Tuesday, 11th January 2011

LOVE SO SWEET!

Following on from our 2011 Wedding Styles & Trends post I have decided to dedicate a full feature to dessert tables, I couldn’t resist…

2010 saw the emergence of sweet or candy stations, for 2011 the top wedding food trend is dessert buffets. If you’re looking for a focal point to get all your guests talking this is definitely for you. Your dessert table can reflect the style of your wedding, is it rustic, minimal or classic. Choose a centre point on the table to place your wedding cake and surrounded it with delicious treats. From cupcakes to french fancies and doughnuts to macaroons offer your favourite desserts. Whatever you choose to indulge in, make sure everything on your table is easy to access and don’t forget to label everything to. Consider backdrops and table cloth patterns and colours, dishes and cake stands, dessert tables can make a huge impression on your reception decor. Cover the table in lace, ribbon or surround your cakes with a sea of flowers. Consider the colours of the desserts and compliment your wedding pallet with coloured icing, fruits and toppings. Add decor to the table using bottles, candles or old picture frames for a vintage look or for a very “French” look display your treats on an old distressed dresser. For a a relaxed picnic look lay down chequered blankets over a picnic table and tier the desserts using old bottle crates. The possibilities are endless. Delicious!

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Food + Drink, Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends

Friday, 7th January 2011

FARRELL & CHASE LOVES…

Baby’s Breath; delicate, understated and beautiful!

Author: pamela | Add your Comment »

Labels: Farrell & Chase Loves..., Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends

Wednesday, 5th January 2011

2011 WEDDING STYLES & TRENDS

A new year brings new wedding trends. Wedding style is ever changing and is constantly becoming more exciting and personal. Here are my favourite trend picks for 2011…

BLUE SKIES - Couples are choosing outdoor ceremonies and receptions more and more. The beautiful natural setting of an outdoor wedding or reception is the perfect backdrop for totally personalising and customising your wedding so that it is uniquely yours. A perfect example featured on Style Me Pretty is this stunningly beautiful intimate wedding in a field!

DESSERT TABLES - 2010 saw the emergence of sweet or candy stations, for 2011 the top wedding food trend is dessert buffets. If you’re looking for a focal point to get all your guests talking this is definitely for you. Choose a centre point on the table to place your wedding cake and surrounded it with delicious treats. The possibilities are endless, from cupcakes to french fancies and  doughnuts to macaroons. Consider backdrops and table cloth patterns and colours, dishes and cake stands, dessert tables can make a huge impression on your reception decor. Whatever you choose to indulge in, make sure everything on your table is easy to access and don’t forget to label everything to. Delicious!

UNDERSTATED ELEMENTS - It’s back to basics with elegant, understated style for 2011. Wedding decor will be sophisticated with classic design elements. Scripted calligraphy, pearls, roses and classic wedding style embody this trend. One Fab Day recently featured Keava & Derek’s Farmanagh wedding, the perfect epitome of elegance.

METALLICS - Champagne, pewter, gold and silver will make a bold statement alongside vibrant jewel colors like ruby, purple and teal or will be the height of sophistication teamed with nuturals and dusty tones. Scaled back decor in a more simple style will compliment these shimmering brights perfectly.

OLD SCHOOL - Vintage is most definitely still in for 2011. All ideas that incorporate vintage elements will remain very popular. Everything from wearing your mother or grandmother’s wedding dress or a vintage style wedding dress, to incorporating your parents’ or grandparents’ wedding pictures into your wedding decor will become increasingly popular. Creating an atmosphere of nostalgic romance is the focus of this trend. Think 1920’s elegance, delicate lace and dusty nudes for bridesmaids and dapper suits for the groomsmen. Jazz music, roaring parties and boozy bars will set the tone perfectly as the sun sets for your guests to dance the night away. Confetti Magazine captured the 1920’s feel perfectly in their ‘All That Jazz’ Editorial.

IN THE NAVY - Navy, sapphire and royal blue are the talk of the town for 2011, put back on the map by Prince William’s upcoming royal wedding. These opulent navy tones will be evident everywhere from classic navy grooms men’s suits to stunning sapphire engagement rings.

PERSONAL STYLE - Weddings are increasingly being styled to reflect the bride and grooms individual personalities. Themes incorporating the couple’s interests, hobbies, and passions are becoming more and more popular. Everything from invitations to decor and food to favours will incorporate elements that are dear to the bride and groom. Check out this ‘Rocking Shindig’ wedding featured on Rock N’Roll Bide, the perfect ‘mashup’ of the bride and grooms personalities.

So what do you think will you be embracing any of these emerging trends for your wedding?

Author: pamela | Add your Comment »

Labels: Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends

Thursday, 23rd December 2010

WINTER WONDERLAND

I was thrilled to be asked to join some very talented wedding suppliers in Kerry who were creating a beautiful Winter Wonderland wedding inspiration shoot in Ballyseede Castle. For the vintage-chic inspired winter wedding photo shoot, I supplied our Iceflake wedding stationery suite including hanging Iceflake wish tree cards…

The gorgeous flowers and floral table displays were created by Best of Buds Florists and the photography is by Tara Donoghue Photography.

Author: pamela | Add your Comment »

Labels: Letterpress Stationery, Photography, Wedding, Wedding Stationery, Wedding Style + Trends, Wedding Suppliers

Wednesday, 22nd December 2010

NICOLE RICHIE’S GRACE KELLY INSPIRED GOWN

What do you think of Nicole Richie’s Marchesa wedding gown, one of the three looks she wore on her wedding day? She has definitely channelled the style of Grace Kelly, the most elegant bride of all time in my opinion. Everything from the lace bodice and long sleeves to the high bun hairstyle and long veil.

Grace Kelly’s wedding dress was designed by Helen Rose, wardrobe designer at MGM.  The MGM wardrobe department made the wedding dress as a gift from MGM. The wedding gown was made from antique Valenciennes rose point lace, twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and ninety eight yards of tulle.  Her veil was covered with appliquéd lace lovebirds and thousands of seed pearls. Stunning!

So what do you think,  will you be channeling the style of a famous past bride or do you think that it will only create comparisons; who can compete with the original and best? I love the idea of being inspired by vintage style and even by famous brides, but I think that’s what it should be, inspiration, which then develops into your personal style. It can be very easy to copy every single detail to achieve ‘the look’ but it’s only by adding your own personal touches that you ‘own’ the look.

Nicole’s skirt although still full was crafted from more than 100 yards of hand-draped silk organza and tulle petals making it very different Grace Kelly’s and she also had both of their names embroidered into the sleeve of her dress. Do you think that these elements along with other small touches make the dress, her dress? Did she strike the right balance?

I do think Nicole looks beautiful but I have to say it’s not the style that I expected. I thought she would be more of a bohemian style bride, a look that I think she pulls off so well and really suits her.

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Fashion + Beauty, Real Weddings, Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends

Thursday, 30th September 2010

OUR ROME ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

Myself and Alan met our wedding photographer, Christina from Bella Lunardi Photography while we were in Rome last week, to discuss our wedding photography and to have an engagement shoot with her … and I’m very excited to show you some of our pictures!

We were a bit nervous at first about the shoot but Christina really put us at ease, we had a good chat with her in a bar before the shoot.  Then we walked around the city enjoying the sights and amazing views and we couldn’t resist a delicious italian ice cream, with Christina taking pictures as we went.

I’m delighted that we did the engagement shoot, we now know Christina and the way she works and feel completely relaxed about our wedding photography. We really love our pictures, we’ll always have them to remember our wedding planning trip to Rome together.

Author: pamela | 4 Comments »

Labels: Our Wedding, Photography, Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends, Wedding Suppliers

Tuesday, 7th September 2010

FRENCH FANCIES - THE BRIDAL LOUNGE

I was thrilled to be asked to supply our Chantilly Wedding Stationery for this beautiful vintage-chic inspired wedding photo shoot, featured on The Wedding Belles Blog and styled by The Bridal Lounge. The oh so pretty photos were taken by Christina of Brosnan Photographic in The Fern Cafe at Avoca…

Love it!

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Letterpress Stationery, Wedding, Wedding Stationery, Wedding Style + Trends

Saturday, 7th August 2010

IKEA IDEAS

I’m loving these IKEA images… lots of inspiration for our wedding party and our house!

I am a big IKEA fan, I will be so dangerous when our house is built and I am let loose in there, so you can imagine my delight when I cam across some of these images on Bride & Joy. The really stunning styling, by Lo Bjurulf of Agent Bauer, shows IKEA in a whole new light…

I especially love IKEA decor mixed with vintage or antique pieces for a more personal, eclectic look, swoon!

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Design + Interiors, Farrell & Chase Loves..., Our House, Our Wedding, Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends

Friday, 6th August 2010

MAKING WHOOPIE!

Apparently the best bakes since cupcakes. Whoopie Pies! They look so delicious, like giant cake versions of Oreo Cookies, yummm, I can wait to try one…

The traditional whoopie pie consist of delicious white frosting or cream sandwiched between two chocolate cakes, just enough for one person to indulge in. They originate from New England where Amish women would bake them and put them in farmers’ lunchboxes. When farmers would find these yummy treats, they would shout “Whoopie!”

I think they’d be great for a sweet/cake table at a wedding! Huge in the US it’s only a matter of time before they hit the Irish market.

As they haven’t hit Irish shores yet and I’m not going to America any time soon I think I’ll have to get baking if I want to try them. If you fancy trying them too here’s a recipe I have found, let me know how you get on…

TRADITIONAL WHOOPIE PIES

Recipe makes 12 pies, Cooking time 12 min

Cookie Dough Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 large egg

Marshmallow Creme Filling Ingredients: 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, slightly softened, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 jar (7- to 7 1/2-ounce) marshmallow creme, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets.

Prepare Cookie Dough: In large bowl, with spoon, mix all dough ingredients until smooth. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, on each prepared cookie sheet. (There will be 12 rounds per sheet.) Bake 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking, until puffy and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. With wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Prepare Marshmallow Creme Filling: In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter until smooth. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Beat in marshmallow creme and vanilla until smooth.

Spread 1 rounded tablespoon filling on flat side of 12 cookies. Top with remaining cookies. And enjoy!

Recipe from www.delish.com

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Farrell & Chase Loves..., Food + Drink, Wedding, Wedding Style + Trends

Thursday, 5th August 2010

WEDDING STATIONERY TRENDS 2010/2011

There is something very special about receiving beautiful stationery in the post, a very rare occurrence in a world of instant communication, the tactile beauty gives instant recognition that this is something you can really enjoy opening.

Enhancing your wedding style, your wedding stationery should be an extension of your personality and should set a mood for your wedding day. The design, style and colour selected for your stationery will all contribute significantly to this and should be considered carefully…

WEDDING INVITATION BOOKS - Invitation books are a lovely thoughtful way of inviting your guests to your special day. They are like a guidebook, itinerary and invitation all in one. The formal invitation is generally on the front cover or on the first inside page followed by all the information that your guests could possibly need to join you on your wedding day; wedding itinerary, extra celebrations, travel, accommodation, information about the destination, sights, attractions etc. They can be designed to compliment any style. A wonderful invitation solution for any destination wedding!

VINTAGE FLAIR - Antique lace, damask prints, fleur de lis and feminine flowers are increasingly popular and will only become more popular in wedding stationery over the next year. Following fashion trends and interior trends vintage is most definitely in vogue! Choose dusty pinks, sage green, duck egg blue and antique gold to compliment soft white or cream card to truly achieve the vintage look.

LETTERPRESS STATIONERY - Letterpress wedding stationery is hugely popular in the US and is desired by many Irish brides. It ticks all the boxes in wedding stationery trends, printed on a vintage press on 100% cotton paper it follows both the vintage trend and eco trend for the coming years. The cotton paper is handfed through a vintage press impressing the artwork into the soft pillowy paper, one colour at a time resulting in stationery of incredible tactile beauty. Letterpress wedding stationery can be completely customized to compliment your wedding style. Merging old world printing techniques with original creative design the possibilities are endless, and truly beautiful.

OUTDOOR CHIC - A big trend this year is nature-inspired, ethereal feel wedding stationery. Garden party and marquee weddings are becoming ever more popular. Reflect the outdoor location in your wedding stationery by personalising the stationery with florals, birds, butterflies or tree motifs. These accents coupled with vibrant colours will create a beautifully whimsical style which can be continued through all aspects of your wedding.

PURPLE - Purple has been popular for many seasons but it has never been as stylish as it is in the coming year. Purple gives a sense of romance and magic, from grape and aubergine to violet and berry, purple will capture the imagination of guests. For spring and summer wedding choose vibrant purples coupled with sage green or dusty pink for a fresh garden feel. For autumn and winter weddings choose deep purple coupled with antique gold for a very luxurious look.

SEASONAL STYLE - From Ice flakes and bauble in winter and warm tones and falling leaves in the autumn to vibrant floral’s and butterflies in the spring and summer, seasonal wedding stationery is the perfect starting point to begin using the time of year as a theme to style your wedding.

ART DECO - Art Deco trends are on the verge of exploding in the wedding industry! Taking lead from popular bridal gown styling, inspired by 1920’s and 1930’s Hollywood glamour. Art Deco wedding stationery should feature metallics, black or sapphire blues for real elegance. Designs should be classic and chic, featuring silhouettes or geometric patterns.

The day you drop all those beautiful envelopes into the postbox you will be sending your guests the first impression they will get of you special day. Your wedding stationery should create a real sense of anticipation and excitement for your wedding day!

Author: pamela | Add your Comment »

Labels: Letterpress, Wedding, Wedding Stationery, Wedding Style + Trends