If you are looking for a beautiful theme for a wedding, you really can't get much prettier than an enchanted garden or forest theme. It works beautifully outdoors but you can also use it to brings the outdoors inside by hiring trees wrapped with twinkling fairy lights and using lanterns, moss, flowers and props to bring it all to life.

For inspiration for this look think of Bella and Edward's Wedding in Twilight or of flower fairies and grottos. How about this gorgeous dessert table from Martha Stewart or the table styling by Flower Wild Events

                                        

                                          

For ceremony inspiration this gorgeous shoot featured on Green Wedding Shoes shows a stunning wisteria canopy that would make any venue look beautiful.

                             

Lighting is very important for an enchanted forest it needs to be twinkly and pretty. Candle light, festoon lighting, lanterns and jam jars all work beautifully a shown directly below. A start light canopy or backdrop also enhances the theme and green up-lighters would work well to create the forest like glow. Pretty candles and moss green ribbon keep the theme elegant as shown on the table below.

                             

                                               

This theme makes me think of a Midsummer Nights Dream and these adorable fairy jars really capture the romance and whimsical nature. This would be a fun and easy DIY project with some led fairy lights, jam jars and craft moss.

                                

I hope you like my ideas and if you need any help with themes or inspiration make sure to visit the Themes & Inspiration page or get in contact. You can also take a look at my full Enchanted Forest pinterest board for more ideas.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Martha Stewart Weddings, Flower Wild Events, Three Nails Photography via Green Wedding Shoes, Lilac & Grey, Daughter Of Design, Swashbuckle the Aisle

Can you believe it's almost a year since the Royal Wedding? All that bunting and flag waving made being British pretty cool again and with the 2012 Olymipcs in London this smmer and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, there's no escaping from the inconic Uniion Jack.

With that in mind, here's another look at our Cool Britannia theme that would work perfectly for weddings this summer.

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

Last night saw the return of the Mad Men to Sky Atlantic with the drama moving forward to 1966. Mad Men has become so iconic that it's influence has spread far beyond the small screen. If you are looking to include a little Mad Men style in your big day, take a look at our previous Mad Men theme on the Inspiration Page here.


                                                        

You can also now "Mad Men Yourself" by creating your own Mad Men character complete with personalised features, clothing accessories and more. Once you have made your character you can choose a backdrop to be set against from the office to the bar. Why not click here to have a go.


  

Mad Men is on Sky Atlantic on Tuesdays at 9pm or if you missed it. it's repeated on Sunday at 10:15pm.

Image Credits: Free Picture and Mad Men Yourself

Today, Bristol Wedding Planner, Steph Allison shares another wedding trend with us. Today it's rustic chic and you can get more great theme ideas from her Pinterest inspiration boards here.

Rustic weddings seem to featuring more and more recently and it's a trend that is mainly coming from America. Modern rustic weddings combine natural elements like wood, linen and natural looking flowers with stylish design elements. For a rustic venue think farms, barns or an outdoor space like an orchard. This great venue is from my board on Pinterest.


                                     

Lighting is important for a rustic wedding and for this think strings of twinkly white lights, hanging lanterns or dancing candle light. Softly draped fabrics make a great contrast to rough wooden textures. Hessian, burlap and rough linen work well as does a softer lighter linen fabric to make floaty white curtains for a romantic feel.

I really love this rustic dessert table. The combination of floaty curtains, wood and fairy lights totally nails the key elements of the rustic look. This is from a goregous Californian wedding on the Ruffled Blog.


                           


The images below are from Bragginbags shop on Etsy that sells the wooden planters and lots of great rustic accessories, like the fabulous birch bark candle holders. The table also looks great with white cloths and burlap table runners.

                                      


                                     

Rustic weddings have a certain home made, back yard feel. Drinks work well left in glass bottles or served in jam jars, as below. Home made favours also add to the charm like those shown below from Style Me Pretty.


                                   


                                    

When it comes to the cake, cheesecakes work fantastically as a change from the traditional fruit cake. Serve the cake on a log base for a truly rustic look. This cake by Kima Konfections was from a rustic farm wedding in Passadena, USA.


                               


Bouquets like table decorations should look as though they have just been grabbed from the garden. This gorgeous rustic bouquet from A Mountain Bride Blog.


                                      

Finally these photos from a Style Me Pretty wedding demonstrate just how stylish rustic can look if done properly and they have got is spot on in this rehearsal dinner inspiration shoot by Tying The Knot Wedding Coordination as shown on Style Me Pretty. Click the link for more gorgeous images.


                                

I hope this has given you some ideas for your own rustic wedding. There are lots of great barns and farms locally where this look would be fantastic. If you need any help planning your perfect wedding, please do get in touch.

Recently Weddings have been very toned down with a lot of pale pastel shades and neutrals, especially with the vintage and shabby chic trends dominating. However bright colours are back for Weddings and I have a lot of Brides who have chosen brights like teal or purple for their main colour.

One colour that is due to be huge for 2012 is orange. I had a couple request an orange, yellow and green theme for a party and to be honest I wondered how it would all work together but I was pleasantly surprised how stunning orange can be. Check out my Pinterest board for more ideas.


So here's some inspirit ion for a bright orange and yellow Wedding. It's the perfect antidote to Winter gloom. Orange drinks in glass bottles from Country Girl Wedding work perfectly for this theme. Pop in some stripy paper straws and let people serve themselves.


                                              

 I love paper lanterns shown on The Knot and these orange on are gorgeous for adding warmth to your venue. They look particularly good in marquees and strung outdoors.


                                           

Orange flowers work well with the lanterns as shown below in the great picture from Offbeat Bride


                                     

I mentioned the trend for big round balloons last year and these orange and yellow one look fantastic in photos. This picture is from Green Wedding Shoes, taken by Priscilla Valentina


                                   

To make an orange theme work, think rustic summer or it also translates well to autumn, incorporating fallen leaves in reds and oranges. Don't forget to add a subtle touch of orange to the cake too.


                                            


Words by Wedding Planner, Stephanie Allison from How 2 I Do. Get more great ideas from her Pinterest boards here.

I have been researching paper lanterns for a party I am planning next year and I had to share them with you as they are a really cheap and effective way to add some real wow to your Wedding decor.

                                          

The lanterns themselves cost just a few pounds each depending on size and you can buy battery packs to go inside that last 48 hours for another couple of pounds each. They are very light and therefore easy to suspend from ceilings with clear wire or ribbon.


                                      


                                         

I think these would be perfect to create a romantic atmosphere in any venue and they look great in outdoor locations and marquees. The only thing to make sure of is that you have a friend or decorator with a ladder and good sense of balance to hang them all for you.

Image Credits Big Wedding Tiny Budget, Ian Michellepham Blog Tara Getting Married

Words by Stephanie Allison

Bird cages have been around for a while, filled with flowers for shabby chic Weddings, but birds are popping up more and more at Weddings due to their pretty vintage charm. The vintage pattern bird below is part of a patterned set from Borrowed Blue Boutique.


                                   

They also sell this stunning bird cage tree, that at 1.6 metres tall, would make a really dramatic feature for your theme. It costs £99 and has many uses from wish tree to table plan or postbox and can be bought here

                                           

This  white wooden love garland with little birds from Vintage Pink is also gorgeous and be a perfect complement to a shabby chic theme.

    
                                             

These silver love bird place card holders from A Wedding Less Ordinary are perfect to bring your bird theme alive on your tables. The vintage birdcage lantern shown below would also make a stunning centrepiece.

                                

                                

Why not treat your Bridesmaids to one of these pretty necklaces to wear on the big day, designed by Kate Wimbush Jewellery. The bird is available in either silver or gold and it costs £60 from Not on the Highstreet.

                                   

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.

Hessian, burlap and linen are popping up all over the place at the moment and the best thing is they are really cost effective and give a great rustic look. Burlap and Twine offers some great products such as this "and they lived happily ever after sign" that could adorn your tables.


                                      


The great thing about burlap is that you can screen print directly on to it, so with some skill and imagination you could make all sorts of stunning designs. I particularly love these Paris inspired table runners from EAB Designs. Take a look at their Etsy store for lots of fantastic products including the cute Je t'aime lavender filled hearts.


                                          


                                                  

How about this gorgeous lace and burlap bunting. You could easily DIY something similar using squares of burlap, lace doilies and twine and use it to decorate your venue.

                                   

I also think these little pew end as shown on Style Me Pretty are so pretty and even though they look super stylish they are really inexpensive as they just consist of a jam jar, wire, burlap, hessian and gypsophilia. It just goes to prove how you can do a Wedding on a budget and still make it really stylish.


                                              


                                               

This burlap and lace wrap is a fab way to dress water bottles for your tables and it looks amazing with the mercury votive, also from Style Me Pretty. So if you want a rustic theme, what are you waiting for?

Words by Stephanie Allison