Category Archives: Design

Don’t forget the lighting

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Many people forget about lighting when they are planning their wedding reception –

“Wedding Lighting is a key area that people find difficult to get right, yet it is so important in creating a stunning atmosphere and making sure that you and your guests feel comfortable, relaxed and have a good time.”

Night and Day

If you are planning an evening reception, look at the room that you are going to use for the reception after dark, as well as in daytime. You can then see how the fixed lighting in the room works and think about what lighting you need for your reception to add the right atmosphere. Uplighters might be the perfect solution to bring the room to life at night.

Dancefloor divas

If your reception is a venue where the dancefloor, tables and chairs are set up in different parts of the same room, use different coloured lighting to separate the two areas and build up the atmosphere. Make sure your dad’s moves are in the limelight while he’s busting his moves! (…or keep him and those moves in the dark.)

Mood setting

Coloured venue lighting really adds atmosphere to a room. Use different colours to really set the mood for each part of the evening – from the welcomes drinks right through to the meal and dancing. This can be pre-programmed and done at the touch of a button if you use an intelligent lighting system.

Light the way

If you expect your guests to use outdoor space in the evening, ensure that steps and uneven services are well lit to avoid accidents. Create a magical atmosphere by hanging lanterns in your venue’s outside space, or if you are on a budget, why not try tea lights in old glass jam jars and use them to light up the paths or shrubbery?

Great lighting can be set up around any size of budget – think about what you want to do first, talk to your venue and then take advice from an event planner or lighting designer. Even the simplest of lighting schemes can impress your guests if they are done right.

Top tips for a relaxing Wedding day

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You’ve spent tireless hours planning, crafting, revelling, and swooning over your wedding and the fact that you get to marry the person of your dreams. But guess what? When your wedding day finally arrives, all of your plans are going to be set in motion, and it is time for you to sit back and enjoy! Sadly, not everyone gets to do this for one reason or another… but if you adhere to the following things, you WILL get to fully enjoy the entire experience of your wedding day:

1. Hire A Planner.

At the very least you should enlist the help of a Wedding planner. This way, you can let your planner finalize and secure all loose ends in the weeks leading up to your big day so you can relax and enjoy the fun stuff – like your Hen party, and the final dress fitting! All you have to do is communicate with your planner, and she/he will take care of everything! Finalizing numbers, arrival times, and even making any changes- your wedding planner will take care of it all. This will also eliminate the confusion that can happen in the days leading up to your wedding. It’s so important that you and your planner, are all on the same page- and a planner will ensure this.

2. Limit your activities on the morning of your wedding.

Want to get a morning session of yoga in? Get in your workout? Great. But don’t plan an activity that doesn’t fall within your normal routine. You don’t want to end up sore from a 7-mile bike ride that you wouldn’t normally do on any other day. Or you don’t want be late for the rest of your day because you decided to go get pedicures on your wedding day. Getting ready on your wedding day will take time, so enjoy it. There is also no need to add any stress of completing tasks before the wedding, so make sure you have all your projects done! Be smart and be reasonable with yourself and make sure you’re not over doing anything.

3. Eat and stay hydrated.

Seems like a no brainer but not eating and drinking water can ruin your wedding day. Staying hydrated will help your skin glow in your pictures. And in case you need US to mention the obvious… staying hydrated will also hopefully prevent you from over-drinking and getting sloppy from too much Champagne in the morning!

4. Turn off your phone.

Or at least only answer your planner’s calls. Live in the moment. Your wedding day will pass by so fast- you don’t want to regret spending it on your phone. Plus, if you’ve hired someone to help manage your day, there is no reason you need to be directing people or making calls on what needs to get done. Direct everyone to your planner, but also friends and family- so you can enjoy your wedding day!

5. Trust your vendors.

You spend tireless time researching, vetting, studying, interviewing, and choosing your vendors. So you should definitely feel confident in them by now. You have been working with them side-by-side to plan this big day, so why stop trusting that they will do the best job for you on your wedding day? Give them space and have confidence they’ll handle everything for you. Especially your wedding day planner. She is there to represent you and will do just that, but you have to trust she’s got it covered! Intervening and not allowing her to do her job creates confusion, chaos, and wastes precious time! You hired your planner (and all your other vendors) for a reason – remember that. Also, if there is a vendor who you feel like isn’t on par, discuss it with your planner and she can handle it for you. The whole goal is to not have to worry about anything, right?

So with all of this said… RELAX! Your wedding day will go smoothly with your team of highly experienced professionals. No need to worry about the table cloth colour or whether it will rain. Remember that some things are out of your control and there is nothing you can do to change that. For the things that are changeable and manageable, you’ve assembled your A List vendor team to take care of it. This day should be a celebration and an exciting time filled with love and happiness! Take in every moment and be happy- it will indeed pass by faster than you could’ve imagined! Now go forth and enjoy your wedding day!

Personalise your 2016 ceremony

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It wasn’t so long ago that you could only wed in religious places of worship or a registry office, but now brides and grooms can blend their marriage ceremony and reception by holding their wedding at any one of a number of fabulous venues. Weddings can be done in restaurants, barns, conservatories, hotels, and even beach huts!

Such a variety of venue choices mean that you can really make your wedding day your very own – there’s no one size fits all these days – and this season there are loads of new ways to theme your ceremony to suit your personalities.

Poetry please

If you’re both literary types (and even if you’re not!), why not try having a go at writing your own wedding vows?

First off, think about what getting married to one another really means to you; think of words to describe the relationship you have and your hopes for the future. Then just let your mind wander until the right phrases spring to mind.

Writing your own wedding vows works particularly well if you’re having a boho, country style or festival ceremony theme – it fits in with the slightly organic, hippie vibe going on.

Woodland wedding

How about a treehouse ceremony? – Particularly if you’re having a smaller, more intimate sort of an event. Look at venues like The Sole Street House of Kent. Built in an ancient horse chestnut tree, you can marry on the covered balcony while your guests look on from below.

Scotland has its own treehouse wedding venue – the Lodge of Loch Goil – and it’s certainly a fairy-tale setting.

If you’re thinking about having a woodland-themed ceremony, why not try carrying it through to every possible aspect of your big day? Think about wedding stationery designs inspired by trees, use twigs and moss in your table centres, maybe dress your bridesmaids in shades of green – an ombre look would work well.

A retro ceremony

The great thing about having a retro wedding is that you can select a style and a period that you love, and then just go all out! For example, if you’re picking a 1950s theme, then you could arrive at the wedding ceremony in a pink Cadillac. Dress for the occasion with a vintage tea-length gown, set off beautifully by a birdcage veil.

Or if you fancy something really elegant, then what about a 1930s-style ceremony?

You could play music from the jazz age to set the scene – what about hiring a portable wind up gramophone as a prop? Indulge your Art Deco fantasies with your wedding invitations and stationery and maybe set a monochrome theme throughout (which could extend to your guests – just ask them to dress in black and white, which is fairly easy for everybody).

Music is the perfect way to evoke this era in your ceremony – why not walk down the aisle to a 1930’s tune? Begin the Beguine by Artie Shaw is one of our favourites.

Something a little different

At most wedding ceremonies the guests stand behind the bride and groom as they say their vows. But what about facing your guests as you say your wedding vows or setting the space up so they can sit or stand in a circle around you as you say those all-important words?

You could also have a wedding ring warming, where the rings are placed in a small bag before they are exchanged, and are passed around to each guest so they can say a prayer or bless them.

Traditionally it’s a man who walks the bride-to-be down the aisle towards her bridegroom – but it doesn’t have to be. You could ask both your mum and dad to escort you (after all your mum is giving you away too!) or you could even walk down the aisle arm-in-arm with your fiancé.

Getting your guests chatting and enjoying themselves is a huge part of making your big day successful, so why not set the ball rolling with a drinks reception before the wedding ceremony? It doesn’t have to be alcohol either – you could serve tea, coffee and homemade lemonade. Many guests will have travelled quite a distance on the day of the wedding and would be delighted to be greeted with a bit of refreshment as the event begins.

You don’t have to be conventional on colour schemes

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Every bride seems to have a colour scheme or wedding theme in mind but are they really important? And, if so, how do you choose one that’s right for you?

As soon as you think of planning your wedding, for some reason the need to get a colour scheme sorted presents itself. Do you pick red because of the season? Why do we feel the need to focus on one or two colours, though?

A lot of people often have a colour in mind, which nine times out of ten develops into something else as time passes and they get more inspired. It would be much more lovely to keep colours eclectic and use your venue as a lead for your colour scheme.

Having a summer wedding? Go with a pretty floral look with your stationery then you can pick and choose accents from it to match your theme as a whole. Doing things this way will save you hours of time and money searching for that ‘one’ colour of bridesmaid’s dress or exact shade of flower.

Close your eyes and think of a feeling rather than searching with your eyes, conjure up hazy summer days, beautiful autumnal sunsets or a spring time landscape and dream up your colour scheme that way!

My most important piece of advice would be to always be yourself – if you have a perfect colour that is ‘you’ and that’s all you need – go for it! If you don’t, there is no rule for you to stick with one or two colours.

Remember… your wedding, your way! Enjoy every minute of planning your perfect day.

Winter Wonderland Wedding

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for a wedding! If everyone comes together at this time of year, so why not make the most of it and celebrate your nuptials, too? We love a Christmas Wedding here, so here are some of our favourite theme ideas to get you in the festive spirit…

First off, let’s think about Christmas colours – if you want to avoid the traditional greens and reds associated with the season, then there are loads of modern winter options for you to consider. We love the look of berry shades such as deep reds and purples interspersed with winter whites. It’s a chic option for a Christmas wedding that feels luxurious and festive. Purple calla lilies are a sophisticated choice, and you won’t need many of them to create an impact. Talk to your florist about what will work for you.

If you’re having a late afternoon wedding then it’s going to get dark early, so why not dress your bridesmaids in deep jewel tones that will look great in the evening? Plums and aubergines are a beautiful option in cosy, low lighting. For bridesmaids gifts you could gift them a contrasting pashmina to snuggle into. Remember that shoes don’t have to match– in fact it’s better and more on trend if they offer a pop of colour. If you feel like being minimal, then just having white and silver for your colour scheme makes a perfect Christmas theme. You could dress your maids in winter white and accessorise with silver and diamante earrings, bracelets or belts.

For Wedding Decoration and Design we think a beautifully decorated Christmas tree is an absolute must at both your ceremony and your venue. Use the wedding colours you’ve chosen for your tree decorations. Whites, silvers, golds and berry shades are classic and chic, while bright jewel shades of turquoise, emerald, ruby and amethyst will also look wonderful.

Christmas is the best time of year to splash out on great food and drink, so serve your guests a festive feast! You could offer your guests mulled wine and hot spiced apple juice as they arrive at your reception, with mini sausages to nibble on. A version of Christmas dinner is a natural choice for your main meal. Most people love a roast – and it doesn’t have to be turkey. If you’re having a buffet you could serve up the main course carvery style, so as well as the traditional turkey with all the trimmings, you could offer a large ham and a vegetarian option. For dessert, the options are endless – Christmas pudding, mince pies, Yule log, trifle… our mouths are watering just thinking about it! And if your wedding budget is tight, instead of favours, just put a Christmas cracker at everyone’s place – you could even personalise them beforehand if you have time, so that it doubles as a place name.

Keeping little ones occupied at a wedding will make their parents eternally grateful to you and a Christmas theme gives you some ready-made ideas. First off, you could have Father Christmas for a visit (maybe before the wedding breakfast whilst the adults are enjoying drinks and canapés) and give the kids Christmas gifts to play with throughout the meal. Alternatively have a chill-out room and play Christmas-themed DVDs – we’re thinking Polar Express, The Snowman, and The Grinch. This will leave you and your grown-up guests free to enjoy your amazing wedding day.

Do It Yourself Stationery

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Making your own wedding stationery is a creative approach that lets you design something to suit your day perfectly. Receiving an invitation that has been handmade by the bride and groom also feels extremely special. It’s a wonderful gesture, and the card can become a keepsake of the day. Do have a good think about it first, though ‐‐ it’s a time‐consuming process, so can either become an enjoyable part of your wedding preparation, or a major regret.

Is DIY stationery right for you?

If you’re thinking about making your own stationery, the first thing to do is to be realistic about how much you’d like to make, and how much time you have. If you’re having a relatively small wedding and have plenty of time, creating your own could be an excellent idea. If, however, you’re inviting hundreds of guests and only have two months before your big day, you’ll be better off sticking with a personalised range. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make other items of stationery. Don’t forget that as well as invitations, you might need place name cards, order of service sheets, menus, seating plans and thank‐you cards. Table names and menus are a simple way of having some artistic input without too much work, as you’ll probably only need to make 10 to 15 in total. Place cards can also be a simple way of being creative.

The benefits of creating your own stationery;

Perfect if you want to use your creativity and artistic skills to create completely unique designs

Getting creative is fun. Evenings spent with bridesmaids making cards can be a highlight of wedding planning

You’ll have the chance to create an unusual design or wording format that you might not find in a personalised stationery range

DIY stationery tends to be less expensive

Get creative

Have a practice run and see how long it takes you to make something. The key thing to remember is that you don’t need to make each and every item of stationery ‐ just one type is fine. It’s also important to assess your creativity. If you’re an artistic person, you might decide to try something relatively challenging. If the last piece of artwork you created was at primary school, now’s not the time to try your hand at the most complicated design you can think of. Simplicity is the key. Once you’ve decided what you’re going to create, start practicing and creating as soon as you can. The more time you give yourself, the more you’ll enjoy it. And remember, you can always rope in your bridesmaids for a fun night in making stationery with the girls.

Top tips for DIY stationery

Give yourself plenty of time ‐‐ the more time you have, the more you’ll enjoy being creative without feeling too pressured.

Have a look at wedding stationery offered online and on the high street to give you some ideas and inspiration.

Choose your colours and plan your design, taking into account the style of your wedding. If, for example, your dress is decorated with beading, you might use a bead style trim on your stationery. If your cake is adorned with feathers, you could incorporate feathers into the design.

When you have an idea for the design, make up a few different samples. This ‘testing’ session is crucial ‐‐ you can see exactly how the finished products will look and whether you enjoy making them before you buy enough for your entire wedding party. You’ll also know exactly what you need to put on your shopping list.

Before you even think about going shopping, make a detailed list of what you need. You don’t want to waste money by buying too much, but you also want to make sure you have enough (allowing for a few mistakes along the way). Paper, glue, glue dots, trims, ribbon, envelopes, pens, place cards, ribbon and card might all be on your list.

Create an area at home and get organised. You need to give yourself plenty of room and have a working system. If possible, choose an area where you can leave your stationery out and don’t have to pack everything away every time you finish.

Try and find some willing helpers (such as the groom, bridesmaids, family and friends) and don’t be precious about doing everything yourself.

Make sure your guests know the time and effort you’ve put into making the stationery ‐‐ a handmade invitation or place card by the bride herself is something they’ll treasure, so write ‘made by …’ on the back.

Consider making a special design for the members of your wedding party.

Be sure to make an extra set to keep for yourself to put in your wedding photo album or scrapbook.

All About Accessories

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From the bride’s bouquet to the groom’s boutonnière, the couple can enjoy wonderful embellishments on their wedding day. A lot of couples strive to have matching designs or colours across their accessories too, which makes for a wonderful harmonized look. So here are some of our favourite traditional wedding jewellery and accessories for him and her.

Headwear

Traditionally, the bride tends to have far more choice concerning headwear. Wedding veils seem to be the norm, for they come in a range of lengths and styles depending on fashion and culture. Similar to the veil is a decorative net or art deco style bonnet, which also come in an array of designs. But many brides also opt for headpieces such as tiaras, headbands, hair clips and combs. For the groom, there does not tend to be any jewellery headwear pieces available, so the groom and his groomsmen typically wear hats.

Head-wear for the bride and groom, including veils, tiaras, hats, and headpieces.

It’s safe to say that the style of headwear depends on your desired theme. In truth, the bride could wear a hat if she wished, but the wearing of hats and fascinators are usually left to the mother of the bride, the mother of the groom, and other female wedding guests.

Face and Neck

For the face and neck, the groom is well-known in western culture to wear a classic necktie or bowtie, and no other jewellery. Ties, coming in all manner of colours and materials, will fit any wedding. In other cultures there is also the option of wearing a cravat.

Often the bride completes her look with a pretty set of earrings and a necklace and in some cultures facial jewellery like nose piercings are common too. Like with headwear, the chosen wedding theme (and personal taste) goes a long way in helping the bride decide on the style—some pieces of jewellery are rather discreet, and others are far more overt. Some brides even wear a garland around their neck.

Torso

On the torso, grooms can wear pocket squares and handkerchiefs. Depending on personal choice, these can be purely decorative or intended for use. Pocket squares and handkerchiefs are available in a variety of colours, designs and patterns and are an ideal way to inject personality and personalisation into grooms wear.

For more of a traditional look, the bride may opt for a brooch. Brooches come in all shapes and sizes, and can fit any theme or colour scheme. They can be used for anything, be it accessorising a jacket, the wedding dress, or the bouquet. Also, some couples dress in bright, rich fabrics covered in gems and sequins, which makes for a truly striking wedding look.

Arms, Wrists, and Hands

On his wrists, the groom traditionally wears cufflinks, and such a small and simple accessory works wonders to add style and decoration. Available in a range of styles and materials, from plain silver or gold to intricate engraved, bejewelled or rhinestone studded options. The groom might also wear a wristwatch as a finishing touch, but the more traditional wedding watch option for a groom is a classic pocket watch.

Wrist wedding accessories for the bride and groom, including bracelets, corsages, cufflinks, and watches.

The bride often wears a bracelet, and these too come in numerous styles. You may want a simple band, or a chain with pretty dangling charms. A growing trend is to wear a corsage as well.

The most important wedding accessory of them all: wedding rings!

But the most important accessories for the bride and the groom are the wedding rings! The giving of rings is a traditional part of the wedding ceremony! No doubt a lot of thought and consideration has gone into choosing your engagement rings and your wedding rings from deciding on the optimum metals, gems, engravings, etc. Steeped in tradition, the practice of giving rings can be traced back centuries.

Floral Wedding Inspiration

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Flowers play a starring role in most weddings, but if you’re big on blooms, floral details can run throughout your celebrations: it’s not just about bouquets…

Floral wedding décor may sound traditional but — creatively speaking — the sky is the limit when it comes to dressing your reception with wedding flowers. Play with props to present your blooms and use flowers to enhance the features of your venue.

Choosing a traditional paper wedding invite that features a beautiful bloom, and one you’re planning to incorporate on your wedding day, is a simple and stylish way to bring a floral theme into your wedding stationery.

If there is one element of your wedding that is crying out for floral décor, it’s the ceremony. From the heady scent of fresh flowers to the dazzling colours a floral display can add to the setting, nothing is more romantic than a floral backdrop as you say your vows

A fabulously flowery wedding cake: surely it’s the ultimate floral–inspired feature. From a traditional tiered confection adorned with edible roses to a funky chocolate creation decorated with fresh blooms, floral cakes look as delicious as they taste. There are so many styles and combinations to choose from and a bouquet presented on the top tier looks breathtaking.

Wedding tables need flowers: how you choose them depends on your theme, your style and just how high you want to turn up the floral details on the day. Bountiful arrangements can look spectacular, and if you want a contemporary edge, try using several sized vases, each filled with a bunch of your favourite flowers.

 

Budget Wedding Decorations

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Perfect as favours or place names, why not showcase your talents as we show you how to make these fun felt wedding decorations…

What you need

  • Coloured felt
  • Stuffing (cotton wool balls)
  • Contrasting thread or wool
  • Needle
  • Scissors
  • Pins
  • Card template

Instructions

Pin your heart template to your felt (you can print a paper one from the computer) then cut around the template. Be sure to keep the template tight to the felt for a professional-looking finish.

Put the two felt hearts together and pin in the centre. It’s now time to start stitching, using a blanket stitch. If you are unsure of this stitch, you are sure to find it on You Tube.

For the stuffing we used unravelled cotton wall balls. Stuff as much or little as you like, the more shape the better the finish.

Continue to sew the heart, once at the end, tie a knot with the needle and thread. Snip the ends and you have a beautiful felt heart.

 

If you wish to use the heart for hanging, pull a piece of thread through one of the stitches, or put wire or a small stick in the bottom of the heart and use as a cake topper or in your wedding flowers,

alternatively scatter loosely on your wedding table for a pretty look.

 

Garden party weddings

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When planning a Garden Wedding, these top tips can make this ever-evolving theme personal to you.

Outdoor venue

To hold an authentic country garden wedding theme you usually need one of three types of wedding venue – a country barn with fairy lights wrapped around the beams, a marquee reception with hay bales for seating, or a quintessentially English manor house with beautiful gardens filled with blooms where you could set up garden games for your guests to enjoy.

Tea and cake

What’s a country garden party without high tea? Instead of a traditional dessert, put a tiered cake stand on each table filled with scones, muffins and cupcake so guests can help themselves, with a pot of tea and coffee on hand to wash it down. Why not stir up a little competitive spirit among your guests and have a Great Wedding Bake-Off?

Set up a table in the marquee and ask guests to bring their homemade goodies. The bride and groom can then present first, second and third prize before cutting their own wedding cake.

Pastel perfection

From the details through to the bridesmaid dresses floral prints and pastel shades are best suited to a country garden theme.

The best floral prints for this theme are pansies, daisies and roses. Think pink, lavender, turquoise and lemon for perfectly pretty girls. Keep shoes nude and hair accessories minimal – flower headbands, perhaps?

The little details  It’s the little details your guests will notice, so consider some of these country inspired ideas… Hand Picked flowers for the bouquets and centrepieces, raffia-tied jam jar favours filled with mini eggs and handmade bunting with Cath Kidston-style material spread all around the wedding venue.

Boho bride

For a country look, consider a short or tea-length wedding dress, and for a bit of fun, add a coloured underskirt with matching shoes! Put real flowers in your wedding hair and accessories with pearls – the chunkier the pearls, the more modern the look.

Make sure you have some wedding wellies on hand for your outdoor reception, as well as some white umbrellas should you need to shelter guests at any point.