Month: April 2016

Lavender Wedding Theme

Nothing shouts summer quite like the incredible scent and look of fresh lavender. Images of the south of France and sunny fields packed with the vibrant purple plant come to mind. It’s a beautiful theme to have for your wedding day and can work on so many levels, from incorporating the flowers themselves into the bouquets and buttonholes, but beyond that you can bring the lavender theme right through into your table décor, favours and even the food.

It’s also a quite economical theme to go for and once you settle on the lavender colour scheme, you’ll find there are so many ways to add in little accents to the day. The theme tends to work really well with country style, French or rustic style wedding themes, but you can also easily make lavender work for a more formal affair too.

To chat about this or any aspect of your wedding planning, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Table Décor
From a simple bunch of lavender in a mason jar, to rustic style wooden crates or window style boxes filled with the vibrant purple flower, there are so many ways to use lavender in your centrepieces. Burlap and gypsophila are natural friends of lavender so don’t be afraid to pair these up for great effect. For something different why not get creative and make some DIY centrepieces using old jars and bottles filled with lavender, or use some twine to wrap springs of lavender around a candle for a stunning yet simple effect. Alternatively fill some mason or antique style jars with lavender and place candles in the centre.

 

Favours
You can really go to town with lavender favours for guests and if you’re a DIY lover then there’s lots of ways you can get your craft on. One simple way to have a lavender favour is to offer your guests some cutely presented mini pots of lavender or seeds which they can plant. Lavender soap tied in burlap is a beautiful idea as is vials of lavender oil for sleeping or a jar of lavender bath salts.

 

Buttonholes and Bouquets
Lavender is the sort of flower that you can easily pair with lots of other blooms such as white roses, or indeed it works incredibly well on its own. The delicious scent and the beautiful colour works perfectly against a wedding dress and really well with a grey or navy suit for the gents.

 

Food
Lavender can really inject the wow factor if you decide to use it in some of your food. Think about having some lavender cordial or lemonade for your guests when they arrive the reception. Purple macaroons and cocktails will go down a treat with everyone and of course let’s not forget the cake! Think purple icing in various shades, or even an ombre effect, as well as purple cake pops with sprinkles of candied lavender on top.

 

 

Choosing Bridesmaids Dresses

There can be quite a few things on a busy bride’s to-do list outside of the immediate wedding plans themselves. Choosing the dress of your dreams is of course right up there on top, but after you’ve found the gown, you need to start thinking about the attire for the rest of the bridal party!

Finding dresses for your bridesmaids is one of those tasks that can sometimes cause a bit of friction and headaches, especially when you have bridesmaids of different ages, figures or heights to contend with, as well as different personalities and tastes. It’s important to try and balance their feelings with your overall wishes for how you want them to look and fit into your wedding day décor. It can be a fine line at times to find a dress that your bridesmaids like and feel comfortable in, as well as being one you are happy with and you may find yourself dreading the shopping trip instead of looking forward to it. But don’t panic, with a few simple steps choosing your bridesmaids dresses can become a doddle, rather than a chore.

If you’d like to chat to me about this or any other aspect of your wedding day décor and planning, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Make it Fun!
If you have a feeling that the shopping trip for the bridesmaid’s dresses may be tinged with friction, why not try and make it a bit of a fun outing. Organise a nice lunch or prosecco stop midway through the day and make it as social and laid back as possible.

 

The Colour
Choosing the colour is probably the first thing you should think about for bridesmaids dresses. Consider how the colour will fit into your wedding theme or palette, but also consider how your chosen colour will work with your bridesmaids. For example, you may desperately want a vivid yellow or green, but if one of your bridesmaids has a pale complexion it’s going to likely wash her out and that won’t make her feel comfortable or indeed look good in your wedding photos. If you’ve got different complexions and hair colours to contend with then try and go for colours that are universally flattering such as dusky pinks, greys, sand and of course black.

 

Multiway Dresses
One handy way to get around different body shapes is to look for identical dresses that have multiway fits. So for example the dress style and colour are the same, but the top part allows it to be worn as a halter neck, off the shoulder, strapless or with straps, etc. That way you can keep everyone happy, including yourself!

 

Different Dresses Same Colour
This is not a look all brides want, but if you have a variety of ages and body types, considering differing dresses should be a real option. While many brides prefer uniformity for the photos, different dresses can look really well too. For example you can keep things looking more in step if you decide to keep to one colour palette, say dusky pink, but allow the bridesmaids to choose different styles and dresses within that colour palette, that way they’ll be comfortable and you still get the one colour for your theme.

 

Mismatched Dresses
Similar to having different dresses, but one step further. Mismatched dresses don’t even have to be the same colour or hem length. Instead the idea is you allow each of your bridesmaids to have different styles and colours of dress. Keeping them the same hem length will add some visual, uniformity but’s not a must.

 

Comfort and Weather
Finally don’t forget to consider the time of year you’re getting married and the location! While you may desperately want a shorter length for your bridesmaid’s dresses, if you’re tying the knot in winter it may not be practical or comfortable for the ladies. Equally if you’re getting married in sunnier climes, then long gowns in heavy material will not be a runner, unless you want the sweaty Betty look!

 

 

 

Gardening Style Wedding Theme

Themes can really help bring focus to your wedding day décor, but often settling on a theme for your wedding can be difficult, so it’s a good idea to start with your interests, especially those you both enjoy. If you or your husband or wife to be are a dab hand in the garden then why not consider a green-thumbed, garden style theme for your wedding? It’s a really fun theme that has huge scope for lots of fabulous props, centrepieces and favours that generally speaking are easy to source and won’t blow the budget.

Think about wellies stuffed with flowers, old watering cans, spades, trowels, seeds, plants, cacti, lavender, your favourite herbs and produce and much more.

If you’d like to chat about your wedding day décor or plans, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly.

 

Watering Cans
They make ideal centrepieces, fill them with flowers or cacti. They also look great placed around the room, why not have them with some rustic palettes or old style bicycles as signage areas for your guests, or place them near your guestbook table.

 

Wellies
Wellies and gardening go hand in hand and they can look absolutely fantastic dotted around the venue, again stuff them with wildflowers or your favourite blooms and they look great in your pictures too. Think about having a mix of bright coloured wellies as well as the old fashioned green ones which can look great if you want a more rustic garden feel to the day.

 

Favours
Packs of seeds are a great idea for favours, as they are the sort of thing that guests are really likely to keep and use! As are mini plants or cacti. Mini watering cans filled with seeds look fabulous too or what about gardeners hand cream for each guest? Or if you have a glut of your home crop, be it fruit or veg, why not package it nicely as favours? If your green thumb extends to beekeeping honey would be ideal!

 

Escort cards/Table Plans
Why not use mini ladders with plants pots for each table and have each guests name on a stick in each pot?. You could also use herb plants. Or why not use packs of herbs or seeds as the escort cards? What about mini trowels? Or for lots of fun why not use a vintage style wheelbarrow filled with composts and packs of seeds as the escort cards.

 

Mix Up Your Wedding Lanterns

Lanterns are an ideal part of your wedding day décor. Versatile and easy to source, you can find a different lantern for every part of your wedding day and for practically any theme. From pew ends in your church or ceremony venue, to centrepieces, to dotting around your venue, to having outside your church, to using for you guests cards and well wishes, there are so many ways to use these beautiful props.

Plus there’s a style of lantern for every mood, whether you want an antique feel, beach house style, Moroccan theme, secret garden, elegant and so many more. And of course, they are quite easy to source whether you want to purchase or hire them, they are a great investment either way.

If you’d like to chat about any aspect of your wedding day planning or décor, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

 

Hanging Lanterns
This can be really impressive yet relatively simple and cheap to pull off. Think about suspending lanterns over your dessert table, or over where your guest book will be? They look great in a marquee or barn style wedding too and if you’ve got an outdoor section to your venue, then why not think about stringing some up here with tea lights for the evening time?

Pew Ends
Lanterns make ideal pew ends and again they are super customisable to your ceremony venue and tastes. You could go for some mini lanterns or larger more elegant versions or even think about hanging or tall lanterns too. Each will give your ceremony a different look and feel so make sure you have a think about how it will impact on your ceremony beforehand and check the churches policy on candles, if they don’t allow them there are some great fake candles with real looking frames or alternatively you could fill the lanterns with flowers.

Centrepieces
Lanterns are perfect for centrepieces for your reception tables. You can easily find a lantern to fit with your theme, for example don’t be afraid to use a large tall lantern if you’re going for a more formal feel, equally small or mini lanterns can look great for a more casual theme. Don’t forget to look at the lanterns finish too – if you want something with a more Middle Eastern feel, then look for lanterns with cut out patterns. For a beachy theme look for white, brushed wood finished lanterns and so on.

 

Not Just for Candles
While typically we tend to fill lanterns with candles of varying sizes, it’s nice to think a little differently and fill them with anything from flowers, shells, cacti or even family pictures. The only limit is your imagination on this one.

 

Alternatives Uses
Why not use a bespoke lantern for your guest’s cards and well wishes? And don’t forget you can use mini lanterns to light up any feature windows or sections of your venue and if you have a staircase then it is crying out to be lit up with a line of lanterns too.