Wedding Path NewsWire
Reception (page 7 of 16)
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RECEPTION Table Glamour 11956 views
For a touch of sparkling sophistication, the new Elegantly Entertaining range by The Last Detail is perfect for a winter wedding with plenty of glamour-factor.
‘Elegantly Entertaining’ has been launched by leading wedding favour and table decorations specialist The Last Detail to inject some style and glamour into the wedding celebrations. The range includes all the necessary table accessories to create a ‘wow’ factor from table games and luxury crackers to stylish candle votives, sparkling table gems and beautiful glass place card holders and napkin rings. We love the hand-faceted glass place card holders (£12.50 for 6) as well as the hand-embellished napkin rings (£15), giving an opulent and glamorous finishing touch to your table. The silver presentation box of table games (£6.50) is a great help to get the conversation flowing. Each silver box contains 40 conversation starting questions designed
to break the ice such as ‘Who has most influence on your life?’ 
Make sure the table sparkles as much as the conversation by dotting around clear table gems (£9.50) and frosted votive candle holders (£10.50 for 3) in shades of silver and grey. Each votive is embellished with miniature crystals or frosting, which when placed next to the hand-faceted table gems, bounce light around the table and create a vibrant and striking shimmer.
All ‘Elegantly Entertaining’ products are available to order online at thelastdetail.co.uk and can be found under the ‘party fun/co-ordinating party ranges’ section.
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RECEPTION Sweet Hearts 11083 views
If you have a 'hearts' theme planned for the big day or are simply a die-hard romantic, you'll love the decorative hearts designed by Emily Readett-Bayley. Hang them on chair backs, candelabras, pew ends - they make the perfect wedding day detail.
Wooden hearts carved from sustainable wood come in all shapes, colours and sizes at Emily Readett-Bayley. Finished by hand and decorated with silver, gold or mother of pearl, we love the little hearts on sticks (from £6.25
each for 12cm height), hand painted to Emily's design, and the open hearts (from £5 each) which come on ribbons. You'll also find cute pine or plain white hearts (from £1.50 each) which would make 
pretty place names, napkin ties or table decorations.To find out more, go to poshgraffiti.com or call 01400 281 563.
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RECEPTION Garden Party 9450 views
’DIY weddings’ soar as the credit crunch hits the wedding industry and couples look for penny-saving ideas. B&Q reports a rise in the number of ‘garden weddings’ and shares a few store secrets with WP.
With the cost of the average UK wedding reaching £15,925◊, Brits feeling the pinch of the credit crunch simply can’t afford to get married the traditional way and increasingly grooms are leading their brides down the garden path rather than up the aisle.
August, traditionally the busiest month for nuptials, saw couples across the UK making the most of the limited good weather this year. According to B&Q, this summer saw more brides turning their backs
on celebrity-style weddings to hold more intimate gatherings in their back gardens. Lucy Noonan, founder of The Event Dressers says: “In 2008 we have seen a big rise in the number of garden and gazebo weddings. Couples appear to be cutting costs on venue hire, choosing instead to invest in long-lasting and cost effective products for the garden which can then be styled to create a luxury look for less for their big day.”
A DIY wedding doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style though. B&Q sells a number of affordable ‘garden wedding’ products to help ensure the big day is one to remember. Caroline Slavin Category Manager for Garden Leisure at B&Q says: “Following the increase in more intimate, personal and lower budget garden weddings, we’ve introduced some new pergolas and arbours. Our range of gazebos – essential for the British weather – offer affordable solutions for weddings and celebrations that will last for years to come.” The Grange Flower Walk (£479) will create a beautiful aisle in any garden and the Jac Flower Domed Pergola (£649) provides the perfect setting to make your vows. Entertain your guests in style with the grand Sundowner Bar (£3299) - made from 100% FSC certified wood it offers a permanent longterm solution for al-fresco summer entertaining.
To find your nearest B&Q store, call 0845 850 0175 or go to diy.com.
◊Source: You & Your Wedding Magazine, June 2008
Image © iStockphoto -
RECEPTION Catering Diary 11182 views
Former opera singer Julian Saipe, now MD of party caterers, Zafferano, gives WeddingPath a glimpse behind the scenes of what it is like to run a glitzy reception at a top London venue.
Here’s the countdown...
16.00 hours... arrive at venue, check in with security, all electrical equipment tested by the venue’s in-house technician.
16.30 hours... gain access to ‘back-of-house’ areas. Our back-of-house manager supervises porters and sets up areas to clear ‘dirties’ glassware, china etc. Ice bins used to chill drinks, ‘field kitchen’ set up.
17.00 hours... event manager and waiting staff arrive at the back-of-house.
17.30 hours... staff briefing. A dinner for 300 may have two managers, two head waiters, two bar managers, one back-of-house manager, six porters, 30 waiting staff, twelve chefs. Waiters and porters get ready with tables, chairs, glassware, linen etc.
18.00 hours... the venue closes to the public.
18.05 hours... the venue’s operations manager gives a signal that the Museum’s front-of-house areas are clear
18.06 hours... we are granted access to the venue. Bar areas and areas for warming food in hot containers or plating food are protected with rubber drugget or blue flooring carpet depending on floor surface. Speedy but safe assembly of bars, dining tables, occasional tables and table settings. A reception for 300 people will require 300 chairs, 30 tables, 350 items of linen, 2,700 pieces of glassware and china.
18.30 hours... guests arrive.
Welcome... to the world of high-profile catering at any of London’s most famous and prestigious venues, including the British Library, Tate Britain, the Imperial War Museum and Somerset House as well as world-famous attractions like the London Dungeon and the London Eye, and even HMS Belfast. More than sixty of these venues, handled
by Unique Venues of London are great for wedding receptions but leave the caterers with quite a challenge. An overriding consideration is that the venue will almost certainly be open to the public. Consequently none of the caterer’s personnel or equipment can be moved into the venue proper until the last member of the public has departed. It’s perfectly likely that the time-window you have for setting everything up will be barely half an hour. And that really does mean ‘everything’: all the food, all the drink, all the glassware, cutlery, flowers, props for themed parties, furniture you are bringing in, carpet covers, the sound system, special lighting, and anything else you might need. There are strict requirements and regulations for everything, even extending to the electrical equipment you bring in. Everything has to be done absolutely as it needs to be done, which means properly and according to Cocker.
And after the last dance...?
23.00 hours (or later).... the last guests get into their carriages. And the entire military operation that got the party underway now takes place in reverse. All equipment, all rubbish, all everything, must be removed with the venue left ‘as found’. Even a single misplaced coffee granule will be deemed a bad 'clear-down' and can get the caterer into the venue’s bad books.
24.00 hours... all the caterer’s vans, fully laden, should be leaving the venue about now and heading back to the caterer’s premises or various suppliers’ premises to be unloaded. Personnel involved with unloading will often work through the night to have everything back and ready in place for the next working day. Ready for a party anyone?
To find out more about Zafferano go to zafferano.co.uk or call 020 8905 9120 -
RECEPTION Best Bunting 8809 views
Pretty floral bunting is perfect for a country themed wedding, transforming a village hall, a marquee or even an outdoor location where bunting can be hung in the trees. Rather than ending up with metres of bunting after the big day, we have found the perfect paper bunting - all recycable!
Devon Bear Designs have just launched two fabulous bunting products. One cotton and personalised, and the other, bright and stylish paper bunting that can be recycled after the day. Paper Bunting (£5.50 a pack) can be assembled in minutes - no sewing required. Everything you'll need is in the pack. Simply decide the order you want to arrange your flags, thread the ribbon through the pre-punched holes and hang. The flags are printed on both sides for a true authentic effect. And all patterns are copies of vintage fabric, so your bunting is so realistic it's hard to tell it's paper. Don't leave it out in the rain though!
The pack contains 18 double-sided paper flags (a really nice quality paper, 160gsm if you want to be technical) featuring a selection of vintage designs, together with 4.5m (14.5 feet) of ribbon to hang your bunting.
Alternatively, you can choose Vintage Delights – Personalised Cotton Bunting (£25 for 5½m). The pure cotton bunting has 17 double-sided cotton flags, all hand-sewn in deepest rural Devon and comes in two delicious colourways … nautical or strawberries & cream. But we’ve left the best bit until last – the centre flag is bigger than the others. This is for you to personalise with your initials, the date of your wedding - or any text of your choice.To find out more go to devonbeardesigns.com. And if you would like to more about Helen, who set up Devon Bear Designs, visit her blog on notesfromadevonvillage.blogspot.com.
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