Closer Gets Married!

The table centres were super simple. Remember my thing about bright yellow? We tied a yellow helium balloon to a jam jar filled with clear glass pebbles on each table. There were also scattered sequins, party poppers and - oldie but goodie - disposable cameras.

© E Lanman

The other marquee decorations were yellow and ivory pom poms from Amoretti (won in an online competition, YESSSS), a framed copy of the reading from the ceremony, the RSVP bunting, loads of random photographs of all the guests pegged to cord, and the numerous press passes I've collected over the years scattered in between. There was also a framed sign with local taxi numbers and flip flops by the side of the dance floor.

FAVOURS

© C Franks

We used the paper CD case template from popular blog Rock My Wedding (find it here) for our album favours. As there was no theme other than bright colours, we used a variety of shades from Paperchase. Fairly time-consuming typing each name and writing the CDs, but worth it. The music meant something to us and the different colours looked cool on the tables.

© L Hills

We asked lovely Helen from Popalicious Cake Pops to make us pops of Jiji (a character from a Studio Ghibli film we love) and Pikachu for each guest. We LOVED them, Helen did a brilliant job. Her Facebook page is here. The young kids had mini jars of sweets instead of a CD.

DIY TABLE PLAN

© C Franks

Ah, one of my fave wedding eBay finds utilised! Simple to put together. I used the same paper as for the CD cases, stuck them to A5 card and suspended them with yellow ribbon. The black and white squares are from some old wrapping paper I happened to have enough of. Spray glue is your friend when it comes to stuff like this.

CHEESE CAKE

© Z Ji / © L Hills

Our stinky dream of a cheese tower was brought to life by Teddington Cheese. It was a pleasure spending two hours there choosing it. My dad got up at 4am on the day to bake bread to go with it, and K's mum provided lots of homemade chutney.

FOOD

© C Franks / © Sally T Photography 2012

Bloody lush pizzas from The Pizza Pod and fish'n'chips from Hooked'N'Cooked (done in dripping, the ONLY way). Both were absolutely brilliant, reasonably priced and gone within minutes. Hooked'N'Cooked came through for us when our original fish and chip guy cancelled a week before the wedding, and Dave from The Pizza Pod was brilliant to deal with. They set up their own mobile wood burning oven. In a field. What more do you need?! Follow Dave from The Pizza Pod on Twitter here.

Anne Walker, a local caterer, also made us some gorgeous (slightly alcoholic) chocolates, cupcakes and brownies. We hired glasses for the wine, and bought disposable cups for the beer.

VEIL

© N Batty

Our lovely family friend Liz has taken up millinery (I know, lucky right?) and she created my birdcage veil/headpiece. The bridesmaids had similar, smaller pieces, also by Liz. She actually made me a bright blue version without the lace to wear in the evening, but I never took the original one off as I loved it too much! Another angle in this pic. Should you wish to contact Liz, her email is: [email protected]

FLOWERS

© Sally T Photography 2012

Again, WON my bouquet in an online competition. I swear to god, enter as much as you can get away with at work. Put together by Levine at La Maison Des Roses in Clapham and driven up to Yorkshire by a willing friend, I lurrrved the acid brights.

BOX OF STUFF

© B Robins / © E Lanman

I think K was getting a bit funny about the seemingly random stuff I was buying, but the box went down well. False 'taches, gliders, glowsticks, drinking games, bubbles, masks, sunglasses, more party poppers. Joyful.

HAIR

I did my own makeup, but got my hair did on the morning. Gary and the girls at GCHQ in Brockholes, West Yorkshire, were awesome. They provided a fun and personal service, a relaxed environment and most importantly, did an amazing job on everyone's hair - despite us giving the very vaguest of ideas! The salon number is 01484 666646.

Last, but definitely not least, the marquee...

© N Batty

Here's my previous post on the problems we had with the original company, but I'm so, so pleased to be able to say that Glenn and Sandra from Coates Marquee Hire totally and utterly saved the day. Not only that, but they were a proper joy to work with. Professional, experienced, fun, accommodating, efficient... I cannot recommend them enough, we were incredibly lucky that they happened to be free exactly when we needed them at very short notice, and they did everything they could for us. They and all the guys there are total diamonds.

OTHER STUFF

The things I'm about to list made it budget, but also made it incredible. My musically-inclined friends were forced to form a supergroup for the evening, complete with brass section. My brother turned his Mini into our wedding car and played the drums in the band. My other brother put together all the ceremony and between-band-post-band music. Shedloads of friends and family made beer, both bottles and kegs. Other friends drove the bouquets from London to Yorkshire, and loads of awesome people helped us trim up the marquee and the tables the day before. My dad made industrial amounts of bread, ale and elderflower champagne, K's mum made the ties and the chutney, my mum was abused as a taxi, family friends put bows on their cars and shipped the wedding party around, people bothered to make their RSVP bunting. I'm sure there's plenty of stuff I've probably forgotten, so I hope I haven't offended anyone who pitched in.

They went through a number of stages, mostly involving wire that refused to bend to my will, before I realised they needed some kind of base to which everything else would stick. Yeah, I have a logic problem sometimes.

Anyway, I'll admit that in the cold light of day, I was really worried that they looked far too homemade and could have actually fallen apart. I'm all for DIY, but I didn't want it to look like something you have to pretend is amazing because a small child cobbled it together. However not only did they stay intact, but they looked fine - especially against the Liberty ties and handkerchiefs the guys were all wearing.

Should you wish to recreate these or a version of these, this is what you will need to do. At this juncture, I will point out that should you be marrying someone with the initial 'K', you'd do well to remember that there is only one 'K' per box of Scrabble [grinds teeth] Otherwise, they're pretty basic and easy to make.

Superstrength glue. Gel consistency better than liquid as not always a smooth surface

Brooch backs. I bought 32mm gold-plated ones from eBay. TEST THEM WHEN THEY ARRIVE. I bought 10 and four were defective

Packing tape. Just easier to stick feathers down with than glue

Thick card. I used gold just in case the tissue paper shifted, but it doesn't really matter. I needed about a credit card sized piece for each back

Tissue paper. To hide the backing. This bronze colour looked less shabby than plainer ones

Decorations. I used buttons, mallard wing feathers, scrabble tiles on chains, and offcuts from my dress to tie it all together.

STEP ONE

Cut your card to size. The diamond at the end looks unnecessary, but it was a base for the button I stuck on later. It depends on how much weight you're expecting it to hold. Wrap and glue a square of tissue paper diagonally so the card is hidden. EXPERIMENT before you cut everything up!

STEP TWO

Position and glue your feathers. These are duck wing feathers and some that K had scavenged from a foraging trip, but obviously you could use any as long as they have an end long enough to glue/tape. Remember to have all your buttonholes pointing the same way! Sounds dumb, but easy mistake to make. Don't worry too much about how neat it is as you'll be hiding the ends.

STEP THREE

Stick your decorations on and hide the feather ends. I used a button (the superglue stuck through the tissue to the card behind) and then sequin offcuts from my dress to wrap around the ends. Involved a few white lies about where the material came from! I used enough so that the material met at the back, but didn't overlap so that there was a relatively flat base for the brooch to sit on.

For the back, I cut a strip of cardboard big enough to sit the pin on and glued that to the material, waited for it to completely dry, then stuck the pin to that. I'll warn you, there's a lot of waiting for things to dry, but it's best to be patient and make sure that each element is totally secure!

The tiles were glued to a length of chain from a cheapy necklace, which in turn was stuck over the sequin material, but for extra security you could perhaps wrap the material over it. All had two letters, one at each end of the chain, except the ones for the parents, who only had their kid's initial.

STEP FOUR

Make the ladies something! I was quite stuck as to how to translate this into something for the wrist, so it turned out fairly different, while having the same elements to make it match.

Having no idea how these things usually sit on the wrist, I decided the easiest way was a length of the dress offcut as it's elasticated and the mums could just knot it.

To that, I stuck a tile, a button, and a feather. Et voila! Super simple I know, but they matched the boys and me.

Hope I've managed to explain this in a way that makes sense, but drop me a line if it's a bit confusing. As much as I was worried it would all look a bit Blue Peter, they really did fit the whole feel of the day. Nothing was too matchy, I made them (relatively) lovingly and K had 'foraged' the feathers one weekend - pretty personal to us. Plus, I loved they had offcuts from my outfit. My little flower girl had a strip of the same material going across the waist of her dress, so everything was tied in quite nicely.

VITA LIBERATA

Online Editor Maggie and I at the Bauer Awards the day after the tan - I think the flash has bleached it though, it was def a bit darker in the flesh

Application: This a beauty team favourite here in the office, and it was a pretty good one. There was hardly any smell and it dried quicker than anything else I've tried - particularly good as I was sprayed in the office meeting room, and you don't really want to be hanging naked round your workplace for any length of time. The guide colour was standard, didn't feel too freaky going out in public with it.

Tan: I really liked the shade. It was almost a red brown, which strangely actually looks more natural if that makes sense. The spray tanner recommended it would be at its best two days later, but I actually found it incredibly patchy after the first day and my skin felt dry. HOWEVER I did not moisturise at all, so I'm sure that would make a difference. Got the funny armpit streaks too, annoying.

The Groom View: "Oh, you don't look as bad as you normally do straight after a tan."

KARORA

Ridiculously, you get a headless body shot for this one. My face was, well, I don't know. It was weird

Application: I went to Anesis Spa in Clapham for this one. I did notice it took a long time to dry, but lovely Leanne gave me as much time as I needed to feel comfortable getting dressed. Some of the usual spray tan smell, but as it's full of essential oils and the like, it wasn't as strong as it could have been.

Tan: It still felt sticky as I got dressed (as despite their loveliness, I worried the amount of time I'd been in the tanning cupboard was starting to look weird) but thankfully there weren't any significant marks where my clothes had rubbed. I really liked the colour as it did feel more suited to a pale skin tone than a lot of them, but I was still obviously bronzed. Plus it didn't dry me out as much as some and thus wasn't as patchy as it wore off. Definite contender.

The Groom View: "It looks a bit orange to me."

ST TROPEZ

I'm really sorry this is such a rubbish picture. Turns out I spent the wedding we were at taking pictures of the happy couple, instead of focusing on my own spectacular tan

Application: St Tropez have different intensities of tans at different times, so it's kind of up to you what you go for. As the ones I'd had so far were fairly natural, I asked for as dark as possible. This application was the best by far, simply because they buff off those blobs that can gather on your arm hair (just me?) and she really took her time making sure my hands and feet didn't have streaks. Usual St Tropez smell. That evening, I got seriously dark and due to some piss-taking, washed it off after about eight hours rather than waiting overnight as usual.

Tan: I've always been a St Tropez fan so I knew the colour would be great, the worry was that I'd washed it off too soon. However it looked fine and I loved the shade. It wasn't too dark at all, but perhaps I'm so pale normally that everyone who knows me would be a bit like, 'Where did THAT come from?' if I had it for the wedding? Also had very bad armpit issues again, is it me?! I did babywipe my deodorant off beforehand, but still had bad streaks.

The Groom View: "You look ridiculous, it doesn't look like you."

XEN TAN

The day after the tan

Application: I chose this one to have just before my hen do as it's another that the beauty department really recommend. The vanilla-chocolately smell was divine, I kept smelling it all day! The application was also really good, very thorough with wiping of nails, between fingers etc and the only one to provide a fan to dry you quicker (though that may be a salon difference rather than the tan). I wasn't really sure about the shade of the guide colour, it was a little yellowy, but as I had nothing to do that evening except sip wine with my mum and worry about strippers, it didn't actually matter.

Tan: Lots of friends as well as colleagues rave about this one, but on me, I really don't know. It's definitely a golden brown look as opposed to anything else - perhaps that's my pale skin - so I personally felt it was obviously from a bottle. BUT looking at the pictures, it doesn't look too shocking.

The Groom View: "It looks okay."

THE VERDICT

It's so hard! I have to say, I did really like the Karora one, but were I to book it for the wedding, it would have to be an at home tan so I could wander round flapping my arms letting it dry for as long as possible! And this may not help you, but I seriously think a lot of it is down to the skill of the tanner and your own maintenance of it.

Follow Natalie on Twitter here

BEAT THE BLOAT

Here are some healthy, easy to prepare meals to energise and banish bloat.

Superfoods Smoothie

Whizz together clemetines, pineapple, banana and low-fat natural yoghurt to create a vitamin packed, energy boosting smoothie.

Energy-Boosting Waldorf Salad

This is a perfect combination of protein packed lean chicken, fresh spring salad vegetables (celery, spring onions, cos lettuce) and vitamin B boosting walnuts. Use a yoghurt and lemon juice dressing instead of mayonnaise, to reduce the saturated fat content.

Cleansing Cucumber Soup

This can be can be eaten hot or cold. Cucumbers are rich in the mineral silica, which helps keep hair shiny and skin plump. Gently simmer chopped cucumber (skin on) and a peeled potato with onions and vegetable stock. Then season and blend together. Serve with a slice of wholesome, wholegrain baguette.

Berry Pancakes

A healthy topping can turn these treats into a health-boosting breakfast. Using skimmed milk, one egg and a cup of flour, whisk all the ingredients together and lightly spray a non-stick pan with olive oil to create your pancake. Top with anti-oxidant rich blueberries and strawberries and a spoonful of low fat natural yogurt will keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Avoiding these in the lead up to your wedding will prevent you feeling bloated and sluggish on the day.

Hydration

Water, water and more water! Sip throughout the day to hydrate your body and keep your skin looking bright with a healthy glow, but ginger, peppermint or fennel herbal teas are also excellent at reducing bloating and soothing the stomach following meals.

AVOID...

Alcohol, caffeine and salt-rich food, such as ready meals, processed savoury snacks (crisps, salted nuts) and processed meat. Try and ditch food high in refined sugar - chocolate, cakes, fizzy drinks and confectionary.

I wanted to share it with you because seriously, how good is that? The concept of their events is basically glam FREE exercise. Once a month, they do an event and after the exercise - whether that's yoga, spinning, running, boxing etc - you get something pampering to make you feel better about getting sweaty. Like champagne. FOR FREE! Did I mention it was free?

The next event is on the 5th July, and you can choose one of three workout classes - Barrecore, yoga or runclub - and afterwards you get a free Vita Coco drink and a mingle in athletics fashion brand Lululemon's new showroom.

They also do a pop-up running club every week, also FREE, where you sweat it out under the watchful eye of physiotherapist, Louise Malone. It's currently around Angel, but it changes location every six weeks so check the website for details. It's great because it caters for those just starting on the whole exercise thing - people like me, who need bribing with the idea that it's glamorous and fun! So don't worry if the most running you've ever done has been a quick jog to Pret, no-one will make you feel stupid and lardy and rubbish (my biggest gym fear I'll admit... yeah that's why I don't go...) and there are actual experts to help you.

Everything is London based for the moment I'm afraid (although they're hoping to take it nationwide) but if you do live down here, get on it! I'm going to be posting something from their nutritionist soon on the best foods to eat the day before you get married so you don't feel all bloated on the day.

For more info and to join their mailing list, visit http://www.boutiquesport.com

Now, wandering around chatting to Granny, maybe they're too 'out there' for most, but if you were going for some kind of whimsical theme I don't think they're too weird. And imagine the couture-esque pictures! It's all about confidence, right? Style it out.

http://what-katy-did-next.co.uk/blog/wonderland-collection/

LOTTERY FAVOURS

The boy and I went to a wonderful wedding a couple of weeks ago, and the men's favours were organza bags containing Loveheart sweets and a Lotto ticket. Brilliant, budget, and a great conversation starter about the moral quandary of giving the happy couple a cut if you won...

NATURAL CONFETTI

At the National Wedding Show (written up in this post) I got a goodie bag with a sample of this in, and I really like it. I think confetti is one of those things you can forget about and actually, a lot of guests forget too, but it makes for great pics. The bonus of natural, is that, well, it's natural, it looks great, and you can get a small flower girl to whizz around looking cute with handfuls of petals.

Shropshire Petals have options for cute metal pails, cones, baskets, bags, etc and you can choose your own mix of petals if you have specific colours/flowers you love with their online thingumajig. Here's a mix I made earlier!

But you don't have to spend loads, as you could just buy a couple of cones for the bridesmaids/ushers or get their big special offer bags where you can't create the mix, but you can put it in your own (budget) receptacle.

http://www.shropshirepetals.com/

HAPPY EYES GLASSES

Okay. They are glasses that make points of light look like shapes, in this case, hearts. I know. It's a silly idea and not even cheap enough to do as a silly idea (£1.49 a pair) and even I don't know why, but I love them. I have issues.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Eyes-Love-Hearts-Glasses/dp/B001U8FX8A

PERSONALISED M&Ms

There's a bit of a tendency to overdo the whole personalised thing at weddings I think. Everyone knows your name (or you'd hope so) so why embroider your napkins with it? But I confess to falling for some of the details. For instance, we're having our initials on a few bits and pieces, including the buttonholes and some kind of tablecentre for our wee table, perhaps it's to tie it together in the absence of an actual theme.

At mymms.co.uk, you can personalise M&Ms. Yes, M&Ms. Personalised chocolate is FINEBYME. To be honest, I discounted them as favours as they wouldn't be within budget for us although the price is pretty standard as favours go (their individual bags are from £2.40) but they also sell big, loose bags, so you could just have a few bowls around the place. You can choose from 12 colours, have your own text (wedding date, names) or things like 'bride' and 'just married'. Cute, especially if you're doing something like a sweet table anyway.

CD FAVOURS

An idea for favours here, giving guests a CD with your own choice of music.

While it's undeniably cheaper to make your own, Mixpixie takes the hassle out of doing it yourself, is licensed to use the songs listed, and obviously gives your CDs a more professional look.

You can choose artwork, uploads your own pictures, and have a maximum of 13 tracks. While initially I wasn't sure about having to pay for each individual song, actually it makes sense that instead of paying a flat fee for 13 songs, if you only have five that are special to you, you pay less. KnowwhatImean? Basically, the cost is £5 for the CD, and 99p per song. So one CD, one song = £5.99. One CD, five songs = £9.95.