Weddings Archives - Page 2 of 4

How do I choose a style or theme for my wedding?

How do I choose a style or theme for my wedding? – where to start

So, you are wondering how to even begin to choose a style or theme for your wedding and if you even need to do this step. Is there a difference between a style and a theme? Are you thinking; I don’t want a theme, where do I go from here?

I am here to break it all down for you, so that you can crack on planning your wedding once all of this has been decided.

Our good friend and wedding planner, Illy from www.illyelizabethweddings.com, has given this insight into how she would initiate this thought process with her clients:

“I ask my clients to pick one thing; either an item or a colour and we then build up from there”

Style or Theme?

Ok, so lets first talk ‘style’. If you have already picked your venue, do keep this in mind at this point.

I shall list the various options of these below and this list is by no means exhaustive, but it might give you an idea of what it is that you like.

Bohemian (BOHO) – Relaxed and Carefree, think 70’s, flower power festivals.

Garden Party – Outside with lots of florals, afternoon tea

Festival – Hosting your own mini festival, lots of drinking and dancing, street food vendors

Formal – Black tie event with full sit-down meal

Romantic – Flowing materials and lots of candles and fairylights

Rustic – Haybales, hessian and mason jars

And now some themes, of course you may decide to combine the style with the theme……..for example modern Alice in Wonderland, vintage garden party.

Here are some ideas:

Swan lake

Tropical

Iridescent

Fairy-tale

Star wars

Dinosaurs

Colmans mustard

Theatre

The Greatest Showman

Final Tips

The list here is endless and I would start this with your partner so decide what it is you would like to incorporate into your day.

I would encourage you now to start building your Pinterest, please have a read of my blog post HERE to see how to do this without complete overwhelm.

At this point you may have decided on just a colour as your theme, you can read more about how to choose a colour palette HERE.

As a case study here, we are going to look at my fictitious couple, who are ex dancers, and their chosen item is a pair of ‘Ballet Shoes’

Join me over on Instagram and Pinterest as I pull together the theme.

Categories: DIY Home Projects, Lifestyle, Tablescapes, Weddings

How to Style an Easter Table

To create a simple woodland themed Easter table couldn’t be simpler! I am going to share with you how to style an Easter table for a charming celebration.

As always, let yourself be guided by nature, so using yellows and greens is perfect! Seasonal daffs are abundant, and you can buy theses from the supermarket for about 99p a bunch.

You can use bits and bobs from around the house, I found a little bunny, a mouse, my hedgehog candle holders. I also foraged in the garden for some foliage. (if you don’t have a garden, then try the hedgerows or ask a neighbour)

I then used my dyed muslin for the runner and napkins, it’s a great material to dye and very reasonable (I think about £3-£4 a metre) I also used the same material to create my knot napkins, a great way to keep the styling coordinated.

Start with your base, the table. Perhaps you will use a cloth, or a runner. I then dress the central piece, with florals and my finds from around the house. Remember to think of varying heights. Add in your chargers/placemats, plates, cutlery and glasses. Finally add your details such as name tags, and gifts.

I saw a question on Instagram the other day; ‘Shall I not have chargers. Will anyone notice’ My advice would be that you need to consider the bigger picture here, how will the look come together as a whole? You want to create a cohesive experience, and I think that the details are what make this.

If this is related to cost, then think outside the box here; for example, could you use napkins as a setting rather than a charger? I have used mismatched shabby chic style paper napkins as place setting before now as the table was looking quite empty.

Fancy making an Easter Wreath to match? Click HERE

Much love and a very Happy Easter!!

Categories: DIY Projects, Weddings

Blooming Parasol wedding decoration

Bring your DIY game to make these beautiful blooming parasol wedding decoration, a gorgeous project for your DIY wedding.

These floral parasols are one of my most likes pictures on Instagram, they are super simple to make and will make a gorgeous addition to your venue décor.

Bringing the Outdoors Inside with these Parasol Wedding Decorations

I have always been rather taken with bringing the outdoors inside and envisage these looking gorgeous in a clear roofed marquee or greenhouse setting.

The parasol has been around for many many years and most of us are familiar with seeing them as an accessory for wealthy woman in Victorian times. They go back a lot longer than this! Around 4000 years ago, they were used in Egypt and China and were made from natural materials such as bamboo and palm leaves. Back then the rules suggested that royalty and nobility kept their pale skin.

In the early 20^th Century, waterproof versions took over and made the parasol rather unfashionable. Nobility were now encouraged to show tanned skin as a show of their beach lifestyle.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Parasols, I have used the traditional white, but there are many options for you to choose from now.

Flowers. I have used hydrangeas and gypsophila.

String or twine to attach to the ceiling

This really is the simplest project. Open the parasol and lay the flowers around the edges. I see no reason to secure them as the shape of the parasol keeps them in. I used hydrangeas, as I do love them and they have a large head. However, these are quite pricey. Gypsophila is a great filler and very economical so use plenty of this to give a full effect.

Both of these flowers dry really well, so you don’t need to use them fresh.

You will need to test out how to fix these to the ceiling of your venue, ensure that you take advice from the venue as to what you can use to attach them.

Do show me your makes in the comments.

Click HERE for DIY table plan idea.

Categories: Lifestyle, Tips, Weddings, Wellbeing

Inner Wellbeing and your Wedding

As we enter February, we are feeling the cold weather and wall to wall grey all around us, today, we are talking ‘Inner Wellbeing’, or ‘mindfulness’ It’s a word that you may have heard a lot and may wonder what it’s all about and how it relates to you and indeed wedding planning.

Photo by mariana acevedo on Unsplash

Mindfulness

Firstly, I use mindfulness every day to stay ‘present’ to be ‘mindful’ of everything around me helps to do this. A really great way is to get outside into nature, go for a walk, everyday – it doesn’t have to be a long one – but go the same way. On your walk, look for nature all around, what can you smell? What can you hear? Feel the leaves and the ground under your feet. At this time, you can’t be anything BUT present and, in the moment, so all of the stress and worry of the day will melt away.

If you walk the same way every day, you can notice the miracle of nature. I never knew until practicing this myself, that nature never stops. I always assumed that in the depths of winter ‘everything was dead’. This is so far from true!! The buds on the trees start as soon as the leaves fall off, there are flower buds and plants that begin to grow in winter.

To document this and to use as a tool, I took photos of an oak tree I passed through all the seasons. It’s a wonderful way to think that ‘this moment will pass’ if you are dealing with any stress or worry.

There can be more to it than that of course, as you can add in meditation and other practices but for now, it’s a great place to start.

Wellbeing and Weddings

If you are keen to explore this further and look into how you can incorporate this into your wedding, here a few ideas.

Keep it Cosy – (handy in these times!) when you have a large wedding it is very difficult to engage and connect with all of your guests. From experience, there are not enough hours in the day to speak meaningfully to everyone and it will affect your own experience as well.
Less is More – this is about a marriage and not ‘stuff’ if you can’t afford it, there is no reason to go overboard on material things. Keep it simple and beautiful.
Preloved – In these days I believe the stigma has gone around using something that has been previously used – your dress for example. Imagine you wanted a party dress and you found one that has been worn ONCE in a charity shop – you would be over the moon! So why is it so different to look for a preloved wedding dress?
Regift -what can you regift from your wedding? Can you gift your flowers to your local care home? There are companies that can do this for you if you don’t know where to start.
Keep it lovely and local – where possible try and support your local independent businesses, they will so appreciate it!!

Meditation

Now this is something that I TRY to do, and I cannot profess I am much good, only that it does help to refocus and relax. I would advise to consult a practitioner in order to learn this art correctly. Failing this, I sit in crossed leg on my meditation pillow (all the gear and no idea springs to mind!)

If you would like to try, my advice is to set up a space for this, consider the following:

Something to sit on – being comfortable is really important, so whether you choose a meditation cushion, a large pod, a lounge pouffe, it will help keep you supported
Make it cosy – I tend to like to go outside for this practice, always make sure that you are cosy and warm. I take out gorgeous soft, fluffy blankets
Scent – I like to think this is a sensory practice, so I choose scented candles with aromatherapy oils to match my mood. Also candles help with the ambience and soothing light.
Nature – for me this is essential for my practise, if you can’t use an outside space, consider some indoor plants

Worry Time

Are you a worrier? I know I am! Here are some practical things that you can do to alleviate your worries.

Put aside ‘worry time’ – I know this sounds odd but it’s a great way to separate it and stop it from taking over.
Write it down – maybe use your ‘worry time’ to get it all down on paper. Also leave a note pad in easy reach so that you can write it down and put it to one side. Also leave one by your bed to alleviate any worries that may wake you and keep you up.
Put a positive spin on it; where possible, in your notebook, write an alternative, positive statement.

Affirmations

These are statements that you read aloud to encourage positive thinking and self-empowerment and I lOVE them! A great way to stay positive and focussed. I have some affirmations available soon in the shop. I hope this gives you a little guidance and I would love to hear your practises in the comments.

Click HERE to go to some lush recipes.

Categories: Weddings

Wedding Chair Decoration Ideas

Wedding Chair Decoration ideas – DIY Flower Chair backs

These lovely wedding chair decoration chair backs are actually easier to make than you think. However, I wouldn’t have thought that you can make them too far in advance so you would need to pull in some help! They would be ideal for a small wedding or even just for the top table.

What you will need:

Secateurs

Flowers with long stems

Floristry Tape

Tulle (I used a roll) Purchased in Hobbycraft

How to:

Begin by cutting the stems to a length of about a foot, you may also want some shorter ones as I have done with the daisies. You want to keep the flowers and amounts even either side.

You then wrap the florist tape around the middle; it’s great to use as its self-adhesive so the more you wrap it the tighter and more secure it is.

I then simply tied the tulle round the centre and made a knot and then tied it round the top of the chair finishing in a lovely bow. Keep the length quite long to give a really lovely whimsical look. And that’s it! See, I told you it was simple!!!

I also have some more chair back ideas to come; super simple but super effective!

Click HERE for homemade favour idea; Spread the Love.

Categories: DIY Projects, Lifestyle, Recipes, Weddings

Seville Orange Marmalade

This super tangy, tasty marmalade is fantastic to go into the ‘Spread the Love’ Jars project for your favours. This isn’t just ANY recipe for seville orange marmalade, this is Granny Ockwell’s Seville orange marmalade recipe!

My Granny was a wonderful cook and was known for her AMAZING Seville orange marmalade. Over the years that I have made it, I may have adjusted the method slightly, but the Ingredients remain just the same.

RECIPE for Seville Orange Marmalade

You will need:

A large pan – I have a Maslin pan

A long wooden spoon

Scales

Ingredients:

3lb Seville Oranges

2 Lemons

6lb Sugar

4 1/2 Pints water

TIP: Seville Oranges are only available for about 3 weeks a year around February time (this is what I have found)

BUT the good news is that they freeze really well so stock up when you see them.

Method:

Pour boiling water onto the fruit and cook gently for two hours. I tend to then leave them in the water overnight until they are cooled as I find them easier to handle.

Take them out and finely cut them up, I put the flesh back into the water. This is a very laborious process so be warned!!! Get your friends to help if at all possible because really thick cut is not overly nice (of course you may like it like that!

Next, return to the water and add the sugar. Bring to the boil for 15-20 minutes and then test.

I do this by putting a plate into the freezer and then drop some onto the cold plate and press along. If it crinkles it will set perfectly.

Next; make sure that you sterilise the jars; wash in hot soapy water and i then pop them in the oven to dry. Be careful to remove the rubber seal and metal parts if using clip jars.

Mini Kilner edible favour — edible favour spread the love

Finally, fill the jars and pop a wax seal on top. Leave to cool and then you can clip/screw shut and these will keep really well so you can definitely make these in advance.