A professional Team of Event and Wedding Specialists providing Luxury Chair Covers, Accessories and Table Linen for Weddings, Corporate Events and Private Parties.
We wanted somewhere with a relaxed feel about it, where guests could relax feel at home. The Bridge is a privately owned hotel so it has a very personal feeling to it, plus the staff were really accommodating and friendly every time we visited.
Did you have a “theme”?
Not really, although the tables were all named after our favourite chocolates, Malteasers, Rolos etc and we used boxes of the chocolates as favours. We went through about 40 Chocolate Oranges before the day- it was so hard having them in the house!
What was your wedding colour scheme?
Blush pink, silver, and cornflower blue
Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?
Alex really listened to what we wanted and worked with us to make sure the colours were an exact match, and she also came up with loads of new ideas we hadn’t thought of to decorate the tables. The chair covers looked amazing on the day, making the room look very elegant, and we received lots of compliments.
What sort of dress did you choose and where from?
It was a fitted lace dress with a very vintage feel to it and a fairly long train- the complete opposite of the dress I had in mind when I set out.
What did your bridesmaids wear?
Knee length cornflower blue dresses by debut at Debenhams, we went for something quite simple to suit their three very different shapes and personalities.
Who was your photographer?
Charlotte Hedgecock of Baroque photography and her partner, they were excellent- we hardly knew they were there but they managed to get loads of natural shots of us and our guests.
What “special touches” did you add to your day?
A family friend provided flowers for the church and did a great job, while another decorated the decking at the venue- it was so touching to have people we knew helping out in those ways.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Walking out following the ceremony and seeing all our guests for the first time (I was in a daze on the way in!)
Where did you go on honeymoon?
We had 2 weeks in Vancouver, Canada, a lifelong dream destination
What would be your top tip for another bride to be?
Make sure you have some alone time with your new husband on the day- it’s so easy to let it all fly by and hardly see each other!
Simply Bows and Chair Covers has this week received yet another accolade after being chosen as one of Theo Paphitis’s top small
businesses in his ‘Small Business Sunday’ challenge.
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/ .
This week (commencing 22.10.12,) Simply Bows and Chair Covers is one of
the six chosen businesses.
Simply Bows and Chair Covers was established four years ago by North
East-based entrepreneur, Sarah Pittendrigh, with the franchise operation
launching in 2010. In just under two years, the company has set up 11
franchises in areas including Harrogate, Aberdeen, Cumbria, Dundee,Berkshireand
around the North East.
Speaking about Theo Paphitis’s endorsement, Sarah said: “I was
thrilled that Theo chose our company- what a fabulous seal of approval!
I’ve had hundreds of messages from people all over the UK congratulating
me and it really does provide a business boost- not only in the number
of Twitter followers, but it has already also resulted in new
enquiries.”
Next month (November), Sarah will represent the North East region in
the finals of the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) Chamber Awards 2012
in the Most Promising New Business category thanks to her ongoing
success and growth over a short period of time. Good luck!! To see how Sarah and the Simply Bows team get on keep an eye on our blog for more information :)
Just last week we gave you an insight into Anne Hathaway's top secret Valentino wedding gown (blog here if you missed it) and it appears Anne and her dress were bang on trend as the uber talented Vera Wang reveals her latest bridal collection....
Last year her wedding gowns
were black and crimson but this year Vera Wang took us back to basics with white tight bodices and voluminous skirts decorated with delicate lacework, intimate bead-work and romantic ruffles just like our new range (another chance to see it here).
See some of Vera Wang's beautiful new designs for her Spring 2013 collection below...
One of the most beautiful wedding books on the market is Vera Wang: Weddings and let's face it if money was no object, what bride doesn't dream of walking down the aisle in a gown by Vera
Wang, the world's most sought after bridal designer?
The celebrity designer
single-handedly revolutionised the bridal industry with her chic,
sophisticated, stylish designs, shares her vision and ideas on every
aspect of the big wedding day in the amazing book!
We at Simply Bows HQ recently spotted that currently on Amazon you can pick this book up at a bargain price of £29.25... normally £45 and worth every penny! We then spotted a whole host of other wedding book beauties on offer too and thought now may be a good time to share them with you with Christmas coming up.... yes folks... less than 10 weeks to go! So go on...get on amazon and drop some hints to your hubby to be with these fab Christmas list additions!
We
got engaged on the 20th May in Paris. Sam was going to propose to me on the
balcony of our hotel whilst watching the light show on the Eiffel Tower but I
was tired and because I thought we had missed it (its hourly, I think) I wanted
to go to bed and wouldn’t go out onto the balcony :/ So I ruined his lovely
surprise so he asked me the next morning when I had just woken up so very nice
surprise!!
What was your wedding date?
1st
September 2012
Where did you get married?
Langley
Castle for Civil Ceremony followed by a Blessing in The Chapel
Why did you choose your venue?
Because
it was absolutely amazing!! And I always wanted to get married in a ‘princess
castle’ and this most certainly was one of those!! Felt like a princess for the
day! I remember the first time going to have a look around it, I got that
excited, bouncing around like a little girl, that when I went to look in the
window seat in the Drawing Room, I slipped and banged my knee ha ha!! I
instantly knew when I drove up the drive and saw the Castle that it was ‘the
one’ !
Did you have a “theme”?
I
had a few themes I mixed together! From the very beginning I wanted Taupe, but
initially wanted it with a hint of pink and vintage! When it came to looking
for the Bridesmaid dresses I instantly knew the one I wanted, in fact I even
tried it on when I was looking at wedding dresses. Initially I wanted in Taupe
but when I saw it on my bridesmaids in the Teal colour I decided I loved it
that much and it would be more striking to have. Plus no-one would expect me to
go for this colour!! So my theme became Taupe and Teal. During one of my visits
to Langley Castle I saw the peacocks which is where my ‘hint of peacock’ inspiration
came from! I then decided to add a splash of purple into the evening reception
colour scheme with peacock feathers in the centrepieces!! The flowers were made
by Tricia Irving from Wigton and she did an amazing job of the centrepieces,
bouquets, flower arches, pedestals etc. Also I had a bit of a diamond theme
going on too! Basically ‘bling and sparkles’!
What was your wedding colour scheme?
Taupe
& Teal with a hint of Peacock!
Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were
they like to work with?
Kristywas sooo friendly and excitable, after our initial appointment I knew I wanted
to choose to work with her. She was fantastic the whole time, even with flaky
me changing my mind on colours and bows. I eventually opted for simple white
bows tied to one side for the ceremony room for a fairytale look, and chose
Silver organza bows tied with pearl bands and sparkly sequined organza tablecloths
for my evening reception.
What sort of dress did you choose and where from?
I
chose a princess dress from Kokoa Bride in Penrith. I initially was after a
fitted lace and sparkle dress but came across the one I chose and fell in love!
And it came with a Taupe belt with flower design on which matched my theme
perfectly and I decided, that as I was only going to do this once, I should
just go for the dress of my dreams which I knew all along would be a big
princess dress. My dress was a Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner dress. It has an
embellished and very sparkly fitted bodice which I got altered so that it had a
sweetheart neckline rather than the straight neckline it was before hand, with
a taupe and cream and taupe flower sash, and the bottom is layers of tulle with
lace and sparkly detailing on the bottom! The veil was a chapel length one
covered in diamantes, again from Kokoa Bride. My shoes were stunning lace and
pearl courts with diamante heels from Kokoa Bride too. The groom party all wore
Grey Silk suits from Kokoa Bride, the groom wore a Taupe cravat while the rest
wore Teal cravats to match the bridesmaid dresses perfectly. The two pageboys
wore beige trousers and waistcoats from monsoon with taupe cravats.
What did your bridesmaids wear?
My
bridesmaids wore Teal green satin dresses by Pheonix Gowns. These were long, v
necked style with off the shoulder straps and looked stunning on the girls.
They all wore pearl and diamante headbands and silver strappy sandals. My
friend’s daughter was flower girl and wore a white and taupe dress from BHS
with butterflies on and my 9 week daughter wore a lovely oranza ivory dress
with butterflies on too, and an ivory headband that I customised myself with
pearls and diamantes.
I put
such a lot of detail into the smaller aspects of the wedding. I made my wedding
invites myself, and wanted to carry on the rest of the stationary in a similar
way. The wedding invites had a Taupe, pearl and diamond theme. The name cards
were handmade using teal ribbon, taupe card and diamantes. The table plan was
my pride and joy and was made using shimmer card, teal ribbon, diamante
embellishments and teal and silver diamantes.
The
table names were named after attraction in Paris (as we got engaged there). The
favours were 3 chocolate roses in teal or purple organza bags. I wanted to use
the pink, purple and green sweets out of the roses selection (from the Cadbury
shop) but as Cadbury had stopped the green one, I bought individual fudge and
wrapped each one in teal green tissue paper to keep with the colour scheme! The
cakes were decorated with teal and taupe ribbon, the cupcakes were made in
purple and teal cupcake cases and decorated with silver and teal decorations.
The
centrepieces all had peacock feathers displayed in with the flowers. I even had
a peacock feather pen for the guest book. I also made a wedding post box using
teal and taupe ribbon, pearl and diamante embellishments and of course a couple
of peacock feathers!
We
hired in a chocolate fountain with strawberries, fudge, marshmallows,
profiteroles and Turkish delight!!
My
dad also bought me a pink Disney princess cake as I am a ‘daddy’s princess’
haha!
During
the ceremony we had a ‘candle ceremony’ where the mothers of each family lit 2
small candles and me and Sam then lit a ‘unity’ candle with the 2 small candles
to represent our two families coming together.
Another
special touch was that the lads (groom, best man, ushers, fathers of the bride
and groom, and brides uncles and brother in law) all changed into their
‘shiteshirts’ after the first dance, and came onto the dance floor together
dancing to cheeky girls and you can leave your hat on which was very funny and
a good surprise for all the guests! This was all planned out on the stag do!!
The disco was supplied by Majestic Nights disco.
We
are going to Dubai with our daughter and mother-in-law and meeting the
father-in-law over there (he works in Saudi) so I call it a ‘familymoon’. Sam
and I are hoping to have our ‘just us’ honeymoon with a renewal of vows next
September in Mexico when Sophia is older and hopefully won’t feel as bad leaving
her with grandparents!
What would be your top tip for another bride to be?
Just
relax and enjoy the whole day. Everyone said to me it flies by so just chill
and relax and they were right, it really does!!
Do you want to be your own boss, fit
your working hours around your lifestyle and enjoy the perks of running your
own business but with a ready-made, highly-regarded, national brand?
Due to a rapid growth in demand for our
services in London and the South East, we’re now looking to recruit the ideal
person- or people- to represent Simply Bows and Chair Covers in this area.
Until recently, as well as running my
own franchise in County Durham, I was also managing London enquiries. However,
due to a rapid growth in demand, this is no longer possible.
Since the start of the year, enquiries
from London-based venues have dramatically increased. The London area is a
ready-made market for the right franchisee as there is very little in the way
of competition.
We have already started to meet with people who are interested however we're yet to find the right
person to represent the Simply Bows and Chair Covers brand and deal with some
of the most exclusive hotels and venues in the UK. We really need someone with
the skills, experience and understanding of the competitive London marketplace
If you are interested in becoming part
of multi award-winning Simply Bows and Chair Covers, why not drop us an email
or call for an informal chat? Speak to Sarah on 07595 549623 or email enquiries@simplybowsandchaircovers.co.uk
Anne Hathaway recently married fiancee Adam Shulman in what is said to be a lavish and beautiful ceremony but alas, security was so tight we hardly caught a glimpse of the blushing bride in her specially designed Valentino wedding gown!
Fear not! Simply Bows and Chair Covers can now bring you an image released from the amazing designer showing us just what the before now, top secret dress looked like!
The off the shoulder bodice leads into a divine floaty, layered, diamante encrusted skirt hemmed with a soft blush pink colour to match a blush pink veil. Pink to make the boy's wink ;)
A few weeks ago primary school teacher Rebecca
Mowles married the love of her life, Mark Wright and chose a wedding theme that we at Simply Bows and Chair Covers had not came across before but were very intrigued to see how it turned out.... The Beatles!
Invites explained that all guests were required to dress in the swinging sixties dress code.. the more psychedelic patterns the better!
The groom wore a blue silk suit in the style of Paul McCartney and the best man wore a colourful custom-made suit replicating that of Ringo on the cover of the Beatle's 1967 Sergeant
Pepper album!The ushers dressed as John Lennon and George Harrison. The Bride wore a 60's inspired gown and the bridesmaid's wore psychedelic dresses and carried sunflower's.
All the table names were well known Beatles songs, the wedding cake was Abbey Road themed and to wrap up the day the groom and the ushers took to the stage to perform a few Beatle's classics!
You gotta' love a bit of thought and imagination! Well done guys! A totally unique and fun theme. We love it!
