This winter, I have been inspired by hot summer boho weddings to create my latest collection - and in particular soft flowing curves and curls, dreamy romance, and delicate shapes. I see each of the pieces of the collection sitting beautifully with long or short hair, with loose tousled curls or waves, with or without a modesty veil. With the romance of candle light, or snowy winter colours, the collection is just perfect to add a little bit of ivory and gold in your hair. And despite being designed for autumn or winter weddings, they'll look fabulous outdoors for a spring or summer wedding too. 

Normally I work mostly with fabric and textile materials, but this time I decided to experiment a little bit with wire, which I have had in my little box of tricks for years, waiting to be turned into someething creative! The base of this collection is ivory glass beads onto gold coloured wire, loosely and delicately twisted around and holding the beads. The simplest item is a bridal circlet with two rows of the beaded wire. Pure, nothing else added. It is elegant and discreet, perfect for those who love minimalistic styles. 

The flowers definitely called for the second piece in the collection, which is a multilayer bridal circlet or crown with added vintage lace flowers. The cream lace used for these flowers was picked up from a vintage and collectable shop in North Wales. I love discovering vintage material that I can use for my new pieces, and this bundle of lace has already given me quite a number of flowers! With the addition of the vintage lace, this headpiece can also be used as the 'Something Old' for the bride. 

The third item in the collection is a hand tied hair vine, which can also be just pinned in, if one doesn't like the ribbon tie back. Rather than sitting on the head crown, this piece can be placed a little bit further back if needed, or worn as a crown too. For this piece, the vintage lace was used to create a small cluster of flowers on one side. On the other side of the hair vine, a small cluster of leaves balances out the design. 

And finally, the last item is a headpiece which can be worn as a bridal headband at the top front of the head, or worn on top of a bun or other sculptured piece at the back. Again, here the vintage lace flowers make an appearance, on one side of the headdress.

I love the delicateness of the combination of the wire and the beads, and that they're so flexible that they can be shaped around your head or style in a number of ways. I can't wait to see them on real brides!

The four items above are all available from my Etsy shop, ready to go. And of course, if you would like something made specially for you, inspired by the above but slightly different and in your own style or colour, don't hesitate to drop me an email for a no-obligation quote. 

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Blue Lily Magnolia makes bespoke accessories for weddings and other formal occasions. From bouquets of brooches and fabric flowers, to embellished sashes and belts, and of course bridal hair accessories, everything is designed and handmade in one-off or very limited editions. View ready-to-go and made-to-order designs on my Etsy shop, or get something bespoke made specially for you!

September and October are the autumn wedding fair seasons and I have attended quite a few this season, to see what's going on in the wedding industry, check out what's new, meet some suppliers and brides-to-be, and just have a little day out too. The first wedding fair that I ever attended was the National Wedding Show in Birmingham, before I got married, and it was massive! (And dare I say, expensive, but worth it somehow). Everything else after that has seemed rather mild in comparison, but here's my take on making the most out of wedding fairs. 

Plan ahead: If you are attending a very big fair (by that, I mean a fair with hundreds of exhibitors rather than dozens), these are normally paid ones, but if you know suppliers who will be going, they may have complimentary tickets that they will gladly offer to you. Alternatively, often there will be some kind of promotional code to look out for to get a discounted price. It is worth getting a ticket in advance if you want to save a few pounds from the at-the-door tickets. And for large fairs, allow a good few hours to browse through everything. 

Think about what you are looking for: It is perfectly OK to just browse without any intent, but if you want to make the most of the fair, write down a list first on what you would ideally like to find - photographers, cake makers, dresses, etc. If you can't find what you are looking for, you could always ask around at the fair anyway, and often people are happy to help and provide recommendations. 

If you want to try dresses: Wear a strapless bra if possible, or at least one which allows you to tuck the straps in. Often the dresses that you will try will not fit, so be prepared to be open minded about this, and see beyond the poor fit. Bring your diary if you would like to follow up with a booking, and take plenty of photos (with a note of where each dress came from and their price) to be able to compare when you're home. 

If you're just browsing: If you can, take photos of what you like, with the business card of the supplier next to the item that you like. It is so easy to forget who made that ideal sweet cart, or table plan that you loved at a fair. It is always good practice however to ask permission to take a photo - remember that no one wants their work to be copied. And please whatever you do, don't use the photos to ask others to reproduce an item at a cheaper price! 

Don't be scared to talk to suppliers if there's something that you're admiring in their work or feeling curious about: If you're worried they'll pounce on you with a sale, you can gently tell them that you've already got whatever they're selling. If you like something they have, it is always nice to start a little bit of a conversation and who knows, perhaps they might give you some ideas on other items that you haven't yet sorted out, or advice on your wedding, or they might be able to solve another problem that you have. Or you may even get some sweeties or a little giveaway out of it! 

Go round the stands at least twice: First time round, just have a look around to see who's here, and what they do. Go round again the second time with a list in your mind of who you actually want to speak to and what do you want to ask them. 

Catch the Catwalk: Plan your arrival and departure such that you will get a chance to see the catwalk, if there's one. Even if you've already got a dress, have a look at the ladies on the catwalk to see the dos and don'ts of walking down the aisle in your dress! 

If you do book anything: Remember to ask how long is your cooling off period, and when do deposits need to be paid. Most suppliers will give you a cooling off period of between 1-2 weeks (unless your order is short notice) to allow you to change your mind, but if you have a made a deposit payment, be clear on whether you will get this back if you cancel within the cooling period. 

When you get home: Don't chuck these leaflets straightaway, who knows, you might find a little gem in a few weeks when you need it! A good way to not lose contacts is to use social media to Like or Follow suppliers you think might be of interest in the future. 

And that's it from me for wedding fairs! 

If you have some more advice to add, please comment! 

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Blue Lily Magnolia makes bespoke bridal accessories and accessories for special occasions. Based in Nantwich, Cheshire, UK, everything is designed in-house and handmade, creating unique pieces. 

Local couple Terri and Rob got married last month at Wychwood Park, in the Cheshire countryside on a gorgeous sunny day.  "It was the perfect choice... and the day went seamlessly."

It all started about 6 years ago for Terri and Rob, who met through mutual friends, on a Grand National Day. Our bride says: "Rob turned up a little late because he had been out watching it in Nantwich!" But they hit if off from there, and a few years later, Rob proposed in London on the pavement outside the Gordon Ramsay restaurant (The York & Albany). He had initially planned to propose in Regents Park, which was over the road, but had to improvise on the moment because they were late for their reservation due to the tube running late! 

The theme for their wedding was very vintage. And they also had some (unintentional!) hints of Alice in Wonderland sneaking in, with lots of colours: lilac, gold, light pink and navy. In keeping with the vintage theme, Terri had her headpiece custom-made by Blue Lily Magnolia - double combs with fabric flowers, joined by draping freshwater pearls. The bridesmaids also had matching hair combs made. 

As customary, on the night before, Terri stayed over with her bridesmaids. But the super organised bride-to-be felt that she had to double check her venue rooms before the big moment, so she sneaked down at 6am before the girls were up to check it out! She needn't have worried, and even the weather was in their favour on the day. The lucky two got married outside, on a glorious sunny day, under a wooden gazebo. 

After the ceremony, Terri and Rob ran off to their car and did not stop for anyone. They were driven around in a vintage car through Crewe and Nantwich, sipping champagne and enjoying some quiet time alone together.  When asked about other special moments about their big day, Terri remembers fondly: "The chief bridesmaid drove the golf buggy between photo locations (she had passed her test but had never driven before), Rob and I have never felt so scared for our lives!" The first dance was also a big moment: "I was so looking forward to our first dance as Rob had picked the perfect song but when it actually came round we were counting down the minutes until it ended (whilst trying to look smily) as we were surrounded by all the wedding party with their cameras for the longest 4 minutes of our lives!"

Terri's beautiful lace dress was by Mori Lee and her bouquet was from Flowers On the Cobbles in Sandbach. Photos kindly shared by the bride were taken by guests. Many thanks to the happy couple for sharing their story with us, and a huge congratulations to them both! 

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Terri's unique custom-made double hair combs were created after she sent over her ideas using inspiration from other headpieces that she loved. The bridesmaids hair combs consisted of a similar flower with pearl bead dangles, but without the chains.