Showing posts with label wedding fairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding fairs. Show all posts
Monday, 2 July 2012
Strawberry Soufflé at Colston Hall Wedding Fair - Sunday 8th July 2012
Just a quick post today as my head is still ringing from the sound of the horrible circular saw the builders are using to cut our kitchen into the right shape. I can't believe it's July already - where does the year go? Those of you in the Bristol area who are planning a wedding for this winter or next year should make your way to the Colston Hall Wedding Fair this Sunday (the 8th), as I have a stand there where I may be giving out free strawberries, as well as vouchers for 10% off all Strawberry Soufflé services. It's the first ever wedding fair at Colston Hall and is from 11:30am until 4pm. You really can't miss Colston Hall - it's bright gold - so pop in for a chat about how Strawberry Soufflé can help you get the wedding you've always wanted!
Saturday, 17 March 2012
The National Wedding Show - Birmingham NEC - 17th March
I'm going to put aside my 'wedding planner hat' for a little while and just speak as a bride-to-be. Planning your wedding should be, and often is, a fun thing to do. Despite the inevitable stress and nerves, I think most people look back with a certain fondness on how they managed to make their wedding reflect the peculiar bunch of qualities they have as a couple. Since Mr Moosh and I got engaged, I've been having a great time searching through the huge range of things on offer in the wedding industry to make sure we have the wedding we want (Mr Moosh doesn't like wedding planning so it's all down to me). This is what inspired me to finally take the plunge and start my own business so that I could help other couples do the same. One thing I've not been enjoying, however, in any way at all, is finding my wedding dress.
When I first got engaged, the last 'fair' type thing I'd been to was the BBC's 'Big Bash' in 1996, so I was curious to try at least one wedding fair before I got married. I chose the National Wedding Show because I thought I'd come away with so many ideas and things sorted that there'd be no need to go to another fair. Since then, I've been to a handful of local wedding fairs in Bristol, and particularly enjoyed the ones that had a vintage theme, but I booked tickets for the National Wedding Show anyway to enjoy a day out with my Mum and bridesmaid. I'd heard that there would be a large selection of wedding dresses to try on, and this was one thing I was particularly keen to see.
I came away from the National Wedding Show not brimming with ideas, but rather disappointed. Actually, not just rather disappointed, but very unhappy. That's a much better reflection of the emotions I went through when I'd found not one single wedding dress in my size. I hold my hands up - I'm a size 16 (UK) and not pretty. I don't expect there to be hundreds of things especially for me. On the other hand, it's not just film stars who get married. On the dress stands where they were having a sale I can understand there being a limited range - that's all they have left - but on the stands where bridal boutiques were showing their range of dresses, why not have copies of each dress in several sizes? Why was everything size 10 or 12? Don't they want to appeal to as many customers as possible? As I watched other women walk out of the various changing rooms and be admired by their friends and family, I was left feeling like I wasn't being allowed to get married. It's stupid really - it's just a dress - but choosing your wedding dress is meant to be a nice thing, not something that makes you wish you could get married in your pyjamas.
Aside from dresses, the selection of suppliers at the National Wedding Show was rather odd. There were an unusual number of stands dedicated to getting married in other countries. It's lovely if you want to get married abroad, but I'm probably right in saying that most brides at the show would be marrying here in the UK, and would prefer a few more UK suppliers. There was only one florist, tucked away in a corner. The cake makers we spoke to all did their usual thing of not wanting to deal with so many allergies. There was meant to be a special 'vintage area', but this turned out to be a little cafe where you could get tea and cake, and a tiny handful of stands where people had the word 'vintage' in their name. My Mum, bridesmaid, and I found the fashion show rather amusing, especially the part where a hapless male model had to dress up as a mythical faun 'Pan the piper' (at least that's what we thought it was alluding to). The popular blog, Rock My Wedding, were there, but the feedback from the microphone was so bad we couldn't hear what the poor lady was saying. Looking back on the day, the only highlights were finding the stand dedicated to getting married in Cornwall (we're getting married in Cornwall so this was relevant), and bumping into IDo Wedding Videographers who are based here in Bristol and who are a really lovely bunch and well worth checking out.
So a word of advice: as with most things, it's better to go local when looking at wedding fairs. Oddly, you're more likely to gain inspiration from a smaller, local fair than something the size of The National Wedding Show. After all, if you can talk to a local florist and see the flowers they could provide, you can narrow down what you want because you can ponder whether that particular florist can do your wedding. If the only suppliers you can talk to are ones that cover parts of the country you don't live in, then it's much harder to think things through. Also, if you're not a size 10/12, don't bother going to the national show, because they won't have any dresses for you and it's not much fun being made to feel like an outcast. As for my own dress, the option of turning up in my pyjamas is looking more and more inviting.
When I first got engaged, the last 'fair' type thing I'd been to was the BBC's 'Big Bash' in 1996, so I was curious to try at least one wedding fair before I got married. I chose the National Wedding Show because I thought I'd come away with so many ideas and things sorted that there'd be no need to go to another fair. Since then, I've been to a handful of local wedding fairs in Bristol, and particularly enjoyed the ones that had a vintage theme, but I booked tickets for the National Wedding Show anyway to enjoy a day out with my Mum and bridesmaid. I'd heard that there would be a large selection of wedding dresses to try on, and this was one thing I was particularly keen to see.
I came away from the National Wedding Show not brimming with ideas, but rather disappointed. Actually, not just rather disappointed, but very unhappy. That's a much better reflection of the emotions I went through when I'd found not one single wedding dress in my size. I hold my hands up - I'm a size 16 (UK) and not pretty. I don't expect there to be hundreds of things especially for me. On the other hand, it's not just film stars who get married. On the dress stands where they were having a sale I can understand there being a limited range - that's all they have left - but on the stands where bridal boutiques were showing their range of dresses, why not have copies of each dress in several sizes? Why was everything size 10 or 12? Don't they want to appeal to as many customers as possible? As I watched other women walk out of the various changing rooms and be admired by their friends and family, I was left feeling like I wasn't being allowed to get married. It's stupid really - it's just a dress - but choosing your wedding dress is meant to be a nice thing, not something that makes you wish you could get married in your pyjamas.
Aside from dresses, the selection of suppliers at the National Wedding Show was rather odd. There were an unusual number of stands dedicated to getting married in other countries. It's lovely if you want to get married abroad, but I'm probably right in saying that most brides at the show would be marrying here in the UK, and would prefer a few more UK suppliers. There was only one florist, tucked away in a corner. The cake makers we spoke to all did their usual thing of not wanting to deal with so many allergies. There was meant to be a special 'vintage area', but this turned out to be a little cafe where you could get tea and cake, and a tiny handful of stands where people had the word 'vintage' in their name. My Mum, bridesmaid, and I found the fashion show rather amusing, especially the part where a hapless male model had to dress up as a mythical faun 'Pan the piper' (at least that's what we thought it was alluding to). The popular blog, Rock My Wedding, were there, but the feedback from the microphone was so bad we couldn't hear what the poor lady was saying. Looking back on the day, the only highlights were finding the stand dedicated to getting married in Cornwall (we're getting married in Cornwall so this was relevant), and bumping into IDo Wedding Videographers who are based here in Bristol and who are a really lovely bunch and well worth checking out.
So a word of advice: as with most things, it's better to go local when looking at wedding fairs. Oddly, you're more likely to gain inspiration from a smaller, local fair than something the size of The National Wedding Show. After all, if you can talk to a local florist and see the flowers they could provide, you can narrow down what you want because you can ponder whether that particular florist can do your wedding. If the only suppliers you can talk to are ones that cover parts of the country you don't live in, then it's much harder to think things through. Also, if you're not a size 10/12, don't bother going to the national show, because they won't have any dresses for you and it's not much fun being made to feel like an outcast. As for my own dress, the option of turning up in my pyjamas is looking more and more inviting.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Top Hats and Tea Cups Vintage Wedding Fair
The nice weather we've been having here in Bristol continued today as I went along to the Top Hats and Tea Cups wedding fair, organised by Marry Me In Someset. It was a vintage-style fair, held at the rather grand Lord Mayor's Mansion House in Clifton. There was a lovely selection of exhibitors, and I'm pleased to say I got a free glass of wine on arrival (mmm...free wine).
The Mansion House itself has several rooms available for weddings, and is licensed for civil ceremonies, meaning you can have your ceremony and reception all in one place. Catering is provided by Fosters event catering, who had their own stand at the fair and informed me they could cater for an eye-watering 2000 people! Speaking of food, I was also able to try a gluten-free cupcake from the wonderful Cupcake Cabaret, and managed to get chocolate all over my face, which wasn't the professional look I'd been going for!
Other exhibitors included Aunties Vintage China, who used to holiday in the same hotel I'm getting married in (it really is a small world), Bramble & Wild florists with their jam jars stuffed full of fragrant blooms, and Oscar and Rose Photography, who create amazing 'scrapbook' style photo albums after capturing your wedding.
There was also a second floor of exhibitors devoted to bridalwear and accessories. Amongst them was the lovely Beth Philpot, (bethphilpot@mail.com) who designs bespoke bridal gowns and jewelry. I've been really struggling so far to find a wedding dress that I like and that would suit me, because I don't want the usual strapless, diamante-encrusted, big pile of fluff. This means I'm starting to lean more and more towards getting a gown specially made. At the very least, it would definitely mean no one else ever had the same dress as me!
I managed to grab one photo of the Mansion House whilst I was waiting for Mr Moosh to come along in his car and pick me up.
The Mansion House itself has several rooms available for weddings, and is licensed for civil ceremonies, meaning you can have your ceremony and reception all in one place. Catering is provided by Fosters event catering, who had their own stand at the fair and informed me they could cater for an eye-watering 2000 people! Speaking of food, I was also able to try a gluten-free cupcake from the wonderful Cupcake Cabaret, and managed to get chocolate all over my face, which wasn't the professional look I'd been going for!
Other exhibitors included Aunties Vintage China, who used to holiday in the same hotel I'm getting married in (it really is a small world), Bramble & Wild florists with their jam jars stuffed full of fragrant blooms, and Oscar and Rose Photography, who create amazing 'scrapbook' style photo albums after capturing your wedding.
There was also a second floor of exhibitors devoted to bridalwear and accessories. Amongst them was the lovely Beth Philpot, (bethphilpot@mail.com) who designs bespoke bridal gowns and jewelry. I've been really struggling so far to find a wedding dress that I like and that would suit me, because I don't want the usual strapless, diamante-encrusted, big pile of fluff. This means I'm starting to lean more and more towards getting a gown specially made. At the very least, it would definitely mean no one else ever had the same dress as me!
I managed to grab one photo of the Mansion House whilst I was waiting for Mr Moosh to come along in his car and pick me up.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair
The word "vintage" continues to be a huge trend in weddings, yet it can mean a number of things. Theres 1920s vintage, with the glitz and glamour of the flappers and silent movies, and there's 1950s vintage, with tea-length dresses and rock-n-roll. There's also what's best described as 'vintage chic' with it's lashings of lace, old tea sets, and big, blousy flowers stuffed into every container possible. The Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair, held in the Clifton Pavillion at Bristol Zoo, had something for followers of all these themes amongst its wonderful collection of suppliers.
In my other life as a bride-to-be, I'm unashamedly a fan of the 'vintage chic' look, although as a wedding planner I shouldn't really pick favourites. There's something about the pastel colours, the bunting (you can never have too much bunting, right?) and the mismatched table decorations that appeals and stands out in a society that constantly tells us we must look forward, be modern, and fit in. For the bride that yearns for something vintage - whatever style of vintage that is - luckily there's now a veritable treasure-trove of options out there. The organisers of the fair, Bristol Vintage, are one of many companies nationwide who hire out beautiful vintage tea sets and other table accessories which you can use to decorate your reception. If your idea of heaven is afternoon tea and cakes, then vintage tea sets are a great option to add that special touch to your celebration.
Wedding cake makers have also realised that catering to the vintage look will prove popular. I was especially attracted to the wonderful creations on show from Chocolate Delores. Think delightfully uneven curls of chocolate around the outside of your cake, complimented by fresh berries or flowers. Gone are the days when a wedding cake had to be smooth and flat!
Those in search of a vintage wedding dress were also not disappointed, as the fair showcased a number of local suppliers who stock vintage pieces or who can design a vintage-inspired dress. As a word of advice, women who married many decades ago were tiny, so a vintage dress is likely to only fit a modern size 10 at most (although I was informed that 1950s dresses can be a bit more forgiving). Fear not though, modern bridal designers are filling their showrooms with many pieces that take their cue from days gone by, so there are many options out there for those of us who didn't grow up being strapped into a corset!
More information about Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair can be found at http://bristolvintageweddingfair.blogspot.com
In my other life as a bride-to-be, I'm unashamedly a fan of the 'vintage chic' look, although as a wedding planner I shouldn't really pick favourites. There's something about the pastel colours, the bunting (you can never have too much bunting, right?) and the mismatched table decorations that appeals and stands out in a society that constantly tells us we must look forward, be modern, and fit in. For the bride that yearns for something vintage - whatever style of vintage that is - luckily there's now a veritable treasure-trove of options out there. The organisers of the fair, Bristol Vintage, are one of many companies nationwide who hire out beautiful vintage tea sets and other table accessories which you can use to decorate your reception. If your idea of heaven is afternoon tea and cakes, then vintage tea sets are a great option to add that special touch to your celebration.
Wedding cake makers have also realised that catering to the vintage look will prove popular. I was especially attracted to the wonderful creations on show from Chocolate Delores. Think delightfully uneven curls of chocolate around the outside of your cake, complimented by fresh berries or flowers. Gone are the days when a wedding cake had to be smooth and flat!
Those in search of a vintage wedding dress were also not disappointed, as the fair showcased a number of local suppliers who stock vintage pieces or who can design a vintage-inspired dress. As a word of advice, women who married many decades ago were tiny, so a vintage dress is likely to only fit a modern size 10 at most (although I was informed that 1950s dresses can be a bit more forgiving). Fear not though, modern bridal designers are filling their showrooms with many pieces that take their cue from days gone by, so there are many options out there for those of us who didn't grow up being strapped into a corset!
More information about Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair can be found at http://bristolvintageweddingfair.blogspot.com
Friday, 17 February 2012
MShed Wedding Fair - 12th February
The first ever MShed wedding fair was held on the harbourside on Sunday last week (12th February). MShed, with it's industrial facade, is a strikingly different venue from the usual stately homes and grand hotels and, with it being the first fair there, I went along to take a look. I wasn't exhibiting at the fair, but went in my 'alter-ego' of bride-to-be (being engaged and being a wedding planner means I get a double helping of 'big day' fun). The fair was quite small, but had a good selection of photographers, as well as other wedding suppliers. For this post, however, I want to take a look at MShed itself.
The idea of getting married or holding your reception in a modern museum might not initially appeal, but MShed is a great venue to consider if you want your wedding to stand out from the crowd. It has wonderful views across Bristol's historic harbourside, and it's proximity to the city centre means that everything is within easy reach if you're having your ceremony in a different place, and getting to MShed is very straightforward. MShed also offers some unique selling points, such as private access to the exhibitions, and even a ride on the museum's steam train or a chance to operate one of the cranes! The venue has a maximum capacity of 180, meaning it can cater for all but the most enormous of weddings, and prices start from £55 a head. MShed would be an ideal venue if you or your partner's family has deep roots in Bristol, as the museum celebrates the city's history and culture, and it would definitely give your guests something to talk about on the way home.
www.Mshed.org for more information.
Picture from http://museumpublicity.com/2011/06/21/m-shed-museum-opens-in-bristol/
The idea of getting married or holding your reception in a modern museum might not initially appeal, but MShed is a great venue to consider if you want your wedding to stand out from the crowd. It has wonderful views across Bristol's historic harbourside, and it's proximity to the city centre means that everything is within easy reach if you're having your ceremony in a different place, and getting to MShed is very straightforward. MShed also offers some unique selling points, such as private access to the exhibitions, and even a ride on the museum's steam train or a chance to operate one of the cranes! The venue has a maximum capacity of 180, meaning it can cater for all but the most enormous of weddings, and prices start from £55 a head. MShed would be an ideal venue if you or your partner's family has deep roots in Bristol, as the museum celebrates the city's history and culture, and it would definitely give your guests something to talk about on the way home.
www.Mshed.org for more information.
Picture from http://museumpublicity.com/2011/06/21/m-shed-museum-opens-in-bristol/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)