Lots of laughter and lots of love – a Clevedon Hall UK wedding

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Big hugs to everyone reading English Wedding Blog this morning. It’s chilly out there, but I hope you’re having a nice day and keeping wrapped up in Christmas jumpers, scarves, hats, mittens… all the lovely new woolly things we all get to snuggle in at this time of year! For me it’s a day of family and friends again, and I can’t wait to catch up with everyone. In the meantime, here’s a lovely real UK wedding on the blog today.

Kristy and Jamie were married at Clevedon Hall and chose pretty baby pinks and classic styling for their wedding day. I love the images too – Joseph Hall captures the romance of the day so beautifully in his gorgeous wedding photography. With thanks to beautiful bride Kristy for sharing a lovely wedding report with us today – and watch out for one of the very last images, of the little flower girl – it’s so pretty. I know you’ll love this wedding 🙂 Enjoy! Claire xxx
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Focus on… magical moments before and after your wedding ceremony

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Hello again! I have a question for you today: when you imagine your wedding day, is it the moments before or after the ceremony which give you that amazingly tingly feeling of excitement?

Magical moments – my favourite image from dozens submitted by UK wedding photographers. The final moments for a beautiful bride and her bridesmaids, minutes before the wedding ceremony. The photograph captures the anticipation felt by all the girls. Photo credit Martin Hambleton

I can only imagine the excitement and nerves as you both arrive at your venue and prepare, knowing there’s moments to go… but it must be amazing to look forward to the ‘kiss the bride’ moment, or to walking back down the aisle hand in hand and grinning at your guests…

Here are my favourite 10 wedding photos capturing those magical moments before and after your wedding ceremony…

Magical moments – the bride’s excitement is pain to see. Guests smile and admire the dress; Dad’s arm is strong for her to hold and we all watch over the groom’s shoulder. Photo credit Phil Drinkwater See more...

A Gatsby inspired vintage wedding at Chiswick House

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Hi again! I love the wedding features I’ve been able to share with you this week – and today’s is ever so special.

Ryan and Laura’s wedding day is beautiful and mixes vintage elements with classic, timeless styling: from Laura’s graceful Lisa Redman wedding dress to the art deco style cocktail menus and elegant roses used throughout the day. I know you’ll love and be inspired by today’s real wedding blog from Chiswick House.

The images are by the very lovely Benjamin Toms, and beautiful bride Laura has very kindly written a full wedding report to share with all of you today. Watch out for the gorgeous little flower girl leading everyone down the aisle, and the inflatable guitars at the end of the day!

Enjoy! Claire xxx

Laura and Ryan’s Gatsby inspired vintage wedding

The wedding of Ryan & Laura Sandilands

The proposal: Ryan proposed during a beautiful holiday in the Maldives, whilst watching a sunset with a cocktail. See more...

Kirstie Allsopp stroked my calligraphy on the telly!

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Hello! Here is a picture of Kirstie Allsopp stroking one of my handwritten calligraphy name tags. So proud…

Note this is a cheeky screengrab from Channel 4 on demand – the play buttons don’t work, I’m just showing off.

Calligraphy ideas for your own vintage wedding

I’ve just had the loveliest email about my calligraphy from Amy and Craig’s vintage wedding earlier this year. I wanted to share some of it with you, because I’m proud and because I love the way Kirstie Allsopp created something really beautiful from a very simple handwritten luggage name tag!

Kirstie and her fab team at Raise The Roof Productions worked with wedding suppliers to design these luscious table decorations and place settings.

The flowers and foliage are incredible, but you can create your own gorgeous place settings with a few simple steps too. If writing your own calligraphy, use a colourful gel pen and add big loops to your handwriting – it will look quirky and suit a vintage wedding theme. See more...

A wow factor wedding: peacock feathers, gold dress and a fairytale castle!

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I’ve never seen a wedding as creative, colourful, exciting and unique as Rachel and Neil’s. I was amazed and delighted when beautiful bride Rachel got in touch with me a few weeks ago – and I love the very bespoke and personal wedding they created.

It’s very, very difficult to know where to start! Rachel’s gold, bespoke wedding dress by Terry Fox is breathtaking. The theme for the day – peacock feathers and a riot of colour – works beautifully. The attention to detail with everything from invitations to bridesmaids and buttonholes is sheer indulgence and I love every little bit of it. The wedding photographs speak of love – the way Rachel looks at Neil (and vice versa) is so romantic. The wedding venue – round the corner from my very own apartment! – is magnificent and full of character. See more...

A sunny Royal Berkshire wedding – making memories!

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Morning! I hope your day is going well. Today’s wedding begins with a memory recreated: Emma and Luke stood in the exact spot where Emma’s parents were photographed on their wedding day, creating a wonderful family tradition!

I love this wedding for the romantic images and memories: the beautiful sunshine, the passionate hugs. The laughs, the smiles, the memories, the vicar lifting drain covers in church to find the groom’s ring where it fell…

Images are by Louise Bjorling, and Emma and Luke have shared their wedding story with you today. Enjoy! Claire xxx

The bride and groom: Emma Bryant & Luke O’ Reilly

Who proposed, and how?

Luke proposed. He took me to Paris and we walked around Paris all day – the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe etc, and he was so nervous when he proposed outside our hotel in Paris.

Wedding venue: Royal Berkshire Hotel in Ascot

Wedding photographer: Louise Bjorling

How would you describe your wedding style? Modern

The wedding ceremony: St Bartholomew Church, Nettlebed See more...

A beautifully traditional London wedding

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When I first saw James and Rachel’s London wedding on Neale James’s blog I was taken aback by the elegance of their day. This is a wedding to inspire you quietly: details and styling are classic and understated; Rachel’s bridal style is simply beautiful. Her dress is by Sassi Holford.

I love the images from documentary wedding photographer Neale James too. Neale has an unobtrusive and naturally relaxed photography style, and his images tell a wonderful story. Rachel and James’s day begins with bridal preparations and continues through the marriage ceremony and onto the reception and speeches – for the happy couple, these were the best part of their day.

Don’t miss the first dance towards the end of the blog post, and do click to view Neale’s wedding photofilm after you’ve seen all the images. You’ll love it!

Thank you to James and Rachel for sharing such a lovely wedding report with us all today! Congratulations to you both. Claire xxx

Through a flower girl’s eyes – London wedding

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Hello everyone! I find myself captivated by today’s wedding… as I’ve been scrolling through the beautiful images of Kirsty-Anne and James’s London wedding this morning I’ve welled up a little – this is an incredible story.

But I can’t resist introducing this wedding in a different way: there is a wonderful sequence of images showing Kirsty-Anne’s pretty flower girl whose excitement is the most amazing thing to see!

This of course is a beautiful wedding from beginning to end: Kirsty-Anne and James make a stunning couple; the dress is divine; the venues magnificent. Documentary wedding photographer Martin Beddall captures the emotion of this London wedding and his images have put me in such a romantic mood this morning!

Kirsty-Anne was run over just six months before her wedding day and her recovery gives us real perspective on what’s important here: love, marriage and the celebration of two people committing to sharing a life together. With my thanks to Martin Beddall for the images and to Kirsty-Anne and James for sharing their story. This is beautiful. Enjoy. See more...

An intimate and personal Ingatestone Hall wedding

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Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a nice morning so far. Whatever you’re up to I hope you’re keeping well wrapped up – I have taken to wearing my biggest scarf for cosy blogging this week! And today’s Ingatestone Hall wedding is one of my star weddings this week – an Ian Stuart dress, gentle pinks and traditional styling for a really classic and gorgeous English wedding day. I hope you love it!

Elizabeth and Paul had an elegant English wedding with a light colour palette, pretty details and some special touches: a horse and carriage, a string quartet and lots of lush pink roses! Elizabeth’s dress is the exquisite Coppelia by Ian Stuart – she’s absolutely stunning. I’ll hand over to Elizabeth for the wedding report and to wedding photographer Gary Roebuck for all the lovely images of their Ingatestone Hall wedding now. Enjoy the pretty! xxx

Elizabeth and Paul’s Ingatestone Hall wedding

The bride and groom: Elizabeth Petchey and Paul Sowden See more...

A wedding with waves – St Donat’s Castle, Wales

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Imagine the romance of waves on a beach, the soft ripple of the sea on a still day. Rachel and Eugene’s wedding with waves has everything: the looks of pure love are reflected in every image, even in the styling of their day: pastel palettes, delicate flowers and a dream wedding venue.

Rachel’s hair is divine – with twists of the prettiest wildflowers in a beautiful braid. The love in Eugene’s eyes is there for all to see. This is an inspiring and wonderful wedding in every way imaginable. Watch out for the ice cream and the bubbles too! Thank you to Rachel and Eugene for writing a little wedding report, and to wedding photographer Simon Biffen for sharing their day with us all at English Wedding Blog. Enjoy today’s little sprinkling of beauty. Claire xxx

Rachel and Eugene’s wedding with waves – St Donat’s Castle

“We organised the wedding from Australia and wanted a venue which was simple to organise and minimal fuss, but characterful and close to home and family in Wales, to perfectly blend with our interests and tastes. See more...

A fun festival themed wedding with sparkly surprises

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Good morning everyone! I’m having a very exciting week this week and today’s gorgeous wedding totally fits my romantic and happy mood…

I begged for this one – Essex wedding photographer Tracy Morter happily said I could share her lovely images with you on English Wedding Blog (hurray!) and today’s beautiful bride Claudine has written a fantastic wedding report to share with us all.

So do get yourself comfy and prepare to enjoy some amazing moments: from a bunny to a first kiss so good the vicar made them do it twice, all the way past the Mosh Pit table to the Festival of Light, which was kept a secret until the end of the day. Beautiful images, wonderful memories and a really lovely couple.

“Just be there for each other and embrace the unplanned because it will be something you’ll remember and smile about for the rest of your lives.”

A fun festival themed wedding in Essex

The bride and groom: Claudine & Ian Webster See more...

A DIY-filled Walcot Hall wedding – part two!

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Good morning! A special hello to everyone who’s popped back (although not literally popped, because I was careful with you) after reading yesterday’s oh-so-tempting blog post about Bev and Nath’s Walcot Hall wedding! Today as promised I can share all the fabulous details of their day as well as some wonderfully spontaneous, romantic, beautiful moments from the wedding reception.

Bev told me the DIY was hard work but it meant they had the most personalised wedding. She said there was nothing they would have changed. Nath spent many a weekend stamping quotes from films and songs on cards that were placed around the venue, and this loveliest of couples took the time to write a small personal message on the back of each person’s place setting tag – it’s one of the lovely touches that prove to me that details on a wedding day can mean so much to people. The trick is to find a balance – and Bev and Nath did it perfectly! See more...