Hey everyone! I hope you’re all staying safe and warm through this ridiculously cold spell! We have no snow here on the Cumbrian coast – in fact it’s been lovely and sunny since Friday – but omg is it cold on the beach! So I’m staying in, snuggling into my slippers and hot chocolate and happy to be sharing some extra special blog features with you all in the run up to Christmas. Today’s is no exception… did you see our list of 15 favourite UK wedding planners published yesterday? If you did, you’ll have spotted our lovely friend Helen from Pudding Bridge. Helen’s not only a multi-award winning planner, she’s also written some advice features for the blog over the last few months and we’re thrilled to have her joining our little team of sponsors today.

Let’s face it, everyone LOVES Pinterest. I can spend many an hour pinning the perfect boards but for many couples it’s totally overwhelming. There are so many images to pin, and each one is simply amazing.

Tales of the sea - inspirational beach wedding style fromSerpentine Shores and Salt & Sea Photography (24)

Couples can quickly find their boards filled with ideas and inspiration but the images have no cohesive style, colour theme or affordability. It can create total confusion when planning your dream day!

Tales of the sea - inspirational beach wedding style fromSerpentine Shores and Salt & Sea Photography (10)

So I wanted to give you an idea of how the professionals pull together amazing mood boards, ones which make sense, are achievable and make designing your wedding SO much easier.

If you saw my last post here on the English Wedding Blog you’ll know I love extending a wedding celebration to an entire weekend. So many couples after their wedding day will say that it went way too quickly, so why not consider adding a Friday evening welcome drinks and BBQ or Sunday walk and brunch?

Beautiful floral wedding inspiration at South Stoke Farm Arundel with Jason Williams Photography (34)

All images by Jason Williams Photography – this gorgeous wedding will feature here on Friday!

Love the idea of extra time with your guests but wondering how to do it without breaking the bank? Here are a few tips!

I got married nearly nine years ago and I absolutely loved planning my wedding day. We carefully wove our love story into the details and special touches.  We had recently moved from London to Bath and wanted all our city slicker friends to kick back and relax at our country house wedding. We were married in the church my family have always attended and headed to a country house to host our reception.

Simple and elegant wedding ideas from the Langdale Chase Hotel, Lake District. Helen Jane Smiddy Photography (5)

It’s all over so fast…

It was idyllic but as we drove away to our Italian honeymoon I had one regret. It wasn’t the menu, my dress or the flowers. It was that it didn’t last long enough.

I like to think the role of wedding blogs is to mix things up a little. While there are always key themes for any wedding season, it’s nice to throw something wonderfully, excitingly different into the mix from time to time. So when lovely Helen from Pudding Bridge showed me this glorious shoot with dusky blues and peach blooms I simply had to share it with you! Images are by James Green Photographer – a full supplier list is at the end of the feature.

Summer wedding styling ideas with a twist by Pudding Bridge. Image credit James Green Photography (10)