Pom Pom Mad…

Pom Poms. This name for me mostly conjures up images of me gluing those little multi-coloured balls of wool onto coloured sugar paper at school during ‘play time’. Or, rather more oddly, playing ‘Pom Pom families’ with my sister (the tiny ones were the babies and the bigger ones were the ‘mums and dads’… Obviously!)

So forgetting childhood flashbacks… This time I am actually talking about decorative paper Pom Poms. Never before has something so simple to make and inexpensive to buy created such a lovely effect for parties and weddings. Over the years there have been various paper trends, from paper-chains to paper lanterns – but I particularly love paper Pom Poms. The way in which the paper is cut creates a spherical floral look, almost resembling a giant hydrangea. Admittedly I am a little late in getting on the bandwagon as these have been floating around (quite literally) for a fair few months now, but it wasn’t until I purchased some for a party recently that my love for them really blossomed (I must stop with the puns now!) They arrive flat, with simple instructions on how to turn them into blooms – they must have taken me about 5 minutes per pom pom to create.

The great thing about Pom Poms is that they can be hung from pretty much anywhere; beams, light fittings, door frames, or even placed directly on tables. I think they tend to look better placed in groups and generally in odd numbers. For my friend’s party that I am hosting, I’ve decided to hang them from my fireplace to make a real feature; three of them in different sizes (small, medium and large) and in three colours – pink, yellow and blue. Of course, it is completely up to the individual on what colour Pom Poms to use and where to hang them – my personal view is you can’t go wrong with them. So, if you fancy something a little different from your everyday party balloon… try Pom Poms!

For similar to the above try Amazon.com (I ordered mine from here) but they are also available on party stockist websites and eBay too. Have fun!

Speak soon,
Becky ❤

Taste the rainbow…

As my last blog focused on a more neutral palette, I thought I would take a look at something in rather stark contrast to this; a multi-coloured party theme. Now, I tend to sway towards more muted colours usually, but after looking at some of the arrays of beautiful hues used at certain weddings and parties, I couldn’t help but smile. There is certainly something about a multi-coloured theme that screams fun and laughter – and surely that’s what a party should be all about, right?

Now this cake is most definitely an eye-catcher! At first I thought the hundreds of coloured ‘blobs’ were skittles, but upon closer inspection, these are hand-iced. Impressive. This particular cake comes from a scrummy bakery in Texas, America (website below), but for those of you this side of the pond, try http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com for similar, or for something a little less labour intensive, speak to your chosen cake maker about using hundreds and thousands to cover your entire cake for a similar explosion of colour – as below.

http://www.riseandshinebakery.com

With a multi-coloured theme it’s best to have key focal points in rainbow hues whilst keeping the rest of the décor neutral to draw the eye; white tablecloths and white chair covers would offset a multi-coloured floral centrepiece wonderfully. And why not try placing pick and mix sweets in various colours and shapes in glass bowls on tables to make a statement. A multicoloured bouquet against a white bridal dress looks stunning. Lanterns or paper pom poms in various colours are a real talking point!

So, if you’re ever indecisive about colour schemes… why not have them all!

Speak soon,
Becky ❤

Natural inspiration…

I thought I would share with you a beautiful Wedding Reception setting, designed by the amazing Mindy Weiss, who is an incredibly successful Wedding and Party Planner based in Los Angeles. Mindy herself came from very humble beginnings – she simply loved organising parties for friends and created custom made invites for them. Encouraged by others who saw her creativity, she started up a party planning consultancy and is now one of the most sought after event planners in America.

What I particularly love about this setting is the use of several textures which really ‘lifts’ the neutral palette used. The light gauzy fabric draped on the back of the chairs (I particularly like the fabric flowers placed on the back of ladies’ chairs) and the pale tablecloths create a ‘blank canvas’ which really draws the eye towards the beautiful floral centrepieces on the tables and then up towards the draping of material and ornate lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

I love the idea of having beautiful greenery intertwined with fairy lights above the dance floor; it’s a real focal point and creates fluidity to the theme – the venue is very open to the outside, showing trees and foliage in the background. By bringing ‘the outside in’ to the inside of the venue, a natural outdoor-sy look is created.

If you would like to see more of Mindy’s work, her website is http://www.mindyweiss.com

Speak soon,
Becky ❤

Let’s start at the very beginning…

Firstly, I would like to welcome you to my page and to say thank you for visiting!

I have decided to start up a blog for two reasons. 1. For somewhere to channel the ideas and inspirations I so often see all around me and to keep them all in one place, and 2. To share with you my journey, (which at this stage is only at the very beginning) in hopefully fulfilling my dream of becoming a Wedding and Party Planner. As this is a hugely competitive industry I know the road will be a long and tricky one, but I have such a huge passion for all aspects of styling and planning, that even if I don’t ‘make it’ – this will still be a wonderful place for me to be creative, share ideas and discover more things that make me happy.

So, without sounding incredibly cliché…

…For as long as I can remember I’ve loved everything about Weddings! The romance, the drama, your loved ones all in one room, a place to show people what you are passionate about through the styling and theme, delicious food and drink, laughter with friends, dancing the night away, memorable photographs that will be shared for years to come – and so much more.

I’m known by most of my friends as a ‘hopeless romantic’, which I hope is mostly endearing, rather than annoying…! Like a lot of naïve young girls, I grew up watching Disney films and reading fairy-tale books believing that all relationships consisted of going to balls, dancing with a dreamy looking man, falling in love and living happily ever after. Of course, with time, we soon learn that this is not entirely true, however most women (and some men!) still like to imagine that elements of these romantic ideals will play a part in their lives at some point… and I for certain am one of these people. I do try and look at romance in more realistic terms now of course… A wedding to me is not so much ‘Happy Ever After’, but more a ‘Happy Beginning’ of what will be the fantastic start of a journey full of plenty of ‘ups’ and a few ‘downs’ and bumps in the road along the way. We all know that life isn’t perfect, but as the years go by, it’s heart-warming to know that a couple can always look back on their wedding day together with the fondest of memories and remember the day that celebrated their love for one another when things don’t feel so much like a fairy-tale.

I will be updating my blog as and when I can (which I hope will be quite often!) with photos, idea’s, quotes and anything else that takes my fancy!

Speak soon,
Becky ❤

"I love her and that's the beginning of everything." – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Love is like a…

“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.” – Bruce Lee