Need Some Lighting For Your Wedding? Then Check This Out.....

Every wedding needs some magical lighting!! It sets a positive mood, creates a romantic and relaxed atmosphere and if planned right will encourage the party to last all night.....

Lighting can come in many and various ways including candles, t-lights and electrical lighting. It's what you use and how you use it that will create the desired effect. Our advice is use plenty of secondary lighting like candles, festoon lighting, fairy lights and lamps and use as little as possible of the main lighting like ceiling lights and strong electrical lights. 

The next thing to think about is planning your lighting, making sure you have thought of all areas, have enough lighting to make it safe and comfortable to move around and have plenty of replacements to relight for the night time turnaround after dinner. It may take a little time and effort to source and buy all you need but it is so worth it!! It really is magical..... 

Here are some of our props we use for lighting and some of the weddings we have included them in! Please feel free to drop us an email or phone us if you would like some free advice on how to add lighting to your special day or if you are interested in hiring some of our lighting props!! If you would like to see the full collection of props click here

10 Questions You Need To Ask Your Wedding Venue!!

One of the first things you will do when planning your wedding is decide on a venue. Easy? No.

Booking your ideal venue is one of the most important decisions you will make with regards your wedding. It can be a very difficult and overwhelming task as there are so many things to consider and think about.

The first step is to decide the type of wedding you want, what location suits you best and the budget available. You can then make realistic and informed choices about what venues to visit. That way you don't waste time visiting venues that are not suitable and you can avoid disappointment around venues that you can not afford!

Book as early as possible to secure your preferred date. Strike the best deal you can, don't be afraid to ask for discounts or free extras in your package!

To get you started then here are 10 questions to ask when choosing the right venue -

1. Do they have a wedding co-ordinator and will they be there on the day?
2. Is it big enough to accommodate all your guests?
3. What exactly is included in their wedding package?
4. Is the venue available for your exclusive use?
5. Do they have in-house catering? Do they cater for special dietry requirements?
6. Can you supply your own alcohol? Is there a corkage fee?
7. Can you add your own décor and props?
8. Does the venue have a P.A. system?
9. What time do guests have to leave the venue?
10. Is the venue planning any development or building work before or during your wedding date?

If you need any help or advice with regards planning and/or styling your wedding please get in contact, we offer free 30 minute complimentary consultations to all our couples to ask questions, get advice and bounce ideas about their wedding with us - it could be the best 30 minutes you spend planning you wedding!!

 Happy Planning Guys!! 

Now Here Is A Real Wedding Definitely Worth A Look!!

Last October we worked with a very special couple on their stunning wedding in Powerscourt House  in County Wicklow. We worked mainly on the drinks reception area which was a beautiful but bare stone walled rectangle room.The aim was to add some personal touches and some style features and to break up the room in to zones so that it did not feel like a long empty room for the guests.  

So after some thinking and some creative decisions with the couple, we came up with a great style concept and workable floor plan. The style plan was elegant rustic with natural textures and props and the colour theme was green and white. On the wedding day the room felt welcoming, comfortable and elegant. It matched in with the other main reception room while still retaining it's own relaxed personality!

Here are some photos from the day, to see the full collection just click here - we hope you get some great ideas and inspiration!!

Photographer - Kevin Curry Photography | Props + Styling - The Wedding Festival | Cake -  Cove Cake Designs   |  Informal Flowers - The Wedding Festival

Not So Sure About Greenery, The Colour Of The Year 2017...Are You?

So Colour Of The Year 2017 is Greenery! and yes it is lovely and yes it is great but how well is this colour going to work for weddings? Like really work?

Firstly, what is it - Pantone describe it as "nature's neutral" and a "fresh and zesty-yellow green shade". Now we are big fans of this colour but let's be honest, it kinda already is a colour that is always present at weddings and usually comes in the form of foliage, flowers and surroundings!! So fashion and interiors will benefit greatly from this fabulous colour however weddings have kinda been there, done that and will continue to use it long after 2017!!

On another note that's not to say we can't push it that little bit more in how we style our weddings, it is after all a fantastic colour to mix and match with other colours. You can do anything from natural and rustic right to deep and daring but mainly you can have fun with it!

So Greenery for weddings, it's not exactly new but it is a great colour that we can easily work with. So let's see how it is being used in fashion and interiors and see if we can get any new ideas and inspiration for weddings - you never know what we may find!!

Here are a few examples of how we have used Greenery in weddings we have done.... 

Photo Credit to Katie Kav Photography, Sean Clarke Photography and I.G.Studios

Wedding Props? Wedding Styling? Here's Some Inspiration...

If you, like a lot of couples at the moment, are in the middle of organinsing your wedding you may have found yourself a bit stuck when it comes to how to decorate your venue and where to get the props in which to do so.     

Some people like to buy props but the cheapest and easiest option is always to hire. When you hire props you have a lot more options available to you and you can hire things that you could never afford or never be able to buy. Basically, the sky is the limit when it comes to hiring props for your wedding. Our advice - have fun and just go for it!!

At The Wedding Festival we have a large and varied collection of props to hire that includes the necessary, the interesting and the ‘Oh I just have to have that!’ kind of props.

Our collection includes wedding essentials, party products, eclectic props, décor hire, handcrafted items and much more. We also offer a bespoke prop hire service where we can make or source a specific prop for you for your wedding. 

Our prop selection promises to inspire and excite and provide those finishing touches that bring an event to life. To have a look at our full collection just press this magical button!!

Here are some of our favourite props to help inspire you...

Prop Photos Taken by Nuria Canestro, Momento Photogrpahic Studio

Main Cover Photo Taken by Elaine Barker Photography

A Fun + Quick Exercise That Will Help You Save Money On Your Wedding!!

The words 'you wedding day' evokes feelings of romance, love, fun times and happily ever after - true? I think most people would definitely say yes to this question but then at the back of all this lies the dreaded expense, the bills and the money you will need to pay for it all...

We work closely with all our couples on how they can get the wedding they want within a budget they can afford. Many couples plan the wedding they want, even if it is only in conversation or in their head, before they look at the costs and what they can afford. And this is fine and perfectly normal as weddings after all are made of dreams, wants and desires....

But yes back to the bills! Here is a quick and easy tool we give to all our couples before we get in to budgets, wedding details and wedding plans. We ask each of them to fill this out separately and then share their results and look at them together and draw an overall list of priority that they are both happy with!!

By ranking their priority from 1-10 they can then decide on the areas most important to you. This will then help you identify areas where you can save money by cutting costs on the things that are least important to you and then having the budget to spend on the things most important to you!

So give it a go and see where you can cut costs and see what's most important to you both individually and then to you both as a couple!! 

Please Rank In Order Of Priority From 1-10  (1 being the most important, 10 being the least important) 

__  Ceremony Type or Ceremony Location 

__  Time Of The Year / Day Of The Week 

__  Guest List 

__  Food + Drink 

__  Ambiance 

__  Reception Setting 

__  Wedding Dress / Attire 

__  Music 

__  Mementos (Photos + Video) 

__  Other …................. 

**We hope you enjoyed doing this exercise! We'd love to get your feedback on what you thought of it and if you found it useful....

Thanks,

Melanie + Isobel 

 

A Unique Barn Wedding Venue - Check It Out!!

We recently visited the renowned Coolanowle Country House + Farm and can only say - check it out!!

The venue is family owned and is set in beautiful surroundings in the heart of the countryside near Carlow and Laois and only one hour from Dublin. It is the ideal setting for a wedding, private and peaceful with trailing woodlands, a historic flax pond and a working farm all within the venue. 

Weddings are held in the newly restored barn with courtyard and gardens outside. The Barn holds a maximum of 60 people but a marquee can be added to the front of the barn for larger numbers.  

Couples have exclusive use of the venue and accommodation for their wedding. The accommodation is impressive and spacious and comprises of B+B plus self catering options.  

The venue comes also with a full bar licence and a 4 star catering team offering a unique farm to fork organic food experience. It is also approved for ceremonies and these can held in the barn, gardens or woodlands. 

This is a stunning venue offering couples that something different!! We were very impressed with the excellent facilities, friendly and experienced owners and the magnificent surroundings - it's definitely worth putting on your list to consider!!