bunting

Village Hall Wedding Theme

There’s something so beautiful about that dreamy, vintage, village hall wedding scene. It conjures up images of a by-gone era and evokes a truly laid back feel and a balmy summers evening’s festivities.

It’s a wonderful theme to have for your wedding day and one that is super popular thanks to its visual appeal and the fact that many of the pieces needed are quite economical and easy to source – it’s also a DIY or craft-lovers dream.

Whether or not you’re actually able to source a village hall for your wedding reception doesn’t matter, as with a little imagination you can still transform your venue into a village hall style destination for your big day.  Try and find somewhere with high ceilings and lots of wooden features. Think bunting, string lights, long tables, buffet style dining, draping, wildflowers and a truly casual feel.

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

 

Tables

Tables are an essential part of the village hall theme. Standard round tables are fine, but for the genuine article go for long tables. Think casual communal dining with long tables, covered with wildflower runners, vintage jugs or lanterns and the classic bistro style wooden chairs and cushions.

 

Bunting & String Lights

If there’s one thing a village hall wedding must have, it’s bunting. You can’t really go over the top when it comes to bunting, so don’t be afraid to have a little fun. If you want to deviate from the traditional style of bunting, think of using streamers and draping. Also string lights are another essential ingredient and work so well interspersed with the bunting.

 

 

Signage

From signs welcoming guests, to charting your love story, to your favourite romantic quotes, to signs showing guests where to go and even the menu, think chalkboards and rustic wooden signage even made out of palettes.

 

Relaxed Food and Drinks

Everything about a village hall theme screams laid back and casual so make sure to extend this to your food. Think buffet style dining with everything from BBQ stations, to pizza or slider making stations, antipasti boards and dessert stations. The emphasis is on communal dining and letting everything dive in. Also consider naked cakes covered in wildflowers and boozy/non-alcoholic lemonade served in large Kilner jars or hire in some retro food trucks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Tea Party Wedding Theme

If you or your partner are a lover of all things vintage, then why not consider having a vintage tea party theme for your wedding day? It’s a really beautiful theme that has huge scope for creativity. You can find plenty of the items you need readily available and also it can work well for all sorts of budgets.

The beauty of this theme is that you can really let your imagination run riot. Think petit fours, vintage tea cups, china sets, teapots, doilies, tea leaves, scones, bunting and much more. If you’ve got some vintage suitcases in your attic, then haul them down and use them as wonderful focal points around the venue. If you want to impress then why not head to an auction and search out some vintage style china to use as centrepieces or even in your table plan or favours?

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

 

Centrepieces

Think vintage style tea cups stacked on saucers or side plates for simple, yet stunning centrepieces. Why not put candles or florals in the cups, or arrange a vintage tea pot on top of retro book stacks and have florals popping out the spout? Old fashioned tea caddy’s and tins also work really well as part of your centrepieces. If you want to impress then why not create a teacup candelabra instead of the traditional versions?

 

Favours

For a vintage tea party theme, it’s got to be tea for your favours. Fab puns abound, like – the perfect blend, love is brewing, let love brew, you’re tea-rific, etc. Why not have tea leaves presented to each guest in test tubes, or design some printed paper bags, or splash out on specially selected blends in personalised tins.  The sky’s the limits really, as to how much you want to customise them. You could also add some sweet treats like macaroons or cookies or if you want to impress why not present each guest with a vintage cup and saucer with a pouch of tea inside?

 

 

 

Food

Who doesn’t salivate at the thought of afternoon tea? And it’s easy to incorporate it into your wedding day with afternoon tea style dessert tables stacked with goodies. Consider having mini scones filled with jam and cream as an alternative to canapés for the guests on arrival. Why not have cocktails served from teapots or have afternoon tea complete with sandwiches, scones and cakes as your guests midnight feast served on traditional afternoon tea trays?

 

Around the Room

Think bunting, lots of bunting! Bunting is incredibly cheap and easy to source so you can afford to have lots of fun with it. Why not get it personalised with the couple’s names or wedding date on it? Simple items such as vintage style suitcases piled high can make great focal points around your venue and are ideal for guest’s gifts or cards. Doilies and vintage tea parties are a match made in heaven, but if you want a new take on doilies then why not use then for your table plans, with each table written on a doilies? The same goes for the vintage china, why not turn it on its head and use it for your table plans?

 

 

 

Baking Wedding Theme

With shows like the Great British Bake Off taking centre stage, baking has become one of the most popular pastimes for many people. And if you and your partner fancy yourselves as a bit of a Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood in the kitchen, then why not channel that shared passion into your wedding day décor?

It’s a hugely fun wedding theme idea and it has massive scope for some truly fabulous visual touches, plus it’s quite inexpensive to source lots of the essential items. Think retro weighing scales, old tins, tea sets, edible favours and bunting.

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

 

Vintage Centrepieces

Vintage works so well for a baking theme and the sky is the limit when it comes to centrepieces. Think old fashioned weighing scales filled with flowers,  retro baking bowls, pastel cake stands or domes filled with flowers and candles, tea pots and tea sets sitting on top of old cookbooks and lots of doilies too!

 

Retro Tins

Retro and vintage style baking and tea tins are perfect for filling with flowers and dotting around the room as well as on the table or as part of the centrepieces. Raid the attic, vintage fairs, flea markets and auctions for some old tins and if you can’t find any, try some artisan baking shops and let’s not forget modern retro tins like Lyle’s Golden Syrup and Irel Coffee.

 

Favours

Everyone loves an edible favour, so this is your chance to really go for it. Think about cupcakes, cakepops and macaroons or why not make some DIY baking kits in jars containing all of the dry ingredients. Bundle together mini spatulas and wooden spoons with bespoke napkins with the wedding date on it. Or why not show off your skills with some homemade jams or chutneys in jars?

 

 

Have Fun with Signs and Bunting

Baking of course lends itself so well to lots of fun puns, such as ‘the perfect recipe for love’ etc, so don’t be afraid to embrace it and create some signage to have around the room. And how could you have a baking themed wedding without the infamous words of Marie Antoinette ‘Let them eat Cake!’ Or why not channel the kitsch of the Great British Bake Off Tent with some bunting and gingham?

 

 

 

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!

 

Burlap Wedding Decor

If you’re looking to give your wedding day that signature rustic or even vintage feel, then prepare to make burlap your new BFF. The handy material can be used in a myriad of ways and is a DIY décor lover’s dream. It’s also relatively cheap and makes a fantastic impact. Think about incorporating it into your pew ends at the church or ceremony venue, your table décor, your table plans, even in your bouquets and buttonholes.
As an award-winning wedding planner, I’ve seen burlap used to great effect over the years and here are a few of my top tips on ways to use it in your big day décor.

If you’d like to discuss how I can help with your wedding, then please get in touch.

 

Pew Ends
Burlap is the perfect match to lavender and gypsophila. Make little cones to hold the posies, or use it to make oversized bows mixed with ribbon and lace. Tie it around lanterns or candles or use it to hang mini hearts too.

 

Buttonholes & Bouquets
Tying burlap around your bouquet and the bridesmaid’s bouquets is a subtle way to add a touch of the material to your big day. But if you want to ramp it up a bit, why not pop in some burlap flowers into the bouquets too? And don’t forget the guys! Burlap wrapped around the groom and groomsman’s buttonholes is a lovely way to accent the look.

 

Table Décor
Your table décor is one of the big things to consider on your wedding day and if you’re keen in get that rustic chic or vintage look across then this is the ideal time to roll out the burlap! It looks amazing wrapped around mason jars accented with lace, for example. Table runners are another really show stopping look. For little pops why not have the cutlery sitting in burlap or dot the table with wooden and burlap accents.

 

Favors
Have fun with your favours and if you’re a bit of a wedding DIY buff then this is where you’ll come into your own! Why not wrap some retro sweets in burlap wrap? Use it to cover the lids of homemade jam jars? Wrap some lavender soaps, or coffee beans or use it to go around the pots of mini plants or cacti? Also wrapping some dried lavender or potpourri in burlap is a lovely favour guests can put into their wardrobes or drawers as a scent.

 

Bunting & Pompoms

Another great way to highlight burlap is with bunting or pompoms. Think about stringing bunting from any balconies in the venue or on the cake or dessert table. Hang pompoms from the celling or dot them on the table for a stunning look. They can both also be used to great effect in your pictures.