Beyond The Bride is about to have an overhaul. This site was started almost 4 years ago, it began as a hobby site to create a wedding website Jen wished she had while planning her wedding. Beyond The Bride started as a very basic wedding forum with a very basic information site attached and it slowly grew to what you see today.

We have decided to take Beyond The Baby from a hobby site to a full wedding website to compete with other popular wedding sites in Australia.

As such we will be making many chnages over the coming months to turn Beyond The Bride into the best wedding portal in Australia!

We hope you will stick around and watch Beyond The Bride grow and evolve.

We also recently announced our Bride Of The Year competition was canceled, we had a few issues with our sponsorship and technical difficulties as such we have had to cancel this years competition. We thank everyone who entered and sincerely apologise.

Thank you all for your patience!

Beyond The Bride Team!

Peonies are the most popular wedding flowers in Australia and some brides even arrange their wedding date around the limited Peonies season. Wouldn’t it would be great if you could have Peonies all year round? Well YOU CAN!

Most people don’t know this but Peonies can be kept in the fridge in perfect condition for up to 4 months!

Want to know how to do it? Click Here to see our fabulous article!

Jen xx

I am a sucker for a good romantic wedding movie! I was married almost 3 years ago and still I am wedding crazy! I love everything to do with weddings and would happily talk about them all day. Every time someone tells me they are getting married I get all excited and giddy at the thought of wedding plans!

So as I write this blog I am sitting in bed on this cold winter day and I am watching Bride Wars. Possibly one of my favourite wedding movies and one I have only recently found! I never had time to see it at the movies and it wasn’t until I found the DVD on sale that I thought “why not?”. It is now played weekly in my house and I am sure my husband is over it! But I don’t care I love it!

My previous favourite was The Wedding Planner! Jennifer Lopez, the very funny Judy Greer and Matthew McConaughey in a romantic comedy about a wedding planner! What more could you want in a movie? I have played that DVD so many times I actually wore it out, I kid you not. I played the DVD so many times it was so scratched …. or loved as I like to see it, that I had to buy a new copy!

So as you can see I am wedding movie crazy and just wedding crazy in general!

So what I want to know is, what are your favourite wedding movies and am I the only wedding crazy person out there?

Jen xx

I am addicted to www.Etsy.com ! I honestly can’t get enough of the beautiful handmade and vintage items. I wish Etsy was around when I was getting married! So I thought I would gather up all of my favourite Etsy wedding finds for you all to see and hopefully gather inspiration from …. enjoy!

Forget leaving the best until last! Here is my absolute favourite Etsy find.

This stunning gown is perfect for a wedding dress or even to change into as a reception dress! The beautiful tulle skirt would look amazing spinning on the dance floor or gliding down the aisle and the blushing pink shade will be perfect for photos! I am so in love with this dress! At only $890 it is a very reasonable price for a wedding gown!

Blushing Pink Wedding Gown Etsy Listing

This next one is actually 2 things from the same seller. The first would make an adorable groom gift. It’s a note book with a wooden cover that says “40 Reasons Why I Love You”. A beautiful gift for your groom to read the morning of the wedding filled with the reasons why he is the one!

40 Reasons Why I Love You Wooden Book

The second is beautiful wooden favour tags! They would make beautiful tags for a garden or vintage themed wedding. I love how different they are! They can be fully customised with your guests name and a thank you for coming on the other side!

Cusomised Wood Favour Tags Etsy Listing

I love headbands! I think tiaras are so 2003, headbands are the new tiaras! I love how many different styles there are without making you look like a faux princess in waiting. This next find allows you to design the headband yourself to make it completely your own!

Tallulah Customised Headband

I hope you enjoyed my favourite Etsy finds as much as I do!!

Jen xx

The lovely people at Bourne Naked sent Jen and myself over a Bourne Naked Handbag Liner each over to try out and review for you lovely ladies! Jen received the largest of the three sizes available and I received the smallest. (You can read Jen’s review here). For this review I tipped my handbag out and started from there….

Firstly, the Bourne Naked Liner as I received it:

OK… Here is the inside of my handbag from this past weekend. I usually use a MUCH bigger bag and by chance I didn’t the last time I went out which has saved me a load of embarrassment at the absolute JUNK I usually carry around with me! My poor husband thinks my bag is some sort of black hole as he can never, ever find a thing in it!

And a detailed view of its contents:

• Notebook (large)
• Amazon Kindle
• Louis Vuitton Day Planner
• Live-Inspired notebook (small)
• Carmex
• Paw Paw Ointment
• Hair Pins
• Tic Tacs
• Asthma Puffer
• Becca Make Up
• iPod
• Pen
• iPhone
• Wallet

…Please bare in mind I can usually add to that list like $50 in loose change, random bits of rubbish and receipts, gum and sooo much more!

With all of that in mind, I was so looking forward to receiving my handbag liner! I LOVE bags and would have anywhere from 20-50 bags stashed away… ALL have bits and bobs inside them from previous times I have used them and every time I take out a bag I am shocked at the things I find in them which I haven’t seen in months or have been looking for! As much as I love bags, changing bags is something I hate. I accumulate so much junk inside my handbags and when I change them over I tend to only transfer the less junky things and never tidy out the old one. (BAD habit!) Here is the contents of my bag AFTER I have used the liner…

The Bourne Naked Liner seriously eliminates this problem! Not only does it aid in general handbag organisation, it also eliminates the problem of leaving old junk in handbags when changing them over. Now I will never have long lost junk in old bags I haven’t used in months! All I need to do is pull out my Bourne Naked Liner and my bigger items and throw in a new bag! Et Voila! No rummaging around for lost little bits and pieces – they are all there!

I LOVE this product and would recommend it to all women! Get your now at www.bournenaked.com

Until next time… Brige xx

I have a super exciting offer for all of the NuBra and Cuddledry lovers out there!

The wonderful Naomi has offered Beyond the Bride and Beyond the Baby lovers 10% off!!!

Nubra is honestly a fantastic product – you can read my review (if you havent already) here and I urge you to use this 10% off offer! I have tried so many similar products and none have even come close to the NuBra! I have worn it on many occasions since I got it, not only to go out, but also just wearing singlet tops etc to the movies and to go to the shops. I often get painful strap marks from my bras on my shoulders and this totally eliminates this and gives me more support and confidence than wearing no bra at all.

Just visit www.nubra.com.au to place your order and enter the code BRIDES at checkout to recieve your 10% off… If you’re buying it as a gift, with this offer you can also get a complimentary gift card and wrapping – just enter your details in the info box at checkout!

I only wished I’d known about the NuBra for my wedding day!

Now onto the next awesome offer – for those with kids, the Cuddledry is an amazing product and a serious MUST HAVE! You can read Jen’s review of the Cuddledry over at the Baby Blog here

This is the only towel you’ll need for your baby and makes bath time SO much easier – and of course more fun!

To pick up a Cuddledry of your own at 10% off simply go to www.cuddledry.com.au and enter the code BEYONDBABY at the checkout! Remember, if you’re buying it as a gift the same offer applies with the complimentary card and gift wrapping! This offer is too good to pass up!

Oh and if you’ve never ventured over to Beyond the Baby, you should check it out! Sister site to Beyond the Bride, we have a fantastic community of mums and mums to be on our busy forums! Check out the main site at www.BeyondTheBaby.com.au or click here to join up to our forum!

Happy discount shopping Ladies!!

Brige xx

Time has run away from me again as per usual and February is almost over! Which means…. A brand new theme for March! I won’t tell you what it is as you’ll love the surprise, but being as our ‘Red for Feb” month is all but gone, I thought I would share with you our final photo boards and Red for February articles!

Good luck to all of those lovely ladies having a red wedding and please remember to send us photos!

Read all about our RED & PINK wedding colour palette HERE

Read all about our RED & WHITE colour palette HERE

RED & SILVER article coming soon!

Until next time…

Brige xx

Just a quick post today about a new show in the UK called “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding”… It looks crazy and I really want to watch this show to grasp how and why their weddings are all just so extravigant!

These pictures come from  The Daily Maik UK… Enjoy!

Gypsy princess: Joan, who at 22 is considered relatively old for a traveller bride, smiles proudly while her bridesmaids and pageboy trail behind to carry her exceptionally long train

Tight fit: Joan barely manages to squeeze her dress inside her Cinderella-esque carriage

Modern woman: Unusually for a female traveller, Joan has a job – but only to help pay for the event

Bright occasion: Bridget, 16, in star tiara, poses beside husband Patrick, 18, and their colourful bridesmaids

Gothic: Jolene’s vampish looking bridesmaids pose for the cameras

Read the article at the source thanks to The Daily Mail. Click here to read the FULL article with more pictures!!

Brige xx

Red and black is such a striking, edgy theme so you can really go all out with this one. It’s bold and beautiful, so make sure you go big with a theme as striking as this one. Create large centerpieces and striking flower arrangements, incorporate large pieces which catch the eye and don’t be shy with details.

Keep your theme running throughout the entire day, including ceremony and reception and add white elements to break it up and soften it. Adding the white won’t take away from its striking nature of the red and black, but will balence it perfectly.

-Create stunning red bouquets coupled with black velvet ribbons and white pins

-Wear striking red shoes as a bride and really stand out

-Incorporate big, bold designs into your invitations and stay away from soft, feathery things – you want to be bold

-Be creative and tasteful – red and black can be overpowering so remember to break it up with plenty of white

-Go with deep red buttonholes for the groom and groomsmen and add a quirky feature to it.

-Don’t try to be traditional with this colour theme – be unique!

-Don’t be afraid of black dresses for the bradesmaids and flower girls

-Let your droom stand out with a black suit, white shirt and red tie and put yout groomsmen in a white tie

-Add some red into your look as the bride – a large red flower at the nape of the neck behind the ear is a soft place to add this detail whilst still being bold in the colour choice for extra ‘wow’ factor.

-Tortued willow compliments this theme brilliantly. It is striking, unique and beautiful

-Keep your details going throughout the night with a black and red garter and even black and rd undergarments for after the wedding

Good luck with your red and black theme and remember to email me with photos for the blog at brigit@beyondthebride.com.au

Until next time…

Brige xx

Each day this week we will explore how to use red in your wedding theme, keeping with our “Red for Feb” issue of Beyond the Bride. Today’s inspirational colour palette: Red & Aqua!

I personally love this colour combo – it’s just so beautiful and the two colours balance themselves together so nicely. You can achieve a beautiful serene, almost vintage goes shabby chic look with this colour combo whilst still being bold and beautiful. The cool, calm tones of the aqua perfectly mute the red so it is not overpowering and together they create a stunning look.

Don’t be afraid to mix these two colours together in one item rather than use red for item a and aqua for item b. To soften and cool some more, and perhaps add an extra ‘vintage’ look, add lots of white into your elements.Use white or off white vases with red flowers and aqua ribbons, have raw white chairs with red and aqua details like the seat tag featured below, and be creative with your wedding favours and stick to the theme.

When choosing design elements to compliment your theme, go with natural, organic shapes and structures rather then geometric bolds. The use of  ornate looking tree branches, cute birds and boutique looking filigree’s will set this theme off at its very best. Think vintage candy shop meets little country boutique.

As a bride you can even jazz up your own look and compliment your theme. Consider cute aqua or red shoes coupled with a ribbon around your waist. Add some aqua into your jewelry or in your hair for the big day – don’t be afraid to go all out!

When designing your cake, opt for a white of off white base with red and aqua details for optimal beauty. This way your cake will stand out but not overpower. Using ribbons and decorating details will make for a beautiful and memorable wedding cake. You could even go for a red velvet falavoured cake to really carry out your theme once the cake is cut. It would be like an extra special surprise wrapped in a yummy package!

Good luck with your red and aqua theme and please email me any photos for inspiration or of your own wedding at brigit@beyondthebride.com.au

Until next time!

Brige xx