Tiki Theme Party

I´m often asked to style and decorate pre-wedding and post-wedding parties at villas as well as the wedding itself which is awesome as it gives clients (and myself!) a chance to get really creative and go crazy. Whether it´s the day before or the day after the wedding, the look can (and I believe should) be completely different so that guests feel like they are at a totally different venue altogether. Use a different area of the villa or if that´s not possible, be creative with the space. Often we create Moroccan styled events with chill-out areas decorated with colourful fabrics, lots of rugs scattered around, lanterns and cushions but sometimes couples want to push the boat out and create something really different as often in the UK or Ireland (where a lot of my clients are from) the weather doesn´t allow many pool parties so a Tiki Theme party for instance is a chance for some serious fun. 

The trick is getting the balance right between fun and funky and just plain tacky with this theme. One of the easiest ways to do this is with the colour palette. By choosing 3 or 4 main colours and using 2 of them in prominent places throughout the party will bring a unity to the event. For example use pink for the flamingos, and pink in your table decorations as well as in the lighting around the villa. Then use say, use turquoise for napkins and add a turquoise sugar rim to your cocktail glasses. Little bits here and there really do bring everything together and although it may not seem like it in theory using such bright colours at different sides of the spectrum, it really does work - trust me! And avoid those little paper umbrellas that folks used to put in cocktails. Nothing will ever make them look cool. 

Photo sources: Pink flamingos - getflocked.com, Cocktail - loveitsomuch.com, Chair - photographed by Corbin Gurkin, Totem pole sweets - birdsparty.com)

Pretty in pink wedding at El Oceano Beach Hotel

Happy New Year! This being my first post of 2014 I thought I would sweep away the winter blues and add a ray of sunshine with a pretty in pink wedding that we created way back last summer at the fabulous El Oceano Beach Hotel in Mijas. 

Firstly, El Oceano is a fab place whether the sun is shining or not. Right there on the beach with amazing views it was no surprise that Sarah and Paul chose this venue. I was contacted by Paul early on in their wedding planning to create an elegant setting incorporating Sarah´s love of the colour pink. That said, Paul didn´t want pink overkill so we used white as a base colour with touches of pink here and there. 

The ceremony was outside in the grounds of the hotel and honestly, no matter how many weddings we do here I am always blown away by how beautiful the views are. So with this in mind, the ceremony was kept elegant and fuss-free with beautiful flowers from Maxine4Flowers. 

After the ceremony guests were treated to an hour or so of relaxing in the sun while drinking cocktails and then were invited into the restaurant. Again with such amazing views Paul didn´t want to detract from them too much but still wanted to create a bit of a visual impact so we used tall martini glasses with crystals and lots of floating candles for their table centrepieces which we surrounded by more candles - loving the romantic look! - and pink and white petals scattered on the table. 

Thanks as always to David Toms for his fab photos and Maxine for the flowers.

Maressa and Stephen´s vintage wedding in Benahavis

Hard to believe it was almost 6 months ago since Maressa and Stephen´s wedding back in June at the Gran Hotel in Benahavis. Back then I was concerned with keeping their friends and family cool and here I am today swaddled in several layers to keep out the cold ha ha! Looking at their lovely photos (courtesy of fab photographer Kris McGuirk) gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling as Maressa was one of the sweetest brides ever and working with her was such fun.

When I first met Maressa my brief was simple. Vintage with loads of cute touches. Like a lot of brides, Maressa wanted to DIY some bits of her decoration which was great. It´s nice when brides and grooms can get involved creatively as it makes the whole experience more personal. The trick is good communication between the bride and groom and myself so that nothing gets overlooked and everyone knows what they have to do prior to the wedding in order for me to pull it all together on the day. 

Maressa´s true love, apart from Stephen of course, was bunting and blackboards which we incorporated throughout the day from the ´Here Comes The Bride´ flowergirl blackboard to the heart shaped table numbers in the centrepieces. Metres and metres of pretty bunting along with vintage teacups filled with flowers for the centrepieces totally transformed the reception area and at night the area was aglow with cute heart shaped vintage-style fairy lights that Maressa had sourced. 

Thanks to all involved in making this a fab day especially Lisa from Bella Weddings in Spain for another amazing wedding and Kris for allowing me to use his fab snaps. Roll on Spring so I can do it all again - minus the winter woolies! 

Bridesmaid getting ready outfits

So, now that my wedding season is officially over and in between meeting new clients for next year (only 6 months to go until the first one yay!) I´ve been spending some time reminiscing over this year´s nuptials and all the bits that made them so special. More often than not on the wedding day itself I am crazy busy wrapped up in all the work I need to get done so don´t always get time to savour the little details. Then after the event when I receive the professional photographs I think ´Awww sweet´ or ´That was cool´ and it brings all the memories back. 

One thing I noticed this year was that a couple of brides had given their bridesmaids - and in one case a little flower girl - a simple outfit to get ready in and it was such a sweet idea. Apart from being a nice keepsake it´s a practical present too as slips and robes are easy to remove once hair and make up has been done. You could really go to town embroidering them, choosing colour coordinated garments to fit in with your colour scheme or packaging them beautifully. Or not. Just plain and simple. Whichever you choose, remember the climate as here in Spain in the summer, less is more!

(Photo source: http://plumsandpearls.typepad.com/)

Halloween wedding inspiration

I love Halloween. It´s my favourite holiday. I love all the chatter with my kids about what we´re going to dress up as this year and how much fun it will be trick or treating with our friends and neighbours. Decorating our house is awesome too. And it means if I forget to dust a cobweb or two beforehand it won´t matter as it will be authentic ha ha! 

I think Halloween is a great time for weddings too. It´s not too cold (we´re still in Tshirts at this time of year) and there´s a buzz in the air. And Halloween weddings don´t have to be gross and gory; they can be elegant and fun if executed correctly. Things like lighting and colour are hugely important and can create real drama. For a twist on the traditional colour palette of black and orange, add a pop of fuscia pink here and there with accents of silver to take it to another level. Add glitter and sparkle to silhouettes of cats and bats alongside a palette of Cadburys purple, lemon and black. Halloween´s a time to push the boat out and let your imagination go wild - surprise your guests!

(Photo credits: TheKnot.com, OneWed.com)

Zara and Dino : The Big Event at Finca Al Limón, Cartama

Usually when I get booked for an event at some point I get to meet my clients either in person or by Skype before the big day. That wasn´t the case with Zara and Dino as everything was done by email in the months leading up to the wedding so I was really looking forward to meeting them finally. As I turned off the road and was making my way to the venue I saw two guys legging it towards me being chased by a dog. I   couldn´t stop laughing and then when I met Zara a few minutes later and it turned out one of those guys was Dino(!), I instantly knew that this was going to be a brilliant day. And it was. 

Zara and Dino are really a cool and funky couple and this was reflected in the venue they chose and the decoration we designed. The venue, Finca Al Limón in Cartama, is off the beaten track and has a true rustic charm. Zara and Dino used the archway already set in the grounds for their ceremony which we decorated with gerberas and gyp in little hanging vases and draped pearl garlands around the structure. The decoration was vintage in style and this looked awesome alongside Zara´s dress and Dino´s funky suit. Zara had the prettiest headpiece I have ever seen and she looked stunning. I´m so disappointed that I didn´t get any photos of them as they really looked amazing!

After the ceremony family and friends were treated to drinks in the bar alongside the pool while the band played some tunes. The reception meal was held among lemon trees on a terrace alongside the main house which we decorated with vintage lanterns, hanging heart tea lights and lots of fluffy pompoms. 

Big thanks to all involved - Mar from Finca Al Limón, beautiful cake from Sweet Things by Fi (wish I´d got a photo of her gorgeous creation!) and Liz from Ceremoniesinspain.com. It was a great day. 

A few days after their wedding I received this lovely email from Zara and Dino. What more can I say but ´I love my job!´ x

Michelle,

Can we just say a HUGE thank you for making our day extra special. The whole day went beyond our expectations and you played a big part in it. Was lovely to meet you.

Take Care

Mr & Mrs Vella

Kathe and Robert : The Big Event at a gorgeous Spanish cortijo

I first met Norwegian Kathe along with her friend at a beachside cafe many months ago to discuss her dream wedding to her (now) husband Robert. What struck me first about this beautiful lady was how totally relaxed about her nuptials she was. And I mean so relaxed that on her wedding day when most brides are either drinking champagne or getting a tad nervous/excited/impatient/giddy or all of the above, Kathe had a nap. Seriously. They don´t come more chilled out than this lady. Anyway, I digress. 

For the style of her wedding day, Kathe wanted a relaxed and romantic feel with tons of candles. Her brief to me was simple ´Mama Mia meets Marbella´. Her wish was our command and we decorated the beautiful cortijo where they said ´I do´ in candles galore. As the cortijo is such a stunning venue in its own right (and a personal favourite of mine) we added subtle details to enhance its beauty with pops of fuchsia against white which was carried through the flowers, dessert table and stationery. 

Thanks to all the team who made it such a great day including the lovely Lisa Franco wedding planner extraordinaire (check out her blog http://bellaweddingsinspain.blogspot.com.es/2013/07/norwegian-wedding-in-spain.html for a REAL insight to this wedding!), David Toms for such superb photos (www.davidtoms-weddings.com) and DJ Rob (http://www.robrocksthehouse.com) for staying up til 4 am blasting out the tunes.