Saturday 31 August 2013

Simply a big welcome! Adele joins the team today and heads up our South Wales office.....

Introduce yourself Adele...
 I am Adele aged 50 and I cover the South Wales region.
 
 
What is your background?
I worked for a high street fashion retailer as Creative Manager responsible for all visual and a team of 25 people. More recently I have worked in Project Management for a Design Company.
 
Why did you take a franchise with Simply Bows and Chair Covers?
I always had the desire to work for myself and was very interested in the wedding and events industry. I was researching on the internet and discovered Simply Bows and Chair Covers. I loved the product, there was the opportunity to work for a successful established business and when I met Sarah I was impressed with her ethos and work ethic.
 
Why do you love working for yourself?
Ask me in a few weeks as my big adventure starts today and I can't wait!
 
 
If you could dress a celebrity wedding - whose would you choose and why?
Audrey Hepburn as she was such a style icon, incredibly stylish and elegant.
 
How would your friends describe you in three words?
People person, perfectionist, love life
 
 How have you or would you dress your own wedding?
 I love neutral colours therefore I would use a palette of copper, antique gold and mauve for spring/summer and black, taupe and winter white for autumn/winter.
 
 
 
Why choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers over another linen provider.
At Simply Bows and Chair Covers we manufacture and supply quality linens with a designer edge that is unrivalled.
 
How can Simply Bows blog readers get in touch with you?
By phone 07722023525,  e mail  southwales@simplybowsandchaircovers.co.uk or via the website www. simplybowsandchaircovers.co.uk
 

Monday 26 August 2013

Simply Scottish! A Scottish themed wedding at Doxford Hall...


 What are your first names?

Kirsty & Gregg

Where and when did you get engaged?

Gregg and I were on a little break in Scotland with my sister, her boyfriend and a few friends. We all stayed in some log cabins and one of the cabins featured a hot tub. We all decided on the third night to have a little drink in the hot tub. I noticed Gregg knocking back the drink but just thought he was having a good time – I didn’t have a clue that he was so nervous for what was about to happen!

A few hours later we were all in the hot tub chatting away and Gregg decides to tell everyone he has something to say. He then pulls out a ring, turns to me and says “Kirsty will you be my wife!?” The boys knew he was up to something so they just sat and grinned but the girls and I were in complete shock as we had no idea! I think I sat there with my jaw on the floor for about 5 minutes before saying anything! Then I asked him if he was serious, said yes and started to cry!

What was your wedding date?

We got married on Saturday 25th August 2012. We chose this date because it was our anniversary weekend and had been together 7 years on our wedding day

 Where did you get married?

We got married at the gorgeous Doxford Hall Hotel & Spa, Chathill, Alnwick.

Why did you choose your venue?
Doxford was the first wedding venue I visited out of a long list and fell in love with it from the very start. Everything about it was perfect. The grounds are beautiful and peaceful, the hall itself is gorgeous and so clean, the rooms held the right amount of people for the ceremony and the wedding breakfast for our wedding size, the bedrooms are all decorated to a high standard, the staff were so friendly and helpful and I knew they would take care of everything on the day – which they did.

Did you have a “theme”?

Most of Greggs family are Scottish so we went for a Scottish theme with kilts and thistles. All of the men in Greggs family wore kilts along with the best man, ushers, page boys and my dad! We also had a Scottish piper to welcome the guests and to play the bridals entrance and exit. We had thistles in the centrepieces, I had thistles in my bouquet and Greggs aunty made all of the men thistles and heather buttonholes with tartan ribbon.
What was your wedding colour scheme?

The Douglas tartan is blue and green and my dress was cream so we had buttermilk table cloths and chair covers with royal blue organza sashes, an arrangement of cream and blue flowers with thistles on top of large candelabras for the centre pieces, cream invitations, name cards and table plan with tartan ribbon and we also had royal blue petals and clear table crystals scattered on the tables.

Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?

I originally booked a local company for my chair covers but wasn’t happy with the service running up to the wedding. I spoke to the wedding co-ordinator at Doxford Hall and she recommended Simply Bows to me. They waere lovely to work with and even though it was a little short notice when I booked the chair covers through Simply Bows and Chair Covers, they did everything they could to make sure it was all perfect on the day.
What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

After trying lots and lots of dresses in various shops, I decided to buy mine from The White Tulip Wedding Company in Prudhoe. From the second we walked through the door, Kath was so lovely and kind and made us feel comfortable in her shop as well as making me feel very important. I had always admired Maggie Sottero wedding dresses and Kath’s shop was full of them – I was in my element! After trying lots of different dresses on I chose a dress called Sabelle – the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen! My dress is currently laid over my spare bed, zipped up in its bag – I have been tempted to try it on a number of times and have to admit I have given into temptation once or twice! It’s not fair that we only get to wear our dresses once!

What did your bridesmaids wear?

My two bridesmaids, Gemma & Victoria wore royal blue floor length dresses with one shoulder of roses. The dresses were Alexia Designs. We chose the Royal Blue as the Douglas Tartan has a thin line of royal blue running through it.


Who was your photographer?

Our photographer was Northlights photography.

What “special touches” did you add to your day?

We had a number of special touches on our day starting with the day before the wedding when Gregg surprised me by booking and paying for two spa treatments for when I arrived at Doxford Hall.

Gregg received a nice surprise on the morning of the wedding when his favourite style of car turned up outside of our house to take him and his best man, Stephen, to Doxford Hall. He had no idea and was over the moon when he saw the car.
Greggs cousins little twin boys, Aaron & Reece, carried our rings down the aisle on a ring cushion while my cousins little girl, Lily, scattered royal blue petals as she walked down the aisle behind them.

My Mam gave me my Grandma’s Sapphire ring to wear along with a locket with a picture of my grandma and granddad inside and a vintage handkerchief for my something old, borrowed and blue – This was very special as my Grandma is no longer with us.

My garter was Douglas tartan and had both mine and Greggs names on the bow.

What was your favourite part of the day?

It’s very hard to choose just one part of the day! It would have to be between walking out of the ceremony room hand in hand with my new husband and our first dance. I enjoyed the night time because I could relax after all the photographs had been taken and the speeches had been said, I think everyone was a lot more relaxed after a few drinks!

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise around the Mediterranean starting in Italy then visiting Sicily, Athens, Turkey and Crete. The cruise was amazing and wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for our very generous friends and family. I cant wait to go on another one!

What would be your top tip for another bride to be?

I was on cloud 9 on my wedding day and it was the fastest day of my life! I would advise all brides-to-be to try and take everything in and don’t rush anything, even if you disappear for 5 minutes on your own just to take it all in. Oh and don’t carry your bouquet too high!

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Simply stylish ideas in You and Your Wedding Magazine

Last week Simply Bows and Chair Covers MD Sarah Pittendrigh featured in You and Your Wedding Magazine talking about her ideas and forthcoming trends for wedding décor...
 
See the article here.
 

Sunday 18 August 2013

Simply Venue Spotlight.. The stunning Fasque House

What is your venue name, industry rating and where is your venue located?
Fasque House, located outside Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire.  It is an exclusive use venue finished to a high standard (no industry rating as we are not a hotel)
 
 
What facilities does your venue boast?
Exclusive use, part of a 400 acre estate, an award winning individual bridal suite located within the Victorian walled garden, brand new patio with lights and heaters and beautiful formal west garden.
Does your hotel cater for weddings?  If so, what numbers can you accommodate and what packages do you offer?
We are an exclusive use venue, primarily with weddings.  We can seat 120 in our drawing room for a meal, or we can hold smaller dinners for 40 in our dining room, anything larger can be held in a marquee. 
What about events, both large and small, what numbers can you accommodate?
We can accommodate anything from 2 to 1000 people.
 

Can guests stay over at your venue?  What accommodation is on offer?
We currently have 18 bedrooms within the house to sleep 40 people.  The garden rooms can sleep 2 which is within the walled garden.  We also have Avenue Cottage, Gardeners Bothy and Gardeners Cottage as holiday lets to provide extra accommodation on the estate.
Tell us about your food/ menus/ wines...
We are completely flexible.  Although we have menus on our website which show some ideas, our chef is more than happy to create a menu to suit your needs.  We also have another choice; Wilde Thyme, who provide excellent levels of catering.
Do you have any sporting/ spa/ golf facilities on site?
We have clay pigeon shooting available on the estate.  We have contacts to provide golfing, fishing and other activities.  A spa will be on site over the next 3 years during the process of the enabling development.
 
What sets your venue apart from others? 
Fasque has been lovingly restored over the past 2 – 3 years, keeping it fresh, traditional but yet with a modern twist.  The house is beautiful and provides a perfect setting for any event, it really is like a home from home.
 
 
Anything special that we should know about the venue?
It’s not just for weddings.  You can hold any event here from a birthday party, to an afternoon tea, to a business launch.  The venue has always been in the Gladstone family and this was where the first prime minister came to holiday a lot.
 

Where can we get more information/ read more/ contact the venue?
Contact Lynne our Operations manager for more details – lynne@fasquehouse.co.uk
 

Tuesday 13 August 2013

A Harry Potter themed Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Wedding


 What are your first names?

“The Dandy” Robin and “The Resplendent” Rachael



 

 




 



Where and when did you get engaged?

We got engaged in Paris in May 2010, in the park by foot of the Eifel tower. I kept Robin waiting – somewhat worryingly but unintentionally – for several silent minutes before saying “yes”!

 

What was your wedding date?

17th May 2013

 

Where did you get married?

The beautiful Langley Castle, near Hexham in Northumberland.

 


 Why did you choose your venue?

The look and feel of the place was amazing, it’s an actual castle that was built in 1350 and we were instantly captivated. The surrounding grounds were beautiful as well and there were even peacocks roaming freely (a big selling point to me as I am animal obsessed) which along with the suits of armour and swords (a big selling point to Game of Thrones obsessed Rob) decorating the interior of the castle really sold it to us.

 

 Did you have a “theme”?

It took us awhile to come up with a theme as we weren’t interested in any of the typical themes suggested in most wedding magazine. In the end we created something that could only be described as ‘quirky’. We had Harry Potter themed tables and ‘flowers’, a Harry Potter meets Steampunk cake and owls!

 


What was your wedding colour scheme?

We didn’t just pick a single colour; we had a range of purples and also colours from ivory, parchment and latte, bronze and gold.

 


Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?

We met at a few wedding fairs and on at a visit to Langley we also saw Kristy setting up and were impressed with the result. We went to speak to her and she was lovely and instantly got what we were looking for.

 


What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

I never had a style of dress in mind so just went dress shopping willing to try anything on. I fell in love with a gorgeous dress made by San Patrick, which I found in The White Tulip Wedding Company in Prudhoe. The dress had a slightly unusual vintage styled beading. It was originally strapless which I wasn’t too keen on, so my seamstress created some thick straps that complimented it perfectly.

 


What did your bridesmaids wear?

I had my sister as a bridesmaid and from the start I knew that I would let her make the choice of bridesmaid dress. I wanted her to be comfortable for the entire day and wanted to get her something that she would like to wear again. She asked for our colour scheme and found a lovely dress in purple to complement the colour scheme that she looked beautiful in!

 


Who was your photographer?

We had 2tone Photography who were amazing and help us so much on the day. They really made us feel comfortable and didn’t seem fazed by some of the strange details we had for the wedding.

 

 What “special touches” did you add to your day?

We had a Harris Hawk deliver our rings and followed this up with a falconry and owl display to entertain the guests prior to the wedding breakfast. We also had an absolutely mad and incredible wedding cake designed by the brilliant Kelly Anne Cakes which is about the most amazing edible structure we’ve ever seen (words cannot do it justice!) it even included a working clock and pendulum. For favours we made donations to the Newcastle Cat and Dog Shelter and created cards to go with the badges we received as part of the donation, this is where we rescued our two cats from and it was our way of including them in the big day. We made a lot for the day, including hand stamped luggage tags for the place names, and a sweet table (complete with Harry Potter themed sweets). All the flowers for the tables and the bridal bouquet and bridesmaid bouquet were made from Harry Potter book pages – a total of approximately 150 flowers which were made up from 750 individually handmade petals! It was a lot of work but worth it in the end, our guests loved them and took them home as a keepsake and I have started to create my own business making these for other brides.

 


What was your favourite part of the day?

All of it, it was just an incredible day. We both really enjoyed the actual ceremony which was strange as it was the part we were both really nervous about. The only thing is we would like to do it again just to enjoy it knowing everything will be ok and without the rushing around!

 


 Where did you go on honeymoon?

We spent a week in Cyprus, near Limassol so we had a mixture of relaxing in the sun by the pool to going on 4x4 visit of the north west of the island, led by a rather crazy Greek Cypriot named Zeus – we even got ‘remarried’ by the baths of Aphrodite, though it seemed the ‘vows’ were rather biased towards Rob! Our original idea had been Florida but when working out finances it proved too expensive, so we asked for money for our wedding gift and we will be going for our anniversary in a year or two.

 


What would be your top tip for another bride to be?

Enjoy it! The day and the run up goes far too quickly. Think about providing a nice day for your guests but ultimately do what you and your partner want to do. Try not to stress out too much and accept that if anything goes wrong then it isn’t the end of the world, all that matters is that you have each other and are about to start a wonderful life together – everything else is just a bonus!