Simply a Mexican Wedding!

What are your first names?
Kerry & Ben

Where and when did you get engaged?
In our home on 12-1-12

What was your wedding date?
Wedding Day: 1-4-14 & Wedding Reception: 11-4-14

Where did you get married?
Wedding: Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Wedding Reception: Forbes of Kingennie, Dundee

Why did you choose your venue?
It's a beautiful venue & surroundings & was most central / local for all of our guests.

Did you have a “theme”?
Yes, as we'd been married in Mexico our theme for the reception was 'Mexico'.

What was your wedding colour scheme?
The Mexican flag was our inspiration, consisting of: red, white, green & gold.

Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?
Simply Bows were one of few places that were actually able to do what we wanted. We had black table & chair linen, the chairs had gold bows & down the centre of each table there were 3 ribbons (red, white & green). The venue decoration on the night was fantastic & a lot of our guests commented on how lovely it looked & how they got the theme straight away. Simply Bows were a pleasure to work with & I would highly recommend them to anyone.

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?
My dress was an Essence of Australia a-line sytle lace dress, with a detachable illusion neckline & featured beaded lace embellishments with with Swarovski crystals on the sweetheart bodice & waist. The dress was cover in beautiful lace & had a full length chapel train. My dress was full of detail which made it even more special & beautiful.
I purchased my dress from Panache Beauty & Bridal, Carnoustie, Scotland.

What did your bridesmaids wear?
My bridesmaids wore beautiful teal, knee length dresses with some beading detail on the waistbands.

Who was your photographer?
Downfield Studios, Dundee

Who was your florist?
Stucio & Waow Florists, Dundee

How did you arrive at the church/ registry office?
We were married at a gazebo by the beach, I walked there from my hotel suite.

What “special touches” did you add to your day?
We wrote our own vows which made the ceremony extra special.

What was your favourite part of the day?
Wedding Day: Finally marrying my best friend
Wedding Reception: The surprise fireworks display!

Where did you go on honeymoon?
We married in Mexico & honeymooned in Mexico too :-)

What would be your top tip for another bride to be?
I know this may be easier said than done but follow your own heart. Ignore family & friends. Do what you want to do for your wedding day. Include your husband to be as much as possible because remember this is his day too. Do what makes you both happy & not what makes everyone else happy!
We did it "Our Way" & we have absolutely no regrets!

Simply Bows & Chair Covers Real Life Bride Fiona and her fabulous Dundee wedding!

What are your first names?

Fiona & Ally

 

Where and when did you get engaged?

On my 30^th birthday, 1^st October on Elie Beach in Fife at sunset, before going for a lovely meal in Sangsters to celebrate (no he didn’t get down on one knee, it was raining and windy and there were lots of dog walkers to keep us company, so not the most private).  Ally chose my ring which is a white gold diamond solitate, the boy done good!

What was your wedding date?

Sunday the 6^th of April 2014

 

Where did you get married?

Forbes of Kingennie, near Dundee

Why did you choose your venue?

It had a lovely country relaxed feel with beautiful surroundings and we could have the ceremony there too.

Did you have a “theme”?

No, I wasn’t into the idea of having as theme as I felt it could be limiting

What was your wedding colour scheme?

Although the bridesmaids wore dark blue, the colour scheme was more silver and ivory.  I had not settled on a colour for the bridesmaid’s dresses - where I expected to take the theme from, but decided silver would be nice in its own right. Sometimes if one colour dominates it can be quite overpowering. The groom and grooms men ties were silver,and many of the decorations were silver.

 

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

A recommendation form the venue and I had seen their work and met with them at a wedding fayre.  I was advised that they are perfectionists, and deliver high standards.  When you can’t see the finished article until the day of your wedding it is important that you have trust and good dialog with your suppliers.  Simply bows and chairs were very easy to work with, always contacting me each step of the way. 

 

On the wedding day itself the chairs were set for the ceremony and looked great, better than I had expected.  It was not until before the wedding breakfast when the groom and I were taken to the function room alone did I see the full effect of the work Simply Bows and Chair Covers had accomplished as the tables were all set out and you could really see the full effect.  I was delighted.

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

I chose a classic A line Benjamin Roberts ‘Tia’ gown as it was the best shape form my hourglass figure. Initially I did not want a big dress but once I tried it on I knew it was the shape to suit me.  I chose a dress with straps as I wanted the dress and not my bust to be the main feature, and wanted to feel secure and did not want to be pulling the dress up all day. The dress was from Brides Delight in Aberdeen and alternations were made by Sandy Jolly ( Sew Jolly, Wellbank) to change the zip back to corset back so we could synch in my waist a bit more. It was a big dress but I loved it!

What did your bridesmaids wear?

I didn’t mind what they wore as long as my 3 bridesmaids were happy. After running into several problems ( 3 bridesmaids of different heights, shapes and sizes and one who is also  breastfeeding make for an interesting and difficult task of finding dresses to suit all) and a false start ( don’t ask! Lets just say Christmas excesses were involved) my bridesmaids wore dark blue knee length Monsoon dresses which actually complemented my dress – similar A line shape, straps and netting to add volume to the skirt. Everyone was happy, or pretended to be which was just fine by me. This was the single most stressful part of the wedding planning.

Who was your photographer?

Karen Jackson from Adore Studios on South Tay Street Dundee. I met her at a wedding fayre and she was very easy to talk to, understood my wishes that the photographs were to be mainly candid as I wanted to spend as much time with my guests as possible, but still delivered amazing pictures.

*All images used in this blog article are provided by Karen Jackson

 

Who was your florist?

The Rosebud on Perth Road in Dundee.  I had set up a few meetings with florists, but after discussing ideas with Dilly, I cancelled other appointments. She understood exactly what I had in mind and her confidence inspired my trust. The flowers were beautiful. Even the groom commented.

How did you arrive at the church/ registry office?

I was staying in Forbes of Kingennie with my parents before the wedding and they sent a car to collect the bridal party.

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

We decided to have a Humanist wedding and the celebrant Gary Smith suggested making the ceremony personal by writing parts of it ourselves. We separately and secretly wrote our own parts and gave it to Gary who edited them together to make our ceremony.  It was very personal – not slushy as were are not a slushy couple but funny, and it was lovely to hear what Ally had said about me and us on the day.

We had invited a lot of children to our wedding so were mindful to incorporate entertainment for them.  We had a caricaturist (Dierdre Varley) who was loved by both adults and kids, sweetie trees (my little sweet tree) and I made activity packs for each child, adding individual toys to suit the child, bubbles, crayons and an activity book (downloaded and printed from etsy) and neon glowsticks for the evening.  We also hired a string trio who played during the ceremony and at the champagne reception.  My sister’s boyfriend also played the bagpipes and piped me into the ceremony and to the top table which was lovely. I added some decorations o the room, over the beams and such were glass love hearts from Paula’s in Brechin.

What was your favourite part of the day?

I honestly couldn’t choose one, it was fantastic – I just decided to relax, enjoy and take it all in and I did!

           

Simply a Franchise in Focus: Claire from Aberdeen

Introduce yourself, name, age, which region/ venues you cover...
My name is Claire, I’m 33 and I cover the Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire area.  This includes a number of great venues, ranging from Fasque House to the south at Fettercairn, Glen Tanar Estate to the west at Aboyne and venues within the City of Aberdeen itself, including The Caledonian Thistle and Norwood Hall.  My territory also includes a lot of National Trust for Scotland venues, including Crathes, Drum and Fraser Castles.

What is your background?
I studied Land Economy at University and have been a Town Planning Consultant since leaving University 11 years ago.

Why did you take a franchise with Simply Bows and Chair Covers?
I got married in 2011 and loved every part of planning my wedding.  I struggled to find loose fitting chair covers and while I was searching, I came across Simply Bows and Chair Covers and noticed that they didn’t have a presence in Aberdeen.  I met with Sarah, who had so much enthusiasm for what she did, that I jumped at the chance of taking the product north to open the first office in Scotland. 

Why do you love working for yourself?
I love that I can fit working around my two children, which gives me the best of both worlds – being at home when they need me, but giving me the opportunity and independence to carry on working, and getting out and meeting people.    

Why do you love being a Simply Bows and Chair Covers franchisee?
I love working in the wedding and events industry as it’s such a happy, positive environment and meeting and helping brides achieve their vision for their wedding day is very rewarding.  The products we supply are of a really high quality, which, for me is an important consideration when planning a wedding or event.  Therefore, it’s easy to be positive about what I do on a day to day basis.  Also, Sarah, the Managing Director is very passionate about what she does and is always willing to offer support and advice in helping us grow our business. 

Where do you see you, and your franchisee in 1 years time and also 3 years time?
Since I opened the Aberdeen office 2 years ago, we’ve seen bookings increase year on year, so I see this continuing again in the next year.  I would also like to establish connections with more venues in the area.

In 3 years, I see the Aberdeen office well established in the area, recognised for supplying a quality product and providing great customer service.  I also see us adding to the number of venues we supply linen to as part of their wedding packages.  I love my job and know that this won't change!

Simply Setting The Standard; The Tayside Wedding Collective

The Tayside Wedding Collective is
a col­lec­tion of the very best Wedding Suppliers in Tayside and our Simply Bows and Chair Covers Dundee, Fife 

and Perth office headed up by Susan and Vicki are thrilled to be invited to join them!

 

Each sup­plier in the collective
is a full time pro­fes­sional Wedding Supplier, no mem­ber is invited to join
unless they are well known to the exist­ing mem­bers, highly expe­ri­enced and completely
pro­fes­sional in their field. 




As a future Bride or Groom plan­ning
the biggest day of your lives, you will want the reas­sur­ance that your sup­pli­ers
are pro­fes­sional, respon­si­ble and highly regarded in the local area. This
web­site brings all the very best local sup­pli­ers together in one place,
think of this like a vir­tual Wedding Show.


The Tayside Wedding Collective –
the most sought after Wedding Suppliers in Tayside




If you are getting married in
this area you really must take a look!

Simply a Scottish a'fair!

 

 

Come along and see our Dundee and Fife office at Fernie Castle wedding fair this Sunday...

 

 

Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Bride Megan features her real wedding on our blog today...

What are your first names?

Megan and Olav

 

 Where and when did you get engaged?

At Glen Tanar in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire in October 2011

What was your wedding date?

23^rd March 2013

 

 Where did you get married?

Fasque House Estate, Fettercairn

 

Why did you choose your venue?

It is a luxury, exclusive use property and we loved the stunning internal décor and beautiful grounds

 

Did you have a “theme”?

Black and white “damasq” theme

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

They were the recommended supplier from Fasque and I loved the perfectly matching damasq chair covers

 

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

It was a Justin Alexander full length fitted dress from Louise Lantano in Invererie

 

 

What did your bridesmaids wear?

They wore a black, one shoulder full length chiffon gown, with an ivory lace sash around the middle and pearl jewellery

 

Who was your photographer?

Sam Brill

 

 

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

We had mini ushers (our three nephews aged 2, 3 and 4) in little kilts present us with horseshoes after the wedding ceremony.  I hand made all the wedding stationery (order of service, table plan, place cards and menus) and had damasq bags with mini perfumes/aftershaves for favours.  Instead of flower centrepieces, we had tall birch branches in black square vases with mini stag heads and flower test tubes.

 

 

What was your favourite part of the day? 

The wedding ceremony and of course the dancing!

 

 

 Where did you go on honeymoon?

We went to St. Lucia for two weeks.  Jade Mountain Resort.  It was AMAZING!

 

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

Doing things yourself, like stationery, adds a real personal touch, but doesn’t necessarily save you any money in doing it!

Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Wedding: Anna and Stuart and their Christmas wedding!

What are your first names?

Anna & Stuart   

 

 

Where and when did you get engaged?

We got engaged on May 5^th, 2012 in Dundee on the back doorstep of the shared house we met in and got to know each other. There was a whole new group of people living there, so when Stuart proposed, they all had their noses pressed to the window to see what was going on!

What was your wedding date?

December 28^th, 2012.

Where did you get married?

Cults Parish Church, with the reception at Maryculter House Hotel.

Why did you choose your venue?

I (Anna) grew up near Maryculter and always loved the venue. It’s very Scottish and traditional too and Stuart liked the history behind the place. It’s a beautiful setting, on the River Dee so we got some amazing picturesque photographs. The interior of the hotel is very cosy with log fires which was perfect for a chilly winter wedding. 

Did you have a “theme”?

Our theme was really already made for us. Being at Christmas, the church was full of Christmas trees and lights and there was still the Christmas decorations on display at Maryculter, so we had a festive theme going quite easily. 

What was your wedding colour scheme?

We went for warm deep reds for the flowers, bridesmaids’ dresses, wedding stationery and chair bows keep the festive theme going. 

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

Simply Bows and Chair Covers were recommended to me by Lianne McGregor, the owner of Vivi Paperie, who produced our beautiful wedding stationery. Claire from Simply Bows was very professional and did a great job getting all the chairs looking beautiful. It finished off the room perfectly and we didn’t have to worry about anything to do with this – everything was taken care of. It was well worth the money as it completed the festive look we were trying to achieve. 

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

I had a gorgeous layered lace dress from designer Annasul Y that I found in the amazing Perth bridal boutique Ivory Whites. It was a bit different, but I fell in love with it. I tried a lot of dresses on before this one, but when I tried it on, I just knew I’d found my dress.

What did your bridesmaids wear?

They wore ruby Dessy dresses. I wanted my bridesmaids to be able to pick their own style of dress and I knew that with Dessy they could do that and still be exactly the same colour. It worked out really well. My flower girl, Jessica, had an ivory dress from Dessy, but had a ruby sash around her waist to match the bridesmaids. Jessica’s shoes were dyed ruby by Arabesque in Perth to match the bridesmaids too which worked out really well. 

Who was your photographer?

Kirstie Abbey was our photographer and from start to finish she was brilliant. We got to know her ahead of the day with a pre-wedding photo shoot which was a great way to get used to having our photos taken. We were totally thrilled with our photographs at the end too – they were very natural and fun which is what we wanted.  The images in this blog have kindly been supplied by her.

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

As it was Christmas, we put the children’s favours under the Christmas tree. They were delighted to be getting another present after Christmas day! We gave them our favourite toys from when we were kids - Lego for the boys and Sylvanian families for the girls. Stuart plays the pipes and has piped at loads of our friends and family’s weddings, so it seemed fitting for him to have a blast of them on his own wedding day, so we surprised everyone by Stuart piping his bride into the meal. We also had dancing shoes available for all the ladies so they didn’t have to worry about their shoes nipping their feet.

 

What was your favourite part of the day?

For both of us it was having all our family and friends together like that. It’s not something that happens very often at all, if ever so that was extra special. 

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We went to Barbados, which was something else and really beautiful. We are obsessed with rum punch now!  

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

It’s worth being really organised in the run up to the wedding so you can relax and enjoy everything on the day and in the days immediately before. I was hyper organised and was glad in hindsight I’d done that as I had completely chilled out by the day before and was able to just enjoy it. Don’t let yourself be stressed – it’s your day and you should both enjoy it more than anyone else.