A Multicultural Wedding Inspiration

December 1, 2020July 16, 2022Leave a comment

A multicultural wedding inspiration with influences from Jamaican and Indian cultures.
This styled shoot fuses elements from both countries using the national symbols from both countries – the Hummingbird and the Lotus.

Welcome sign featuring the Hummingbird and the Lotus for a Multicultural Wedding- Fabulous Functions UK

The wedding world has been thrown a whopper of a spanner thanks to the global pandemic Covid-19.

Couples are still falling in love, still saying “Yes” to the question “Will you m….” and we are so happy because we love all things weddings. The questions, the researching, the discoveries. The decision making, and the journey to the glorious “I Do’s”

Table setting with hummingbird and lotus themed stationery for a multicultural wedding- Fabulous Functions UK

This styled shoot brings together two beautiful cultures – A Jamaican groom and an Indian bride, creating an elegantly beautiful fusion of two cultures.

Jamaican Groom and Indian Bride for a Multicultural Wedding Themed Styled Shoot. - Fabulous Functions UK

We chose the Lotus flower; India’s national flower and the Humming Bird; Jamaica’s national bird to symbolise the union of the two cultures. The colours are strong and vibrant while lending the opportunity for softness and sophistication.

These were used by Payal of Caligraphy by Payal to create an original design which could then be reproduced in the various elements of the stationery. Nicky of Polkadot Creations designed the welcome board and the banner and Anna of Evelyn and Elliot created the menu cards and the place cards.

Multicultural Wedding Couples

We created two looks for our multicultural couple: the traditional white wedding.

White wedding for our multicultural wedding-Fabulous Functions UK

and the traditional Indian wedding.

Indian Wedding Lehengha for our Indian Bride Fabulous Functions UK

Both representing the lives of our modern day couples who want to honour their heritage and embrace the diversity of the world they live in.

Set in the beautiful Kings Head Hotel and featuring the tall sweeping heights of the modern Assemble rooms; giving couples the choice of décor and style for their celebrations. The centuries old walls of the vaulted cellar is perfect for a fabulous party to celebrate the start of your beautiful journey.
The Kings Head Hotel has some fabulous spaces perfect for your celebrations big and small. From the Corn Hall which comfortable seats 400 guests to the library for an intimate gathering of 10 guests.
We chose the Assemble Room which can accommodate up to 180 guests.

We chose a banquet style setting for this setting, The table supplied by the accessory hire company, Hospitality Services LTD were complemented with the lovely crossback chairs. The tables and chairs echos beautifully the natural world associated with both countries.
The centrepieces were long lush green garlands, interspersed with blue hydrangeas and purple / fuchsia anemone. The lushness and vibrancy of the centrepieces brings to mind the vegetation associated with the two continents in which the two countries are situated.

Table Setting for a Jamaican and Indian Fusion Themed wedding photoshoot-Fabulous Functions UK — Banquet style setting for a Multicultural wedding inspiration at the **King’s Head Hotel in Cirencester**

Gold Charger Plates for a Banquet Style Table Setting - Styled by Fabulous Functions UK — The beauty of crystal glassware contrasts beautifully with the wooden trestle tables from **Hospitality Services LTD**

Wedding inspiration for a Jamaican Indian fusion wedding- Fabulous Functions UK — Fabulous images from photographer Steffen of **Steffen Milsom Photography**

Black and White themed tablescape-Fabulous Functions UK

Candle light dinners setting for a wedding - Fabulous Functions UK

Table for two at a black tie dinner setting -Fabulous Function UK — Gorgeous Wedding gown from **Theia Couture**

Why settle for one gown on your wedding day when you can wear two? The gorgeous white wedding gown is the beautiful creation from the fab designers at Theia Couture. Created in a soft crepe and embellished with delicate beading on the straps at the back

Theia couture gown for a multicultural wedding — Make up was supplied by the very talented Maurice at **Make_by_Mauric**e and hair by **Kamila of Kamila Roberts MUA**

A multicultural wedding styled shoot featuring the Hummingbird, the national bird ofJamaica and the Lotus Flower, India's national flower. The setting was designed by Fabulous Functions UK

For your entertainment, this blog about wedding traditions around the world is a fun read. It’s perfect for finding out about some of the fabulous traditions wedding couples from around the world follow.

We would love to have you in our social media family, please like and follow us on social media to keep up to date with our happening and to see even more of our decor.
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Charger plates are used to dress a table for a wedding or special event. These gold rimmed charger plates are a perfect complement to the wooden table set in a banquet style for the guests. Created by Wedding Designer Fabulous Functions UK

Charger Plates – When and How to Use Them

November 6, 2020July 16, 2022Leave a comment

What are charger plates?

“What is a charger plate?” That’s a good question. And, unless you’re in the wedding or events world, or do a lot of entertaining, it’s possible you’ll have no idea what they are.

A charger plate is a simply a very large plate used for decorative purposes. They’re sometimes referred to as service plates or under plates.

Why would you use a charger plate?

Luxury venue styling ideas from Fabulous Functions UK — Banquet style setting with an ombre themed tablescape featuring glass charger plates

We use charger plates to dress a table for special events such as a wedding, vow renewal or special birthday. They dress a table place setting and help to define your theme and style. Charger plates come in a wide range of styles, shapes and materials from glass to china to wood or metal. Or even melamine or plastic. They can be plain or decorated.

When you’re designing the style for your table, consider the look you want to achieve. Is the feel going to be a modern and contemporary one? Or are you aiming for a particular vintage era or something edgy and minimalist. Or maximalist on the other hand? Whatever look and feel you’re aiming to achieve, there’s a charge plate to complement your style and decor aesthetics.

The charger plates form part of the guest place settings. You can have the plates for your various courses set on top in readiness for your guests sitting at their tables. Or you can place the napkins and place cards on the charger plates. Your plated entrée and main courses are then placed on top of the charger during the meal.

White charger plates with a diamante rim available from venue stylist and accessory hire Fabulous Functions UK — White charger plates with a diamante rim – A beautiful complement to a **silver and grey theme d wedding decor.**

Gold rimmed charger plate- Wedding table setting — Gold charger plate layered with plates and dishes for the various courses. Perfect for an Autumn or winter festive event.

Vintage style charger plate with a scroll design on the edges. Styling by Wedding designer Fabulous Functions UK — **Contact Fabulous Function s UK** to see our range of charger plates for hire

Yellow fluted edge charger plate - Wedding table setting - Fabulous Functions UK

Chargers are always removed from the table after all guests are finished eating the main course. They’re taken away with the dinner plate still on top, as this clears the table and leaves it ready for the serving of dessert.

Charger plate hire

You can hire your charger plates from various event organisers or catering companies if you’re organising a large event. If you plan to use charger plates a lot, it may serve you to buy them. Though this may restrict the range of chargers you have at your disposal for each of your events.
Each event deserves its own style of charger plates depending on the theme, style and colour palette of your event.

Fabulous Functions UK has a range of beautiful charger plates at your disposal. Do contact us to discuss the range and style of chargers that we offer to find one that will best complement your wedding or event.

And don’t forget our promise: if we don’t have them in stock – we’ll source them for you.

Silver floral edge charger plate - Fabulous Functions UK

As you can tell, I love using chargers in the design of the tables. They lift the table design and, on a practical note, they protect the table from spills.

I trust this blog has inspired you to want to incorporate chargers in your table-scape designs.

We’d love to have you in our social media family. Why not follow us on social media to keep up to date with our happenings and to see even more of our decor? We have lots of inspirational photographs across all our social media. We have a presence on all three of the platforms you see below so you should find us somewhere that you are.

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Charger Plates- What they are and how to use them. Blog Post - Fabulous Functions UK

Planning a 15-Person Wedding

October 22, 2020July 16, 2022Leave a comment

Planning a 15-Person Wedding

We have shifting sands beneath our feet and no mistake. It feels as if there are changes to wedding guidelines every week thanks to Covid – and all guaranteed to affect your plans. At the time of writing you’re allowed 15 guests at your wedding.

So, we thought we’d use this blog to have a look at planning a 15-person wedding. But first:

Take heart!

No matter the changes brought in and the number of guests in attendance, or where you can hold your celebrations – what matters most is the love surrounding you both. Never forget that the important thing is the marriage not the wedding. But before we do anything else here’s an a t-a-glance reminder of the current advice:

In the first instance, choose a Covid-secure venue for your wedding breakfast or celebrations. Not your back garden or a marquee in a neighbour’s field. That sorted:

You can have 15 guests at your wedding. This does not include the officiant, venue staff or suppliers.
You can now have a first dance to celebrate your marriage.
Your wedding breakfast must be a sit-down meal, held in a Covid-secure venue.
Your venue will need to close between 10pm and 5am.
Guests and staff must wear face masks when moving around the venue.

On the subject of face masks, there are companies that can create masks to match your outfit. It’s quite clever to be honest. You provide a pic of your fabric and they create a mask in the pattern and colour of your outfit. I did this for a recent wedding I attended.

No matter what!
You WILL have a beautiful day!
And this become part of your fabulous story!

Planning a 15-Person Wedding

In this Hitched.Co.UK article about such an occasion as the 15-person wedding, they observe that it’s not everyone that wants the whole big, white wedding thing. Which is true. And no doubt it’s just as well because, at the moment, no-one can.

While the definition of a ‘small’ wedding is a matter of personal viewpoint, a general figure is between thirty and sixty guests. A micro-wedding though is the term for one with 20 guests or fewer.

Choose your setting for your 15 person wedding- Go with your heart and make the most of your wedding day. Blog by Fabulous Functions UK — Image courtesy of photography by SallyAnne

If you’re struggling to get your head around having a small wedding rather than the big splash you’d dreamed it’s worth remind yourself why small is beautiful:

You could well save a lot of cash. And that in turn will let you …
… spend more money on the bits that matter the most to you
With a small wedding you can create an intimate and more personal day. One that allows you to …
… spend more individual time with loved ones
And of course, fewer guests means less stress and a relaxed atmosphere.

And of course, a small guest list doesn’t mean all aspects have to be small to match! So – if you want to – go big on the dress

Wedding dress with bow feature on the back. As seen on the instagram of bridal boutique @willoughbyandwolf — Wedding dress with bow feature on the back. As seen on the instagram of bridal boutique W **illoughby and Wolf**

the flowers, the cake, the invitations, the venue, the shoes.

wedding shoes by @loefflerrandall as seen on the instagram of @willoughbyandwolf — Wedding shoes by @loefflerrandall as seen on the instagram of **Willoughby and Wolf**

Small Wedding Planning: Top Tips

The aforementioned article on Hitched gives 7 top tips for planning a small wedding. In summary the main points suggested are:

There are lots of venues that host micro weddings. The venue should be exclusive use to you while you are there.

With a 15-person guest list you have to be super-selective. Thus every single person you invite should be someone close to you and that you can’t imagine marrying with them not present.

Hire a planner/venue decorator to make sure the day flows and you don’t have to worry about food, drink or decorations.

Think about a weekday wedding – although do consider people’s professions. This won’t work if your very closest-couldn’t-possibly-get-married-without-her-there friend is a teacher!

Make the most of the experience you CAN have. Whatever your wedding looks like it’s going to be – don’t rail against it. Instead go with it and push from your mind what was going to be. Focus on the good stuff and make the most of: food, music etc.

Whether you’re planning a 15-Person Wedding or fewer guests than that, Fabulous Functions UK can and will create for a you an atmospheric and amazing day. We guarantee it will linger in the memory in the best possible way. Read this account by a guest at a minimony wedding close to our hearts at Fabulous Functions UK and you’ll see what I mean!

Call us on 0044 7511 842 451 or drop a note to hello@fabulousfunctionsuk.com and let’s talk!

Tips for planning a 15 person wedding - Blog by wedding designer Fabulous Functions UK

More like this.
If you liked this blog then you may like the blog about attending a 15person wedding written from the best mans point of view. Visit An Intimate Minimony Wedding to find out how beautiful they can be.

Happy reading!

An Intimate Minimony Wedding

October 1, 2020July 16, 2022Leave a comment

On August 22nd 2020, it happened at last. My best friend Allen and his lovely partner Rakhee finally got married in an intimate minimony wedding.

I’m Julian and I was Allen’s best man. And here I’m sharing my experience of a wedding in coronavirus times.

A fabulous minimony wedding in covid times. The couple chose to marry despite the restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic gripping the world. Florals created by Fabulous Functions UK

The wedding day was a long time coming. Allen and Rakhee had scheduled their nuptials for April 2020. They’d been many months of planning and preparations, right down to the smallest detail.

A Weekend of Celebrations …

At least the couple had intended the event to be that. They’d booked a grand and beautiful venue for a weekend of celebrations. The event would bring together two large families and many friends from across the world – 200 in total. An intimate minimony wedding wasn’t on anyone’s radar.

But then the dreaded C-word came into our lives turning everything upside down. First of all, the wedding was rescheduled by a few months. Then it was a year’s postponement. And then, with a few weeks’ notice, the wedding was back on for the end of August 2020. But in a much different form. This time an intimate minimony wedding. A minimony ceremony usually involves an officiant, a small group of loved ones and a select number of suppliers, ie. your photographer.

The UK guidelines at that time, restricted attendance at weddings to thirty people at the most. In total there were sixteen of us plus the photographer and the two registrars.

Honoured

I felt so honoured when Allen asked me to be his best man together with Ashley, his brother. So it meant a lot to me to attend this wedding, especially after all the ups and downs of the last month. Yet, being the only guest arriving from outside the UK, I needed to ensure my attendance at Allen’s wedding was both legal and safe.

I was living in Berlin at the time, which had a very low number of cases during the summer. After a lot of thought, I decided that I would do my best to make it to England, but minimising the risks. Easier said than done.

Initially preferring not to fly, I booked three successive modes of transport: Eurostars through France or Belgium was the first plan, but that had to be cancelled a week before the wedding; then a ferry from the Hook of Holland was cancelled a day before my departure. Finally, I settled on flying directly from Berlin to London a few days before the day.

Arriving in the UK, I knew the wedding would be very different from the original conception. From a grand celebration in a sumptuous location, it would now be a much smaller, intimate affair. And in truth, I didn’t quite know what to expect.

The-Groom-and-his-Best-Men-florals-created-by-Fabulous-Functions UK

Worries soon dispelled

But, on the day itself, any worries I had about this wedding in the present Corona virus times were soon dispelled. The first thing that became clear is this: big or small, the focus of the day remains the same. Celebrating the union of two loving partners.

The legal ceremony at the town hall in Frome was very sweet and tasteful. Despite the hygiene rules in place (1.5 metre distance between the attendants, masks worn indoors and no cheering) it never felt sterile or emotionless. Extended family and friends attended via Zoom to witness the beautiful exchange of vows and rings.

When the newly-married couple looked in each other’s eyes and everyone in attendance started clapping and stomping their feet, I completely forgot that we were only fifteen people in the room. Nor did it matter one bit. We were all here to celebrate and share this special moment.

A Covid-compliant wedding reception

After the official ceremony, the celebrations moved to the decorated marquee in the groom’s parent’s garden. Sandra, the groom’s mother (and Fabulous Functions UK MD) had pulled out all the stops and made it look amazing.

Entering that marquee with a canapé in one hand and a glass of Champagne in the other transported me from suburban England into a different world. That of an Intimate minimony wedding.

An intimate Wedding in Covid Times -Fabulous Functions UK

From the flower arrangements to the delicious four-course meal, such an intimate minimony wedding at no point felt like it was a Plan B or a last-minute affair. In fact, the setting, with all the guests sitting on one long table, allowed conversations and sharing the moment with the happy couple, in a way not possible at a much larger celebration.

It was the small things that made this day so special. Instead of catering staff taking care of everything, family members shared those tasks. Parents, brother and sisters carried in plates and poured wine.

This was a joyous, celebratory gathering, and every single person played their part in making this intimate minimony such a special occasion.

Now, in an ideal world, the rest of the family and close friends would have been present. Fingers crossed they’ll also have the chance to celebrate with the new married couple sometime in the future in the manner of a sequel wedding. Yet, at no moment, did I feel that this wedding was ‘too small’.

Very different from the original plan yes, but beautiful in its own right.

The focus of the whole day was on the couple and it was truly a shared experience. Even more so than if 200 people had been in attendance.

I know that Rakhee and Allen will cherish this day forever.

And it’s one intimate minimony wedding that I’ll never forget!

Thank you so much Julian, for writing your account of your best friends wedding in these Covid times. This was certainly a wonderful wedding and the memories will be cherished by the couple and the guests a like. It was full love and joy.

An account of a Minimony wedding in Covid times from the best mans point of view. Read the blog on Fabulous Functions UK

Sequel weddings what it is and how to do it -Fabulous Functions UK

The Sequel Wedding: What it is and how to do it

August 25, 2020July 18, 20221 Comment

August 2020

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to exercise us all – in and out of the wedding industry. We’ve already tackled aspects of the situation a couple of times on our blog in our article about changing wedding plans and a feature about creating a Covid-friendly intimate wedding set-up. But the buzzword now, to work around the restrictions we have, is the sequel wedding. So, in this post we’ll have a look at the sequel wedding – what it is and how to do it.

Covid-Compliant Weddings

So, we have to embrace the reality of weddings with fewer than thirty guests in a Covid-compliant venue. The reality is that for the moment, no wedding can have as many as thirty guests.

Let’s examine why:

Say the capacity of the Covid compliant ceremony room is going to be around 25 people. Remove the registrars from the equation and you’re down to 23. Then there’s the photographer – now you’re at 22 people. And that number has to include the entire wedding party – bride, groom, witnesses, bridesmaids and guests.

But there is a way to get around this problem – and that’s the sequel wedding.

What is a sequel wedding?

The sequel wedding simply refers to a couple hosting several sequential ceremonies/celebrations.

This isn’t a new concept however. Many other cultures and religions have had such a system since … well since for ever. But now, with our pandemic restrictions, British couples are embracing the idea. Indeed, we’re doing this very thing in our own family. My son had his marriage ceremony late August and his wedding celebrations will be at the start of September in 2021.

An intimate wedding- close family attended the marriage ceremony and wedding breakfast. The sequel to be held in 2021 — Image courtesy of photography by Sally Anne

And that’s an important distinction to make in any event, as we wrote in this blog, Your Marriage or Your Wedding, earlier this year.

The sequel wedding concept shows every sign of being the new norm for 2020 and into 2021 too. Following so many months of being unable to see friends and relatives in person, few are now willing to limit the joy of a wedding celebration to one event.

Thus, we’re going to see more and more of what Hitched.Co.UK describe as ‘minimonies, micro weddings and elopements joining big reception celebrations for a sequel wedding.’

It’s typical then for the marriage ceremony to have only the closest of family and friends present, with a larger guest list invited to a second ceremony. And following up those two is a large reception.

Irrespective of Covid, some couples have elected to follow a pattern something like that anyway. A small church or registry office marriage followed a small gathering to mark the occasion. Then a larger party, on a different day, at a chosen venue.

And now, in the midst of Coronavirus, there’s a rising trend of couples opting to host, as described above, a minimony or micro-wedding on their original wedding date – or later this year on a re-arranged date. And then they’re planning for a bigger, sparkling, sequel wedding celebration in 2021.

The new wedding jargon

Now for definitions of these new wedding words – so you’re clear on what we’re talking about.

Minimony

This is a cut-down version of your postponed wedding. It’s your legal ceremony or commitment ceremony held by a celebrant your vicar, priest or registrar. You’ll have your minimony in the presence of a few loved ones – either in person or virtually.

Everything will be as you planned it for your original date. You’ll make your vows, have your first dance, have a photographer for a few hours and even a put a knife in to a cut-down version of your wedding cake.

With a minimony your guest list has enforced and severe limitations on it. So the guests you had to cull get an invitation to a follow-up wedding when large groups can meet once more. At the follow-up event you’ll have another ceremony, where you’ll walk down the aisle and exchange your vows, this ceremony can be conducted by a celebrant, followed by a reception.

The sequel wedding - couple at table signing register — Photograph courtesy of **Twirly Girl Photography**

Micro-wedding

I’ll forgive you for wondering what the difference is between this and a minimony. Yet bear with me – there is one.

Whereas a minimony is a Covid-compromise, a micro-wedding is a wedding with fewer than 20 guests by deliberate design.

A common feature of a micro-wedding is the absence of a reception at a later date. The couple concerned are simply choosing to have intimate wedding day in the presence of their very nearest and dearest.

Though of course, many couples are feeling the desire to host a big party in celebration of being able to reunite. Often, they don’t have another ceremony but they do have a ‘sequel reception’ with the emphasis on ‘party’ rather than a second wedding day.

Get in touch

Are you planning a minimony or a micro-wedding? In either event, we at Fabulous Functions UK are here to help. Why not get in touch and arrange a no-obligation consultation?

And if you want to get an idea of how we work and what we do checkout our Instragram and Facebook feeds for inspirational images.

Featured photograph curtesy of Steffen Milsom Photography

The sequel wedding, what is is and how to plan one - Fabulous Functions UK

Venue Walk Through Questions

April 27, 2020July 18, 2022Leave a comment

When you’re choosing your wedding venue there’s lots of stuff you need to know to help you make an informed choice. Because, we know how overwhelming it is – even for the most modest plans -we’ve put this list together.

The venue walk through questions that follow will help you with your venue hunting.

Download a printable PDF of the venue walkthrough questions below:

Venue Walkthrough QuestionsDownload

Before you check your venue out, it’s a good idea to check the venue’s capacity. Is it big enough to accommodate your party? Too big and your party will look a little lost. We recommend that you:

Do some advance research

How many hours is the venue available to you? What are the charges if your celebrations run over?
What staff will they have available on the day? And is there a designated point of contact between them and your wedding contractor?
Rehearsal – With a church wedding, you can arrange a rehearsal. Is it possible to have one in the venue you’re viewing?
Consider noise levels. What time will the reception/party finish? And – what time do they want you to vacate the venue?
Public liability insurance – who will need this? The venue – or you? And what about the vendors you are using? They probably will have their own but check.
Security – is it needed? Does the venue provide any?
Loading zone and parking – is it available to guests and vendors? Can cars be left overnight and what charges might that incur?
Disability access – what is the venue like in terms of bathroom access for walkers and wheelchairs etc.
1. Also for getting from the car park to the venue.
2. Are the paths gravel or paved ( important for wheel chair access)
Seasonal concerns – is there somewhere for coats, boots, umbrellas?
Mobile heating – do they have mobile heating for outdoors. If they’re providing a marquee are they providing heating for it?
Getting ready – do they offer anywhere? Is it included in the price or not? Ask to see rooms to assess for suitability.
Lighting – If you do the walkthrough in daylight hours, think how it might look at night. Consider the lighting for a photo booth. backdrop lighting, ceiling lighting, the DJ. Will there be maintenance on the night in case of problems.

Ceremony Layouts

Venue Walk Through Questions - Happy guests at an autumn themed wedding

What follows are some venue walk through questions apropos ceremony layout and venue decorating.

If space is available, consider alternative layouts: circular or semi-circular. Also, if you’re using the same room for both ceremony and wedding breakfast, where will the guests go while the room is being turned around?
How many ceremonies per day happen in the venue that you’re looking at? How do they manage parking?
Clear down after the event – does the venue do this? Or are your suppliers expected to? What are the exit times for vendors and rentals?
Catering – is this on-site only? Does the venue have a list of preferred suppliers Or can you bring in your catering company?
Alcohol and corkage charges – can you provide your own alcohol? What’s the corkage rates and is that per bottle or per person?

Decorating restrictions

Things to think about regarding your venue dressing.

Can you hang decor items on walls or ceilings? If so – how?
Ladders – do they have them on site?
Audio visual equipment – Do they provide everything – speakers and all? Or do you have to source that?

It’s a lot to think about isn’t it? I hope these venue walk through questions helps with your venue search. If you think you’d like help with finding the perfect venue then get in touch with us now and let’s see what we can do.

Wedding Venue Walk through Questions - A helpful list of questions to ask doing your wedding venue search - Fabulous Functions UK

In a crisis getting your priorities right is so important. prioritising the marriage over the wedding and making the commitment to each other. The wedding rings symbolises all that and gets is to think about whats important your marriage or your wedding. Blog from Fabulous Functions UK

Your Marriage or Your Wedding?

March 30, 2020July 18, 20221 Comment

27 March 2020

Your Marriage or Your Wedding? When you are planning your wedding, you may begin to think they are one and the same thing. Sometimes circumstances makes us take a look at this assumption.

When you got engaged and started planning your wedding, everything in your world was full of love and excitement.

Your wedding prep went into in full swing. You searched Pinterest and other online sources for inspirations for your dress, shoes, veil, venue and venue décor. Then contacted and chatted to suppliers about your dreams and your vision for your big day.

But that was then.

And this is now. And now we’re in the grip of the Covid-19 virus pandemic and your plans have been thrown into disarray.

Your Marriage or Your Wedding? What’s the Important Thing?

You’re going to feel crushed – of course you are. All that careful planning for naught. That IS how it will feel.

So take a step back and ask yourself what’s the more important: your marriage or your wedding?

Surely what matters most here, is the act of putting an official stamp, on your being joined together as a couple? In a blog on the topic of getting guests to pay for themselves we touched on that.

But now more than ever it’s about getting this perspective on what matters.

Wedding rings photography of Steffen Milsom Photography — **Photography Curtesy of Steffen Milsom Photograph**y

So what to do?

Now – as I write this blog, we’re in effective lockdown. The UK Prime Minister has prohibited all ceremonies – funerals excepted. At the moment the restriction is in place for three weeks. After that who knows what may happen?

You need to take action and get a contingency plan it’s clear.

Here we talk about what we can do and how we can help you:

What you can do

If you haven’t already, contact the person conducting your wedding ceremony. They will be reorganising the ceremonies they have already booked.
Talk to your venue. They’ll be following guidelines for the health and safety of their clients and staff. What are they offering you?
If you can, consider continuing with the ceremony with the two of you and your witness. Then organise one hell of a celebration at a later date!
Stream the ceremony to your family and friends who can connect via Facebook or other video link.

Indeed a couple recently did exactly that: Read all about it !

Nothing was as planned. The bride bought an off the peg dress and bouquet. They sourced a photographer and they had their day a month early.

Not the wedding they’d planned for. But memorable and moving in its own right. They were able to commit to each other and start their married life together.

5. And your final option is to postpone. Put the whole thing off, till a later date.

You’re not on your own in this

If Covid-19 is one thing, it’s a leveller. Every single one of us is affected one way or another.

Fabulous Functions UK is affected business-wise with couples rescheduling their wedding and celebrations to later in the year, or even to 2021. We’re also affected on a personal level. We were in the final planning stages of a family wedding due to take place mid-April. I have the honour of creating the decor and styling the venue.

They’d met with me and made all the final choices. We’d gone through all the locations for the accessories and chosen the final stands for the centrepieces and design combinations for the floral displays. Confirmed all those little details to add the personalised touches.

Then came the lockdown. But the couple concerned followed the advice above and made a plan!

They’re going to continue with the legal ceremony as planned with only the permitted witness in attendance. And then there’ll be a mega celebration for when we can have the venue again. And it’s going to be ‘just FABULOUS!’.

Cancellations, Postponements and Fingers Tightly Crossed!

From the moment it became apparent to us all that Coronavirus is way more than ‘just another form of flu, I’ve had a mixture of responses from couples booked with me.

Some have postponed until later. Some have weddings set for beyond this initial 3-month social distancing period so are continuing to plan for it – but are forming a contingency plan too.

One couple, who had planned to postpone till 2021, are now rethinking and may decide to go ahead with their ceremony as soon as possible. And have a celebration with family and friends when they can.
So they’re looking to have their marriage first and their wedding later!

Don’t panic!

As challenging as all this is, , it WILL end. And when it does, your wedding or other celebration WILL be fabulous. Fabulous Functions UK will make sure of that.

Don’t fret. Don’t chew your nails. And above all don’t press the panic button! Call us now – let’s schedule a video call and have a good sit down with a coffee and our notebooks. Our number is: 07511 842 451.

Your marriage or your wedding? Sometimes you have to alter your plans due to circumstances. You. may choose to marry first then hold your celebrations at later date.

giant garden games - photo collage of games

Giant Garden Games for Hire

March 10, 2020August 18, 2022Leave a comment

So, you’re planning a wedding or a special celebration and you want something a bit different. Either in place of a modern beat combo or disco – or to bridge the gap between the end of the wedding breakfast and the wedding singer starting their set. Have you considered giant garden games? They might be just what you’re looking for. Who doesn’t love Connect Four or Jenga? Well they’re even more fun in outsize form! And we have five giant garden games for hire!

For Indoors or Outdoors

Giant garden games are of course fantastic if you’re having an outdoor wedding or party – a big BBQ party for example. But you don’t have to be, to find a use for them – they work as well inside too. Wherever you plan to use them – or have to use them because of unexpected and unwelcome weather conditions – they offer hours of fun for the young or the young at heart.

Giant Garden Games Hire Packages

‘Oh, we’ve got a giant Jenga in the garden shed’ – is what you could be thinking now. Great! But if you don’t, don’t panic. Because we’ve got a brilliant giant garden games hire package.

Contact us here to enquire.

We’ve got FIVE giant garden games for hire. You can choose to hire any four of them for the package price of £50, to delight your guests.

The Five Giant Garden Games

Entertain your wedding guests with this Giant Jenga Garden Games for hire from Fabulous Functions UK

Jenga – our giant Jenga stands 5 feet tall when built. Challenge your guests to build this it as tall as they can before it tumbles.

2. Noughts and crosses – also known as Tic-Tac-Toe – is a classic pen and paper game transformed here into lawn/patio or indoor floor fun.

This one measures 120cms x 120cms, with five noughts & five crosses of 30cms x 30cms each.

3. Skittles – This forerunner of modern bowling is an old lawn and pub game. Our set contains nine skittles, a king pin and three balls.

Each skittle is 23 cms high.

Connect Four - giant garden games for hire

4. Connect Four – Standing at a mega 100 cms tall and 120cms wide, this giant Connect 4 comes with extra large discs. We don’t guarantee that they’ll help you to win though.

Giant dominoes on wooden decking - giant garden games for hire

5. Giant Dominoes – We wager your grandparents never saw dominoes like these!

The game of dominoes has been around from as early as 1120 CE, in China. Though we suspect not in giant form like these.

Choosing Bridal and Venue Accessories

October 20, 2019August 25, 2022Leave a comment

Things to consider when choosing bridal and venue accessories

When you’re planning a wedding there’s a mammoth list of things to think about. Then there’s things to think about the things to think about! Before you do a passable imitation of Gustav Klimt’s ‘Scream’ let me explain:

Just one of the many things on your to-do list is choosing such bridal accessories as bouquets and buttonholes. Then there’s venue accessories such as chair covers, backdrops and of course your colour scheme.

Indeed, before you get even that far, there’s the venue to find and the date to confirm. Then the process of asking friends and/or relatives to take on special roles in your wedding party begins.

You’ll need to consider the style or theme you have in mind. Then you will start thinking about:

Whether you’re happy to shop for ‘off-the-peg’ bridal and venue accessories
Or if you want to seek out custom-made/bespoke items

If shopping locally or supporting independent businesses is important to you then you will find may independent suppliers happy to create bespoke items for you.

The facts and figures quoted in this Forbes article ’43 reasons you should support small and independent businesses’ relate to the USA. But the principles it describes, apply as well to the UK as anywhere else. A notable one being this:

“Most independent businesses are run by people – not by boards, not by stockholders, not by algorithms. And so you get a different kind of care and quality in their product because their work is a reflection of themselves. Instead of focusing on the next market they’re expanding into or the next round of funding they’re raising, they’re focusing on the details and being the best they can be.”

Of course, the range of bridal and venue accessories of which you might seek a bespoke or custom-made option, is limited by nothing other than your imagination. Wedding stationary aside, you might well source bespoke suppliers for accessories such as:

Bride and bridegroom chair covers
Silk bouquets and buttonholes
The ‘ask gift’: personalised, bespoke gift boxes for making that request for special wedding party services: best man, groomsman, maid of honour
Wedding favours and gift boxes

Fabulous Functions UK is able to provide you with a selection of custom-made wedding items. Some of them, the bride and groom chair covers the floating cake table arose out of customer requests. Unable to find what they were looking for elsewhere, and having met us at wedding fairs, they came to us and discussed what they wanted. Then we designed the items in question, made them and delighted the client.

One of your venue accessory could be this floating cake table. Perfect for displaying your wedding or celebration cake. — Floating Cake Table

Our tailor-made bride and bridegroom chair covers make plain the position of the main characters as masters of all they survey!

His and Hers bespoke chair covers created by Fabulous Functions UK - Perfect to decorate the bride and grooms chairs — Bespoke Bride and Groom Chair Covers

Wedding Florals – Silk or Fresh

Silk flowers: there’s lots of benefits to choosing silk flowers over fresh. So many in fact that we wrote about them and you can hop over to our blog and have a read of ‘the benefits of silk flowers’ .
We offer a range of silk wedding flowers that includes bouquets and pomanders for the girls and buttonholes for the guys.

Perfect for a vintage themed wedding is our beautiful brooch bouquet.

A gorgeous brooch bouquet with silver toned brooches- Fabulous Functions UK — Brooch Bouquet

But if a dramatic look is what you’re after then take a look at this stunning silk, calla lily bouquet.

Silk bouquet created with Cala lilys and crystals - Fabulous Functions UK — Cala Lily Bouquet

Here at Fabulous Functions UK we pride ourselves on our ability to respond to customer’s needs. So, should you have an idea for something that you’re struggling to find, do talk to us! We may well be able to help you.

You’ll find us on the usual social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.Or drop us a line on: hello@fabulousfunctionsuk.com

Fabulous Functions UK in the Media

October 2, 2018October 9, 2022Leave a comment

Fabulous Functions UK in the Media

Woo Hooo! We are doing our happy dance to see Fabulous Functions UK in the media. Wedding fairs are one way – and a good one – to give prospective brides and grooms a sense of what you can offer them.

Yet, as we’ve learned from experience, a far more effective one is that of collaboration. Working together, with complementary wedding services, cake makers, videographers, photographers and more, to show to full effect how fabulous we can make a venue look. We set the stage, pop the flashbulbs and all concerned parties social the heck out of it to show the world what we can do.

Front cover of issue 10 of Your Glos & Wilts Wedding Magazine - Fabulous Functions UK in the Media — Fabulous Functions UK in the Media

Even better than that though, is getting media coverage of our collaborative events. And this season, we at Fabulous Functions UK are celebrating one such collaborative photo shoot making it to the centre pages of Your Glocs & Wilts Wedding.

Where did it happen?

The photoshoot that the magazine used in its feature ‘A Timeless Affair’ took place at Heythrop Park Resort, on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Now a Crowne Plaza hotel, Heythrop Manor is an 18^th century manor house. Built in the 1700s and set in a chocolate-box-English landscape, this historic, Grade II listed estate presented the perfect location to stage a vintage-style wedding.

The theme of the photoshoot

The theme of this photoshoot then was a vintage one. So think broadly channelling the Great Gatsby with vintage-style props but with subtle pops and touches to give the styling a 21^st century twist.

The sepia photography is fitting for such a theme but of course it doesn’t show the subtle tones of the fans. Nor does it let you see how effective is the neon green wrap around the stems of the orchid. We’ve therefore included some colour photographs lower down to demonstrate.

The double-page spread as seen in the issue 10 of Your Glos & Wilts Wedding magazine. Page 56 and and page 57:

Fabulous Functions UK in the Media

Everything you see in the pictures, that comes under the heading of Decorations and wedding flowers was our work.

Now for some colour images:

A 20s era vintage inspired venue styling

In this image and the one below you can see how we’ve dressed the table with our sequinned table linen in a subtle and sophisticated Champagne shade.

A touch of colour for our vintage styling

Note the shots of bright green giving a contemporary flavour to a quintessentially vintage style. We had great fun working with all the suppliers involved in staging this photoshoot. It was hard work, but of course we all think the end result was well worth all that effort. We hope you think so too.

Collaboration is key to success. We were one of a fabulous team of wedding experts weaving our magic wands to create these inspirational images for you.

The Dream Team who collaborated with me on this fabulous project are listed below.

A mini collaboration

Fays Cupcakes with flower wall from Fabulous Functions UK

In the same magazine is this advert for Fay’s Fairy Cakes. The gorgeous background you see, setting off Fay’s baked goods to perfection, is our fabulous, show-stopping flower wall.

If you’d like to know more about how fabulous your function could be with our help, get in touch to find out more. Drop us a line at: Email: hello@fabulousfunctionsuk.com or call 07511 842 451

And if you want to see more of our work follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

PS: For other wedding theme inspiration see this post about an ombre-themed wedding decor. Or, of you’re a globe-trotting pair how about creating a fun travel theme for your decor? We have a host of travel themed accessories in our hire section including vintage suitcases, a globe and a message in a bottle.