We are very excited today to be launching our brand new Pinterest account. We've recently been spending some time putting together some Pinterest boards which we hope will inspire all of you lovely brides-to-be and provide you with endless ideas for your big day. Here's a taster of some of our boards

Just to let you know, we'll be adding lots of great new ideas to our Pinterest boards every week and we are planning a great DIY section for those creative brides out there who are looking to create a more personal touch.

So, we hope you'll head over to Pinterest and check out all of our inspiration boards and we'd love to have you as one of our followers. Here's the link if you want to see our boards and follow us

Hope and Grace Pinterest

Hi Folks,

Firstly an apology. Sorry it has been so long since our last post. We have been caught up with a very busy wedding season which has been great but our poor blog readers are rightly feeling a little neglected. Now that things are a little bit quieter we thought we would bring you some inspiration and useful advice over the coming weeks.

So...now that we are into Autumn,we thought we would bring you a mood board with some late summer dusky pinks mixed with some beautiful Autumn shades...oh, and a touch of stylish vintage to add someterest. We just love the idea of wrist corsages, especially made from fresh flowers!!

Morning folks,

The sun is shining and summer has come at last!! To celebrate, we thought we would bring some wedding venue decoration inspiration to wow your guests without blowing your wedding budget. When we came across The Paper Pom Store we just had to share these super lovely decorations with you. We think they make a beautiful alternative to bunting if you want to decorate a garden or to make a pretty statement inside your venue.

Sam started The Paper Pom Store when she was looking for pom poms to decorate her own wedding in 2010. At the time when she was looking she could only find poms in the U.S, which wasn't cost effective so she set about making them herself and so The Paper Pom Store was borne. Paper poms come in sizes from 3" to 19" in diameter so they can be used as decorations hung from the ceiling, alternative brides bouquets, table decorations and even napkin rings! The Paper Pom Store can also supply pom poms strung together to form garlands to string across a room or between trees or posts.

How beautiful are these!! With prices from £3 for a small pom they are a fantastic option if you want to dress your wedding venue without breaking the bank.

The Poms come in 21 standard colours although more colours are available at longer lead times if none of the standard colours are quite what you are looking for.

We think they are sooo pretty....If you want to get your hands on some of these gorgeous pom poms go to www.paperpom.co.uk

Morning all,

To cheer us up with this dismal weather we thought you might like some gorgeous inspiration. This inspiration board which we created for the very lovely B.Loved blog is all about a barely there colour palette and some amazing details. The combination of feminine fabrics and colours combined with rustic touches creates and effortless style that we just love.

Photo credits: tassles - Etsy, Peonies - Luxury & Opulence. Cake with crown - Elizabeth Messina. Dress - Vera Wang, photographed by Elizabeth Messina. Bottles - stylemepretty. Cup with angel wings - Love, Loans & Linen. Flower head dress - Hope & Grace. Invite - Follow Studio.

So what do you think? Is anyone planning to use a soft colour palette for their wedding?

Hi All,

As promised I will be introducing our first guest blogger today! James Lord runs the UK's largest dedicated fully European wedding planning agency and has spent the best part of 15 years travelling the UK and continental Europe searching for the best wedding venues. Love & Lord offers either full wedding planning or highly tailored pan-European venue searches.

So without further ado, I will hand over to James...

The newspaper headlines for the past few days have been equivocal in their prediction of the biblical events ahead this weekend. A month’s rain will fall in 2 days and the subsequent floods will wash away most of the Cotswolds and the South Coast leaving a vast reservoir behind the size of Yorkshire (ok I made that last bit up). This follows three months of seemingly unrelenting rain that would put Noah permanently out to sea following the ironic imposition of a hose pipe ban that is mostly still in place! It’s July for Gods sake! The height of the British summer and the middle of the traditional English wedding season. With the meteorologists in meltdown and flood defences being strengthened why on earth would anyone want to hold their wedding in England and run the risk of it turning into a Glastoburyesque quagmire. It’s part of the traditional British stiff upper lip to expect (or should I say grin and bear) rain on your wedding day. Indeed we have even invented a tradition that it's actually lucky to rain on your big day. What tosh - why do we tolerate it!

The Mediterranean from May to September is a virtually a rain free zone. The low cost airlines (and now even national carriers are low cost) enable you to get there in 2 hours from most UK airports. The venues are less likely to be the rules based wedding factories we have to endure here in the UK, the food and drink in these countries is invariably superior, you can have the whole event outside and you get a lot more bang for your buck with the euro at 1.25 to a pound. If you don't want anything quintessentially English about your wedding and if you don't want rain then it really is a no brainer. In July and August you sometimes find that the opposite situation occurs abroad in that it is too hot so you plump for June or September instead. Why on earth would you even consider the English countryside for the most important day of your life when there's a good chance your marquee with guests within will last be seen heading down the Thames to Tilbury. Bruce Oldfield dresses don't really go with Hunter wellies – it’s not a good look girls......

I wrote the above on Friday and I now return to finish this on the Monday following the aquatic armageddon. In the interregnum however I visited Blenheim Palace, Aynhoe Park and Belcome Court to view for clients. I take it all back. What on earth was I writing about above. The Cotswolds is the British Tuscany, these venues are phenomenal for size, history and quintessential Britishness come rain or shine (or should it be rain or hail). You do probably need to be a slightly eccentric Englishman rather than a europhile to appreciate this fully however. Like most people, my favourite restaurant is the one that I had a good meal in just recently, my best friend is the one I saw last week and my favourite wedding venue is the one I saw yesterday that blew my socks off, replacing the one I saw last week that had made my jaw hit the floor. A favourite is usually the last one you experienced. This is particularly pertinent when viewing wedding venues (especially those at the high end of the market). The opinion of a wise independent soul in such circumstances cannot be underestimated.

I'm off to Sardinia next week venue hunting so expect my report soon, featuring swathes of Pecorino cheese drenched in honey and a broad statement from me saying that it's the best location for a wedding in the Mediterranean. The best (at least for week) before I visit the Amalfi Coast and start the circle again.

James Lord

www.loveandlord.com

So, should we be going to sunnier climes or can you not beat a British wedding for it's charm. Let us know your thoughts....

xx

Afternoon folks,

Yesterday on the blog we talked about our plans for the blog and today we are very excited to be introducing you to the first of our guest bloggers. For those of you considering a destination wedding, or even if you haven't considered it, you soon will be after hearing about Love & Lord. Imagine your wedding taking place against the backdrop of the natural beauty of Tuscany or the intense atmosphere of Marrakech. In fact, imagine your wedding almost anywhere and the clever folk at Love & Lord can make it happen.

Their weddings range from small celebrations to week-long wedding extravaganzas including a Persian ceremony, a Greek Hindu wedding and an Indian wedding feast, and have provided such luxuries as a fleet of vintage Ferraris; a flight of Doves; and a flock of synchronised swimmers. If your wedding plans are a little closer to home, Love & Lord can work their magic in some amazing UK locations such as Lennoxlove in Scotland or the very stylish Manoir Aux Quat Saisons in the Home Counties.

With their team of elite multi-lingual European wedding planners who have unrivalled local knowledge of wedding locations and service, Love & Lord use their personal connections with the very top wedding suppliers to make your wedding unforgettable. Their ‘little black book’ connects with the leading European experts in bridal wear, logistics, floral design, food and drink, fashion, tableware, venues and local entertainment and recreation so you won't have to worry about any aspect of your wedding being left to chance.

So what is their secret? Their award-winning secret is never to work to a formula. Every wedding they organise is unique, based on the couple’s individual requirements with no two weddings the same. They are dedicated to creating distinctive, high quality weddings abroad and at home that fulfil dreams and create vividly happy memories.

Love & Lord will be bringing monthly inspiration to the Hope & Grace blog with destination guides and stunning real weddings that they have created in some of the most beautiful locations. Pop back on Thursday to read their first guest blog post.

If you really can't wait that long visit their website www.loveandlord.com

Morning all,

We have been working hard over the last weeks and months to get Hope & Grace up and running. Now that we have officially passed our 'launch' phase we have been looking at our next collection and also how we can bring you some new and exciting content on our blog. With so many wedding blogs out there providing lots of eye candy and inspiration we wanted to bring something well, a little bit different to the party...

When we launched Hope & Grace our aim was to create a place where brides could find unique and beautiful accessories. Having spent time looking at what we want our wedding blog to be it became obvious really quickly that we want our blog to be exactly the same. We want it to be a treasure trove of unique and beautiful finds as well as fantastic advice from some of the best suppliers in the bridal industry. We also realise that a wedding blog wouldn't be a wedding blog without some pretty so we also intend to bring you amazing inspiration boards and we will be searching high and low to bring you gorgeous finds to add a special and unique touch to your wedding. We have made a promise to only feature things on our blog that are inspirational or beautiful (or hopefully both!) so we won't be blogging away every day - we will be firmly sticking to the theory of quality not quantity!!

To do this we have teamed up with a fantastic line up of guest bloggers who will be blowing you away with ideas for destination weddings, honeymoons and some unique ideas to really get the party going at your wedding. The first of our guest bloggers will be introduced later this week so watch this space!!

Lastly, we are busy working on the techie aspects (yawn!) of our blog so that we can index all of our content and make it much easier for you to find what you are looking for.

Our hope is that we can bring you ideas that will take your breath away and bring you advice that will help you to make your wedding day everything that YOU want it to be. So feel free to pop by from time to time or register to receive our blog by email. If you have any particular things that you would like to see up on our blog, get in touch, we would love to hear from you!

Afternoon all,

We thought we would start this weeks blog off with something utterly beautiful. When we came across the new Silhouette collection from Circa Vintage Bridal we just fell in love! We are always suckers for amazing fabrics and elegant lines and this collection has it in abundance. If you are a bride-to-be looking for a vintage inspired dress that is more old-school hollywood glamour than cream tea vintage then look no further. The collection takes reference from many different decades but designs are brought unashamedly up-to-date with contemporary cutting and details. We just love love love them!

Astral Sundholm-Hayes is the designer behind Circa Vintage Brides. Her childhood was spent dressing up in antique clothes as her mother ran vintage shops in London in the 1970’s & 80’s whilst her father toured with his band. Years of hands on experience with antique clothes led her to take her love of fashion and textiles to the next level and so Circa Vintage brides was launched in 2006. Combining all of her vast knowledge of antique clothes, textiles and high end cutting, Astral produces silk gowns that are all made in England. Prices start from £1850.

So without further ado let's introduce a selection of our favourite pieces...

Ava: 1940’s Vintage inspired silk crepe wedding gown featuring an ‘all-in-one’ Kimono cape style top covering the shoulders and arms. Ava has an open back set into a beautiful quilted waist band.

Bianca: 1970’s Bianca Jagger vintage inspired all-in-one halter neck trouser suit. Made from silk crepe with contrasting silk satin buttoned waistband with a set in silk georgette open backed transparent cape revealing the back and shoulders.

Honey: 1940’s Vintage inspired silk crepe short cap sleeve wedding dress with high scoop neck line slashed open down the front to the quilted triangle waistband with bust pleats set further down the band.

Isla long sleeve bolero: 1930’s vintage inspired long sleeve bolero with a ruched neckline and deco rhinestone clasp. The long sleeves are split all the way down the inside and gathered at the wrists where the sleeves can be pushed up the arm to create a more cape like effect.

Lilly: 1970’s Vintage Inspired ethereal full length empire line wedding dress in silk georgette edged with silk satin, the bust is constructed from georgette triangles with fine double spaghetti straps which open as they pass the shoulders to the back.

Lizzie: 1960’s Vintage silk georgette double layer gown. The top of the gown is all-in-one crossover bust and straps adorned with Swarovski crystal elements, the skirt is set into to the empire line with a double bias cut layer of silk georgette, short at the front to above the knees leading to a train set into the back of the gown which cascades and floats out as you walk, perfect to take into an evening dancing.

Rebecca: 1940’s Vintage inspired crepe wedding gown with quilted wide band and flattering crossover front top half with covered shoulders and open back detail held in place with a Swarovski crystal button, the gown has a full bias cut skirt which drapes across the floor as you walk with slight extended train behind to elongate the silhouette.

Sri: 1930’s Vintage inspired Greek Goddesses silhouette bias cut wedding gown, made in silk crepe with a circle set with crystal rhinestone motif at the left front shoulder with long scarf drapes set within which drape over the shoulders and trail behind.

Don't you just love them! Our favourites are the very chic Bianca trouser suit and the super elegant Rebecca. Let us know your favourites...

If you can't wait to get your hands on one of these pieces, the collection is available via appointment only at the recently opened boutique in Richmond. For more information and to see the complete range of dresses visit www.circabrides.com

Morning all,

Now that Ascot has finished we thought we would have a review of the best dressed this year. As usual there was some jaw dropping headwear (did anyone see the fried breakfast hat?) but we thought we would concentrate on something a little more stylish for this post, so here's our run down of the top 5 best dressed at Royal Ascot 2012.

At number 5 we have the Countess of Wessex wearing a very stylish dove grey suit and Jane Corbett hat. Not usually someone featuring highly in the style stakes but we think she looked effortlessly elegant.

At number 4 we have Lana Stone who has made it into our list because we just love this sculptural hat. We think this would make a gorgeous bridal headpiece for anyone brave enough!!

Coming in at number 3 we have Debbie Leatherland embracing the Gatsby look with this gorgeous Chloe dress and leather clutch bag.

At number 2 we have florence Brudenell Lee who had perfected the casual elegance look in a Missoni dress and striking Jane Taylor hat.

At number 1 it just had to be Paula Reed in this amazing bird printed dress. Paula definitely wins for quirky chic style!!

We hope you liked our short round up of Royal Ascot fashions. What is your favourite outfit? Did we miss any style icons, let us know!