It's perfect for those couple who are into their reading, or are maybe in the academic field in some way or another. Books can be bought from charity shops for next to nothing, and old classics work particularly well. Try and get the ones with the yellowed pages to give a genuine vintage look and feel. Tie them with ribbon like in this pic, or scatter false flower petals (bought from places like eBay) over for a more romantic feel.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings.

Candles can work so well, and you certainly don't have to have as many as this! Try looking online as some places do charge quite a bit for candles, and avoid specific home stores. If you have the time and resource, you could even make your own! The colours you have to choose from are endless, of course, so they uit every type of wedding, no matter the time of year. In this case, the orange and reds would be perfect for a Summer or Indian theme wedding.

Photo courtesy of I Do - Dreams on Tumblr.

I just love statement shoes. Of course, classic white or ivory shoes are always a winner, but fantastic shoes have become so popular. These are double amazing as they could also count as your 'something blue' and would look incredible with a short bridal dress.

I've bought my wedding shoes from Schuh (www.schuh.co.uk) and they cost £65. I was worried at first as I ordered in store and got them delivered home to find that they were the wrong style and size. I took them back to the store where they reordered my dream shoes. When they were finally sent to me, I must admit, I was put off by the finish. Because the shoes I'd chosen were very sparkly, where the glue had been used to finish the shoe, it had seeped in a couple of places and was noticeable. I took them back to the store again where they exchanged them and gave me no hassle whatsoever - in fact, I was overly impressed with how nice they were and how the staff agreed that if it were their wedding shoes they'd be annoyed! Here are a pic of my gorgeous shoes (they look a lot lighter in real life than they do in this pic).




Photo courtesy of www.schuh.co.uk.

Beauties, aren't they? And I know many of you reading this will think -OMG YOU HAVE TO LAST ALL DAY IN THESE!- but they are very comfortable due to the platform. Ladies, if you're going for heels, wear a platform! They take a massive edge off the height of the heel.

[Originally posted on 1 June 2012 on my Tumblr account.]

Lots of ladies are now starting to have headpieces/fascinators in place of tiara's (or nothing!). What do you think?

Personally, I think they're stunning and can be so unique. I'm not a huge fan of fascinators, I almost find them distracting, but certain headpieces can really give a glamourous edge to a bride.

I have to be honest though - it's tiaras all the way for me. It's the one day I get an excuse to wear one and act like a princess so I'm making the most of it!

Photo courtesy of Wedding Dresses Galore on Tumblr.

[Originally posted on my Tumblr account on May 30th 2012].