Intimate baby shower at Goldbrick House

Not to scare any brides out there but sometimes, just sometimes, you have a baby.  And so I didn't think it would be too out of place to share the baby shower I threw for my future-sister-in-law the other week at the gorgeous Goldbrick House.

I knew that Elly loves vintage crockery so was keen to get Ali Cook from Bristol Vintage on board as soon as possible. They have a range of options for brides wanting to include beautiful crockery for their special day, without having to find and store it yourself. My person favourite is the high tea package which has everything you need for a summery celebration; it even includes scones and cupcakes.

 

The other thing I knew needed including were sweets.  And lots of them! Elly has a major sweet tooth and loved the idea of having a candy buffet.  As an extra special treat I asked Steph of How2IDo to put together some tasty treats for the guests.  Steph recently started putting her candy buffets and will match the ribbons, the dishes and the colour of the sweets to the theme of your big day.  Because our theme was bright colours (not so much of a theme, I know) she made sure her corner of the table was just as colourful. But here's another thing; Elly and most of her family are vegetarian so Steph went above and beyond to make sure as many of the sweets were vegetarian friendly.  All but two were and they were clearly marked so we had absolutely no problems. Perfection.

We put together goody bags for the guests.  I ordered bags that matched the colour theme, and paper clipped a thank you note to the front.  The bags included a copy of a Beatrix Potter book, a ginger biscuit made by Elly and a copy her baby scan.

Because I was so busy running around on the day I completely forgot to take better pictures of The Library, the room we used at Goldbrick House. Unlike a lot of venues you do not pay to hire the room and pay for the bar on top, there is simply a deposit paid before the event and a minimum bar spend which varies depending on the time of day. We arranged to have hot and cold drinks so a coffee and tea table was set up in one corner, a small bar in the other, larger tables for the food and a small table for gifts.  The space is pretty, bright and tucked away from the rest of the venue so you really feel like the space is yours.

The pictures aren't brilliant but I just had to share them.  The shower was a triumph and it was all thanks to local  Bristol businesses coming together and making it happen.

Enjoy the sunshine,

Hannah xxx

Why Wedding Planners Aren’t Just for the Rich and Famous

I recently met the lovely Steph at a launch party and had a great time chatting to her about wedding planning and how it can save you money.  So when she sent through this article she'd written I knew I had to share it with you!

Enjoy,

Hannah x

Amazing Frank the wedding planner from the film Father of the Bride

Steph Allison from How 2 I Do

In the UK there is still a bit of a misconception about the role of a Wedding planner. I was recently asked if I was like Franck, the wonderfully flamboyant Wedding Planner from Father of the Bride and as much as I love that film, the answer is definitely no. In reality Wedding Planners are not an extravagance and they do not need to add thousands to your Wedding budget. In fact they are more likely to save you money than cost the earth. Add to this the reduction in stress and planning time that a Wedding planner can bring and it starts to look a far more interesting proposition.

It has been estimated recently that it takes over 250 hours to plan a Wedding. That’s the equivalent of doing a full time job for 7 weeks on top of your day job and for busy modern couples with hectic social lives and demanding careers, it can be hard to fit it all in without becoming majorly stressed out. Wedding Planners will work with you by helping you to get the very best that your budget allows while guiding, calming and inspiring you.

If you have a smaller budget you may think that you can’t afford a planner, but most planners offer a broad range of services that start from around £50 for sourcing services to find your dream venue or a top supplier. We can use our Wedding Industry knowledge and local contacts to negotiate you the best rates and advise you on how to spend your budget wisely. Planners can also be involved in your Wedding at any stage from planning workshops to get you started to full or partial planning.

One you have agreed numbers, date and have your venue booked, one of the most stressful parts of planning a Wedding has to be the last six weeks where you can feel you are being pulled in all directions having to attend meetings, make crucial decisions and confirm details with all of your suppliers. A surprisingly affordable service that planners offer to combat this last minute stress and panic is On the Day Wedding Coordination.

If you book this service, your planner will meet you 4-6 weeks before the Wedding to go through all of the key details to make you a thorough timetable for the day to ensure it runs smoothly. They will then contact all of your suppliers for you to confirm your bookings and what time they are needed at your venue. Best of all they will be supporting you with any last minute details in the run up to the Big Day.

If you have a Wedding Planner on your Wedding day you can just relax and focus on being happy and in love, socialising with your loved ones and enjoying the day safe in the knowledge that there is a calm professional ensuring that everything runs like clockwork and any little issues will be dealt with calmly and efficiently.

We offer this service from just £350 and prices depend on the size and scale of the Wedding, so before you rule out a Wedding Planner, take a look at some of the fantastic services that planners can offer and you may see why hiring a Wedding Planner is becoming increasingly popular with couples in the UK and it’s definitely not just for the rich and famous.