Blog: natural wedding
Charlie Charlie

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 – ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

Charlie

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 - ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

Please note: Minna is now Indiebride London.

The 2017 wedding dress collection from Minna is full of modern dresses with hints of vintage and bohemian glamour. There is exquisite attention to detail, and lots of lace – but in an understated way. 2017 and 2018 brides will be truly spoilt by how much choice there is in this new collection, but it’s the stunning back detailing that really caught our attention. Almost every dress in this new collection has a unique and often surprising back to it.

Minna wedding dress collection 2017

As always, Minna has created a collection that is not only beautiful and with excellent ethics, but also affordable. The wedding dresses in the 2017 collection range in price from £800 to £1500. On top of this during March 2017 Minna is offering 10% off to all our brides-to-be, click the link for full details and to get your offer code.

Onto the wedding dresses, here are some of our favourites…

Boho wedding dress with lace panelling

The Estelle wedding dress has a real hipster boho vibe with modern lace panelling on the back and skirt. There’s one of those beautiful wedding dress backs that you don’t expect, but really add to the overall look and feel of the dress.

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 - ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 - ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

Edwardian-esque wedding dress with ribbon waist

For me the star beauty of the Charley wedding dress is it’s back and the detail that’s gone into it. This dress whilst modern in feel, sweeps me right back to days gone by with all that beautiful vintage-esque lace.

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 - ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 - ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

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Charlie Charlie

Chloe and Sam’s modern spring woodland wedding with earthy organic decor, gold dipped feathers, and lush green and white florals

Charlie

Chloe and Sam's modern spring woodland wedding with earthy organic decor, gold dipped feathers, and lush green and white florals // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

This week’s modern spring woodland wedding is incredibly beautiful. There are mismatched chairs under waxed scaffold-board tables, gold-dipped feathers, vintage candlestick holders and garlands of greenery. Every single element of this wedding is carefully planned yet natural and organic. It’s a strong contender for my favourite Real Wedding so far (and it’s the final one of 2016) and I just love that they did it all themselves.

We first met Chloe and Sam when the gorgeous couple featured in this rainy romantic Cornish wedding shoot back in March. I think we all knew then that their wedding would be a beauty and it certainly hasn’t disappointed.

Bride Chloe tells us more about their modern spring woodland wedding…

Modern rustic wedding table decor // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Hand painted wedding sign // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Wild and natural green and white wedding bouquet with ferns and peonies // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Romantic modern church wedding // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Chloe and Sam’s modern spring woodland wedding with earthy organic decor, gold dipped feathers, and lush green and white florals // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Naked wedding cake decorated with edible spring flowers // Enchanted Brides Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

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Charlie Charlie

Celebrating and reflecting on five years of marriage

Charlie

A rustic, outdoor, eco-chic, DIY garden wedding // Photo: Mark Tattersall Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

In 2011 when we got married I did a lot of soul searching about what those wedding vows – what the act of getting married – really meant to me. When I stood at the altar, in front of Nick, and spoke my vows to him, what was I really saying? (It’s easy to get swept up in the pretty bits of wedding planning, especially when you run a wedding blog, and forget about the meaning).

Finally the phrase that kept rooting itself for me was “I promise that I will always work through things with you, no matter how tough it gets.” It was pretty scary realising that this was going to be my commitment to him, more so than the prescribed wedding vows, perhaps because I had settled on it myself. I felt like this promise came from somewhere deep inside of me and was bound to me in an inextricable way, and what it meant in real life terms was scary as hell.

This month we are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary (back in Italy, the country where we got engaged). Twelve years together, five years married, and nearly three years now as parents. I think the last two and bit years as parents have tested my marriage commitment the most. They have been the most challenging years of our lives so far, both as individuals, parents, and as husband and wife. I have had times where I cursed myself for making – what seemed at those times – an insane commitment. I have had times where I’ve shouted and yelled and wished it undone, and I’m sure, in fact I know, they weren’t the last times I will behave like that.

A rustic, outdoor, eco-chic, DIY garden wedding // Photo: Mark Tattersall Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

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Samantha Samantha

Carolina and Tati’s relaxed Spanish village wedding with olive branch inspired elegant rustic charm

Samantha

Carolina and Tati's relaxed Spanish village wedding with olive branch inspired elegant rustic charm // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Relaxed Spanish village wedding

Prepare yourself for the most exquisite wedding today! This charming Spanish village wedding is full of natural and rustic details and is bound to inspire more couples to go for a down-to-earth and intimate wedding celebration.

Thank you to Barcelona based wedding planners Detallerie who created all the beautiful details for this wedding and sent it over to us to feature. Before we dive into sharing all the details, why not take a few minutes to watch their sweet wedding film…

A cosy wedding with family and closest friends

Carolina and Tati got married last July in a beautiful little Spanish village called Empordà, in north Catalonia, where the groom’s family own a house. Having met at a friend’s party, they decided they wanted a cosy wedding with just their families and closest friends.

This was also the reason that they chose to celebrate their wedding in the groom’s family home, for a relaxed and down-to-earth party. Tati’s family are olive oil producers, so they chose a natural and organic theme and decorated the house and garden with lots of olive branches.

The bride wore a custom made dress, Menbur shoes for touch of glamour, and the earrings she wore were a family heirloom that belonged to the great grandmother of the groom. Carolina carried a beautiful countryside inspired bouquet, designed by Detallerie and created by Moshi Floristería.

Natural organic wedding decor with olive branches and rustic pallets // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Bridesmaid with olive branch crown // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Traditional Spanish village church // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Basket of olive branches and wildflowers // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Carolina and Tati's relaxed Spanish village wedding with olive branch inspired elegant rustic charm // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Rustic olive branch garland table plan // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Natural wedding table setting with olive branches // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

Wedding sign // photography www.padilla-rigau.com

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Samantha Samantha

Clare and Ian’s fun outdoor farm wedding with a colourful, DIY decorated barn reception

Samantha

Clare and Ian's fun outdoor farm wedding with a colourful, DIY decorated barn reception // Dasha Caffrey Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Fun outdoor farm wedding with colourful barn reception

The beautiful couple who’s wedding we are sharing with you today truly had their wedding their way, choosing their starting point to be a day built around the people that they wanted there. I adore this sentiment and it really shines through in the gorgeous images captured by Dasha Caffrey.

This fun, relaxed, country inspired wedding is full of the biggest smiles, heaps of laughter, colourful rustic DIY decor and the most divine looking wedding cake made from cheese.

Rustic wedding ladder decor // Dasha Caffrey Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Natural wedding portrait in a field of dried poppies // Dasha Caffrey Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Natural country bride with bridesmaids in grey // Dasha Caffrey Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Cheese wedding cake on a log stump // Dasha Caffrey Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

A beautiful July day for a summer wedding

Clare and Ian (Clarkey) were married on a beautiful July summer’s day at a ‘friend-of-friends’ farm in West Stoke, near to where the groom grew up. Wanting to steer away from the traditional their charming day and laid-back style is sure to be one you will love.

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Samantha Samantha

Dominique and Nick’s elegant 1930s bohemian inspired wedding with candlelit church ceremony and handmade details

Samantha

Dominique and Nick's elegant 1930s bohemian inspired wedding with candlelit church ceremony and handmade details – photography http://www.bohemianweddings.co.uk/

1930s bohemian inspired wedding

Are you ready to be blown away by today’s glamourous couple and their beautiful wedding? We are bringing you a candlelit church ceremony! Yes that’s right, candlelit, in a quaint old church, during a thunderstorm, how flipping romantic!

The gorgeous details and romance doesn’t stop there, there are elegant blush bridesmaids, to-die-for DIY details, a vintage ice-cream trike, garden games on the lawn, Scottish dancing…I could go on and on.

Candlelit church wedding ceremony - – photography http://www.bohemianweddings.co.uk/

Elegant bride with bridesmaids in long nude dresses - photography http://www.bohemianweddings.co.uk/

Rustic wedding table plan of pots of heather displayed on a ladder – photography http://www.bohemianweddings.co.uk/

Elegant tipi wedding – photography http://www.bohemianweddings.co.uk/

Dominique and Nick’s ‘everything we love’ themed wedding took place in August last year in the beautiful grounds of a private school , in Thornton, Buckinghamshire. With nods to the 1930’s and a relaxed bohemian feel this wedding truly is a feast for the eyes.

The beautiful images captured by the talented TNWC Recommended Supplier Bohemian Weddings and words by bride Dominique tell the rest of their gorgeous wedding story.

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Charlie Charlie

We’re on the hunt for our 2015 Real Brides – come share your plans for a natural, seasonal, eco-chic and homemade wedding

Charlie

become_a_tnwc_real_bride

I’ve been hearing a lot from recently engaged brides-to-be, and it got me thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed these past two years handing over my little space of internet to other blogging brides.

So I’d like to open my blog once again to a small group of brides-to-be who would like to share their wedding planning adventures as a TNWC Real Bride. What’s really special for me is that most of the previous TNWC Real Brides I’ve stayed in touch with and become good friends via the wonders of social media, which is pretty darned cool in my books.

I am once again looking for brides-to-be who are planning a natural, eco-friendly, seasonal, vintage and/or homemade wedding. 

Last year’s TNWC Real Brides are all married apart from Ellie, who continues to share her plans on the blog for her upcoming May wedding. You can view all the previous posts by TNWC Real Brides here, lots of them full of lovely little DIY details.

Last year’s TNWC Real Brides, from left to right: Kerry (photo Dave Owens), Miriam (photo Photos by Zoe, Emma (photo Claire Penn), and Lisa

become_a_tnwc_real_bride4

So, who am I looking for?

I’m searching for someone planning a 2015 (or early 2016) wedding who is…

  • Early on in their wedding planning stages or just starting out
  • Planning a wedding that is all about natural, eco-friendly, seasonal, vintage and homemade touches
  • Happy to write candidly about their wedding planning experiences
  • Able to take pictures of any details they’re making and explain how they made them
  • Happy to write something after their wedding day about how it all turned out

P.S. Although I’m a UK based blog I am happy for entries from brides all around the world.

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Charlie Charlie

Ethereal, natural and bohemian inspired wedding dresses in the new 2015 collection from Minna plus a 15% discount

Charlie

Lace sleeves and low backed eco-chic wedding dress from Minna http://www.minna.co.uk/

Please note: Minna is now Indiebride London.

It’s time to fall in love with the new 2015 collection of exquisite wedding dresses from TNWC recommended supplier Minna, and if you’re a bride-to-be who sees her dream dress amongst the new collection then we have a fab 15% discount if you purchase before the end of November 2014.

Minna Hepburn the founder of Minna told me that her team have been listening to their customers to find out what it was they wanted in a wedding dress to influence their latest collection. She told me, “We just wanted to make beautiful dresses, dresses that cannot be found elsewhere. We listened to our customers and designed this collection for them.”

Ethereal, natural and bohemian inspired wedding dresses in the new 2015 collection from Minna http://www.minna.co.uk/

Romantic sheer lace sleeved wedding dress from Minna http://www.minna.co.uk/

Ethereal, natural and bohemian inspired wedding dresses in the new 2015 collection from Minna http://www.minna.co.uk/

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Charlie Charlie

TNWC Real Brides: Miriam’s sharing details of the wildflower and sweet bee elements of her natural wedding

Charlie

TNWC Real Brides: Miriam's sharing details of the wildflower and sweet bee elements of her natural wedding

It’s been a little quiet on the blog the past couple of weeks as I’ve been away on holiday with my little family to France.

We’re getting stuck back in with a lovely bee related blog post from TNWC Real Bride Miriam – it’s so great to hear how Miriam and John are incorporating meaningful elements into their that have such importance to the both of them.

Over to Miriam to tell you more…

Bee Happy – Love is Sweet

The natural world is very important to both John and I, and we hope to capture the magic of the great outdoors for our wedding guests. This concept fits in perfectly with our wish for an eco wedding and a 1920s style, when overflowing bouquets of locally grown flowers were abundant, as discussed in my last blog post.

Pyrus bee-friendly garden - photography www.nicrue.co.uk

We have tried our best to sneak beautiful British nature into every aspect of our Big Day, with heady scents and dazzling colour enveloping our guests and transporting them to our own idea of paradise.

Our first exciting wedding job was to create our “Save the date” cards, inspired by Charlie’s now infamous design that inspired the tie-the-knot version. In the place of brown card we used beautiful seeded paper by Wildflower Favours. This not only looks and feels beautiful with a gorgeous weighty quality, but planted in some damp soil allows our guests to grow some of their very own beautiful wild flowers.

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Charlie Charlie

Would you like to be one of our next TNWC Real Brides? We’d love you to come and share your wedding plans with our readers!

Charlie

become_a_tnwc_real_bride

One of the best things I’ve done on the blog is to open it up to other real brides to share their wedding planning experiences – this year I’ve already had six fabulous girlies become my TNWC Real Brides.  As we head towards the autumn and their wedding days, I am looking for some new TNWC Real Brides to start blogging around September 2013.

From this year’s experience I am looking for another group of brides-to-be who’d like to share their plans for a natural, eco-friendly, seasonal, vintage and homemade wedding.

Each of this year’s TNWC Real Brides had a personalised illustration created of them and their Mr-to-be with a decorative border reflecting their wedding plans – I’m hopeful that my sister Izzy Burton who designed these will be up for doing them for my next TNWC Real Brides too!

Izzy Burton illustration

To get an idea of what it might like to blog as a TNWC Real Bride take a look at the blog posts from our six current brides-to-be…

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