On Sunday 24th May one of my clients were married at Milden Hall in Suffolk followed by a formal reception at Aniela family home in Great Henny. I will be writing a full report of the wedding especially as there is so much to show you! But in the meantime visit the blog of Kerry Morgan who has uploaded some of the wonderful images of the day.
Daniel & Aniela
Picture credit Kerry Morgan
Here at Dream Occasions Hire we appreciate money might be tight for some people holding events this summer. Therefore we aim to bring you a new offer each month to help keep some of your pennies inside your purse! We are starting with our 16″ high martini vases. Normally we hire them for £5 ea but for June you can hire them for only £4 ea.
You can create some simple floral centre pieces without using a florist. Simply fill the vase with water, fill the bottom with pebbles or crystal nuggets then float some gerberas.
If you are interested in this or any other item for hire contact us on 01376 561 544
In part 2 of fiftyfest (already mentioned here and here ) we show you further design images plus a taster into the entertainment used.
One of the most popular element to the party was the fantastic campervan used as the bar, as the light faded it looked beautiful when lit up.
As guests arrived they were welcomed with champagne & canapees.
The catering was provided by Rockfish Catering who did a fantastic job and were more then happy to wear the staff t-shirts and tie dye headscarves.
Guests were kept entertained by various live bands inc. Maybe Winehouse and Midlife Crisis (the party boys band).
The cake was a wonderful 3D drumkit made by Sugarlicious
As the night progressed guests were kept warm by the firepits inside the tipis.
My thanks go out to Tipis 4 Hire and American Marquees who were very patient with my endless requests!
All photography courtesy of Nick Kontou
I was browsing through Etsy when I came across these beautiful paper tissue flowers. They would be so perfect hanging from trees at a garden party.
Product available from O Sweet Madeline
In 2007 I was hired by Kimberley & Paul to help cordinate their wedding & post wedding BBQ the next day. The weekend was a huge success. Fast forward to 2009 and I was contacted by Kimberley to organise a 50th birthday party for Paul. Because of their love of music and the fact Paul plays in a rock band in his spare time, we decided on a rockfestival theme bringing in elements of the 60’s & 70’s.
The first thing we did was to have a logo designed to be used on invitations, posters, menus and staff t-shirts. An image of Paul was manipulated to show him in a tie dye headscarf a-la ‘woodstock’.
The party was to be held in their garden so we needed the right marquee as sadly we couldnt plan the weather. I knew giant tipis would be perfect and so we used 3 of them in a line.
We used their long tables & benches as we felt this was more authentic then banqueting tables. We covered them in bright linen using contrasting colours for the runners.
Bright gerberas
Down the centre of the tables we had small containers with bright gerberas, small jars of M&M chocolates, candles, glow sticks & the printed menus with the schedule on the reverse.
Candle & napkin
Outside we covered poseur tables with bright linen and cut up tie dye sheets to wrap round the tables. Kimberley and her friend spent hours tie dying the sheet & 130 napkins, the end result looked fab.
Come back next week for more images of the tipis, garden, food & some of the entertainers we booked.
Photo Credit -
My thanks to the photographer for the day Nick Kontou who I think captured some amazing shots
Today I met with fellow planners for our annual UKAWP members meeting. The venue chosen was the beautiful Lanesborough Hotel which overlooks Hyde Park. Not only is the setting perfect but the interior is simply opulent perfect for weddings, private dining or perhaps afternoon tea?
Each month we welcome a new guest blogger and today its the turn of Zoe Lingard a friend, blog guru and member of the UKAWP. Now some of you might wonder why I would have another planner contribute to my blog, it is my belief that a bride chooses the best planner for her in terms of personality and ability to create the wedding she desires. The clients that book me and Zoe are very different so I thought it would be interesting to hear her views on wedding design. Over to you Zoe…
So much of good design is about achieving balance and this is a great principle to bear in mind as you design your wedding. For example, if you are using very bold colours in your floral arrangements, balance this with more subtle table linen, if your venue has very high ceilings balance this with tall table centres or candelabra, if your dress is very ornate balance this with a simple non edged, single tier veil.
Avoid thinking of your wedding in terms of separate items on a long to do list and instead view things holistically where design isn’t just an after thought but affects 90% of your decisions. To achieve great results it’s important that you think how decisions such as stationery, table settings, attire, flowers and even entertainment all work together to create one overall ‘look’.
At the outset, before doing much more than drawing up a guest list and calculating a budget, sit down and think about the overall look you are trying to achieve. Collect images and items that inspire you and come up with at least two different concepts that you can choose between. This will allow you to make an informed decision about the design of your wedding and also give you a clear direction when it comes to making decisions.
When confirming your colour scheme think about your reception venue, what colours are already there and what colours are therefore best avoided. Fighting a clashing colour scheme can often be a losing battle and costly to correct in the form of drapes and chair covers.
Most weddings feature a lot of white and when this is combined with one other colour, the overall look can be very harsh. To avoid this, select a minimum of two colours when choosing your colour palette. This will soften things and mean you avoid a heavy, overwhelming finished look.
As much as people will tell you they don’t, the details really do matter. Now this needn’t mean blowing your budget on expensive favours or sending yourself crazy over matching napkin shades with cravats. Instead, putting a little extra thought into items that complete the overall look, personalise things and/or help your guests feel welcome and appreciated really do go a long way.
If you’re struggling to make a colour palette choice, go for green. Green is the colour of tranquility and makes one of the most versatile colour options. In the same way, if you’re struggling to find an accent colour chocolate browns is a great option and goes with just about everything.
And finally, don’t be afraid to do something unusual or daring. Just because certain colours and styles are used frequently for weddings doesn’t mean you should follow suit. Go to unusual places in search of inspiration, watch films, visit art galleries and don’t be afraid to experiment. Create something that you love and that is personal to you and you’ll have the perfect wedding.
At the end of April we organised a party for a clients 50th birthday, the theme of the day was ‘rockfest’ , in essence a mini ‘woodstock’. A logo was designed which was used on the invitations & t-shirts for the staff. I will be showcasing the party next week once I receive the images, but in the meantime here is a picture of Lisa and I trying our best to look the part!
My thanks to Nick Kontou for supplying the picture
Venues
Each month we highlight one of the beautiful venues we have worked at or particularly love, in and around East Anglia.
Layer Marney Towers - Colchester, Essex
I’ve worked at Layer Marney Towers a number of occasions and each time the design of the wedding has been dramatically different. I think this venue is incredibly versatile and I love working here.
Layer Marney Tower was built between 1515 and 1525 and is the tallest Tudor Gatehouse in the country. Henry 1st Lord Marney was Henry VIII’s Lord Privy Seal and he built himself a house which was, he thought, magnificent enough for a person of his position.
Corsellis Room - ceremonies can take place here between 10a.m - 1p.m, a later ceremony can take place provided the reception is booked at Layer Marney. This room is located on the first floor of the tower and can accommodate 120 people, this can be reached by stairs or list for the less able guests.
Long Gallery - the reception takes place here, beautiful wood panelling around the room with a huge log fire in middle of room, this can be used when it is winter. The beaming is gorgeous and the floor well looked after, in fact every night after a function the room is cleared and floors polished. Can accommodate 140 people seated and 180 for stand up buffet and dancing. The catering is handled via Bouquet Garni who have many years experience working at Layer Marney. There is a large entrance hall with a gallery, from here guests can sit away from the noise but still see what is happening in main room.
With their compliments - you have complimentary use of The Maythorn, their chauffeur driven 1931 Rolls Royce + use of the Bridal Suite, a luxurious apartment for your wedding, from 1pm on the day of your wedding reception through to 11am the following day.
Maythorn
Picture Credits: Maythorn Car - PK PhotoVideo , The Tower - Layer Marney Towers
When my Mum went to America end of 2008 I begged her to bring back some US bridal magazines but also gave specific instructions to get me ‘Preston Bailey, Inspirations‘. For those that do not know he is a celebrity event designer in the US renowned for his elaborate floral creations. She duly returned home with said book moaning somewhat by the size (and price) of it. But boy was it worth every penny to see inside the mind of this amazing designer.
Inspirations
The book starts with his introduction ‘Sometimes it’s as easy as taking a breath. Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can come at any time‘ I for one can relate to that, I have been in the most obscure places when suddenly a flash of inspiration comes to me for a clients wedding, I could be on holiday, talking with friends or just watching a film but when it comes I take note and write my ideas down.
The chapters within the book are listed below and should give you an understanding of how varied his designs are.
The combination of his floral displays, exquisite table linen and lighting make the designs inspirational. Whenever I look at American receptions I get a little jealous over the choice of linen available whereas we only seem to have plain, brocade or Milan stripe! The variety of linen is just astonishing and really finishes his designs perfectly.
If you are looking for a book to inspire you with an event you are organising then you really cant go wrong with this book, it truly is inspirational.
Useful links: Preston Bailey & Amazon