Thursday 27 December 2012

Simply Whimsical Winter Wedding Inspiration....


As one of the sponsers of the Love Me Love My Wedding Blog http://www.lovemelovemywedding.com/ our Lancashire office was asked to dress this photoshoot with a theme of winter wonderland in simple colours of silver, blue, which matched the weather on the day perfectly!

We thought we would share some of the beautiful images with you taken by Mcavoy Weddings...













Fur trimmed shrug: http://www.wraporshrug.co.uk/

Friday 21 December 2012

Simply a wonderful year!


We have had the most amazing year at Simply Bows and Chair Covers and none of it would be possible without the continued support from our clients past and present who we would like to thank and wish a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Our reasons to celebrate 2012.....

 
 

Opened our 10th Office

Susan Boyle and her daughter, Vicki Cairney, opened our Dundee office of Simply Bows and Chair Covers in Summer 2012. Susan joined Simply Bows and Chair Covers following 12 years in the leisure industry in Scotland having worked for David Lloyd Leisure and was previously working as a bridal consultant. Susan’s daughter, Vicki, works alongside her and brings with her a variety of experience from the fashion industry. Also, having recently planned her own wedding, Vicki is passionate about the creative aspects and importance of organisation in wedding planning.

Susan and Vicki now work around the Dundee and Perth region providing a bespoke service and top-of-the-range products made to measure for a variety of locations such as hotels, country houses and private homes.


    
 
 

We Won Theo Paphitis SBS
 
Each Sunday between 5pm and 7.30pm Theo, best known for appearing on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den series and being Chairman of Ryman Stationary, asks his quarter of a million followers on Twitter to send him details of their small businesses and why they deserve to be named as one of his top six of the week.
Using the hash-tag #SBS (Small Business Sunday) thousands of businesses contact Theo each week which he then reviews and chooses who he deems to be the best. Winners are then named via his Twitter account on Monday evening and added to his successful website, http://theopaphitissbs.com/ . Week commencing 22.10.12 Simply Bows and Chair Covers was one of the six chosen businesses.
 
 
 
We Won Jacqueline Gold WOW 
 
Every Wednesday, Jacqueline Gold (Chief Executive of Knickerbox and Ann Summers) invites female business owners to tweet her their business and she chooses her favourite three to become #WOW (Women on Wednesday) winners. I'm so pleased to share with you that today, she chose Simply Bows and Chair Covers!




We were a finalist in British Franchise Marketing Awards for Best Website 
 
For the second year running we were thrilled to be runner up in the Franchise Marketing Awards for Best Website. The winner of the this award was McDonalds!



Received fantastic National and Local PR, to include features in Tesco Magazine, Easy Living, Daily Mirror, Radio 4 Womans Hour to name but a few.
 
 

The most fantastic news of all and great close to the year was being Awarded Most Promising UK Business in the British Chamber of Commerce Business Awards November 2012! 

Simply Bows and Chair Covers Managing Director, Sarah Pittendrigh recently attended the finals of the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) Chamber Awards 2012 and was delighted to pick up the Winner's award for Most Promising UK Business!

 


As we close on a fabulous year of success and growth for Simply Bows and Chair Covers we would like to thank you all for your friendship and support and look forward to seeing you all in 2013!   
Have a Simply wonderful Christmas from all of the Team at Simply Bows and Chair Covers.



Wednesday 19 December 2012

Simply American Retro! Fab New Wedding Service...

What is company name? 
Valley Retro Hire 
 
What is your line of business? 
American Wedding Hire 
 


 
How and why the company begin? 
Short answer we needed an excuse to buy this amazing car. Long answer… I was looking for a wedding car for my own wedding, but I didn’t want something traditional. I wanted something really special that fitted my partner’s style and mine. All my web searches and wedding fair visits didn’t inspire my choice until one day, my husband to be found a Buick Special for sale. One crazy thought led to another, and before we knew it we were traveling 300 miles down the country to view the car-both believing the car wouldn’t be as good as the photos we had seen. We viewed the car and it was just immaculate so we put the deposit down. The next week we made the same journey with a trailer to tow the car back with a Chuck Berry CD playing and planning the company name and website. 


 
Are you married? If so tell us a little about your wedding…
 
I’m getting Married in May 2013, we are obviously using the Buick as the wedding car and a lot of the styling is inspired by the car, I don’t want to tell you too much in case any of my guest are reading… 
 
Why do brides come to you? 
Brides that come to Valley Retro are fun loving, want the alternative wedding car and love retro styling. I’ve found a lot of brides thought the only alternative available to them was the VW campervan, I want to Make the Buick the new alternative.  
 
The Buick Special is very popular as the Brides Car. I have stolen a few Brides away from other suppliers when they have viewed the car. 


 
Where do you get your inspiration from? 
I love watching old movies and going to vintage fair’s. My husband to be and I watch a lot of programs such as American picker and American Restorations-usually while drooling at the items. I do raid my Grandma’s loft quite a lot-its amazing what you can find, vintage cameras, suitcase and typewriters. If you want vintage items, always try your grandparents first.
What is in store for you in 2013?
We are starting the year with the UK wedding show on January 26th and 27th at the Metro Radio Arena, where we will be introducing our new item to hire. It's something for the Brides, imported from the States which we have been restoring ourselves over the past year and a half. Its something I don’t think anyone else is offering at the minute, so we’re quite excited for its launch in January. 
 
 
Who would be your dream client, and what sort of design would you envisage for them? 
I think my Dream Client would be someone that really appreciates the car for what it Is, how good of condition its in and loves the styling of it as much as I do. We love the 50’s where all the designs were all hand drawn and above everything the styling was the most important thing. Mutual love always go’s down well too :)


 
 
What would be your top tips for brides when searching for a supplier in your industry?  
Do your research and always view before deciding. Pictures on websites don’t always show the full story, some supplies don’t have very good photos and others hide a lot with good photography. If you're not sure, always have another viewing. 
 
Tell us something super interesting about you or your business that we wouldn’t already know…? 
The Chauffer (and my husband to be) won a tarmac rally car championship in 2007 in his trusty 1983 Vauxhall Nova. Chris is a very good driver-but don’t worry he won’t be driving fast on your big day! Chris recently took an advanced driving course and passed first time so your in good hands. 
 
Where are you based and where can you supply? 
We are based between Newcastle and Hexham so we can service most of the northeast, with Newcastle, Northumberland, Gateshead and County Durham the main targets. 


 
How can I get in touch to discuss my requirements or place an order? 
Email is the best option annmarie@valleyretro.co.uk if you let me know the address’s for the pick up and venue, times and dates then I will be in contact straight away with all the correct information to talk about the car and our new item. 
 
Why do you like to work with Simply Bows and Chair Covers?
 
Simply Bows and Chair Cover’s are all about personal theme and styling, which are also values Valley Retro like to have. With it winning an award for most promising new business you know you’re getting quality for your big day. 


 

Sunday 16 December 2012

Simply Feeling Festive! Images of some of our favourite winter weddings of the season!

Deck the hall's with beautiful linen, fa la la la la, la la la la!

'Tis the season to get married, fa la la la la, la la la la!

Here is just a small selection of some of the beautiful winter and festive weddings we have dressed in the last month across the UK....


















Merry Christmas Folks!

Sunday 9 December 2012

Simply Getting Ready for Christmas: How to make your home look festive and elegant...

Christmas is a time when many of us open our homes to family and friends and want to create a welcoming festive ambiance. 


Simply Bows and Chair Covers have a few simple ideas that can create a huge impact on your home....



Transforming traditional dining chairs by adding chair covers, accessorised by rich velvet ties or chair veils created in sumptuous winter colour's or the gold, green or red colour's that are traditional to Christmas. Match these with a luxury table runner to fit down the centre of your Christmas dining table brings a feeling of opulence.



Gold or Silver Charger plates used instead of place mats are the perfect place to sit your dining plates.



Table Cloths in Traditional Christmas Colours are great but why not opt for Silver to emphasise a winter wonderland theme and accessorise with diamante sprinkles and crystal napkin holders to create a winter wonderland effect. Another option to create a similar effect is by covering your normal white tablecloth with an organza/ transparent fabric or cloth that has sequined detail on it as per the below.



Napkins can be folded in so many different ways but flat folded on charger plates can be very effective when placing a piece of berried holly on top. Have the napkins match the colour's of the sash and table runner  thus creating a theme throughout your Christmas table.  In addition you could purchase stunning tartan ribbon in golds, greens and reds and roll the napkins then tie each one individually with the ribbon and place on the charger plates.


 
Tartan is the perfect touch to Christmas decor. Fabric can be picked up at most haberdashery stores and can be used for table cloths, drapes and cushion covers to cover your existing cushions. 



Use holly from your garden to add special touches to your Christmas decor.
Holly looks divine around candelabras or plain church candles. Or why not cut a larger branch and mix with winter berries to form a garland for your fireplace.



Pine cones and berries from the garden  can be added to plain glass vases and bowls, add some battery powered twinkly lights – these are great to use as table centres.



Both holly, berries and pine cones can also be arranged in a hurricane vase as the base for candle decorations for a cheap and effective table centres. Poinsettia plants instantly scream Christmas and can be picked up in most supermarkets for reasonable prices.



You will be surprised to discover that Christmas tree baubles and decorations can be used to decorate your table and place settings and create an opulent look.




Just a little burst of inspiration from the Simply Bows and Chair Covers team... now time to get cracking..!