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Bride-to-be: The Bigger Details

  • April 5, 2016
  • By Carly Neave

Bride-to-be Series

Does anyone else feel like this year is rocketing past? I swear it was only yesterday that I sat down with my diary on Jan 1st and wrote down everything I wanted to achieve this year. Think we’re at a solid 1/10 so far!

Maybe it’s the upcoming wedding or just how busy I am with work but August feels right around the corner. Today I wanted to share what we’ve done with the bigger details so far as we’re finally getting to the end of the ‘must do’s’! In my eyes, these are the ones you don’t really have the luxury of time with and have to organise super early otherwise there won’t be much of a wedding to go to! The reallyyy fun bit comes next, with all the cute table settings, wedding favours, sign posts, DIY bits and bobs – but they need their own blog post, especially given the hours I’ve spent looking at them through Pinterest!

I think most brides write about these details further down the line, post wedding, so to not ruin any of the surprises for the guests. But hey, if anyone else is having a Summer wedding this year you might appreciate the heads up! I won’t be posting pictures of my dress but there’s some goodies!

The Bridesmaid Dresses

Okay…so I probably didn’t pick my bridesmaids too logically. I have 3 stunning blondes, one of which is a very successful model and one very beautiful brunette, who also happens to be incredibly successful in the TV industry. If there was ever a bride who said she was nervous about being ‘shown-up’ on her big day…well I’d probably take first place! But nevertheless I love them all and giving them a gorgeous gown was high on the list, I would always want people to feel and look their best so dressing them down is not remotely my style!

It may ruin the surprise a little but I’m just in love with the dresses the girls have and want to share the secret! I won’t spill the beans on the colour but Ghost, which is a women’s designer fashion brand, does a special bridesmaid collection called “Dye-to-Order” and they are just perfect – everything from the fit to colour options, to the price point. The style we chose is incredibly elegant but still has a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about it. It’s actually the same style dress the Bond girl wore on the train in the latest film if you’ve seen it.

 

Dye-To-Order Dresses

Have a little rummage through here!

The Groomsmen Suits

We spent ages trying to work out what was the best way to do this. As far as our understanding goes, here are the options: A Mourning Suit / A Tux / 3-Piece suit / something quite different like this (which I wasn’t completely opposed to). All of the above you can either buy, or rent. And then you have the question of colours; Do all the men dress the same? Do they all wear the same colour? And if so you better decide whether you’re willing to buy all the suits because you won’t get the same colour with buying some and renting others.

A lot to process anyway.

We decided we liked the classic look of the tails with a waistcoat, just minus the hat as that doesn’t work with my mans head apparently. After looking at the all options, buying five brand-new suits just didn’t fall within the budget but that didn’t matter as we’ve found one we love, designed by Ted Baker exclusively for their Wedding rental collection from Moss Bros. Here are some of my Grooms wedding attire inspiration.

Grooms Wedding Suits

The Wedding Shoes

Now this took some time! I knew I didn’t want to go for anything over Five inches because my feet wouldn’t be doing much dancing near the end of the night! Heels were a must though. You can get some gorgeous flat sandals but it’s the big day and wanted to dress for the occasion. I’ve gone with a stunning pair of Valentinos, but there were a few Jimmy Choo’s that were a close second. I would definitely say I’ve chosen a less classic pair , but if I were buying designer then I wanted to make sure they’d be a pair I’d wear for more than just one day.

Wedding ShoesThe Invitations

I’m just going to put it out there. I think this one of the hardest jobs when planning a wedding! I’m not sure if it’s the 100’s of pounds that invitations cost (upwards of £500!) that makes the decision difficult or the many designs available but either way, it’s been a very difficult choice to make. This is one to try and seek help from friends! I went down the route of ordering samples off Etsy and NotonTheHighstreet.com and then seeing what bits I liked most. One of my closest friends in Dubai happens to be a wonderful designer so she is kindly putting the design together and then we’re going down the print shop route. Personally with a little help from friends, I think it’s far better value than ordering online but of course, if you have the budget then it’s a far simplified route.

There are so many options for invitations that your best bet is making their very own Pinterest board and get Pinning! Then start whittling it down to what you really love! Here’s some inspiration to get you going…

Wedding invitationsThe Flower Girls

I’ve been back and forth with flower girls dresses because they’re all so cute! We were originally having four flower girls from Jacks and my family but now it’s just my two gorgeous little sisters who will be four and ten. I was going to put all the little girls in tutus and then the eldest in a proper dress but now that it’s just two, I’ve chosen the same dress for consistency. This are my flower girl inspirations so have a little look!

Flower Girls

Hope you found this helpful! Any questions just comment below! Much more to come… xxx

 

By Carly Neave, April 5, 2016 Hello and welcome! I'm Carly, originally from London but currently enjoying a little adventure in Dubai. A travel and wellness blogger exploring the world one step at a time. Think fabulous food at undiscovered gems, unique destinations, skin care obsessions and so much more. This is my life, I hope you enjoy the ride!
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7 Comments
  • Hannah Rankine
    May 4, 2016

    FOUR AND TEN!???!?! Howwwww???
    Can’t wait to see photos xx

  • Annabel
    April 10, 2016

    Exciting!! XX

  • Louise
    April 7, 2016

    Loved this honey! So excited for you x

  • Jordan
    April 6, 2016

    Love reading all this stuff carly – keep them coming!! X

  • Kerry
    April 6, 2016

    I loved reading this post especially as I am getting married in July :-) I am still struggling to find shoes which is currently making me very sad but hopefully the ideal pair are just around the corner!

    I can’t wait to see your dress. I know you are going to make such a beautiful bride! xx

    • Lean Living Girl
      April 6, 2016

      That’s so exciting Kerry! Hopefully some of the shoes in the blog may have sparked some inspiration! All brides are beautiful :) You’re very sweet thank you xxx

Carly Neave

Hello and welcome! I'm Carly, originally from London but currently enjoying a little adventure in Dubai. A travel and wellness blogger exploring the world one step at a time. Think fabulous food at undiscovered gems, unique destinations, skin care obsessions and so much more. This is my life, I hope you enjoy the ride!

About Me
Hi, I'm Carly!
A travel and wellness blogger exploring the world one step at a time. Think fabulous food at undiscovered gems, unique destinations, skin care obsessions and so much more. This is my life, I hope you enjoy the ride!
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