Showing posts with label wedding reception ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding reception ideas. Show all posts

Friday, 31 October 2014

Wedding Trends 2015 - Hanging Wedding Decor

Hope you've all had a lovely week!
Its been an exciting one here at Knots & Kisses ... I've been designing lots of bespoke wedding stationery for clients, have been working on Movie Poster style table plans and I found out that I had been nominated in the best stationery category at the British Wedding Awards, which you can vote in now https://www.thebritishweddingawards.com/vote-in-the-british-wedding-awards/.

Today I wanted to start looking at emerging trends in weddings for 2015.
One of the biggest is hanging wedding décor. Rather than thinking about just decorating your tables at your venue many are now looking to bring an entire look to a room to really create a wow impact.
Many couples have been using bunting etc. to decorate their rustic style marquee or barn weddings for a while now ... but new hanging décor trends create an impact in all sorts of styles so there will be something you can adapt to suit your wedding or venue.

The biggest trend I love is hanging florals ... speak to your florist about what they can create to decorate your venue.

www.inspiredbythis.com photo credit Mark Bothwell
 
If florals aren't your thing then hanging lanterns also create a fantastic impact and a more modern look.
 
 
And finally how about a modern take on streamers ...
 


 
Hope this has given you a few ideas and have a lovely weekend!
Nikki x

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Steam Train Weddings!

I had the pleasure at the weekend of going down to Buckfastleigh and taking a trip of the South Devon Railway which runs between Buckfastleigh and Totnes. The journey only takes about half an hour but it is on the most gorgeous steam train with beautiful Art Deco or 1940s carriages and a very cute buffet car.
I was pleased to find out you can hire these trains out for wedding receptions. I could just see you having canapés on the platform after you have married in one of the local churches or venues and then hopping aboard the steam train for a sit down wedding breakfast in art deco splendour!



You can find out more about hiring one of the South Devon Railways trains on their website at http://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk/hire-a-train

Having a look around there are also several other trains you can have a wedding reception on around the country including the Bodmin & Wenford Railway in Cornwall http://www.bodminrailway.co.uk/private-hire ...



And also the Bluebell Railway in Sussex ... which also has a license for you to get married in their Waiting Room at the station! http://www.bluebell-railway.com/weddings-and-charters/


I hope this gives you a little bit of inspiration for your wedding
Nikki x

Friday, 7 February 2014

How To Dress Your Wedding Reception Tables

Just a quick reminder today before some gorgeous weekly wedding inspiration that the last day to order Valentines Cards for guaranteed delivery by Valentines Day is this Sunday. You can order from 4 different designs in the collection .. either via my website http://knotsandkisses.co.uk/greetingscards.html or via my Gift Wrapped & Gorgeous or Etsy shops http://www.giftwrappedandgorgeous.co.uk/KnotsandKissesStationery-products https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KnotsAndKisses?ref=ss_profile

Back to today and this week I've been doing the finishing touches to many of the new ranges I'm launching on the 17th of February, ready for a photo shoot this weekend.
As well as that I've been really inspired by some gorgeous table settings for your reception tables this week.

I firmly believe that a table doesn't look right until it's properly dressed for the occasion! Even when I've got friends coming round for dinner there is always a jug of flowers in the middle of the table, a table runner and plates are laid out with napkins folded on top. Alternatively if its a much more 'help yourself' meal I'll put buckets of napkins and cutlery in the centre of the table with a stack of plates ... but either way the table has been laid out appropriately and doesn't look empty.

Whether you are going for a simple look or something more elaborate ... you can definitely draw some inspiration from these table arrangements below...

Bright and colourful floral centre pieces always look amazing ... and if your venue is unable to lay the table up with plates beforehand ... use a simple napkin in between the cutlery to create the illusion of a place setting. A simple runner .. even if just a strip of hessian or plain fabric will almost always improve the look.



Round tables are often a lot easier and therefore cheaper to dress as they often only require one single centrepiece. But I would make sure that centrepiece is big enough to create a statement! So often at wedding receptions you see a tiny floral arrangement and some cutlery floating in the middle of what appears a very large round table with nothing really to tie it together. I would definitely consider charger plates for round tables as it gives a more complete look.

 
This arrangement works with a smaller centrepiece because they have used the space to put the side plates so the table doesn't look empty.


If you want a more informal or rustic look then dressing old wooden tables is perfect .. plenty of foliage or small jam jars filled with flowers down the middle of the table will still make it look dressed, and you can then create a simple place setting with a plate, napkin and cutlery .. or go really rustic and make some wooden log chargers!


 
Keep things really simple for a modern look with crisp white linen and plates with white napkins and placecards and simple cutlery. These succulents as centrepieces work perfectly ... but again unless you are dressing a round table where a single centrepiece is appropriate try and create smaller arrangements all down the centre of the table for a much more 'dressed' effect.
 

And don't forget the kids! Sometimes a separate kids table can work brilliantly ... depending on the children and their parents! But providing crayons, sweets and colouring paper is a perfect way to keep the little ones occupied.
Although if you are going to have all the kids sitting at one table I would definitely hire or see if the venue has someone to keep control of them whilst the parents are enjoying themselves!

 

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Creative Place Settings For Your Wedding

Today I wanted to look at how to dress your tables at your wedding reception.
This doesn't have to be expensive or tricky ... but it can really can pull a whole wedding look together.  Just having a plain white table cloth, cutlery and a single placecard and favour 'floating' around can really look a bit bland and believe me .. no matter how much you think your placecards fit with your theme ... they are generally not enough on their own to carry this theme through so your guests notice :)

A great idea is to use a table runner down the length of your tables .. this works great with long or trestle tables and really pulls a colour scheme together .. especially if your venue décor is quite plain.

etsy weddings blog - photo by Chris Cooney


 
Try and use a plates or crockery to create a proper place setting for each guest. If you are at a large venue who provides catering it is worth asking if they will put plates out on the tables for you. Alternatively if you are dressing your own venue collect lots of mismatching vintage china from car boots and antiques shops, or if you want a cleaner matching look hire in china from one of the many china hire companies. Try http://devonvintagechina.co.uk

 
 
Use colourful and printed napkins to add more of the details and theme for your wedding. These can be rolled or folded and placed on plates, perhaps with a name tag tied around them or placed on top. A sprig of flowers or herbs on top of the napkin can also look lovely .. or place a menu on top of each napkin for your guests.

http://brittanickel.tumblr.com & www.stylemepretty.com photo Marianne taylor photography



Co-ordinate your glassware with your theme. Coloured glasses can often really bring a look together. Again these can be picked up cheaply or hired in ... but its always worth asking your venue if they have anything appropriate already.

www.stylemepretty.com photo ryan lockhart

Possibly think of using teacups as part of each place setting filled with either flowers or a cupcake or plant favour for your guests! Perfect for an English Tea Party theme!

 
I hope this has given you a few ideas for your wedding!


Monday, 17 June 2013

English Country Garden Suitcase Table Plans

Back at the end of April I was contacted by the lovely Kirsten from The Little Wedding Helper http://littleweddinghelper.co.uk/ who does the most amazing wedding styling .. great for couples who have a blank canvas wedding venue and just don't know where to start!

Kirsten was working with a couple who wanted to create a Vintage English Country Garden feel for their .. quite frankly ... enormous wedding in Southampton!
They loved the idea of a 'suitcase table plan' and so Kirsten asked me to get involved to create the plans for them.

I was very excited as anyone who as seen my house knows I have a bit of obsession about vintage luggage! There are currently two small cases stacked and acting as a side table in my lounge and a very large steamer trunk for bed linen in my guest room :)
So I happily sourced the Internet and local antique shops for some gorgeous cases I could use to make the table plan and then picked some pretty pink and green floral and striped contrasting fabrics to reline the insides with.
I finished the look by hanging alternately designed card tables from lace strung across the cases and attached them with little white pegs.



They needed 3 suitcases for all the tables rather than just one, so once I had produced the plans Kirsten styled them at the venue .. setting them up on different levels and adding flowers and pearls to create just the right feeling!



I am delighted to announce that I will be adding the Suitcase Table Plans to my regular ranges on my website very soon!
They will be available on a hire basis and if you are within 20 miles of Okehampton I will happily come and set them up at your venue for you ... or they will be available to pick up. If you are elsewhere in the country they can also be posted for a fee and will need to be returned via post by yourselves once used.
They can of course be re-lined and designed to suit your individual colour scheme or theme ... so if you would like to enquire about hiring one of the suitcase table plans for your wedding please don't hesitate to get in touch, either via the contact form on the website http://knotsandkisses.co.uk or by emailing me direct at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk

Nikki x

Friday, 8 March 2013

A Wonderland Wedding!

It's been a really good week for receiving fantastic feedback from my clients this week, and I was especially pleased to receive the following email from the lovely Lorna & John who I've been working with for about a year now .. and returned from their honeymoon this week.

"We are now back from honeymoon and wanted to confirm receipt of the Thank You cards which arrived yesterday – they look lovely.

We had just the perfect wedding day and New Zealand didn’t let us down. What a fantastic place!
A final thank you for everything you have done for us – you made everything so easy and uncomplicated. I attach a couple of photos which I hope you will enjoy. We had lots of comments on your stationery (how unusual and attractive) that you should be very proud and we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending you to any of our friends or family in the future, as you provided such an excellent service."


I was so pleased that they also included some photos of the stationery I made for them in situe, as its so lovely to see this!



Congratulations to Lorna & John! If you would like to order the Wonderland range for your wedding then please get in touch at http://knotsandkisses.co.uk  

Monday, 13 August 2012

A Fairground Themed Wedding Reception!

Its a sad morning for me ... as a massive sports fan I have to admit I shed a bit of a tear when the London Olympics finally finished last night! I don't even live in London anymore but hasn't it been an amazing couple of weeks. I visited London last week to see some athletics and hockey and was amazed by how friendly London had become over this period. I hope it continues :)

Anyway back to weddings!
I was discussing with a friend over the weekend about fun wedding receptions and we both agreed that it would be amazing if you could have a whole fairground theme for your wedding reception. I went to a corporate event once where there was a Ferris wheel and bumper cars for everyone to play on and it was amazing!
It got me to thinking about how expensive and whether it was possible to hire this sort of thing for your Wedding ... so I did some research.


Turns out there are lots of companies on the Internet that hire out fairground rides for any sort of event .. including weddings all over the country.
Some of the ones I found http://www.hireafunfair.com/ ; http://www.eventswithadifference.co.uk/cms/index ; http://www.howardsfunfair.com/ ; These are literally just a few of many!
I personally love the old vintage style fairground rides and would have a carousel (great for wedding photos!) and a retro style helter skelter :)


images from www.hireafunfair.com

Monday, 18 June 2012

Create A Vintage Chill Out Area For Your Wedding Guests!


Its been a busy weekend at Knots & Kisses and gearing up to be an even busier week with two huge reception stationery orders to create and get out to lovely couples in time for their big day. They are also two totally different styles which is nice ... one a vintage floral and rustic twine look, and the other a striking black and ivory Art Deco theme. I'll hopefully be able to show you all the pictures in July once the clients have got married :)

On to today and I want to share with you an amazing concept for styling your wedding which was introduced to me by Helen Ruff of the lovely www.doilydays.co.uk .
They have recently introduced a 'Styled Living Room Set' which is available to hire from them for your wedding!
The 1970s living room will be transported and completely set up at your venue. A great chillout area and perfect backdrop for photos. The set includes furniture and authentic props such as drinks cabinet, fake fruit, kitsch ornaments, retro jigsaw, old magazines, plants etc.




all photos above by www.toriclarkson.com


photo above by www.brighton-photo.com

I personally am absolutely in love with this idea. I don't think enough weddings have a separate area guests can escape to or chill out in during the day or evening :)