Festival Brides

A few weeks ago I popped along to The Make Lounge with a couple of friends to try our creative skills on a spot of cake pop making..!! But what is a cake pop I hear you ask.. Well, they are small crumbs of sponge mixed with butter cream to create solid circular pops.. You can then cover and decorate them to your hearts desire!!

You can make lots of fun animals such as pigs and sheep or you can keep things really simple and use glitter and sprinkles. They would look great for a themed festival wedding and a great alternative to a traditional cake!!

I have to admit that cake decorators are now in a league of their own. You can understand why we pay them to bake and decorate our wedding cakes when you do this workshop!! All the same its a fun Hen Do experience and I would definitely recommend a bit of cake popping with the girls pre wedding day!!

Bookings start at £39 per person and include all materials, expert instruction, tools and equipment, plus tea and coffee, all in a fun, friendly atmosphere!

The minimum guest charge is for 8 people; book a group of 15 or more and the bride-to-be goes free!

On the day of your party, you can bring your own wine/champagne (no corkage fees) and party nibbles. They provide wine glasses, champagne flutes, platters, bowls, cake stands, etc.  plus iPod docking stations for your very own PARTY!!

They are steps aways from the vibrant London’s Upper Street bars and restaurants so you can continue the celebrations after your workshop….

 Amy and I dunking our pops… Could I be more excited ??

At the end of the workshop we had the chance to decorate our own cake pop (freestyle). I opted for a bright star number as I thought this theme would be perfect for a fun festival wedding!! You could decorate yours as microphones, flags or maybe create some wellies!!

If you haven’t heard of The Make Lounge before.. check them out as they do loads of great workshops that are perfect for an alternative hen do. My next workshop of choice will be the ‘Fancy Pant’s’ Knicker Customising – Bring a pair of knickers and transform them into glamorously gorgeous pants! Use Swarovski crystals, ribbons, lovely fabric, applique motifs, and more.

Book your Hen Do at The Make Lounge by phoning 020 7609 0275 or emailing parties@themakelounge.com

www.themakelounge.com

Tailor-made wedding signs, bridesmaid & flower girl gifts, favours and place cards – Just perfect for a festival style wedding..

My favourite is this canvas.. Once you have decided on your first dance, order your bespoke canvas featuring the words – Perfect decor for a festival wedding!!

Get in touch with Claire to discuss your designs:

07970602130  /  claire@paintedwithlove.co.uk

www.paintedwithlove.co.uk

Favors can often be the last detail on the list for wedding day planning. We believe favors should be inexpensive expressions of love and friendship, so a little thought can go along way!! Here are some simple ideas on how to create your own DIY favors that are meaningful and beautiful!!

MAKE YOU OWN SEED MATCH BOOK

Something to remember in the form of a cheery, charming pack of forget-me-not seeds. To be remembered long after the big day, guests will watch the blossoms – and the memories – spring to life year after year!! Simply visit Martha Stewart to download the artwork and make it your own- Just add seeds…

A TREE FOR LIFE

Give a favor that symbolizes love growing and becoming stronger with time… Many seedlings are available at nurseries – Choose your favourite spruce and wrap the base with mixes of fabric, gather, and tie with twine. Download your tree tag here.

KEEP THE KIDS HAPPY

This is such a fun and easy favor for the kids… I’m sure it will keep them amused for at least 20 minutes. (Enough time for a glass of wine and chat to the person sat next to you!!)

OUR GIFT IS OUR SONG…

And last and by far our favourite favor…. Homemade CD’s with the Brides and Grooms most loved tunes.. A truly personal and unique gift!! We think this is just awesome for a Festival Style Wedding and so easy and cheap to DIY!! Whats songs would feature on your songlist??? Watch this space for our top picks soon…In the meantime check out Independent Love Songs – Our Monday feature

We love this idea…What better for a Festival Wedding – Your own brewed beer!! Such a great experience for the bride and groom or maybe for the groom and best man…

Nutbrook brewery, run by Dean and Chris Richards, is based in rural Derbyshire.  Their personalized beers are a great talking point at any special occasion or event. Plus it appears all men secretly want to try their hand at making beer.

The groom and best man will come to our brewery for a ‘tasting’ meeting. This obviously involves trying a wide spectrum of Nutbrook ales (designated driver required!!!). This helps the groom decide what type of beer he would like to brew.  Our unique “Design a Beer” program developed by Chris enables you to create your personal recipe within 20 minutes.

Every beer is unique to each person. They design everything from the colour of the beer, ABV %, to the hops and grains used to make the beer and of course the all-important name and label!

Once the recipe has been ‘designed’ the groom and best man will spend a “Brew Day” with us making their beer! This is done under the watchful eye of one of our brewers.

When the beer is ready it is put into casks ready for the ‘special’ day! The groom has the choice of having a 72-pint cask of ‘their’ beer served at ‘their’ wedding using a traditional hand pump or 500ml bottles.

The bottles have proved to be the firm favourite at weddings as they make great ‘groom/wedding favours’.  The labels for the bottles can be as imaginative or quirky as you like!

Nutbrook’s beautiful, handmade wooden bar also makes a great addition to any wedding. We offer licensed and unlicensed packages.  With a range of our real ales plus spirits and soft drinks on request, we can tailor our bar to your requirements. Our relaxed, informal (but always professional) approach draws people to the bar. For those new to real ales they can always sample a little before they buy!

If you fancy a more rustic, relaxed wedding why not have choose their real ale bar and Oakfield Farm Hog Roast endless…

For further details please contact Victoria Leeming on 07716 733373 or email victoria@nutbrookbrewery.com

*Design a Beer with Brew Day costs £265 with a maximum of 2 people. Price includes the beer set up; brew day and a choice of 72-pint cask of 72 x  500ml bottles. Additional barrels and bottles can be ordered. www.nutbrookbrewery.com

Photo via Etsy.com

 

Romantic and rustic with a vintage feel, Rhino Feathers, a US based company, design’s custom made favours which act as the perfect compliment to a country themed wedding.

Rhino Feathers is the brain child of Kylee Visser, a joyful newlywed (aka ex-bride), who used the wedding planning process as a creative/art outlet.

You can take your pick from her handmade sweet bags, favour bags, table name tags/favour tags and even quirky mustaches which will certainly get your guests talking as they sit down for the reception breakfast!

Photo via Etsy.com

Photo via Etsy.com

Photo via Etsy.com

I love the idea of  guests taking their sweet bags to an old school confectionery style table with jars of rhubarb custards, strawberry bon bons, barley sugar and humbugs!

Photo via Etsy.com

You could also use them as party bags for your guests to take home or even fill them with grapes; crackers; a small pot of homemade chutney; a selection of cheese and then hand them out as mini lunch boxes in the evening or as an alternative to dessert!

Photo via Etsy.com

Photo via Etsy.com

Whatever you decide they certainly have that DIY country feel to them that we love!

For more information please visit: Etsy.com – Rhino Feathers

Available for delivery to the UK.