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

Every month we are going to introduce a new theme with colour pallets and ideas for all of you gorgeous brides-to-be! Being that February is the first month Beyond the Bride is bringing out our “Theme Issue’s”, we thought we’s start with a romantic reds and pinks theme for Valentine’s day! You will find a heap of wonderful and helpful articles to go along with the special theme of the month and loads of wedding planning tips to accompany it! To visit the “Red for Feb” issue, click here.

Until next time…

Brige xx

Well our Bride of the Year competition has just taken off and is already just so much fun! I’d like to say a HUGE congratulations to our January Bride of the Month, Lyndsay Bourne! Lyndsay has won a place in the exclusive Beyond The Bride, Bride of the Year 2011 calendar and a place in the finals for Bride of the Year 2010! Congrats Lynds – you’re gorgeous!

Lyndsay and her husband Michael had been together six years when they were married on Friday 16th October 2009 with their two children in tow… And later honeymooned in Thailand for two weeks. To read Lyndsay’s full story, click here.

Why not get inspired by Lyndsay’s January win and enter yourself into the running here! There are loads of great prizes to be won, including $1000 cash, Bride of the Year calendars, a Bride of the Year tiara and $150 pamper pack. Also, remember to vote for the brides each month by visiting out voting page.

Good luck everyone and can’t wait to see your entries coming in!

Until next time, I’ll leave you with some of Lyndsay’s beautiful wedding photos…

Brige xx

One of the first things any bride should do when beginning to plan a wedding is to create a personal checklist of things they want, things they love and things which need to be organised. Being super organised will be your life saver during the wedding planning process.

A typical example of a list would be:

-Set a (preferable) date – remember this may fluctuate to fit in with availability of your dream venue

-Set budget and allocate money for each area of the wedding

-Find and secure venue for both ceremony and reception

-Ask bridesmaids and groomsmen to participate in your wedding

-Pick a theme (colour or style) for your big day

-Write a list a guest list and begin to sift through it with your finance (this may change over time, so it’s best to have it organised early so you can ad and subtract from the existing list and still make sure you can fit everyone into your dream venue)

-Try on wedding dresses

-Choose flowers and find a florist

-Begin interviewing photographers and videographers

-Find wedding cars (if needed)

-Have hair and make up trial

-Organise suits and bridesmaids outfits

-Think about bonbonniere and start looking for or creating your own

-Finalise guest list

-Meet with invitation supplier and make order

-Meet with cake supplier and order cake

-Re-visit your chosen venue

-After re-visiting venue, source decorations for the day

-Find and book entertainment, whether it be a string quartet, band or DJ. Entertainment makes the night in many cases!

…This is a typical list for a bride on the journey to wedding planning heaven. Of course, your initial list will change over the course of planning your wedding. Things will be added, subtracted and moved in order of importance, but it is still important to create a list early on so you are aware of what lies ahead of you.

Until next time…

Brige xx

One of the beautiful members of the Beyond The Bride Forum, Katrina, has emailed me some pictures of her absolutely BEAUTIFUL cake which I thought I should share with you lovely readers. This cake is one of my personal faves so far… Created for Katrina and her husband by Cake Stories, decorated in ivory lustre with a white damask pattern, it is just to die for! Its just so classy, elegant and beautiful and would fit with so many gorgeous wedding themes…

I must say, having seen all of the photos of Katrina’s wedding, it is all just to perfect – absolutely stunning. Definitely one of the more beautiful, classy and elegant weddings I’ve seen of late! Perhaps if you’re all keen, Katrina will let me share some more of her wedding pictured with you!

Anyhow, just a short post today, please enjoy this lovely wedding cake for inspiration… With many thanks to Katrina and of course Cake Stories and The Mink Studio (photography)…

Until next time…

Brige xx

Because I got so excited about the candy bars, I just thought I’d share with you some of the beautiful Sarah’s candy bar from her recent wedding. This is one beauty of a candy bar (and a BEAUTIFUL wedding too might I add!)

Enjoy!

Brige xx