wedding chairs

Velvet Crush Wedding Theme

This year velvet is making a big impression on weddings. A beautiful fabric, full of rich texture and visual impact, there are dozens of ways to bring a touch of velvet into your wedding décor.

From pops of velvet in the bridal party’s attire, to delicate details on bouquets and to adding well placed elements in the reception itself, expect to see velvet popping up everywhere.

It’s a versatile fabric that can be used in plenty of ways, although it is probably best to stick with accents rather than having velvet overload. There’s a range of colours to choose from, but if you want to keep it classic think of rich tones of purples, sage, red and blush pink.

Ideal for weddings with a more vintage vibe or elegant theme to it, don’t be afraid to have fun and contrast the beautiful texture with sharper finishes such as cool metal or wood.

Here’s some ideas to get your thinking. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you wish to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning and décor.

 

Flowers

One of the best ways to include a touch of velvet into your big day is with your bouquet. Think velvet style ribbon detailing on the brides bouquet or indeed the bridesmaid flowers too. Go for a colour that compliments your chosen florals and ensure the ribbon becomes a feature in itself to enhance the elegance of the bouquet.

 

Clothing           

Expect to see lots of pretty velvet accents appearing in the bridal parties clothing this year. From velvet shoes to velvet bow ties or even grooms jackets, this is a trend that crosses all gender lines for the couple. If you want to go all out, why not have your bridesmaids in velvet dresses? Invest in a velvet bolero for the bride, or if you want to add detailing to your dress why not have a visually impactful velvet bow around the waist of the dress?

 

On the Table

There’s plenty of ways to add velvet accents to your wedding tables. Think about velvet style table runners, or velvet ribbons around the menus or place cards. Velvet sashes on chairs will make for a stunning counterpoint with draping for example. Play around with textures when it comes to velvet and have a mix of finishes on the table. Cool metal or wood work well as contrasting textures for velvet.

 

Around the Room  

There so many ways to have fun with velvet around your venue. From adding velvet ribbons to garlands, to going big with velvet style backdrop for photos or even some upcycled velvet couches for guests to chill out on and for use for some great wedding photos, don’t be afraid to get creative.

 

 

Your Guide To Wedding Chairs

When it comes to your wedding day décor, chairs might not be the first thing that pop into your mind for a number of reasons. First if you’re trying the knot in a traditional church setting you don’t need to think about chairs at all. Second, your chosen venue will already have a particular type of chair option included in their packages and you might at first glance assume you have to go with those.
So you might forget about chairs all together and move on to something else on your list.

But you’d be wrong.

In fact, chairs can make a huge difference to the overall look of your wedding day and they need lots of consideration.

If you are saying your vows outside of a traditional church set up, then you’ve got huge scope to have some fun with seating.

But regardless of your ceremony, when it comes to your reception, don’t feel you have to go with the chairs on offer by your venue. There are lots of different styles of chairs and indeed ways to dress those chairs which you should consider before making any decision.

With all of that in mind, here’s some visual inspiration for you on the top three most popular chair styles I encounter, to get the ideas flowing. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you wish to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning and décor.

Chiavari Chairs
One of the most popular chairs of recent times, the Chiavari Chair actually dates back to 1807. It was created by Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi from Chiavari on the north-western Italian coast and has been a firm hit in gatherings ever since. This style of chair works well with a whole host of wedding styles and themes, from elegant, to modern, vintage and marquee. While the beauty of these chairs mean they don’t need any dressing up, they can look even more stunning with light draping.

Ghost Chairs
The transparent theme has been one of the biggest wedding trends in the last year and continues to be popular for 2019. Ghost chairs are the perfect way to bring the theme into your wedding day. These chairs don’t need much adornments, as the whole idea is the transparent effect they bring to the room. Keep them simple and only add the bare minimum for that on trend transparent look.

 

Hannah Jane Chairs
The Hannah Jane style of chair gives a nod to the beauty of the grace of the 17th Century. Again, these are chairs that don’t need much dressing up. Their design speaks for themselves and evokes a look all its own. Hannah Jane chairs work really well for that elegant or formal style of wedding.

Covers and Draping
Chairs are going to be one of the most noticeable things in your wedding venue or ceremony set up. So give some thought to how you want them to look. If you’re going for chairs and sashes, consider the colours of the sashes and remember you can go for mismatched sashes or alternative sashes too.

Even if you go for one of the design led chairs mentioned above, such as Chiavari, that doesn’t mean that you cannot add some embellishments or adornments to them. Chiavari Chairs look well with an element of draping, and adding florals or pom poms to the back of Hannah Jane chairs can look really stunning. But don’t rule out ribbons or streamers or even signage and the concept of having mismatched chairs too.

Copper Wedding Trend

Metallics are always a winner when it comes to wedding day décor. Rose gold has been the super-hot metallic of choice for the last few years, but this year sees a definite move away from rose gold and a move toward copper instead.

Expect to see it everywhere from invitations, to ceremony décor, to the wedding venues, centrepieces and even cakes.

Copper is a bit of a chameleon as you can include into most themes. Brushed copper works well for rustic or vintage themes, while polished copper is perfect for a more elegant theme.

It also works incredibly well if you want to channel an industrial or minimalist vibe to your wedding day décor. If that’s not your thing and you want to keep things a bit softer, copper is a perfect match with pink, blush and peach tones. And if you want to keep things bang on trend then consider a contrast between metallic copper and pastel florals.

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you wish to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning and décor.

 

Stationary
From save the dates, to your official invitees, to the orders of service, to your menus and escort cards, copper can look stunning. Whether you want to go all out with some embossed or pressed metallic copper invites, or you just want to use copper colourings, there are a whole host of styles to choose from.

 

Around the room
Why not source a piece of copper and have the table plan engraved on it for a really show stopping piece? Raid the attic or go to your local vintage auction to find some copper pieces like birdcages or frames that can be hung on the wall around the venue or used for signage. Copper lanterns would be ideal too and you can either use these on the tables, or around the venue or even have them hanging above the tables. Copper cans can work superbly well if you want to have escort cards too.

On the table
If you’re going for a rustic or vintage theme, then upcycle some cans with copper spray. You can do the same with mason jars and different shaped bottles and jars too. If you want something a little more polished then look out for oversized copper vases, or if you want a minimalist touch then copper style terrariums filled with cacti are ideal. Why not add some copper chairs for a really strong visual impact?

Food and Drinks
Copper works surprisingly well when it comes to food and drinks. Why not have large copper stills or pots filled with drinks so guests can help themselves? A Moscow Mule arrival drink would be ideal too. Copper and cakes look stunning and works incredibly well with marble, so consider having different effects for each tier of your cake. If a copper cake doesn’t float your boat then consider a copper cake stand or topper.

 

Images via Pinterest

Minimal Wedding Decor

If you are a lover of modern décor, clean lines and minimalism then why not bring these passions into your wedding day décor. While this sort of look may on the surface seem easier to achieve than your average wedding décor, it is in fact a tricky one to get right.

Minimalism is all about clean lines and making the most of the space with clever use of light and dark. That can be hard to achieve especially when it comes to wedding tables and venues.

Think about clean colour palettes with small flourishes of greenery, golds and metallics. Nude cakes are a match made in heaven for this theme too. Go for simple centrepieces with white, grey or muted tones and make use of tea lights and hanging bubs.

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

 

Venues

If you really want to follow through on your modern minimalistic wedding, then look for a venue that’s the very opposite of the usual hotel/ballroom style of offering. Instead, search out the more unusual venues often in city centres, such as industrial spaces, libraries, theatres, restaurants, barns and museums

 

Table Décor

Think less is more when it comes to table décor. Resist the urge to have too much on your tables and think about simple centrepieces or thin garlands of greenery. Go for bistro style tables, neutral table settings with crisp whites or no table cloths at all. Favour wooden features, vintage style coloured glassware flourish of golds and coppers, wooden table numbers with flecks of metallics throughout.

 

 

Minimal Décor

As with your tables, keep the larger venue décor minimal. Go for clean lines, geometric and muted tones with a few focal points. Think about statement touches, such as hanging tea lights or naked industrial bulbs or bistro lights. Why not go for one stand out hanging installation filled with greenery for your top table. Go for ghost chairs, Perspex and transparent signage with white writing for your menus and wedding info.

 

 

Nude Cakes

Nude cakes are the perfect partner to this style of wedding décor and are very in vogue at the moment. Think of nude cakes with touches of berries or barely iced creations with touches of gold leaf or other metallic shades. Also consider one tier cakes as opposed to overly lavish super high tiers.

 

 

Antique Gold and Dusky Blue Wedding Theme

Muted tones are often a popular choice for wedding day décor – creams, blush, light greys and pops of greens are the perennial colours that always work. But if you fancy going a little more adventurous with your wedding day décor, then consider trying the very chic and on trend colour palette of antique gold and dusky blue.

It can be a really dramatic colour choice and bring instant atmosphere to your wedding day décor. Even subtle touches can be simply stunning. Think blue table runners with gold plates. Light blue glassware with gold candles, blue wedding cakes dusted with gold and so on. The only limit is your imagination when it comes to this truly chic colour palette.

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

 

Centrepieces

Antique style gold candlesticks with navy blue candles are seemingly simple, but can look incredibly chic. Modest centrepieces such as glass lanterns dipped with gold frosting work really well against navy blue table cloths and runners. Or why not mix the antique gold candle sticks with blue and green wildflowers? Or go for antique style gold birdcages filled with a mix of blue candles and antique style gold frames would work really well for table numbers too.

 

 

Table Décor, Glassware & Cutlery

Mix and match dusky blue and glittery gold table runners on your tables, the contrasting colours will look stunning. Play around with gold plates, blue glassware and cutlery, or just go for dark blue napkins for that pop of intense colour. Think about having intense blue notes on the table, contrasting with gold Chiavari chairs or uses sashes to create the same effect.

 

 

Around The Room

Why not set up a dramatic gold glitter table cloth for your dusky blue escort cards? Or have an antique gold style mirror with the seating plan written in navy chalk? Navy and gold high pod tables for your drinks reception would be stunning, as would some blue uplighters to give the room some real atmosphere. Think about navy and gold backdrops using streamers, ribbon and draping.

 

Food & Drinks

Antique gold and rich dusky blue make for a truly eye-catching wedding cake colour combo. But think even beyond cakes and go for navy macaroons dusted with gold and why not offer guests a signature arrival drink, such as a blueberry cordial or cocktail with gold straws? Or dust the top of the glasses with edible gold glitter.

 

Marquee Weddings

A marquee style wedding is undeniably beautiful. There’s something about being out almost under the stars that just adds romance to a wedding day. So it’s not surprising, that it’s a trend that is always popular with couples. There are plenty of options to consider when planning a marquee wedding.

You could go with a traditional wedding venue that has a marquee for their weddings, or if you have access to a private piece of land or indeed you want to hire a piece of land this is another option to consider.

If you’re going with the former, then the pros are that you’ll benefit from the hotels existing facilities, however if you want ultimate control then hiring in your own option on private land is worth considering too.

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

 

Hiring in a Marquee Top Considerations

  • The Cost

Often people assume that hiring in a marquee, works out cheaper than a traditional hotel setting. This isn’t always the case, so make sure to do your research first.

 

  • The Site

Finding the right site is crucial. If you are lucky enough to have access to a piece of land perhaps a family home’s garden etc., then make sure the area is flat with good access. If you are looking to hire a piece of land, again, make sure to do your research in terms of access, facilities and suitability.

 

 

The Planning

  • If you’re hiring in a marquee in your home or you are hiring a piece of land with no facilities, there is a lot to consider, from toilet facilities, to electricity, water, proper flooring, catering, crockery, a catering tent, heating, access, a bar and staff. While many catering companies can look after many of these aspects, often it’s good to hire a wedding planner such as myself who can take care of all these very important, but detailed elements of the day.

 

  • Have a Contingency Plan

While, your professionally set up marquee should be able to withstand the elements, it’s worth considering having an indoor back up plan, especially if you’re having a winter wedding.

 

  • Free Reign

While as you can see there are some drawbacks to hiring in your own marquee, the beauty of it, is the ultimate control you’ll have over the look of the day. If you want a glamping style tent, a tepee, or a grand fairy-tale marquee, with this option, the only limit is your imagination.

 

If Your Venus Has a Marquee

This can be by far the most straight forward option, as you really will benefit from the best of both worlds, with the hotels facilities, plus the special marquee feel. When it comes to décor, try and maximise the ethereal beauty of the marquee –

 

Lanterns and Pom Poms

Chinese lanterns and paper pom poms strung from the ceiling look fabulous, but don’t forget traditional style lanterns and hanging tea lights too.

 

Bunting

Bunting and tents or marquees go together like bread and butter, so have fun with this look. It’s also a very easy to source and an inexpensive piece of décor.

 

 

Lighting

Think about using bistro or string lights, gobo lights, uplighters and coloured lights to set the tone and atmosphere.

 

Chairs

Chairs can really make a difference on the overall look of your marquee. Think about pretty Chiavari or Hannah Jane chairs.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink and Gold Wedding Theme

Pink and gold has got to be one of the most beautiful colour palettes for a wedding. It lends itself so well to a variety of themes from, romantic, to elegant, vintage, glam and whimsy.  It’s a pairing that works universally. Plus there’s lots of pink and gold pieces readily available and if you’re a DIY craft-lover then it’s also quite easy to put together some nice touches for the big day yourself too.

Of course just because it’s pink, that doesn’t mean you have use baby pink either, think about the whole spectrum, such as pastel pink, blush, vivid fuchsias and don’t be afraid to play around with the gold’s too and incorporate touches of antique or rose gold tones.

Here’s some nice ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 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.

 

Centrepieces

Gold doesn’t automatically have to mean something extravagant and indeed there are lots of ways to channel the colour palette without breaking the bank. Think of using different sized bottles or mason jars and painting them with pink and gold accents. Think blush florals with gold frames for table numbers or simple gold lettering for table names or numbers.

 

 

Table Details

Nothing says glam like sequin table cloths and it can look stunning contrasted with some pink detailing such as, pink napkins, gold place settings or cutlery and why not mix gold and pink stemmed glasses? Don’t stop at the table, think about having gold Chiavari chairs with pink draping or sashes too.

 

 

 

Food and drinks

If you don’t want to go overboard with gold and pink touches in your décor, then why not think about your food? Arrival drinks for your guests will look stunning, yet are quite simple to pull off. Think about having Kir Royales, Rose bubbles or even Cosmos with gold touches like dipping each glass into sparkling gold sugar gold swizzle sticks or umbrellas. Pink cakepops with gold glitter, macaroons, cookies and of course the wedding cake itself can all look beautiful in pink and gold.

 

 

 

Around the Room

Finally don’t forget to add some fun touches around your venue. Think about having gold, sparkly Mr & Mrs, Mr & Mr or Mrs & Mrs or initial signage, blush and gold bunting, giant balloons which can be the most amazing photo props. Also why not have some subtle pink lighting, fairylight backdrops and floral walls to complete the look.

 

 

 

Colour is Back for Wedding Decor

Colour is back with a bang ladies and gents. While colour is not exactly a ‘new’ trend when it comes to wedding décor, this time the focus has changed. Where there was an emphasis on just primary colours and pastels in the past, this season, think all of those plus newer more unusual colour combinations you may not have considered before, such as mustards, orange, plums, deep greens and more. In addition, crucial to this season’s colour reinvention is the emphasises is on new ways to use colour as opposed to the more traditional décor accents, for example colourful chairs as opposed to chair covers, coloured plates as opposed to table clothes and so on.

For some couples the idea of introducing bight or vivid colours into their wedding day décor can be a bit daunting, but you don’t have to let these colours overwhelm the day, instead you can use a few subtle pops for a really outstanding finish. That said, if you are both total bold colour lovers, then this is the time to really have fun and inject that shared passion throughout your décor for a really personal, unforgettable look

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

 

Floral Centrepieces and Garlands

Of course nothing says chic like tall floral centrepieces, but recently there has been a move away from overly tall versions to lower centrepieces and garlands, which can look equally stunning and are ideal for adding colour to your reception. Don’t be afraid to experiment with unusual specimens like cacti, herbs and leaves, as well as odd colour combinations, such as mustards, greens, purples alongside the traditional pinks, and pastels.

 

Delph and Glassware

If you want to break away from the normal colour accents of flowers and centrepieces, then why not think differently. For a novel way to inject that flash of colour why not opt for colourful wine glasses and plates on the tables? You can go for a bright rainbow of colours and mismatch them or go for complete colour themes for each table. It’s a look that will definitely make an impact not only on your guests, but on the overall look of your venue too.

 

Candles and Napkins

Something as simple as a colourful napkin can instantly transform the look of your wedding tables. It’s an ideal option if you want to keep an eye on costs or you just want to introduce a subtle dash of colour. Similarly candles themselves are a novel way to inject some warmth into the décor. All too often we go for white candles, but why not consider colourful candles in bright and vivid shades to add instant oomph to your overall look.

 

 

Chairs

Instead of the traditional coloured chair covers or sashes, why not go for colourful chairs themselves or instead of covers go for colourful ribbons hanging from each chair? Again have fun with this one. You could go for random colours at each table, or stick to themes for each table – ie a blue table, a yellow table and so on, or if you’re having long tables why not go for a rainbow of shades starting at one colour on one end and subtle blending into each colour as it goes down the line? It may seem like a bit of extra effort, but the overall look will be truly unique.

 

 

Pretty Pearls Wedding Decor

There’s something very classic and elegant about pearls. Maybe it’s the whole Breakfast at Tiffany’s feel, or perhaps it’s the simple beauty of a pearl necklace, but whichever it is, their natural elegance makes them an ideal choice for wedding day décor. Aside from having pearls in the brides dress or jewellery selections, pearls can work incredibly well in a variety of ways on your big day. Pearls are the perfect partner to lace too, so consider that when you’re thinking about how you want your décor to look.

You don’t have to go over the top with the pearl detail either for it to look well. Indeed something as simple as a sprinkling of pearls on each table or some small accents on the chairs can be enough to make a subtle yet elegant impression. And don’t forget to add some colour in there too. Not all pearl style décor has to be white or cream. In fact accents of blush or blues can work really well.

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

 

Bouquets/Buttonholes
Pearls wound around the base of the bride’s bouquet can look extremely elegant and classic and will be a subtle yet beautiful detail to add into your wedding day photos. Adding a few pearls to the grooms buttonhole is another really nice touch. If you want to kick it up a notch, why not add pearls into the bouquet itself or indeed have a boutique made entirely of different sized pearls for a really stunning effect?

 

Chairs
Pearls are a wonderful alternative to traditional chair covers and sashes. They also work well with almost all types of chairs, but are especially suited to Chiavari chairs. For a simple look, drape some pearls over the back of the chairs or from the sides. If you prefer something a little more ornate, then why not combine the pearls with ribbon and flowers for something really stunning.

 

Centrepieces and Table Décor
Pearls work incredibly well as part of your centrepieces and general table décor. Why not drape over and in birdcages and branches? Wind some around mason jars or tea lights? Filling vases with pearls and topping with candles is such a simple yet effective way to add some instant elegance to the table. Speaking of simple, a sprinkle on the table itself looks great too. Why not have pearls cascading from oversized martini style glasses for a real Gatsby-esque feel. Pearl pomanders are easy to source and look stunning on the tables and around the room too.
Table decor

 

Cakes
Finally don’t forget your cake! Pearls make a great addition to your wedding cake, or indeed cupcakes if you’re having some of those. Add simple accents of pearls, or go for the full Marie Antoinette style feel with tiers of pearl details; it’s entirely up to you!