.lights

.I absolutely love wedding reception venues which are decorated with fairy lights and candles. Here are some of my favourites...

.frames

.I love frames used in wedding reception decor.

.I also love mismatched mirrors in frames like the ones above.

.I am currently contemplating using mismatched, vintage style frames for our seating plan (one frame per table telling people where they are sitting). I am not sure though, as I also love the idea of American style escort cards.

.This couple framed their wedding invitation and displayed it at their wedding - I love that!

.Framing the wedding breakfast menu is also lovely - we might do this.

.Frames can be used as a pretty way of giving wedding guests information.

.Finally one of the best uses of frames I have seen is from the wonderful Erin of Erin Ever After who used window panes to write her seating plan. How lovely!

.it's pimms o'clock!

.A recent article in the Guardian (my daily bible) got me all excited as it talked about the virtues of Pimms!

Dr D. laughs every time I exclaim "I want Pimms at our wedding!" as he says I have been saying this ever since he put the band of art deco diamonds on my third finger, left hand. But it is true, I really want to make sure that we have pitchers of Pimms at our wedding breakfast. It reminds me of post-exam parties at Durham Uni (where the boy and I met) and quintessentially English summers.

My family are all (except for the second generation - ie. my cousins and I) originally from Ghana and due to all of the time Dr D. and I have spent living in France, Japan and Austria a lot of our friends who will be attending our wedding are also from overseas. I think this will make having a drink as quintessentially as Pimms at our wedding even more fun for our guests!

.cannes

source . the guardian

.Oh my god. How I wish THIS was my wedding dress.

.pink tissue paper

.Today, inspired by this how to post*, I made my first DIY object for the wedding! I am so excited by my new found craft skills that I wanted to share it with you all!

*I used 8 layers instead of 4 to make it more pouffy.

.jimmy & jewels

source . style me pretty

source . style me pretty

source . style me pretty

source . style me pretty
.As a women who is all about the little details* when it comes to weddings, I am in total admiration of Sarah's sparkly Chicago wedding to Bryan. Her Jimmy Choos and earrings are stunning as is the overall look of her day. More photos from the wedding can be seen on the eternally inspiring Style Me Pretty.

*lets be honest, by "details" I mean shoes and jewellery!

.venues we nearly booked: bluebird

.Finding an affordable wedding venue in central London is maddeningly difficult!

.Over the past year nothing has caused me more stress (not even beginning and completing my masters degree in 12 months) like finding a wedding venue has. I am now by no means an expect in London venues, but I do think that I have discovered a few little gems along the way which I would like to share with you. I hope it will be of help to someone.

.The first venue I will talk about is Bluebird Restaurant on the King's Road, Chelsea. Bluebird is something of a London institution. Formerly 1920s car garage and more recently part of the Conran restaurant group, it is an Art Deco gem. There are two private dinning rooms but we were interested in booking the Beaufort Room and Pewter Bar (pictured above).

.It holds between 20 and 34 people and I particularly loved the fact that this was the only private dinning room we saw which included our own private bar too. The minimum spend is only £1000 (although realistically you would be looking at spending at least £1500) and the bookings manager was brilliantly helpful.

.Deep down, I am a small wedding kind of girl, so I really fell in love with Bluebird. But, in the end, we decided to go with a big wedding so that all of our nearest and dearest (my immediate family alone is 50 people!) could be there. So Bluebird came off the list. I would still love to book this place for another special event though...

.ear lobes

.When it comes to jewellery I am an earrings girl, through and through. No doubt about it. This means that choosing earrings for my two wedding dresses (Yep! Two) has been far more tortuous for me than picking dresses.

.For my grey Temperley London dress, which I plan to wear during our ceremony and wedding breakfast, I would love to have these Adriana Orsini earrings. The art deco shapes match the perspex pieces on the back and front of my dress perfectly.

.The only problem is, these earrings are over £150. Why oh why Ms Orsini do your beautiful sparkly creations (which I might add, are not even made from precious metals) have to be so expensive?!

.The second pair of earrings I would love to have, to wear with my 1950s ivory and gold gown and Vivienne Westwood Melissa shoes or Mui Mui sandles (for an evening of drinking & dancing) are these crazy 1980s Swarovski and pearl beauties from etsy.

.I think they are rather joli laide, which is partly why I love them so much. I also think that a bride should be able to have a bit of fun with her outfit on her wedding day - well, I should be able to anyway.

.cathedrals & music halls

.I spent a big chunk of the bank holiday weekend (it was raining!) looking into flowers and thinking about what I like and what might match my Temperley London dress.

.Then, rather serendipitously, a few days ago I came across this amazingly beautiful, original and chilled out wedding on My Vintage Vows. Her bouquet is actually the loveliest bunch of flowers I have ever seen AND she made it herself (I think) having bought flowers the day before her wedding from New Covent Garden Market - I really want to do that too.

.I don't want to post any more than one photo as I don't know the bride, or the blogger, so have a mooch over to the original post on My Vintage Vows to see all of the mouthwateringly beautiful details.

.I especially love the ice cream van they had (something Dr.D and I have been planning to do since seeing it at this wedding) and the 'walk of love'.

.The bride and groom were married at Southwark Cathedral then had their reception at the incredible Wiltons Music Hall, right in the heart of the East End where I am from.

.Seriously, the most amazing wedding I have seen in one year of wedding blog reading!

.malvern

.I have the best friend in the world. Fact. Henceforth she shall be known as Dr. C.

.Not only has she listened to my incessant wedding blabbering over the past year, even though she had far more pressing things on her mind (like completing a Phd!), when I mentioned to her that I had begun hunting for cheap vintage crockery in charity shops she went ahead and bought me all of these beauties!

.Doesn't she have lovely taste? She bought just what I would have chosen, if I could find it at an affordable price in London (Islington Oxfam, take note!). Dr C. lives in Malvern where prices and crockery selections are far more favourable.

.So, I am extending my search plea to you, my wonderful blog readers. If anyone comes across some fabulous (and cheap!) vintage teas sets PLEASE give me a shout. I would be eternally grateful!

.more frocks for my girls

.More teal-esque bridesmaid outfits images which I love and have saved over the last year.