Our blog will be a mix of practical event planning advice,
design tips as well as product & supplier reviews.
August 27th, 2010
For the month of July I had the lovely and talented Hannah Kong complete an internship with me. She was a wonderful asset and I know will make a wonderful wedding planner. She kindly created the following mood board for me, hope you like it!
Credits
Dress - Vera Wang
White chair - style me pretty & Jeffrey & Julia Woods - Photography
Fairy lights - style me pretty & SimplyBloom - Photography
Cake - the wedding workroom
Bridesmaid dress - 100 layercake & Sarah Yates Photography
Flowers - style me pretty & Lindsey Belle - Photography
Small flower picture - wild at heart
Lanterns - Style me Pretty, styled by Fresh Lime Events & photography Bruce Plotkin
We endeavor to credit everyone but if we have missed anyone please do let us know so we can rectify it.
Posted in Design Details | No Comments »
August 26th, 2010
“Nobody thinks it will work, do they? No. You just described every great success story.”
– Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court
Posted in uncategorized | No Comments »
August 25th, 2010
After each wedding I send my clients a feedback form to see if there are any improvements I can make for the future. I have a folder of feedback and thank you cards which is so large I need to get a new one as I have run out of space! One of my recent clients Sarah & Tom (their wedding is currently on Kerry Morgan blog) send me the following testimonial, I did laugh as they said they tried to think about what improvement I could make but said “We tried for ages but in the end actually couldn’t think of a single thing you could have improved!”
Bernadette, we really don’t know how we would have managed without you over the last 18 months! As Tom & I both lead such busy lives, your constant support was truly indispensible. From our very first meeting you seemed to really understand our style and the result was a wedding that was just perfect for us in every way down to the tiniest detail.
You were always there to answer every query and concern we had, no matter how minor and this helped so much in keeping us both calm in the run-up to the wedding. Having the comfort of knowing that you were there to take care of everything was priceless - it allowed us to just relax and actually enjoy our wedding day!
Looking back on the day itself we can honestly say there wasn’t a single thing we would change - every element was simply fantastic. Our guests agreed - we lost count of the number of times we heard the words “amazing”, “stunning”, “beautiful” and “fabulous”! So thank you so much Bernadette for making our wedding day so perfect.
I also received a note from Alice Ogilvie the conference manager at Queen’s College :
Our team really enjoyed working with you, and were very impressed by how chilled you were on the day! I must say that that is very unusual trait of most wedding coordinators we have worked with, so congratulations on an obviously well planned event.
Important note:
You can only marry at Queen’s College if you are an old member.
Tags: Queens College
Posted in Weddings | No Comments »
August 23rd, 2010
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place,
suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace,
suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste,
it all revolves around you.
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Tags: moulin rouge
Posted in Weddings | No Comments »
August 20th, 2010
If there is one aspect of weddings that Brides worry about it’s whether to invite their friends’ children, knowing they may scream throughout the ceremony. If you are inviting children to your wedding but are worried about how to ensure they don’t ruin your special day, I have listed some tips below. Look out for a reader offer at the end from All Things Nice.
- Ask the Photographer to have one picture of all the children together, they will love being centre of attention .
- If you have a Mum with a young baby then check whether she needs somewhere to feed the baby and/or change nappies.
- During the drinks reception, have a table set to one side and cover with paper (to protect the venues furniture). Then provide the children with crayons, pencils and one large sheet of paper, ask all the children to draw a picture and hand to the best man when finished, the bride & groom could then keep as a memento to the day.
- If you have a lot of children why not organise a treasure hunt with one of the ushers in charge?
- If you have older children set up a small room with computer games, puzzles and board games.
- Iif money is not an object and you really want some peace and quiet, hire a wedding crèche service, they will entertain the children and you won’t even know they are there!
- For favours why not give them a specially baked & designed cookie like the dinasour one below?
- New to the market this year is the Wedding JollyBox which I think is fantastic, it contains illustrated flash cards, inspiration booklet, activity book with puzzles, themed games & role play ideas for boring moments like the speeches!
Reader Offer
Both products pictured are available from All Things Nice who have kindly offered a discount of 10% to our readers, please enter the code of AATN10DO when making an order.
Posted in Event advice, Weddings | No Comments »
August 19th, 2010
Ok so we have covered the ceremony and the drink reception, it is now to show you how beautiful the grand hall looked. Again thanks to Mydas Photography. We hired in linen, chairs, stage and dancefloor to totally change the feel of the room - this made a huge difference and worked well with the ivory & gold theme. Again all flowers were provided By Appointment Only Design and the stationery was from Sposini Wedding Stationery. 
The cake was from the very talented Linda Fripp.
The music was provided by the fabulous The Soul Patrol and the dance floor was packed all night.
Credits: Mydas Photography
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August 18th, 2010
Last week I showed the ceremony for Tess & Gary married on the 10th July, today we are showing you the reception with the photography again supplied by Mydas Photography. It has been so hard choosing which images to show as there were so many beautiful detail shots so I plan to show you some more end of this week. The reception was held at the gorgeous Stapleford Park which is not only stunning, the staff are incredibly polite and efficient.
The drink reception was held in the gardens and the stunning orangery, By Appointment Only Design hung orchids from the top of the orangery and provided the gold day bed in the middle.
In the garden we had a very tall fountain again from By Appointment Only Design and used the base as a structure for the seating cards.
Credits
Mydas Photography
Posted in Weddings | No Comments »
August 16th, 2010
Q: I hope you don’t find me rude but why the fuss over wedding planners? Just what do you do? It seems an awful waste of money to me, sorry!
Don’t apologise I can understand why you could be confused. Hiring a wedding planner is not for everyone but those that do hire us feel relieved knowing their wedding will be organised to a professional standard. Personally many of my clients no longer live in the area and do not want to burden (or trust) their parents with all the organising. They all work very long hours with little time for wedding research let alone meetings. Some say they have seen friends all consumed with the wedding and do not wish to go the same way. As well as full planning most planners offer on the day co-ordination leaving you to plan the wedding and just handing over to ensure your plans are carried out on the day. For more help view the UK Alliance of Wedding Planner (www.ukawp.com) for further details on what questions to ask a planner.
Posted in Bridal Dilemmas, Weddings | No Comments »
August 13th, 2010
Recently I was delighted to be interviewed by Danielle from The Wedding Girl blog , if you havent subscribed yet to this blog I urge you to do so, it’s a great blend of fashion, events and informative articles for all you future bride & grooms.
Posted in News/Press | No Comments »
August 13th, 2010
Madeline Isaac-James will be unveiling the full 2011 collection to visitors at BBEH in September 2010 from their new Starlet and Candlelit Collections. But you can view some of these designs here or on their website. I just had a peak and think her collections are beautiful.
Inspired by the ever elegant style and grace of the 1950’s, the Candlelit Collection is a truly romantic bridal collection with clean, classic lines. The Starlet Collection is, as the name suggests, inspired by the gorgeous starlets of the golden era of Hollywood. This collection hints at a vintage feel, and promises wonderful, glamorous gowns finished in silk with gorgeous Swarovski crystal accents.
“My latest collections will appeal to modern brides who are looking for a ‘wow-factor’ gown which still maintains an elegant and classic look,” said Gladman. “The designs have been inspired by two very distinctive eras in terms of look and feel, yet are quite eclectic so we have a stunning gown to suit every bride. Our collections offer everything from fabulous princess gowns through to sultry, glamorous gowns - all of which fit and flatter the bride beautifully.” says designer, Natalie Gladman
Retailing from just £599 - £1,799, the Madeline Isaac-James collections are affordable to brides on all budgets. Details of current stockists is available on their website.
Tags: Madeline Isaac James
Posted in Fashion | 2 Comments »
Hello
and welcome to our blog. Dream Occasions is an event design & coordination
company based in Essex, England. We primarily organise events in East Anglia
from dinner parties to the most beautiful timeless weddings. Our company philosophy
is to provide a professional, creative and meticulous service to all our clients.