Month: October 2016

Ways To Dress Up The Wedding Car

There’s nothing like the excitement of seeing a wedding car all dressed up with the happy couple inside. It’s a universally happy sight that tends to make everyone smile. While many of us will be familiar with the sight of ‘just married signs’ and vintage cans hanging out of the wedding car as the couple make their getaway from American movies and TV, the tradition of adding adornments to the wedding car is one that is interpreted in different ways pretty much all over the world.

No matter what mode of transport you’ll be donning for your wedding day, adding your own embellishments is a really nice touch to make it feel a little more personalised to you both as a couple. Normally it’s a job for the best man and chief bridesmaid to get to work on, but there’s no harm in giving them a few pointers in advance, especially if they have a mischievous side and you don’t want to be met with shaving foam all over the car!

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

Flowers
You don’t have to opt for fresh flowers, synthetic flowers will look just as good and probably last better as the car drives along in any case. Try and match the flowers to the mode of transport, so if it’s a hippy style Volkswagen Beetle Van, then think of Hawaiian or tropical style flowers to match. Pom poms also work really well and these can be strung over the car too for a really stand out look

 

Cans
Vintage style tin cans look stunning, especially if the car is a classic and you’re going for the whole retro feel. Do bear in mind there could be sparks from the metal cans, so also consider using plastic bottles instead. Pom poms also work well as a subsite for cans or bottles.

 

Ribbons
Ribbons are a bit of a classic and look great teamed with flowers. Think of stringing the ribbon over the bonnet of the car and arranging some bows too. Also consider using streamers, bunting or crepe paper, for a slightly different sort of look. Ribbons can also work really well as a trailing feature instead of cans or bottles.

Balloons
Go for the big impact with balloons! Look for different colours, sizes and shapes, hearts for example, or you could go all out and fill the car with balloons too!

 

Signs
From ‘just married’ to ‘they lived happily ever after,’ there’s plenty of fab messages to put on the back of the wedding car. Think about using some custom made message boards or stickers which you can find in a variety of online shops for a reasonable price. Bunting with Mr & Mrs/ Mr & Mr / Mrs & Mrs etc. on it is also a nice touch. Or why not go old school with chalk or shaving foam? The latter is a wee bit messy so approach with caution!

 

Ice Breakers for Wedding Guests

No matter how much time and energy you put into the seating plan for your wedding day, you should be prepared for the fact that you may end up with a few tables of mixed guests or indeed have a few guests who may only know one other or indeed not know anyone else on their table at all. While of course, it’s not an ideal scenario, there are lots of ways you can help these guests to feel at ease.

Icebreakers are the ideal solution and there are tonnes of fantastic, fun ideas to play around with that should have your guests mingling and laughing in no time at all.

You can go from the very simple, such as speech sweepstakes, to the more elaborate such as dares or treasure hunts, but whichever you choose to go for, just bear in mind the best icebreakers are usually the simple ones that provoke a few giggles and get people chatting. And of course as the meal progresses, things tend to become much more relaxed naturally.

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

 

Speech Sweepstakes
The speech betting is a universal a classic, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with using it, as everyone just loves betting on the length of the speeches. It’s one of the simplest and best icebreakers as and gets the whole table involved. You can even print out sheets so guests can all fill in their guesses. Another great betting game to consider is the ‘Thank You’ game, where each guest, or pair of guests puts a €5 in a glass and moves it to their left each time one of the speakers says the words ‘thank you.’ Wedding speech bingo works in a similar way too, but you can make it more formal with printed sheets and phrases for guests to look out for in order to get a full house!

 

Board Games
Forget monopoly or risk, or more serious board games and instead think fun games like operation, jenga, hungry hippos, connect 4 or buckaroo! The emphasis here should be on getting people relaxed and laughing, instead of serious game playing or winning.

 

Nametags
This is a bit of a quirky one and again, great for mixed tables as it helps people not only remember each other’s names, but it should help start a conversation too! The idea is the guest can fill in their name on the tag, plus how they know the bride or groom! You could leave this section blank for them to fill in, or provide some funny options to get things going. Have a look on Google for some funny templates to play around with.

Fact Cards or Madlibs
Provide fact cards for your guests to fill in – they can either write one interesting fact, have them shuffled and then everyone has to guess who each fact belongs to, or you can have them write down three facts – two true and one fake. The rest of their table then have to guess which fact is the fake. This is a great way to get your guests chatting and laughing together. Madlibs are another guaranteed winner to get the giggles going as are the classic ‘he said, she said.’

 

Dares or Tasks
Setting dares or tasks can be great fun, but bear in mind your guests temperaments. Your 90 year old conservative granny may not take too kindly to being dared to kiss the groom for example, or then again perhaps she would! Just know your audience before launching in on the dares. However if you know they will go down a treat, then go for it. They can be as silly or mischievous as you wish. Why not leave them in a bowl to be plucked out at random and passed around the table, or be inspired by a dare dice or write the dares in an origami style fortune teller like the ones you would have made as school? If you want to get really creative why not give each guest a fortune cookie as their favour but have a dare printed inside each one?

Images via Pinterest 

Wedding Fruit Centrepieces

Fruit can make a really quirky centrepiece or addition to your wedding day décor and it can be a great way to keep an eye on the budget versus fresh flowers too. Super versatile, fruit can play into practically any theme from retro to vintage to modern, glamourous, barn style and so much more. Plus if you’re having a very seasonal focused wedding, then again fruit can really play a huge role in setting the scene and feel for the venue.

You can also have a lot of fun with fruit. From golden pineapples to King Henry the VIII style opulence, fruit can do it all. Plus if you’re a DIY lover, then there’s plenty of ways you can get working on some creative homemade fruity centrepieces, especially if you’ve a green thumb and want to add some of your home crop in on the action too. And don’t forget, you can arrange the fruit in such a way as to let you guests have a nibble, making for a fun ice breaker.

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

 

Seasonal
If your wedding is having a specific seasonal feel, then fruit is a great option to really set the scene. For winter think holly berries, chestnuts, mandarins and cranberries. For autumn, pumpkins, squash (yes technically veggies but these work well too!) apples and blackberries. For summer it’s got to be punnets of fresh strawberries and raspberries while for spring think plumbs, radishes and cherries.

 

Tropical
For that fun tropical feel there’s plenty to get creative with. Pineapples are the obvious choice, but why not go all out and spray them gold for the extra kitsch factor? This works so well if you’re going for the whole pink flamingo’s Hawaiian theme! Don’t forget other exotic fruits such as papayas, mangoes, coconuts, limes, lemons. And there’s lots of ways to display them without going to OTT on the tacky factor. Sliced limes and lemons for example look super smart when lining vases.

 

Vintage
Fruit works really well if you want to channel a vintage inspired vibe. Think about mixing the fruits with some vintage style blooms too for the full effect. In terms of fruits, consider those that were seen as exotic and expensive in the Victorian era or even the long tables of King Henry VIII. Grapes, pomegranate, figs and dates are ideal.

 

Get Creative
When it comes to displaying the fruit as your centrepieces, it pays to get creative as while fruit can look stunning, it does need help to be presented. Think about spraying fruit with metallics, recreate the feel of apple trees with a creative use of tall vases. Display fruits with candles, under cloches or in mini wooden crates for that home-grown produce feel. The sky is the limit on how you want to display it.

 

 

Cute Ideas for Flower Girls and Page Boys

There’s nothing cuter than having flower girls and page boys in your wedding ceremony, especially if they are indeed your own children or nieces/nephews or other relatives. It gives the proceedings a very special feel and for the children, it’s a wonderful memory they can look back on. For the couple, it’s also incredibly fun to help kit them out in mini formal wear and to try and make their ‘big’ entrance as memorable as possible.

Do bear in mind though, depending on the child’s age and demeanour, they can get stage fright. Indeed, it can be nerve-wracking for your average adult to walk down the aisle, so remember that the little ones may need some encouragement before they do their thing and be prepared for the fact that no matter how much you may have rehearsed and talked about it, they may decide to back out at the last minute. Generally speaking though, most children really enjoy the role and the further they get along the aisle, the bigger their smile.

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

 

Flower Girls
When it comes to flower girls, generally it’s all about the girly cuteness. All the fun of finding a suitable dress, shoes and as much sweet accessories as they’ll let you add in! Think fairy wings, lots of tulle, flower crowns and more. A piece of jewellery like a small bangle or necklace is a great little thank you gift for them to look back on too! But of course, it’s all about the entrance and here’s some ideas to help make that entrance as perfect as possible for them.

 

Making an Entrance
Petal Baskets
The traditional petal basket is a wonderful idea and allows your little helpers to spread some petals as they walk up the aisle.

Signs
These make for fantastic pictures and you can find everything from romantic to funny wording to suit your style, just be sure to have a sign that’s a suitable size for the child as you don’t want them feeling overwhelmed.

 

Big Balloons
What child doesn’t love a balloon? And letting them carry a specially made big wedding balloon down the aisle should appeal to both girls and boys.

 

Bubbles
If your church of venue is not keen on the idea of petals, then bubbles are a great alternative. It will also focus the mind of the child as they walk down the aisle.

 

Page Boys
These days, the sheer variety of smart attire for page boys is staggering and indeed it has become just as much fun to put together an outfit for the dapper boys as it is for the girls. Think mini waistcoats, bow ties, sunglasses, hats and a cool mix of smart and casual. Personalised cufflinks would make a lovely gift which they can look back on in years to come. Again the entrance is all important and there’s plenty of ways to make it as fun as possible for these little dudes.

 

Making an Entrance
Ring Security
This is such a genius idea and one most little boys will love. The idea is you make them essentially ‘ring security’ as they walk down the aisle with the rings. Look out for cute signs, police style badges and sunglasses to complete the look. Of course it is a very serious jobs to mind the rings, but you can always provide them with dummy rings and let the best man take care of the real deal.

 

Superhero
Most boys will have a favourite superhero, and if you aren’t too fussed on formal attire, why not let him walk down the aisle dressed up as his favourite hero? Or add some hero embellishments to his outfit, such as superhero cufflinks or buttonholes?

 

Signs and Flags
Signs and flags are a universal addition for both page boys and flower girls. Take it to the next level have a small cart which the page boy can wheel the flower girls down the aisle in, complete with cute signage on the back.

 

Four Legged Friend
If you’re planning to include your four legged friend in the procession as well, then why not let the page boy or flower girl be in charge of leading your canine companion down the aisle? The combination of cuteness will be hard to match!