Last year, Melbourne designer Mariana Hardwick launched a beautiful new collection “Heirloom Collection” The styling and detail of these gowns is absolute gorgeous!

Beautiful vintage touches and each photo looks like a painting.

Check out the Mariana Hardwick site for more!

I love this serene shot from Megan and Justin’s wedding (see more here) by Millie Holloman

Photo by Millie Holloman

A few months ago a new Aussie site dedicated to all things craft, design, art and living launched and it’s definitely worth a look!

Living Creatively brings out a new “issue” of their online magazine every month and the site is filled with projects, suppliers, forums, competitions and even tips and tricks on how to grow your own craft business.

If you’re feeling a little stumped with your wedding DIY, check the site out for some wedding suitable projects.

Stitched Postcard

Leather Brooch

Paper Butterfly

You can also check out profiles and interviews with some great Australian and international businesses, design companies and fashion houses.

Chapel Press

Fat Bird Farm

Alex Perry

You can also get notice of great fairs coming up- like Magnolia Square Markets in Melbourne, vouchers for stores, glossary for commonly used terms and soon Buy Hand- a place where you can buy and sell handmade items!

Check out Living Creatively now

2008 was a glorious year on Polka Dot Bride! Here’s a look back at ten of my favourite posts!

The ABC Of Weddings

The ABC Of Weddings was such a great challenge to write- I loved pouring over ideas for everything from bouquet ties to how to create a lolly buffet to different ways of using a monogram! See the full alphabet here.

Mr Polka Dot Takes Over The Blog For Polka Dot Groom

I loved Polka Dot Groom month! I learnt so much and I know even Mr Polka had fun! Some fantastic guest posters visited the blog and even Mr Polka Dot put his fingers to the keys and wrote about how to pick the perfect car for your wedding day! View the full roundup here!

Henry Roth Announces The Winner Of The “Win A Wedding Dress” Competition

I felt so honoured to have Henry Roth visit Polka Dot Bride and announce the winner of the massive Win A Wedding dress competition! Henry was fabulous in Project Runway Australia and I’m even more delighted Project Runway Australia has been picked up for a second season! Henry Roth may just pop up again this year on Polka Dot Bride- so keep your eye out!

Wedding Music Video

I loved this wedding video- it makes me smile every time I watch it! What a production!

Create A Wedding Time Capsule

So many Polka Dot Bride readers loved the idea of creating a wedding time capsule!

Your Guide To A Polka Dot Wedding

I couldn’t make this list and leave out polka dots! Your Guide To A Polka Dot Wedding was a round up of some great polka dot posts from around the web!

A Recycled Wedding Dress

I really enjoyed working with Polka Dot Bride reader Jessica during her HSC and was so thrilled when she sent me the final result of her months of hard work! A recycled wedding dress!

Chocolate and Grey

I love creating inspiration boards! This Melbourne inspired chocolate and grey board was one of my favourites!

Girl With A Satchel Walks Down The Aisle

It’s always really special to share weddings on Polka Dot Bride and I enjoy all the weddings I share! One of the first ones I shared was of fellow blogger Girl With A Satchel who married in Queensland. Erica wrote such a beautiful, detailed account of her wedding I shared it in four parts! (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)

The Great Barn Hunt

After a reader emailed me looking for a barn outside of Sydney, I set to work creating a long list for her in The Great Barn Hunt. I had so many requests for the list it became a post! Now the challenge is on to find barns in other states!

It was so hard to narrow this list down to ten- I had such a lot of fun in 2008 on Polka Dot Bride!

I have some absolutely fantastic things in store for Polka Dot Bride this year- one of which you’ll see in just two weeks! As always I love to hear from you so please contact me anytime!

Photo courtesy of Jessica Claire

Happy New Year! Have a brilliant and safe celebration and an out of the world 2009!