wedding venue

Tall Wedding Decor

It can be easy to forget about ways to make use of the vertical space around us in general, but when it comes to wedding décor, this space is often an untapped resource that can have a truly stunning overall impact.

If you’re scratching your head on ways to fill this space, or maximise it, then don’t panic, as there are literally dozens of fresh and modern ideas on ways to do this, that don’t have to be overly extravagant or break the bank either.

Using vertical space requires a little bit more thought and attention. Indeed you don’t need to go overboard filling space everywhere you see it, as blank space is a great contrast too. It’s getting a balance between the two that works the best.

Here’s some ideas to get the creative juices going. 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.

Urns/Bay Trees

Maximising the vertical space doesn’t have to be confined to your wedding reception, you can start at your ceremony too. Features like oversized urns or bay trees at the entrance to your church or ceremony entrance will make a really show stopping statement, as will tall pew ends lining your aisles.

Trees and Foliage

The mention of having trees and foliage at your wedding ceremony or reception might seem like an extravagant move, but in reality there are so many affordable options for ways to bring these elements into your wedding style. They are a great way to draw the eye upward and make the most of your vertical space. Be it blossom style trees, green trees, etc on tables, dotted around the room or as pew ends, they really are worth considering.

Hanging Décor

One of the most on trend ways to use the vertical space in your wedding reception is with hanging décor. It’s a style that is popular at the moment and it’s not hard to see why. Think about hanging elements like Chinese lanterns over your dancefloor, hanging tea lights over your tables or hanging floral or greenery installations over your top table for maximum impact.

Draping

Probably one of the most economical, yet show stopping ways to style your wedding’s vertical space is with simple, beautiful draping. It can be arranged and styled from ceilings and over dancefloors, the top table, or over your cake etc, to make a stunning focal point in the room. Add in some fairy lights for that dreamy, romantic feel.

Wedding Planning Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Planning your wedding day is one of the most exciting times in your life. However, for many busy couples the reality of trying to bring your wedding dreams to life can be a challenge.

Factors such as the budget, as well as just having enough time in your life to actually get through your list of wedding to-do’s can be a minefield.

It can be easy to get caught up and fall for some very simple mistakes that could end up costing you both financially and emotionally.

As an award winning wedding planner with years of experience at the top of the wedding industry, I know all the ways to avoid making those wedding planning mistakes.

Here’s some of my top tips. 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.

Don’t be Tempted to Go over Budget

Your budget is the key foundation of your wedding. While it can be tempting to say, book a lavish venue first, when you know it will eat up the majority of your budget, you’ve got to be realistic with yourself. There will always be last minute costs involved in your wedding planning and it’s key to factor these in. The best thing to do is get a full handle on the costs you’re looking at before going ahead and booking venues, vendors or even sending out invites. There’s plenty of ways to be savvy of course and still have the wedding of your dreams well within your budget and in fact working with a wedding planner like myself is a simple way to do this.

Invite The People You Want At Your Wedding, Not The People You Think Should Invite

Sometimes, this can be easier said than done. Family politics can play a huge role in your invite list and indeed if the couple’s parents are assisting with the costs, then they may feel they are entitled to some say in who attends. However, your wedding day is YOUR wedding day and as much as possible that means you want people there who you love and enjoy spending time with. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t invite someone who lives abroad or you haven’t seen in a while. Fundamentally it’s about gathering your loved ones together to celebrate this special day with you and not feeling obliged to invite people based on anything else.

Don’t Get Stressed

Planning a wedding should be a wonderful and exciting experience. However, it also has the potential to be a stressful endeavour. Spiralling budgets, a lack of time and a feeling of plans going out of control can all add to couples feeling stressed. This is completely the opposite of how you should feel in the run up to your wedding day, it’ supposed to be fun. If you do find yourself getting stressed, it’s important to pause, take a breath and revaluate things.

One of the best things you can do is to seek help from a professional wedding planner, such as myself. I can help with as much or as little of your plans as you need. So if for example, there is one area of your planning making your stressed, then I can take that off your shoulders and allow you to concentrate on other aspects of the planning, or indeed I can also provide assistance on multiple parts of your wedding day too.

Remember It Is YOUR Day

In all the hectic planning and family politics of wedding planning it can be easy to forget that your wedding is YOUR day. It is a most special day where you get to celebrate your love for your partner with your family and friends. It should be the day you’ve dreamt of and it should look and feel the way YOU want it to feel. If you find yourself changing plans to suit other people, then you need to take a step back and remember why you’re doing it.

You’ll hopefully only have one wedding day, so it should be a happy, special day that unfolds how you want it to. The last thing you want is to look back and regret changing aspects of the day or compromising on elements you didn’t feel you had to.

Spring Fling – Wedding Colours

Spring is all about the return of colour. In nature, the buds return to the trees, we start to get daffodils and tulips peeing through, cherry blossoms, the grass gets that touch greener and it’s all about a sense of freshness.

It’s a beautiful time of the year to tie the knot. And if you’re planning a spring wedding and you want to tie in with the seasonal colours and themes, then think colour and fresh greenery.

Often, spring evokes those ice cream dream pastel colours of blush pink, baby blue, canary yellow and mint green. All of which will look absolutely stunning and are easy to work with.

However, don’t discount going bolder with colour, either all round through your decor and flowers, or just with a few pops to offset the pastels. And of course a refreshing touch of crisp white and vivid greenery is always a classic look too.

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.

Ceremony

Whether you’re saying ‘I do’ indoors or outdoors, flowers are key to channelling spring. Don’t be afraid to add some bright colours to your bridal bouquets, but equally don’t fear going for the more traditional blush pinks or soft peaches either. If you want to make a really stunning statement of spring, why not have a floral wall as your ceremony backdrop? Add colourful confetti for your church departure and why not consider having blossom trees line your aisle in the ultimate tribute to the spring?

On the Table

A heady mix of burlap, wooden slices, vases and pops of spring colour will look stunning for your table décor. If your budget is tight, why not go for a mix of paper pom poms in a range of colours, against some beautiful baby’s breath? Add in lanterns and candles for the perfect mix to bring your table to life

Around the Room

While flowers play a key role, lighting will also be a big factor in how your room looks and feels. Intersperse fairy lights with up-lighters and candles for the right mix of spring garden. Chinese style lanterns hung from the ceiling or over the dancefloor in a variety of pastels will look amazing during the day and even more romantic as the sun goes down. Don’t forget to dress focal points like staircases, fireplaces and consider having a flower wall for guests to take selfies at during the evening.

The Cake

When it comes to the cake, you can really have a lot of fun with a spring colour palette. But if you want to try something more unique, why not go for a naked style cake but with a different colour for each tier, for an almost pastel rainbow effect? Add flowers to your tiers and play around with buttercream and fondant finishes for that really stunning effect. And why not have fun adding additions like cake pops, donuts or mini cakes too in a variety of spring colours.

Floral Installations

Flowers play a big role in how your wedding day will look. It can be easy to simply think of wedding flowers in terms of the bridal bouquets, the buttonholes and perhaps a few flowers for the ceremony or church, but in fact flowers are so much more integral to the wedding theme and overall décor than most couples can imagine.

While flowers will always be key to wedding décor, this year you can expect to see more and more impressive ‘floral installations, thanks in part to the two British royal family weddings last year, which featured some very impressive floral arches and walls. So not surprisingly this year, we can expect to see this trend reflected in microcosm, with floral arches, floral moon gates, flower walls and hanging floral installations to add drama to the proceedings.

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.

Floral Wall

A good floral wall is a really savvy investment to make for your wedding day, because quite simply it is a multi-taskers dream! It can be used as a backdrop for your ceremony. You could use it as a selfie wall for your guests to take snaps. You could place it behind the top table, use it as a backdrop for your cake. The list is endless.

Ceremony Statements

This year it’s all about the big floral statements for your ceremony. Think chic floral moon gates and floral arches as either the backdrops for your ceremony or if that won’t work, try them on your church entrance. Use oversized greens and draping to make a big statement on your entrances or use blossom trees to line your aisles.

Hanging Florals

This year, it’s time to look up and think about ways to use the vertical space above your wedding! Hanging florals make an absolutely stunning visual impact on your wedding venue and can completely transform the look of your space in an instant. From floral chandeliers, to hoops covered with flowers, to long box style installations, there’s so many ways to utilise the vertical space. Don’t forget to play around with colour and greenery and use additions like hanging tea lights for an added romantic dimension once the sun goes down.

Garlands

While they might be seen as the more traditional cousin of modern floral installations, don’t underestimate the impact of a classic garland. Whether you use them on fireplaces, as table runners, on walls to create a backdrop or lining a great staircase, these type of statement florals are the ideal match for weddings.

Top Reasons to Hire A Wedding Planner

I’ve had the pleasure of being a wedding planner for over 15 years. I adore what I do and have been lucky enough to work the so many truly wonderful couples over the years as well as picking up some really special awards for my work along the way.

But no matter who I’ve worked with, be it an international couple wanting to get married in Ireland, to a big traditional family wedding in a country house, to a special blessing on a cliff top, to celebrities like Brian O’Driscoll and Amy Huberman, the one thing they all share is love and wanting to have their big day to be just as they dreamt it to be.

And that’s where a wedding planner like me comes in!

Think of me as a fairy godmother, who flies in and waves her magic wand to make your dreams come true. A good wedding planner can assist with as much or as little of your day as you wish and simply take all the stress out of your planning, leaving you to just show up and enjoy the best day of your life.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you wish to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning and décor, but for now here’s four top reasons why you should hire a wedding planner.

Less Stress More Fun

Planning your wedding, should not be stressful! It should be full of excitement and be enjoyable. However, it is common for couples to get overwhelmed during their wedding planning and it’s not hard to understand why. A wedding is a huge event in their lives, it’s going to be something they will have dreamt about for ages, so naturally they’ll want it to go off without a hitch. That said, most couples have full time jobs and busy lives and wedding planning can be something they just do not have time for, or they feel it’s getting too much to take on themselves. If that happens, my advice is to stop. Take a breath, call me and let me take care of all the stressful parts of the planning so you can concentrate on enjoying the run up to the day

Brainstorming

Another really important aspect of talking with a wedding planner is for ideas! We’re busting with inspiration! We’re fonts of creativity and are packed with helpful ideas. We know all the latest wedding trends that are in vogue and how to bring them to life. We’ve got years of hands on experience and can help you come up with some superb suggestions you hadn’t even considered, to make your wedding day look stunning.

Budget and Logistics

A wedding planner can both help you keep to your budget and can bring ideas to life! It can be all very well to have lofty ideas for how you want your wedding to look, but it can be hard to make it happen. A good wedding planner has the logistical knowhow and contacts to make your wish list a reality, while at the same time negotiating better rates with suppliers without a ballooning budget.

Totally Customisable

There are plenty of myths floating around about wedding planners. One of them is that couples can lose control or have to hand over every aspect to a wedding planner. Not true. In fact, my services are completely customisable. I can assist with as much or as little of your wedding plans as you wish. I can even help with on-the-day co-ordination too. The bottom line is, it’s always your day and I’m here to help bring your vision to life.

Wooden Wedding Decor

If you’re going for a rustic, vintage or enchanted forest feel for your wedding day décor, then wooden features and accents have got to be right up there on your list.

There’s so many ways to inject pops of wood into your décor, from using trees, to wooden slices, signage, logs and even pine cones.

Wood is a match made in heaven for burlap and lace so don’t be afraid to mix them up and of course they look stunning with lots of tea lights and lanterns too.

With all of that in mind, here’s some visual inspiration for you 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.

Around the Room

Trees might seem like an obvious choice when it comes to wooden décor ideas, but it’s amazing how versatile and stunning they can be. From bare sticks, to blossom trees they can bring that woodland feel to your ceremony and/or reception in a flash. Also why not have mini wooden ladders dotted around the room or used as your escort car holders. Think of wooden palettes or old doors which could work well for photo backdrops too. Stacks of wooden logs with leaves and tea lights are another easy to do winner.

On The Table

For the table it’s got to be stacks of wooden slices topped with mason jars, tea lights and lanterns. Mix in some lace and burlap and gypsophila for that perfect rustic look. Keeping with the rustic theme, why not fill small wooden crates or boxes with succulents and blooms or even fruits? For the winter season, use pine cones as place names or favours.

Signs

Of course one of the easiest ways to have some wooden accents in your wedding décor is with signage. From signs saying Mr & Mrs/Mr&Mr/Mrs&Mrs, to signs directing guests to the days activities, to signs with favourite quotes or signs for your table numbers or names, it’s a simple, yet beautiful way to get that wooden theme across. Plus if you’re handy with a saw you can make some signs yourself as a DIY project.

The Cake

Finally don’t forget the cake. Wooden accents are a great match for naked cakes, so think about having twigs or pine cones on your cake itself. Or why not present it on a wooden slice? And don’t forget the topper! Why not have one made of wood for that final flourish?

Autumn Wedding Colours

There’s something very special about autumn weddings. The colour of the foliage as it turns, the position of the sun in the sky, the light as it sets, pink clouds and twilight skies. All perfect for magic and romance.

Plus in terms of the weather, generally speaking it’s going to be crisp, rather than really cold and wet.

If you want to make the most of that special autumnal feeling, then there’s a very specific sort of colour palette you should think about tapping into for your wedding day decor.

From golds, to browns, to yellows, to accents of wood and event deep purples, it’s all about rich seasonal shades.

Flowers

When it comes to the bride’s bouquet, think about incorporating some pops of auburn and orange along with crisp whites and green foliage. A more rustic approach with ferns and bushy arrangements looks super too. But if you prefer something more tidy, then go for orange roses.

Table

You can really have lots of fun with the table décor and centrepieces. Think of wooden accents and lanterns filled with lots of candles. Go for hanging tea lights from tall branches or mini trees with autumnal leaves. Speaking of leaves, these look great dotted around the table with some green moss too. Seasonal autumnal fruits and veg, such as plums or of course pumpkins and squash make for stand out centrepieces too.

Room

Try and think of bringing the autumnal forest into your reception and you’ve got it. Leaves, leaves and more leaves will look super along with wooden accents, or small logs, lanterns and pumpkins displayed around the room. You could even think of sourcing an autumnal style flower wall which would look stunning for the photos or could work as a top table backdrop.

Outdoors

Make the most of the outdoor space you have at your disposal. Look for trees that are turning in colour, climbers that have intense red leaves, bare trees and leaves on the ground. Get creative with your photographer in terms of throwing leaves or using nature to enhance the pictures.

Gorgeous Wedding Garlands

Flowers might seem like something you put midway down your list of wedding priorities, but in fact, your wedding flowers are a key part of your wedding day’s overall look and feel.

From the style of flowers to the colour, to how many you have, it all matters. And if you want to make a big impact with your flowers in a modern way, then consider going for a floral garland.

Whether it’s running along your tables, or over fireplaces or even suspended from the ceilings, floral garlands with greenery are the stunning wedding trend of the moment.

On The Table

A floral garland or a garland made primarily of greenery with a few flowers peeping through, will look particularly stunning on long tables. Allow them to be the feature and run along the middle of the tables and spill over the edges. Or why not have something a little more organic and intersperse it with tea lights and candelabras. Even consider moss style garlands with pops of wooden accents.

Around the Room

There are so many creative ways to use a garland. Think about having lush, full mini garlands handing from the backs of the couples chairs. Hang bushy green garlands over mirrors and fireplaces. Use them above and on entrances and for a really show stopping effect, don’t forget the staircases! They are made for a big dramatic garland full of blooms and will look simply amazing.

Suspending Garlands

Don’t forget to consider the space above! Suspending a garland above your tables will look stunning given the right sort of venue. It also works particularly well with long tables. Why not hang some tea lights from the suspended garland for a truly show stopping effect once the lights go down.

On the Cake

Whether you go for a garland of cascading roses around your tiers, or you go for some crisp green leaves wound around each layer, garlands and wedding cakes are the perfect match. It works particularly well with naked or simple cakes, without masses of buttercream of detailing.

Trees As Wedding Centrepieces

There’s something magical about having trees as part of your wedding décor. They bring with them an undeniable romance of an enchanted forest and a lovely feel of bringing the outdoors in.

Tree style centrepieces are a hot trend at the moment and immediately add height to your wedding venue. They give an instant wow fact and look simply stunning when dressed with hanging tea lights or fairylights for when the sun goes down.

There is huge scope for all budgets too. You could go for actual tree style centrepieces, or you could also achieve a similar effect with large branches in very tall vases.

With all of that in mind, here’s some visual inspiration for you, 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.

Blossom Trees

Blossom trees are the typical, dreamy partner to wedding décor. Full of blooms that are typically pink or shades of white, these trees look absolutely stunning as centrepieces. Often they need very little dressing up, as they give such a wow factor impression on their own.

Branches

If you want to channel that autumnal forest feel or indeed go for a minimalistic look, then barer branches are ideal and quite economical too. You can indeed source very tall branches and place them in even taller vases to get that tree feel. Branches tend to need a little dressing up and you can also find stunning white winter style trees that have plenty of adornments already included. Also consider adding hanging tea lights and fairylights for when the sun goes down.

Tropical

Palm tree branches and leaves, sitting in large tall vases interspersed with exotic style crisp white orchids look amazing. Mix in some tropical fruit at the base or get creative and make the trunks out of pineapples for that truly exotic feel!

Greenery/Fruit

If the idea of blossom tree is a little too fluffy for you, then consider going for all greenery. The classic combination of greenery and the crisp white wedding table cloths is a universally good look. Again you can find full, bushy tree styles, but you can also channel the same sort of look with branches of greenery and very tall vases. Why not have some fun with fruit trees too?

Images via Pinterest

Ice Cream Dream Wedding Pastels

Pastels are the epitome of romance. They bring with them a subtle hit of colour and can work with all types of wedding themes. For a modern twist though, don’t be afraid to intersperse a hot pop of colour in between the subtle ice cream dream hues of greens, canary, blush and pale blues.

There are so many ways to bring pastels to life on your wedding day. From bridesmaids dresses and groomsman’s ties, to using the dreamy colours in your venue and even having some fun with your food and drinks, pastels are the easy, beautiful colour selection that is always a hit.

Here’s some visual inspiration for you, 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.

Attire

Pastels are a perfect choice for bridesmaid’s dresses. Bring a modern flavour to the look though and consider getting dresses in different colours or lengths instead of all matching. Why not get the guys in on the action and add pastel pops in their ties, shirts, waistcoats or socks?

On the table

If the thoughts of bright colours on your wedding tables is making you nervous, then look to the understated beauty of pastels to save the day. Think pastel flowers, chalk painted mason jars and lots of stunning hydrangeas in rustic style boxes. Wooden accents work really well with pastels too. Go for pastel table runners or table cloth and why not and contrast with accented napkins or chair sashes/draping and don’t forget the lanterns filled with everything from pastel florals to pastel tea lights.

Around the room

Don’t forget to add a splash of pastels around your venue too. Think pastel coloured paper goods like lanterns and fans that look ideal strung from the ceiling. Pastel streamers make fabulous backdrops or look stunning on the backs of chairs. Pastel and white draping will give the room an ethereal quality and don’t forget simple additions like giant balloons.

Food

You can have lots of fun with your food and drinks with this colour scheme. Cakes look amazing in these colours and there’s huge scope for creativity with everything from dripping icing, to naked style cakes and lots of pastel embellishment. Beyond the cake, what about having pastel macaroons and cake pops? Don’t just limit it to the food though, why not have pastel inspired cocktails with cotton candy or just pink bubbles. Create a minty cocktails and some pink lemonade for the kids and non-drinkers would be ideal. And it wouldn’t be pastels without ice cream, so why not consider getting in an old fashioned ice cream stall for the reception?

Images via Pinterest

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