There's a hot new trend in wedding decor and it's a very simple but hugely effective one that takes little skill or expense to make a big impact. Ribbons are huge for 2012 and 2013 wedding and can be used to make stunning backdrops, to decorate chairs and aisles or to hang from ceilings to create a canopy of colour.

Ribbons are a great way to decorate chairs as a modern alternative to white chair covers. This pretty image from Elizabeth Anne Designs shows.

                                           

Use colourful ribbons and paper lanterns or pom poms to add colour to ceilings, as this bright colour pop wedding shows.

                                              

                           

I love the pretty ribbon canopy shown above from Intimate Weddings via the Life Work Media Blog.

To see some more ideas of how you can use ribbons as part of your wedding decor, visit How 2 I Do Wedding & Event Planning's board in Pinterest here.

There are still spaces available for How 2 I Do's How 2 Make Your Wedding Sparkle Workshop this December. It costs just £20 per person and is a great chance to meet other engaged couples and learn some great tips for planning an amazing Wedding.



This workshop covers all of those little details that will make your Wedding unique and perfectly organised. It covers wedding style and all of the individual touches that are so important to make a Wedding sparkle. This workshop lasts for 2 hours and covers.

• Wedding style inspiration and 7 top popular themes
• Make a fantastic Wedding mood board to show your suppliers
• The importance of entertainment and 12 unique ideas
• Food and drink Trends and 20 inspirational ideas
• How contingency planning can save your Big Day
• How to have a Wedding that runs like clockwork
• How to organise your table plan
• How to delegate key Tasks to relax at your Wedding
• A Q&A session

The workshop takes place on Saturday 17th December at Emersons Green Village Hall, which is conveniently located off the A4174, 10 minutes from Bristol City Centre and 20 minutes from Bath. To find out more or book places or visit the website

Us Brits are a proud bunch and the Royal Wedding way back in April reminded us how much we love a Union Jack, street party and a bit of bunting, so why not "keep calm and carry on" planning a truly British Wedding.

For this look, think street parties, village halls and lots of fun. You can even combine it with a vintage wartime vibe with 40s music and props. How about some cupcakes for your guests. You can buy these little flags from the All in One Wedding Shop

                                                        

When it's time to toast the happy couple, you can't get much cuter than these mini champagne bottles from Harvey Nichols at £12.50 per bottle.

                                  

Of course bunting is essential and you can buy this great quality bunting below from All The Fun Of The Fair

                                                    

You can't get much more British than strawberries and cream, well ice cream, and how sweet would it be to serve this to guests with their canapes for a summer Wedding. You can buy these bowls from Party Pieces  (owned by our lovely future Queen's parents The Middletons).

                                                  

And don't forget to include this iconic poster designed during the second world war to boost morale

                                                     

For more ideas visit my board on Pinterest here

Stephanie Allison is a Bristol Wedding Planner and the owner of How 2 I Do and is available to help you plan your Wedding theme. She also has spaces on her "How 2 Make Your Wedding Sparkle" workshop in December.

Bridezillas is a new boutique specialising in gorgeous Wedding accessories that is coming to Keynsham very soon. In the mean time you can satisfy your cravings for all things pretty on the website that launched recently. There are so many lovely things on there from gorgeous shoes to stunning tiaras and more.

How about this vintage inspired Gracey headband from their own range called Abigail Grace and costing £65.00

                                                     

The Julia headband looks amazing with it's delicate design at £70.00 and there is also a matching cuff bracelet available for £65.00

                                    


                                    

How about some stunning shoes for your Wedding or even a party or special occassions. These sparkling Benjamin Roberts beauties called Charlize will be available to buy in the boutique only.

                                                

A Wedding umbrella or parasol is always a good idea to protect you from rain or scorching hot sun on your big day and you can't get muck prettier than this Abigail Lace one for £29.99.

Lace has always been popular for Wedding Dresses but with Vintage themes becoming more and more fashionable and with the Duchess of Cambridge's choice to include lace in her dress and veil it is a huge trend in the making. Even the doily which you probably associate with your Nan can be used in a lace Wedding theme to place flower arrangements on.

Here's some great lace inspired looks taken from Bristol Wedding Planner How 2 I Do's Wedding Inspiration Boards on Pinterest, which you can see in full here. Here's the dress that must have in part inspired Kate Middleton's dress. The Beautiful Princess Grace of Monaco on her Wedding day to Prince Rainier.

                                                             

You can use lace in all aspects of your decoration from invitations to table centerpieces. For flowers that match a lace theme, you can't get much lacier than Gypsophilia or Baby's Breath. These pictures show how pretty it can look in a lace wrapped vase courtesy of stylemepretty.com and in large ball displays by Cecilia Fox


             
                                    

It would be really easy to use lace in a DIY Wedding. You could easily recreate the lace wrapped jars and bottles shown below, also on stylemepretty.com. Hobbycraft is great for picking up jam jars, bottles and materials to make your own decorations. There is a large Hobbycraft at Cribbs Causeway and they have an excellent Bridal area with three aisles worth of DIY Wedding bits and pieces from flowers to favours.

Cupcakes are everywhere these days and they are a Wedding trend that is certainly here to stay. Kim from Swirls and Curls contacted us recently to tell us about her gorgeous cupcakes and after browsing her website and facebook page, we had to show you some of her ever so pretty cakes. We especially love the ice cream cone cupcakes below. They are so original and fun and would make brilliant favours for a summer Wedding.


                                        


If you want the more traditional cupcake tower, here is an example of Kim's work below. This can make a great alternative to the traditional Wedding cake and means your guests can each have a cake to eat or take home.

                                                        

What we really love is the beautiful piping and decoration on these cakes. If you want to find out how to decorate your own cupcakes, Swirls and Curls also offer great workshops where you can learn a fun new skill. How pretty are the purple cakes below, especially the rose effect piping and gorgeous bow.

Today we are delighted to have a guest blog post from Venue Stylist Kirsten Butler aka The Little Wedding Helper. Kirsten absolutely loves village hall Weddings and she is sharing one of her favourites with us today. So, take a peek at the gorgeous Wedding of Emma and Luke Marshall at Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall last April. We just love the pastel bunting and pink jugs. Over to Kirsten to tell you more.


Village halls are no longer just the meeting place for the local Brownie group. More and more couples are hiring their local village hall and realising that not only can it be considerably cheaper than a hotel reception but they are able to stamp their own mark & style on the venue. Many village halls still retain beautiful original features like the village hall in Westbury-on-Trym.

If you are looking for a theme for your Wedding, then Auntie's Vintage are here to inspire you. They hire out vintage crockery and props for your Big day as well as offering an event styling service. Sue from Aunties's Vintage has sent us these gorgeous pictures and three fantastic theme ideas.




English Country Garden – Afternoon tea served in beautiful china cups, pretty tea pots and cake stands laden with delicious treats.




1920s – How about adding a gramophone and entertaining your guests with a selection of 78s? Add silver candelabra on each table and some champagne saucers for added glamour.