Our Wedding - my dress and those pretty petticoats

All photographs from Katherine Ashdown, our incredible wedding photographer (more on her in another post!)

So...I'm married! If you are a keen follower of my instagram or twitter (pinkpixiedoll) then this is old news to you but five weeks ago to the day I married my sweetheart in the heart of the English countryside surrounded by our favourite people and an abundance of bunting, sweet peas and vintage tea cups that really made our day more than we ever had hoped for. I have been so excited to blog about our perfect day and share with you all the details, the tales, the dress and those shoes but think there is far too much to say in one long post. So I have decided to start a wedding series and depict our day throughout a succession of blog posts focussing on different aspects of the day. I have had lots of questions and interest in certain aspects from our wedding so I hope these posts will really capture the happiness and love from our day and will also give me the chance to share with you all my various suppliers along with some tips and advice on planning your dream wedding.

So here is my first post all about our wedding outfits. The dress, those floral bow ties and the prettiest, twirliest bridesmaids dresses I have ever seen! (I know I biased...). My dress is the Felda dress from Enzoani. Naturally, being a girl who loves clothes a little too much, I was really excited to go wedding dress shopping with my mum in tow late last year and could not have had a more lovely experience after visiting Bellissima Weddings in Essex. The shop exudes a feeling of calm and elegance and the moment I stepped in and saw the rows of lace and tulle, the ivory satin and pretty embellishment, I knew I wanted to get my dress from there. Luckily I pretty much knew the style I wanted - lace fishtail with a vintage flair, straps or sleeves, nothing big or princess-y, no sparkles just classic...timeless. That said, it still took a good 30-40 dresses until I found the one but it was definitely worth the two visits and numerous try ons. A beaming Mum as I exited the dressing room and a few butterflies in my tummy convinced me that this was my dress. Laura, the owner and my assistant throughout the process, was incredible at offering quiet guidance and her professional opinion whilst being my fellow shoe admirer throughout my visits. I think I arrived with a different pair of Vivienne Westwood Melissas in hand every time I went but finally settled on the Vivienne Westwood Gold Bow Melissa heels on the day. I had the dress taken in a little at the back to create an even more fishtail silhouette and had some some cups sewn in so I could go bra-less but still keep a feminine profile and then I sourced and added the silk ribbon myself. I did feel pretty wonderful in my dress on the day and will cherish it, and the memories of my shopping experience, for a long time to come.

My handsome husband wore a bespoke suit from Gresham Blake in Brighton which we designed ourselves together and chose everything from the colour, cut and lining to the finer details like the button eyelet stitch colour and having our wedding date stitched to the inside jacket pocket. They did such a fine job creating his dream suit and I have to say I think he looked very dapper as I saw him for the first time standing at the end of the aisle. His shoes were from Jasper Conran and shirt was Ralph Lauren. From the very moment I began wedding planning I had the vision of having all the boys in floral bow ties and luckily Rob and his fellow best man and ushers were more than happy with my idea. We bought the bow ties from Folksy and Rob's mum then rustled up some pocket squares to compliment their outfits.

For the best man and ushers we wanted to keep the attire in keeping with our relaxed, English country style wedding and didn't want them feeling uncomfortable and stuffy in formal suits so decided chinos and blazers were the way to go. The sand-coloured chinos from River Island complimented the soft pastel blue blazers from H&M perfectly, whilst the best man sported a pink pin-striped jacket from ASOS. Seeing the boys all dressed up in their floral bow ties looking so smart and happy really was one of the most amazing moments from the day.

And now to my girls, the gorgeous bridesmaids who looked incredible in their Vivien of Holloway 50s circle dresses and dusky rose petticoats, meaning they could twirl and twirl all night long (and that they did!) From the very beginning I had a definite idea of what sort of dress I wanted my bridesmaids to wear and of course it would feature a floral print! We visited Vivien of Holloway on Holloway Road in London as I have always admired the 50s dress style with the nipped waist and flared skirt and knew the fit would suit all my lovely ladies. After we decided on the Cream Bouquet dresses I knew that there was only was thing that would make these dresses picture perfect and that was the additional of a dusky rose petticoat. And what fun we had spinning and twirling in the shop, testing them all out. The girls looked so fantastic in their new dresses and fluffy underskirts that I couldn't resist treating myself to one myself which I wore for my engagement shoot here. Their pink slingback kitten heels were from Dune and were the perfect shade and heel height to compliment the dresses and withstand a day of bridesmaids duties and an evening of dancing and twirling in fields around our wedding. Our goddaughter was our beautiful flower girl for the day and wore a ditsy print dress from Cath Kidston and a gypsophila crown we made on the morning for her. She looked suitably adorable!

Coming up next...new posts all about our wedding decorations, the flowers, the food and my wedding hair and makeup so stay tuned!

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Silk Skirt

There is nothing like a full skirt on a sunny day to give you a spring in your step and this beautiful Pink Palace Skirt* from Hobbs is an absolute dream with an amazing swish-able quality! Inspired by the luxurious materials found in the lavish Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Hampton Court Palace, this A-line skirt is crafted from soft silk and wool blend and cuts an elegant, feminine silhouette. I adore the delicate way the skirt hangs and ripples and the muted pearly-champagne hue is just perfect for a Summer's day. I wore my scallop-edged camisole from Topshop and my H&M wedges to complete the look and went for my favourite hairstyle of the moment - the Heidi braids, to keep my neck cool on yesterday's balmy day. I think this skirt would also look particularly pretty with my latest shoe purchase too!

I hope you are well and enjoying the sunshine this week.

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Illamasqua Glamore Nude Lipstick Collection

When Illamasqua launched a selection of new Glamore lipsticks earlier this year in a rainbow of bright shades, I was hooked. The new improved formula made these lipsticks a joy to apply and wear with their silky, moisturising texture and a lip plumping lustre and sheen. But the trio of show-stopping shades might not have been everybody's cup of tea which is why Illamasqua have now returned with their new Glamore Nude Collection boasting seven deliciously nude shades to flatter every skin tone and suit every style and preference when it comes to wearing a more neutral lip colour.

The satin texture and long-wearing formula makes these lipsticks an absolute must for any nude-lipstick-lover like me. From an earthy warm brown hue to a very pale, creamy peachy shade - there is definitely your perfect colour nestled amongst this collection and I think I have found my new favourite lipstick colour of the moment - Rosepout, which I am wearing above. It is such a lovely soft, rose-tinted nude. From left to right we have, Starkers (soft flesh pink), Rosepout (a neutral pinky-brown), Tease (pink beige) and Naked (creamy nude) and it is quite exciting to see just how many different variations of nude shades you can get and how they don't all have to be that strict concealer-lip look. I love them!

The Glamore nude lipstick collection (£18.50 each) is now available online and on the counters. I would love to know which is your perfect nude?

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MAC Cosmetics Maleficent Collection

Inspired by the iconic Disney villain and bringing an element of the mysterious and the magnificent to a new limited edition makeup launch, MAC introduces the Maleficent collection with some wickedly gorgeous packaging and sensuous shades for the eyes, lips and nails. Admired for her evil elegance and hardened heart, Maleficent has inspired a dark, sultry collection of limited edition products from MAC which will tempt and captivate the darkest of sorceresses.

The Maleficent collection, launched earlier last month, features a trio of lips products to define, line and colour the most perfectly devilish red lips, a brow crayon, liquid eyeliner, a sculpting and beauty powder, a wonderfully complimentary eyeshadow quad and three rich nail lacquers. The lipstick, "True Love's Kiss" is a clean bright red with an amplified finish and fine ruby shimmer throughout. The colour is fairly similar to MAC's Russian Red but the velvety texture when applied gives the lips a slight sheen and glossiness, very different to Russian Red's definite matte finish. For matching, fiery red talons, MAC has launched "Flaming Red" nail lacquer which is a true blood red with a lovely glossy finish. The shade has a touch of old hollywood glamour and is pretty much perfect after two coats.

Finally, and probably the most exciting part of the collection for any limited edition package hoarder, is the eyeshadow quad comprising of "Ground Brown" (dirty deep brown, matte) "Concrete" (muted taupe brown, satin) "Carbon" (intense black, matte) and "Goldmine" (intense gold with shimmer, frost). All shades are permanent from the MAC eyeshadow line but I know some people will love to have this quad in their collection and all the shadows work really nicely together. Goldmine is a frosty metallic shimmer that works perfectly in the corner of your eye or as a lower lash colour to really brighten and lift your eye makeup. Carbon is one of those classic MAC shadows that everyone needs in their collection and Concrete is a really interesting taupe, grey-ish shade that is great to use all over the lid or in the crease to define and deepen the finished look.

Did you treat yourself to anything from the MAC Maleficent collection?

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Vivienne Westwood + Melissa Lady Dragon Gold Bow heels

So...the obsession continues. Fourth pair in and I still cannot get enough of these plastic fantastic heels from Vivienne Westwood for Melissa. That Barbie doll-sweet smell, the colourful bows and hearts, the surprisingly comfy fit - the is no denying that they are a love/hate kind of piece but I love love love them. My latest acquisition came from the fortunate discovery of the Office sale last week although I think Selfridges online have some of the older styles on sale too at the moment. These gold bow lady dragon heels won my heart over the moment I saw them and I instantly thought, could these be my wedding shoes? Only time will tell (two weeks to be precise) but they will certainly be getting a lot of love nonetheless and are welcome additions to my slightly-overflowing shoe collection now!

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Benefit They're Real! Push Up Liner

"Never ask a girl with winged eyeliner why she's late!" This saying couldn't be more apt for me as I often find myself whittling away painstaking minutes trying to perfect my eyeliner and getting those tricky flicks identical and smudge-free. With some many different types of eyeliners around it is sometimes a little overwhelming to know where to start; should you opt for the gel, liquid or the old school kohl pencil and why will one eye always look better than the other? One of my favourite liners to create a fun flick is YSL's False Lash Effect Liquid liner although the infamous Bobbi Brown gel liner is pretty darn good as well.

This week Benefit Cosmetics have released a new innovative eyeliner that is set to be the newest beauty breakthrough, helping make the notoriously tricky task of lining your eyes that little bit easier. They're Real! push-up liner is a lash-hugging gel liner in a twist up pen form. The gel formula is waterproof and smudge proof that won't dry or flake and has an innovative AccuFlex tip that gets ridiculously close to your lash line to make the process of perfecting that perfect flick a whole lot simpler. After a few twists of the pen the gel begins to appear from the top of the slanted rubber nib and you are ready to start lining. The formula was smooth and it did glide on nicely without too much tugging or pulling of the skin - although it does dry very quickly so any mistakes made have to be rectified quickly otherwise it could get a bit messy! The colour really is blacker than black and the fine, angled nib makes it really easy to create that lovely clean flick. I certainly did find it a lot easier to use than many other liquid or gel liners I've used and the soft tip does sit nicely right along your lash line to give you a very precise application. Definitely one to check out if you are in the market for a new eyeliner but you will need a very heavy duty makeup remover to wash it off at the end of the day! Available online and on counters now for £18.50.

Have you tried the new push-up liner from Benefit?

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Soap & Glory Orangeasm Range

I think it is fair to say that I always have one or two Soap & Glory products on the go either on my shower shelf or in my skincare cupboard (those Body Butters are never-ending!) and I really love the silkiness of their body washes and their Scrubatomic face polish is pretty fab too! The latest release from this fun beauty brand is the Orangeasm range comprising of a zesty-fresh body wash, a super rich body butter and an energising body fragrance. As the name would suggest, these new products are heavily scented with a rush citrus and zing to give you a heavenly zesty treat for your skin.

The body wash is wonderfully revitalising to really wake you up in the morning helped along with the addition of the spicy Ginseng and the fruity scent of fresh green mandarin, Sicilian lemon and sweet orange peel oils. It foams up on the skin perfectly and leaves it feeling soft and pampered as you leave the shower. The body butter is quite full on and decadent so you only need a little bit to save your skin from being too overpowered with the scent of oranges. It is packed full of Shea butter and Mango milk so is a real treat and does completely soften and indulge your skin, swiftly combating any dry patches and rough areas. I would find this too heavy to apply in the morning as a daytime moisturiser so save this for an evening pampering session so I can wake up to silky, glowing skin before heading to the shower. Finally we have a Super Tonic fragrance which is an light, effervescent body mist and probably my favourite product from this trio of new releases. The fresh green mandarin, cool mint, sweet orange and Sicilian lemon oils make the most perfect refreshing fruity cocktail of scents and once spritzed onto the skin, gives you a wonderfully awakening fragrance with a sweet zesty-ness that is perfect for Summer days.

The new Orangeasm range from Soap & Glory is currently on 3 for 2 offer at Boots in you fancy adding a citrus kick to your bath time routine. Have you tried these new arrivals from Soap & Glory?

ps: Thank you all so much for your kind comments about my new layout and design. It was all down to the technical brilliance of Phil from Pipdig who loves HTMLs a little too much! If you are looking for a blog revamp then I would definitely recommend Phil - he is pretty awesome.

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