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

Tuesday, 4th January 2011

START SPREADING THE NEWS!

Christmas and New Year are always such a nice time of year for an engagement!  Traditionally a popular choice as everyone is in good cheer and family members are home from far and wide, perfect for celebrating, and what better gift for your loved one than a proposal!

So you’ve celebrated, announced  your engagement to your friends and family and maybe even had a party or two, so what now?

The best advice I can give is to take a breather, and enjoy some time to yourselves. Chat about what you both want from your wedding day, discuss dates, budgets and what style of wedding you would both like. Don’t rush into things and go storming ahead with plans until you have had a chance to think about what is really important to you both.

It can become stressful if you let it, everyone will have an opinion on how you should plan every little detail, take a breath and smile politely. It’s so easy to get carried away planning the wedding that is expected of you, remember it is your day and therefore should reflect your wishes and dreams.

Your engagement should be a happy time for both of you to enjoy. It is the time when you are not only planning your wedding, but planning your life together. Your wedding is just the beginning and your engagement is a time for you to explore, discover and plan the life you will soon share.

Above all be happy, be excited and be in love…

A big congratulations to all the newly engaged couples from Farrell & Chase!

Author: pamela | Add your Comment »

Labels: Engagement, Wedding

Wednesday, 29th December 2010

LET’S FLY AWAY

Our Fly Away Suite is the second suite in a series shot by White Tea photography. Inspired by vintage luggage tags and guide books, the suite offers a truly unique and memorable solution for a destination wedding, whether in Ireland or abroad...

Invitations are presented as booklets, which include details of the wedding day, travel, accommodation and any pre and post wedding celebrations that may be planned. RSVP cards are post cards and place cards or seating cards can be designed to be luggage tags.

Customise your suite with a choice of ink colours, envelope colours and personalised wording.

For more information or to order your wedding suite please call us on 087 686 9220 or email hello@farrellandchase.com

Author: pamela | Add your Comment »

Labels: Destination Wedding Stationery, Letterpress, Letterpress Stationery, Photography, Wedding, Wedding Stationery, Wedding Suppliers

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

Monday, 15th November 2010

The Alternative Wedding Event

We were delighted to take part in The Alternative Wedding Event on Saturday in the Boyne Hill House. The event was hosted by One of a Kind Weddings giving brides and grooms-to-be the opportunity to meet with alternative wedding suppliers to discuss and plan their unique, one of a kind, dream weddings. There were talks and demonstrations taking place throughout the day with brilliant prizes for the brides and grooms in attendance.

White tea Photography displayed some of their stunning wedding and engagement shoots and gave a talk on wedding photography. One very lucky bride won an engagement shoot with them…

We collaborated with Pearl & Gidiva to dress the tables with vintage flare. Their gorgeous china and our letterpress stationery complimented each other perfectly…

George Heise, Master of Culinary Art displayed his stunning wedding cake. His croquembouche creation was particularly spectacular and his profiteroles tasted delicious!

I have give a special mention to the band, The Goods, I absolutely loved them and would highly recommend them for anyone looking for an alternative to the usual wedding band. Their music includes a range of styles including soul, jazz, pop rock and clues. Iseult the lead signer has an amazing voice.

Other suppliers showing on the day included Sarah Foy Design, bespoke bridal gowns and Sweets Traditional Sweet Shop, Navan, perfect for sweet and desert tables.

Thank you to Andrea and Linda from One of a Kind Weddings for organising such a great event.

A big congratulations to the lucky winners of our event competition who all won a €100 Farrell & Chase wedding stationery gift voucher. Without further ado, they are Shelly from Dublin, Susan from Meath and Grainne from Dublin.

A big thank you to everyone who entered our competition.

Please allow 7 days for delivery of gift vouchers. If you have any queries, please contact pamela at pamela@farrellandchase.com

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Shows + Events, Wedding, Wedding Suppliers

Wednesday, 20th October 2010

I’VE BEEN TAGGED!

I was tagged by Christina from Bella Lunardi on her blog to answer some questions about myself, so here goes…

1. What is your favourite book?

I read “The Lost Painting” last year and just couldn’t put it down. I really didn’t think I would like it when my mother gave it to me insisting I read it but I was sucked in straight away. It a definite must read!

I’m afraid to admit I don’t read books allot, maybe one or two a year but I do really love design books and I’m growing a healthy collection, whether they’re graphic or fashion, I could look through them all day long.

2. What is your most treasured childhood memory?

I have a few, all of which seem to include my granny, just thinking about her makes me smile.

3. Who is your favourite Designer/Artist/Illustrator?

I love Gaudi, his designs mesmerise me. I discovered and fell for his aesthetic when I was on a short break in Barcelona a few years ago, and it still held the same impact when I returned for a friends wedding this summer. What can I say his work speaks for itself.

I was hugely influenced by fashion growing up, my mother was a fashion designer. I have been inspired by bridal fashion designing my wedding stationery and as I’m sure any of my regular reader will know I adore Jenny Packham. Her designs are so beautiful, I love the vintage glamour feel they have. The soft flowing fabrics and embellishments are just so romantic an whimsical.

4.Where is your fave holiday destination?

Italy, I love the food, the culture, the art, the people, the sights, did I say I love the food! I visited Italy for the first time with Alan when we were both 23. We took a few weeks out and travelled around Rome, Florence and Venice and really fell in love with Italy. It’s such a feast for the senses. I have returned whenever I’ve had the chance over the last few years, our last trip only a month ago when we went to Rome to celebrate my 30th Birthday.

5. What is your favourite past time?

Enjoying good food with good friends.

6.What is your favourite colour?

I’m having a love affair with duck egg blues and dusty pistachio greens at the moment.

7. Do you have any pets?

Unfortunately not at the moment but we will be getting a dog or two when we eventually move into our new house, I really miss having a dog around the house. I had a lovely Bichon Frise, Max. I got him for my 10th birthday, he was like a ball of cotton wool when we got him. He was a real character. Sadly he died when I was 23 but he had a good long life.  Alan does have a dog, Millie, a gorgeous golden lab, but his dad just won’t part with her so I don’t think she’ll be moving in with us.

8. What is your favourite song?

I love Frank Sinatra, all of his songs, I grew up listening to him, my dad is a huge fan. One song that always makes me smile is New York New York. We drove over to Sweden one summer and my best friend Miriam was with us.We had a Frank Sinatra tape playing in the car and were constantly forwarding and rewinding it to play New York, New York, singing along at the top of our lungs.

9. What is your favourite food?

It really depends what mood I’m in but one things for sure I do love my food! I could eat Italian food every day, authentic Italian food, ravioli, pizza and bruschetta, anything with tomatoes. I love home made brown bread with real butter and raspberry jam, I love pavlova with strawberries, my favourite desert, I love Halloween barnbrack toasted with real melted butter… I could go on but I’m making myself hungry.

I hope you’ve enjoyed finsing out some more about me, I hope I haven’t boared you too much. Now it my turn to tag…

Aisling Nelson from Rangoli, Christina Brosnan from Brosnan Photographic and Sue & Naoise from One Fab Day you’ve been tagged!

Your questions are:

1. Where did you grow up?

2. What made you choose the career path you have?

3. Who is your favourite bridal designer?

4. What is your favourite colour?

5. Where is your favourite holiday destination?

6. What is your favourite past time?

7. Do you have any pets?

8. What is your favourite song?

9. What is your favourite meal?

10. What items are currently on your work desk?

Author: pamela | 2 Comments »

Labels: Farrell & Chase Loves..., Wedding, Wedding Suppliers

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

Monday, 27th September 2010

THE ETERNAL CITY

Myself and Alan arrived back on Sunday from a six day wedding planning trip in Rome, and what a trip it was!

A marathon wedding planning session, an engagement photo shoot, my 30th birthday thrown in for good measure and of course some shopping. I’m still dreaming about walking the cobbled streets admiring the beautiful sights and sounds and of course enjoying the delicious food and wine. I really wish I was still there.

But I’m back home now and it’s down to serious wedding planning. My head is buzzing with wedding ideas!

We arrived at our apartment, just a stones throw from the Spanish Steps, at lunchtime on Tuesday after getting a door to door shuttle service from the airport. A service I would definitely recommend, it cost €25 for the two of us to be dropped right outside our apartment. We travelled in a comfortable air conditioned car with five other people, we were dropped off second and the journey only took 45 mins.

The first thing we did was go for a walk around the Spanish Steps and stop in a cafe for some pasta and a drink, delicious! Then we walked down Via Condotti, admiring the designer shop windows, to Via del Corso, the main shopping street. We saw a sign for Scholars Lounge and decided to check it out. It’s a really nice pub at the end of Via del Corso with well priced drinks and friendly staff in a great location. And best of all they serve Irish breakfast, so we can recommend it to any guests who what their fix of Irish food and drink when they’re in Rome! After a few too many drinks we strolled back to our apartment stopping for some pizza along the way.

On Wednesday our first port of call was St. Isidore’s College, our chosen church, to meet our priest Fr. Louis Brennan. St. Isidore’s is an Irish Franciscan Monastery with a beautiful church facing out onto the driveway. The church is on the smaller side perfect for our 34 guests. The church itself is really beautiful and bright and Fr. Louis was very welcoming and friendly. They only have one wedding a day and college is gated with a nice driveway up to the church so weddings are very private and personal. We fell in love and knew it was the church for us straight away. Fr. Louis introduced us to Aida, the secretary at St. Isidore’s. She was so helpful recommending venues and musicians and she also offered to organise our flowers and to arrange a wedding car. We are really delighted with our choice of church and can’t wait until next July!

Our next stop was Hotel Hassler, a beautiful hotel at the top of the Spanish Steps, we viewed the garden and the roof top terrace. The roof top terrace really took our breath away, the panoramic views are truly stunning and unmatched by any other views in Rome. The terrace fits max. 30 people and is ideal for a small intimate wedding. Unfortunately we may have too many guests for this option.

We then visited De La Ville Hotel next door to the Hassler. Again it is located at the top of the Spanish Steps, a great location only around the corner from St. Isidore’s. De La Ville was recommended to us by Aida and another couple who got married in Rome. I have to say I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as beautiful as it was, with such a nice atmosphere. The staff were very welcoming and the manager Domenico showed us through to a private garden area which he recommended for arrival drinks and then through to a private room just off the garden where we could have our meal and some music. We would have exclusive use of these two areas all night. The only restriction is on late night music which seems to be standard throughout Rome. There is a rooftop terrace on the 6th floor with amazing views over Rome, a great space possibly to finish off a magical wedding night!

We finished off the evening with a tasty meal in Il Giardino di Albino a very relaxed restaurant located down a narrow cobbled street. The pastas were really tasty, true homemade Italian food and the prices are very good too. Do be careful when ordering meat dishes. There was an American girl at the table beside us who thought she had ordered roast pork and not pork spine!

On Thursday we had an appointment to visit Casina Valadier. The villa took our breath away. Casina Valadier is located near the top of the Spanish Steps in Villa Borghese with mesmerising views over Rome. We were shown the side terraces and the central terrace which were beautiful but had expensive exclusive rental costs. We were then shown up the lovely winding stairs to the Impero room, a beautiful room with painted walls and ceiling, which can fit up to 150 guests. The Impero room has it’s own private terrace to the back overlooking Villa Borghese and windows to the front overlooking the city. They proposed to host arrival drinks on the private terrace and then to move inside to an imperial table for our wedding meal. We would have exclusive use of these areas until 12.30am.

On Thursday night we had a really nice meal in Babette’s Restaurant, a lovely restaurant for a romantic dinner near Piazza del Popolo. The starters were so tasty, I had brioche filled with brie and Alan had mozzarella wrapped in Parma ham. We both ordered pasta dishes for our mains, mine was a home made pasta with a tomato and olive sauce and Alan’s was spaghetti ragu. We really enjoyed the meal, the atmosphere was so nice and relaxed in the garden, I will definitely return.

We finished off the night in Gregory’s Jazz Club, it’s only around the corner from De la Ville Hotel and down the road from Casina Valadier so we thought it might be a nice spot to finish our wedding night off with a few drinks and some jazz music. There was no live music on that night but we were talking to the owner and he advised us to come along Friday night to see a great live jazz band playing. We discussed the wedding over a few drinks and they would be happy to accommodate us. The area upstairs had velvet sofas and fits 30 people very comfortably. We were invited to go up and listen to a musician practicing on the piano. So we ended the evening with the club to ourselves having a drink and listening to our own personal pianist.

Friday was my 30th Birthday! We decided to take a day off from wedding planning and walked over the river to Trastevere to escape the tourist crowds. We wandered around the narrow cobbled streets and stopped for lunch in a pizzeria. We shared the nicest pizza of the trip and enjoyed a drink. We did a small bit of shopping on Via del Corso and Alan bough me a beautiful Furla handbag for my birthday! We had reservations for dinner at Casina Valadier so strolled up there enjoying the views over the city at night and enjoyed a very nice meal on their central terrace. Casina Valadier is a really beautiful spot for a romantic meal, the pasta was sooo delicious! The prices are high but you are paying for one of the best views in the city. We ended the night in Gregory’s Jazz Club enjoying cocktails and listening to an amazing Jazz band. A very special birthday experience.

We had arrange to meet our photographer Bella Lunardi on our last day, Saturday, to discuss our wedding photography and to have an engagement session with her. So first thing that morning I went to Toni & Guy to get my hair washed and blow dried, a trial run for our wedding. They were very helpful and did a great job, I was very happy. One tip don’t mention weddings, prices triple! Just make an appointment for a blow dry or up style and have it done in the salon. We met Christina from Bella Lunardi at the Spanish Steps and went for a coffee and a chat. Christina was really nice and put us both at ease. We had allot of fun during our engagement shoot and we’re much more relaxed now about our wedding photographs. Here’s a sneak preview of our engagement shoot…

We had a drink with Christina and her husband after the shoot and then it was sadly time to pack! We finished our last night in Rome in Gusto, I will definitely be returning, the bruschetta, my favourite, was the best we had in Rome sooo good. Gusto has a pizzeria, restaurant, wine bar, cheese bar and cafe. Perfect for any gathering, I think it might be our choice for dinner the night after our wedding. The atmosphere was great and they have live music in the bar at weekends.

Alas our trip had to end, we really did have a taste of la dolce vita and can’t wait to return next summer!
If any fellow brides or grooms have any questions about any of the venues or suppliers I have mentioned please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would be delighted to help.

Author: pamela | 6 Comments »

Labels: Our Wedding, Wedding, Wedding Suppliers, Wedding Venues

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