Simply Bows & Chair Covers

Monday, 11 June 2012

Simply Shap! Venue Spotlight; Shap Wells Hotel

What is your venue name, industry rating and where is your venue located?

Best Western Shap Wells Hotel (3*)
Shap
Nr Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 3QU

What facilities does your venue boast?

100 Guest bedroom accommodation

3 Bar Areas

3 Dining rooms – main dining room The Birkbeck Restaurant

Two Lounge areas with fireplaces

7 Conference rooms

Caters for Wedding breakfasts & Evening Receptions from 10 to 350 guests and for civil ceremonies for up to 150 guests

Bathhouse Accommodation Annex that caters for guests with Dogs

30 acres of grounds

Complimentary WIFI throughout hotel

Complimentary Parking for up to 120

Does your hotel cater for weddings? If so, what numbers can you accommodate and what packages do you offer?

Your wedding day is one of the most important events in your life and at Best Western Shap Wells Hotel you will be receiving service of the highest professional quality and will benefit from our long and vast experience of catering for specialised events such as weddings.

You will see that we offer a variety of venues for both Civil Ceremonies and Celebration Parties, with the flexibility, unique to Cumbria, to cater for receptions from 10 to 350 guests, and for Civil Ceremonies for up to 150 guests. We also have the availability of 100 bedrooms for wedding guests.

Inclusive Celebration Packages include the following:

We also have an all inclusive Wedding Packages (£2012 in 2012 £2013 in 2013) and include the

following:

Full Wedding Day Package

Wedding Breakfast for up to 50 guests

Evening Function for up to 80 guests

In our Lodge Howe Room or Birkbeck Suite

What about events, both large and small, what numbers can you accommodate?

We can cater for events and conferences from 2 to 350 and we also have accommodation availability of 100 bedrooms.

Can guests stay over at your venue? What accommodation is on offer?

We have 100 bedrooms at Shap Wells.

Tell us about your food/ menus/ wines...

Best Western Shap Wells Hotel prides itself on creating a special dining experience that will be remembered and will make you want to return to visit us again. The Birkbeck Suite consists of two dining room experiences, the Birkbeck Restaurant and Lonsdale Room. The Birkbeck Restaurant is our principal dining area and will seat up to 300 guests. The room is air-conditioned and enjoys stunning views over the Birkbeck River and surrounding fells. The Lonsdale Room is a more intimate room that allows guests the opportunity to host smaller dining parties that suit their own dining needs, it is also utilised when the Birkbeck is booked for private functions.

Our Head Chef has created an extensive menu in keeping with the hotel surroundings and current season. Dine from our 3 course Table D’hôte menu or choose from our À la Carte menu. Our Carvery lunches are served every Wednesday and Sunday from 12.15pm until 2pm. A comprehensive wine list is accessible to compliment your dining experience. Vegetarian options are available and both dining areas are fully accessible to diners with disabilities.

The Riverside Lounge and Bar is well placed next to the hotel’s principal dining room "the Birkbeck Restaurant" and provides the perfect setting to relax and unwind before and after dining with us. The Riverside Lounge and Bar itself is a stylish art deco room with panoramic views over the Birkbeck and the fells beyond. Our Riverside Lounge and Bar menu offers a range of appetising food to suit all tastes of our guests from light and refreshing snacks to traditional meals. Bar meals are available from 11am to 10pm. Entertainment takes place here most nights of the week throughout the year (subject to availability).

The Salterwath and Fell Bar Lounges are ideal for guests looking for the opportunity to relax and unwind in more intimate setting away from the hotel principal dining and lounge area. These lounge areas offer two intimate rooms that provide soft lighting and library theme which creates a warm and inviting environment and also provides a small ‘snug’ bar atmosphere with adjoining area for guests to relax in front of a warm log fire. The Fell Lounge has a 50” LCD flat screen TV for guests who are avid TV watchers and the hotel also boasts a friendly foyer lounge area with a welcoming log fire in the winter months.

Do you have any leisure facilities on site?

With 30 acres of wooded grounds, surrounded by moorland, Best Western Shap Wells Hotel is an ideal place to relax. There are miles of quiet paths and bridle ways for recreational walking and other similar activities in the area. We offer written guides for small and medium walks within Best Western Shap Wells grounds and outlying areas. Our games room offers free a full-size snooker table, pool table, darts, table tennis and small aerobic gymnasium.

We also cater for individuals or groups of guests who are interested in long or short term breaks that will allow them to enjoy partaking in leisure pursuits that Best Western Shap Wells Hotel grounds and outlying areas provide such as wildlife enthusiasts e.g. Red Squirrels and birdlife, fell climbers, high and low level walkers, train enthusiasts e.g. Virgin mainline trains and from Appleby the Carlisle to Settle line, using us for a base or stop off for classic, vintage, veteran car and motorbike enthusiasts and university students to study the historical (Romano-British) and geological aspects of Cumbria. We have outside our hotel gate a site of special scientific interest and the remains of a Romano-British Iron Age village settlement. We also cater for the guests who wish to at their leisure visit the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales including visiting Scotland as we are a short drive away from the Scottish borders.

What sets your venue apart from others?

Situated in a secluded, wooded valley, high in the Shap Fells and surrounded by mountain streams yet only minutes from the M6 (Junction 39) and the A6. Best Western Shap Wells Hotel is the ideal place from which to explore the Lakes, Dales and the English and Scottish Border Counties.

We are ideally situated for both leisure and business, easily accessible from the M6 motorway making us the perfect location for business events and conferences. The hotel has seven conference rooms that all benefit from having natural daylight.

For leisure guests we are located close to the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Scottish Borders, surrounded by open and wooded countryside, red deer, red squirrels and other wildlife within the grounds of the hotel and beyond. Whether you are visiting us for a leisurely break, a conference, wedding celebration or simply breaking your journey on route to the North or South we are the perfect destination for you.

Many of our rooms having breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside and fells, offering a true taste of the English countryside, the hotel has retained many of its original features over the years and much time has been taken to retain the true character of the building.

Free WiFi is available throughout the entire hotel including all public areas, conference rooms and guest accommodation. Complimentary parking is available at the front and rear of the hotel.

Anything special that we should know about the venue?

We are the largest family owned hotel in Cumbria. Shap Wells Hotel has been an established hotel for 180 years and was opened for business in 1833. One of the most interesting chapters of the hotels history is occurred during the Second World War, when it became a prisoner of war camp for German Naval and Luftwaffe Officers.

For many years people came to Shap Wells Hotel to bathe in or drink the water of the Spa Well. The waters were in fact, very similar to those of Leamington and Harrogate. The Well is no longer in use, though water may still be obtained from the spring on the river bank by any who may to risk it...

We have a thriving colony of Red Squirrels...and many of our guests love going to watch them feed and play in their own environment within our hotel grounds...

Where can we get more information/ read more/ contact the venue? (web address and contact details)

For more detailed information regarding our hotel please contact using the following formats:

Telephone: 01931 716628

Fax: 01931 716377

Email: reservations@shapwellshotel.com

sales@shapwellshotel.com

Website: www.shapwellshotel.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shapwellshotel

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

Simply Jubilee Wedding Weekend!

As her majesty the Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in spectacular fashion this weekend the Simply Bows and Chair Covers team were out in force dressing almost 30 weddings across the UK. Here are just a handful of them....

Navy Blue and Red Organza Bows on White Chair Covers at Redworth Hall, Durham

Royal Blue Organza Bows on White Chair Covers at Swinton Park, North Yorkshire

Gold Flock Ties on White Chair Covers at Dissington Hall, Northumberland

Teal Organza Bows on White Chair Covers, Harrogate

Ruby Red Organza Bows at Langley Castle, Northumberland

Champagne Flock Ties at Heather Glen, Cumbria

Midnight Blue Organza Sashes on White Chair Covers at Langley Castle, Northumberland

Raspberry Organza Sashes on White Made to Measure Chair Covers, Doxford Hall, Northumberland

Saturday, 2 June 2012

Simply Brilliant: Groom sings his speech! (VIDEO)

Groom Bryan Lacey stood up to give his groom's speech at his wedding to Hannah Brown and suprised his entire audience with this fabulous song he wrote declaring his love for his bride to be... in his own comical way!

The 32-year-old promises to love her until she is old and grey, needs a Stannah stairlift, zimmer frame and bladder control pants!

It made us giggle, we hope it makes you laugh too!

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Simply Quirky- Champagne in a teapot anyone?

What is the company name?

Harrogate Vintage Tea Party

What is your line of business?

We have a beautiful collection of vintage china, crockery, glassware and accessories that we hire out for events such as: small weddings, baby showers, hen parties, tea parties and photo shoots.

How and why the company begin?

We are both sisters and have grown up sharing a love of traditional, pretty things! The vintage theme is hugely popular at the moment and so we thought that we would expand on our collection and start sharing it! We both love socialising and hosting events and giving them the vintage feel makes them extra special and exciting.

Are you married? If so tell us a little about your wedding….

Adelle got married to Matthew in 2010. They married at Aldwark church and then held their reception at Aldwark Manor; a traditional, English country hotel. There were hints of the vintage theme at the wedding with plenty of bird cages and butterflies! They were very lucky with the weather as it was a glorious, sunny day. Terri lives in Whixley with her partner James after having just bought an old cottage to renovate.

Why do brides come to you?

We offer something that is a little bit different and fun, but still very traditional at heart. We put a modern twist on beautiful, traditional items which gives stunning results. All of our bunting is bespoke and hand-made so we can help meet a bride’s overall vision perfectly.

What is the most popular item you supply and why?

Probably tea-cups and pearls; who needs wineglasses? Breaking the rules slightly is much more fun!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Fashions and trends always go in cycles and at the moment the 1920’s – 1950’s are more popular than ever. We try to marry the old with the new and create an eclectic feel.

What is in store for you in 2012/13

As we are a new company this year we will be focusing on becoming established and well known. The upcoming Diamond Jubilee is proving very exciting along with summer weddings and garden parties!

Who would be your dream client, and what sort of design would you envisage for them?

Oooh, probably Johnny Depp! It would be fantastic for Harrogate Vintage Tea Party to re-create a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party just for him!

Tell us something super interesting about you or your business that we wouldn’t already know…?

We actually celebrated our web-site going live by pouring a lovely bottle of champagne into a teapot and drinking it from tea-cups!

Where are you based and where can you supply

We deliver and collect hired items free of charge within a 10 mile radius of Harrogate and York (North Yorkshire). We charge per mile thereafter.

How can I get in touch to discuss my requirements or place an order?

Please do visit our website for more information and ideas: www.harrogatevintageteaparty.co.uk.

There is a contact form on our website but we can also be contacted on info@harrogatevintageteaparty.co.uk

We would love to hear from you!

Why do you like to work with Simply Bows and Chair Covers?

They are professional, diverse and have lots of imaginative flair which pairs perfectly with what we are all about.

Sunday, 27 May 2012

Simply Creative Chairs!

So you’re getting married? Lots of ideas flying around your head? Venue shortlist’s, Wedding Theme, Colour Scheme… so much to think about! Let us help you strip it down…

For your big day you want to pick a colour or theme that represents you. Perhaps you are a hopeless romantic and dream of red roses, luxurious fabrics and a fairytale castle. Or maybe you’re tempted to create a 1950s Hollywood glamour style wedding, vintage but not chintzy and want to create a wedding that looks straight out of a old fashioned Hollywood movie?

Whatever your ideas, try and take a step back and work from the beginning. Often your venue choice and/or budget can greatly affect your theme and its consistency so sit down together and look at the budget then book a few appointments at prospective venues to get a feel for each in turn. Can it hold your required numbers? Can you decorate it as you wish? Does it WOW you and make you happy? Often picking a wedding venue is like picking a house! When you know, you know!

Once the venue is picked you know what you have to work with! Is their a dominant colour in the room you are going to work with? Is it a blank canvas that needs an injection of colour?

A frequent mistake when planning a wedding is that often brides pick their bridesmaid dresses and then struggle to match everything up to that particular colour. Dresses can be died to all sorts of wild and wonderful colours but often it’s not so easy to match up everything else. Simply Bows and Chair Covers offer a colour match service as well as stocking hundreds and hundreds of colours but not all suppliers hold such stock levels.

Although tradition leads us to think bridesmaid dresses should match the venue colour scheme, don’t feel obliged and dress your wedding how you want it. Often a colour or theme you would like your wedding to be, can look harsh against skin tone and not work as a dress or vica versa so don’t let this theory restrict your creativity.

Once a colour theme is picked, brides often think their only option for venue linen is to have a white chair cover and an organza bow in their chosen colour. This is where sometimes a little inspiration goes a long way. Why not pick an appointment with your local Simply Bows and Chair Covers representative and take a swatch or sample along of your chosen colour or colours and let them show you just what you can do to turn your colour into full room transformation. Using chair veils, coloured linen, textured fabrics and drapes and a whole host of accessories from diamante brooches to pearls the Simply Bows and Chair Covers team can create a look that is truly individual. A colour theme is much more than coordinated accessories and a matching bow!

Images used above were from a selection of all Simply Bows and Chair Covers Offices work and include the photography of the very talented Katie Byram Photography, Karen McGowran Photography and Leopard Prints Photography.