Luckily, we now have the freedom to keep the traditions we like and drop the ones we don’t. Which is great news for keeping things interesting – can you imagine if every wedding had sugared almond favours? Things would get boring very quickly.

One tradition that I do really like is the engagement ring. Wearing a ring that says “I am getting married!” was really exciting for me, and I loved looking down at my sparkly diamond and knowing that it’s a symbol of love and our future. So I thought I’d share this infographic about the history of engagement rings – the prices are in US dollars, but there are still a few interesting facts about how the tradition has developed. Who knew that early 19th Century brides were given a sewing thimble instead of a ring?

Infographic source: visual.ly

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Favourite Tradition.

I will obviously be arranging some special presents as a thank you for their amazingness – unfortunately I can’t reveal what they are yet, just in case they read this. But for anyone still wondering what to buy their best girls, here are some personalised bridesmaid gifts that I really like…

1: Personalised mug for bridesmaids - £12.50, Not on the Highstreet
2: Alphabet Bag – £16, Alphabet Bags
3: Initial vintage heart locket - £59.54 for four, Madison Honey Vintage
4: Personalised ‘Remember When’ print – £38, Not on the Highstreet
5: Name necklace - from £27.50, Tatty Devine
6: Personalised box of chocolates – £14.95 – Not on the Highstreet

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Best Friends.

These days my daily commute is replaced with a daily walk. Before lunch each day, I take a lovely stroll with Elmo the dog (unless it’s raining, in which case he’ll hide so I don’t take him out in it) to get some fresh air and exercise… and to admire the nice scenery, as we live close to two parks. My design work has always been very much inspired by nature, and so I feel really lucky to live in an area with lots of greenery – I’m always snapping photos of pretty flowers, leaves and wildlife to help me come up with new designs. Much nicer than the old days of crowded trains and boring offices! Here are some pictures taken on our walks around the local area…

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Walk to Work.

“Savvy brides know a Vanity Van booking can give their guests a real talking point – and deal with the practicalities of offering hair and beauty services to bridesmaids and ushers.”

Vanity Van is the UK’s leading mobile beauty treatments supplier, and is a really unique idea for your wedding preparation. The Vanity Van stylists offer a range of treatments, including hair cuts and styling, make-up, false eyelashes, nail and beauty treatments, massages and holistic therapies… and all from a van or mobile salon. So you could arrange for the Vanity Van to park outside the hotel, and have your bridesmaids nip out to have all their beauty treatments done in one place – hair, make-up, eyebrow waxing, spray tans – the lot!

At one large scale wedding, the Vanity Van stylists even provided treatments for guests throughout the day: “We set up our full indoor mobile hair and beauty salon in a pool house and conducted relaxation treatments including: manicures, pedicures, facials and massages during the afternoon, and hair styling treatments for the two hours prior to the evening event,” the stylists write at their website. I really wish I’d been a guest at that wedding…

Not only is Vanity Van a unique option for wedding day pampering, but it could also make an amazing hen party. How about hosting a garden party while the hens take it in turns to receive beauty treatments and relaxing massages?

For more information about Vanity Van and to get a quote for your wedding or event, visit vanityvan.co.uk.

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Pampering.

Remember what it’s all about.

Image source: designminded

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Life’s A Lesson.

As much as I was determined to take full advantage of our caterers, the traditional wedding breakfast is no longer the only option for wedding food and there are plenty of other options for couples that want something a little more relaxed. I particularly like some of the more quirky catering ideas that become a ‘feature’ at your reception - I’ve talked previously about dessert tables (and I’m really excited about our candy cart) but how much fun would a fish and chip van be? Or a vintage ice-cream cart? It is taking some serious willpower not to book everything and totally overfeed my guests…

1: Ice-cream cart – shot by Toast of Leeds via Love My Dress
2: Popcorn cart – Popcorn Factory
3: Candyfloss van – shot by Coralee & Alex via Made from Scratch
4, 5: Fish and chip van – shot by Laura Babb

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Food Glorious Food.

Unfortunately, weddings in their traditional sense aren’t particularly eco-friendly. Between dresses that will only be worn once and flowers that travel thousands of miles only to die a day after the wedding, it does make me feel a bit ill sometimes. But there are ways to make things a little greener…

Tips for a Green Wedding

1. Buy a preloved or vintage dress. I know you only get one wedding, but spending thousands on a dress for just one day isn’t great, so try to find a second-hand or vintage style that you love. Vintage weddings are extremely popular right now, so it’s the perfect way to make your theme more authentic – for sentimental value you could even ask a seamstress to update a gown that was worn by your mother or grandmother. But if pre-loved isn’t for you, there are also many designers handmaking dresses from organic fabrics, like this lovely gown by Janay Andrews at abstractpretty.

2. Buy bridal party outfits that they will wear again. Let your bridesmaids choose a style that they love (even if this means they’re mismatching) and one that they know they’ll wear again. Something stylish and flattering will ensure the dresses get more than just one day’s wear – and the same applies to the men in your wedding. Only ever buy their suits if it’s a style they’ll wear again. If not, hire them!

3. Reduce paper waste. Although online invitations are an option, there’s nothing quite like a physical invitation – so make it greener by using recycled paper and card, and only print the necessities. You can avoid too many inserts by creating a wedding website with guest information, and ask for RSVPs online or by telephone. Remember to cut down on the paper used at your reception too: for example, provide one menu per table rather than one per person, or avoid paper completely and use chalkboard signs. And if you’re having confetti, use dried flower petals instead of tissue paper!

4. Utilise local businesses. Choose organic, locally grown flowers to dramatically reduce the distance they have to travel (nearly 90% of the flowers in the UK are imported from abroad – that is crazy) and find a caterer that offers organic, locally grown food. If this isn’t an option, always consider seasonal choices with flowers and food, as they will need to be imported if they are out of season.

5. Find responsibly sourced rings. Choose conflict-free diamonds and ethical gold, or avoid the environmental impact of making new rings by finding vintage styles that you love. Perhaps you could wear rings passed down through your families, or melt down the metals of old rings to make a new design.

6. DIY and upcycle your decorations. If you’re crafty, DIY decor is great for making your wedding unique and more eco-friendly. Make your own bunting from scrap fabrics; use old bottles and jars instead of vases; source vintage photo frames at car boot sales – the opportunities are endless. And if you’re a big fan of real flowers, why not use potted plants for your centrepieces? They won’t die like cut flowers, and will become a lasting reminder of the day.

7. Sell or donate once it’s all over. Don’t live in the clutter of all your wedding stuff after the big day. You may have bought 12 gorgeous candelabra for your centrepieces, but why let them all go to waste in the attic collecting dust after the wedding is done? Plenty of brides will be interested in buying your dress and decor, so start selling on eBay, donating to charity shops, offering on wedding forums, or just giving them to your friends. Make Sell My Wedding your new best friend!

Image source: abstractpretty

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Go Green!

I am not really one for collecting things (unless you count that Spice Girls photo album when I was 12) but there’s something about pretty glass that makes me want to reuse it somehow. I’m no longer hoarding pasta sauce jars, but I do still have a little collection of glass Coca Cola bottles… waiting for what, I don’t know.

I know I sound a bit crazy, but glass can look really nice – just look at how many ways mason jars get used in weddings. They’re so popular they’ve even become a bit of a joke; browse a few American blogs and it looks like wedding planning turns us all into obsessive jar collectors. Fill them with flowers or candles, hang them from trees, serve drinks or dessert in them… endless uses. I’m not actually using jars in my wedding so I have no excuse for my weird collection, but I’ll distract you with nice pictures in the hope that you’ll forget that part.

1: Hanging mason jar with hanging flowers - Cali Ashton Photography via Southern Weddings
2: Mason jar with floating candle – BHG.com
3: Mason jar with flowers – Examiner.com
4: Hanging mason jars – Studio Tran Photography via Style Me Pretty
5: Mason jar table number – Rusticblend
6: Cupcake in a mason jar – My Cakies
7: Tree hanging mason jars – Alison Miksch Photography
8: Mason jars with straws – Young Hearts Photography via Style Me Pretty

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Collecting.

I love reading; I always have. I was the child that would loan the maximum ten books from the local library, and return a week later having read them all. Years later, I could still quite happily spend a day doing nothing but get lost in a book, but this year I have read hardly anything. A combination of launching the business and planning the wedding means that it is taking me weeks to finish a novel, which is shameful by my usual standards. I’m still reading, but I’m reading too slowly.

My favourite books are crime thrillers (authors such as Jeffery Deaver, Neil White and Kerry Wilkinson) along with some chick lit (Marian Keyes and Gemma Burgess are both fabulous)… and I adore everything that Dorothy Koomson writes. I currently have a ‘to read’ list longer than you can imagine, but I know I’ll be flying through them as soon as I have a little more time on my hands.

It has also been too long since I last wrote a book review. I am the founding editor of Judging Covers, a book review blog for women, and I love being able to discuss my thoughts with other book lovers (I set up the site after realising that nobody in my life really cared if I thought the characters in my book were one-dimensional, or that a plot twist made no sense). If you enjoy reading, you should definitely visit – I have a fabulous team of reviewers that have contributed hundreds of book reviews to help you find your next read.

Since this is a wedding blog, I think I’ll mention one particular book that I reviewed last summer. ‘Wedding Babylon‘ by Imogen Edwards-Jones explores a week in a life of a wedding planner, told through the true stories of people that really work in the industry. It’s not the best book in the world, but it’s certainly worth a read if you’re planning a wedding – because if you ever worry that you’re becoming a bit of a Bridezilla, the couples in this book will soon make you feel normal again. Here is a copy of my review…

Wedding Babylon - Imogen Edwards-Jones

(Buy at Amazon)

Last Christmas Eve my boyfriend got down on one knee and presented me with an impressively large diamond. I’ve never been one of those people that had their dream wedding planned since they were five, but as soon as the ring was on my finger I struggled to think of much else. Dresses! Flowers! Centrepieces! The whole wedding thing is crazy – so much to do, so much expense – and with less than a year to go until the big day, I am now extremely focused on remaining organised and stress-free. But that’s not to say I don’t like hearing about other people’s Bridezilla breakdowns…

For those unfamiliar with the Babylon series, Imogen Edwards-Jones collates anonymous, shocking secrets from industry insiders and turns them into a story that could well be fictitious if it weren’t for the fact you know it’s not. The incredible revelations from the likes of Hotel Babylon and Fashion Babylon have made various bestseller lists, because it seems like we just can’t get enough of those ‘behind the scenes’ tales.

I read Edward-Jones’ take on the fashion industry a few years ago and really enjoyed it, so with my own wedding in the pipeline I couldn’t resist Wedding Babylon. It’s described as the truth about weddings, as told by the industry insiders themselves: planners, florists, caterers and the rest, all collated into one week in the life of an anonymous planner working in London.

This book focuses on big budget weddings. Like, really big. The smallest cost incurred within the book is £30,000, and is described as being a tiny budget for a simple day – but by my standards that is a huge amount of money, so I struggled to relate. It’s no secret that weddings are expensive affairs, and perhaps you don’t even realise the extent of it until you begin planning your own, but when the book talks of £100,000 being spent on flowers alone, I began to think my own planning isn’t quite in the same league.

With that said, it’s always interesting to hear how ‘the other half live’, and the celebrity-style weddings (plus the few wedding secrets spilled from the likes of the Beckhams and Rooneys), with the sheer amount of money spent, are quite unbelievable. And I suppose that is where my problem lies. I don’t see anything wrong with spending a lot of money on your wedding day (if you have it, that is – let’s not go into debt or anything) but I suppose these people just spend so much that I kept forgetting the stories are actually true. It’s too easy to think it was just one of those “what I’d do if I won the lottery” games and not the reality for some!

I enjoyed the book, but I did feel quite incredulous at a lot of the stories – I guess that’s sort of the point, though. It’s not just the money either: Wedding Babylon is full of insane mothers (made me feel very glad my Mum is quite normal) and even couples that request all their guests are plied with cocaine after dinner…

If you’re not getting married you may find this book even more difficult to relate to than I did, but you’ll like it if you enjoy celeb culture and/or hearing how the rich spend their money. I definitely wouldn’t call it an accurate representation of your average wedding (none that I’ve been to, anyway) but I would quite like to hire Beyoncé for my evening entertainment…

Rating: ★★★

Originally published at Judging Covers.

Image sources: Reading quote; Book cover

This post is part of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, inspired by the topic Book Love.

But while Rainbow Club are best known for their glamorous heels, did you know that they also stock headdresses, veils and handbags? I have to say that I didn’t – but I’m very pleased to say that one lucky Little Love Notes reader will be winning the accessory of their choice!

I’ve spent some time viewing the collections, and picked out a few of my favourites…

Elder – £125
Anemone – £125

The Rainbow Club headdresses are gorgeous - perfect if you want to finish off your look with a bit of sparkle. There are a variety of styles on offer, from regal tiaras to crystal headbands, but I particularly love the vintage-inspired statement pieces like Elder and Anemone.

Avalanche – £99
Nelly – £55

Beautiful lace edging, crystal droplets, Italian tulle… there are so many pretty veils on offer at Rainbow Club, I couldn’t decide which two to feature. I love the simplicity of Avalanche and Nelly, but there’s a style to suit all tastes.

Pouilly – £39
Tilly – £59

Who doesn’t love handbags? Rainbow Club has a variety of clutches in satin, lace and metallics, and each design can be dyed to the colour of your choice (which is perfect for your bridesmaids). I love the shiny curves of Pouilly, and the lace Tilly bag would look gorgeous alongside a lace wedding gown…

If you’d like to win your choice of headdress, veil or handbag, simply visit Rainbow Club and choose your favourite accessory. Let us know which one you’d like to win using the form below, and the winner will be chosen at random on Sunday 19th May. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions
• No cash alternative.
• The competition is open to brides in the UK and Ireland. Rainbow Club will cover shipping costs.
• Entries can only be accepted through the Rafflecopter form above.
• This competition will end at midnight on Sunday 19th May 2013.
• The prize will be your choice of wedding veil from the Rainbow Club range, headdress from the Rainbow Club range or handbag from the Rainbow Club range. 
• This prize is not refundable or exchangeable.
• The winner will be contacted via email.
• The winner will be chosen at random and the decision final.