Blog

Welcome to our wedding blog. Here you'll find inspiration for your own special day, including the latest trends and offers.

We publish new blog posts every few weeks, so be sure to check back often. Feel free to contact us if there's something you'd like us to write about.

Vintage Tea Party Wedding Themes: The Stylish Touches that Set it All Off

There’s something about an old-fashioned tea party that stirs a long forgotten corner of the soul. Perhaps it is the quaint British-ness of scones and jam and high-tea, perhaps it is the evocative memories of reading Alice and Wonderland for the first time and delighting in the fantastic exploits of the Mad Hatter and his retinue, or perhaps it’s just that the whole idea is so charming, lovely and timeless that it is impossible not to get swept up in it.

Whatever your reasoning, a vintage tea party theme is a great idea for a wedding. Here are a few of the stylistic touches you need to include to really set it all off.

Teapots and Tea Cups

You can’t have a tea party without teapots and tea cups. Invest in charmingly decorated tea sets and make sure that there is one on each table to delight your guests. These are the aesthetic touches that will underpin the whole theme, so it is worth extending your budget a little to accommodate them.

Remember, you don’t have to fill these pots with tea if you don’t want to. You can always use them as improvised flower holders and vases… in fact, hold that thought, we’ll come back to this.

Doilies, Doilies and Doilies

Doilies used to get a bad press, and were considered to be about as far from anything approaching ‘style’ as it is possible to get. However, thanks to the resurgence of retro and vintage fashions, things have changed somewhat.

Having a retro tea party themed wedding? You need these charming little placemats, and lots of them! Doilies under plates, doilies under cups, doilies under teapots; you just can’t get enough doilies at a vintage wedding.

Pastel Hues

Now we’ve got the tea and the accessories sorted, what about the colours and décor? To capture a true vintage effect, the colours need to be faded, washed-out pastel hues that hint at retro antiquity while retaining an element of modern style.

One of the best things about pastel hues is that their subtlety makes them easy to mix and match. Get samples for table cloths, chair coverings, drapes and decorations, and try out different combinations until you find the perfect arrangement.

Cake Domes

Some things just go together; fish and chips, knives and forks, tea and cake. To make sure that your vintage tea party themed wedding is a success, you need to complement the tea with cake, and what better way to serve it than in a beguiling retro cake dome?

Combining vintage stylistic elegance with effortless practicality, a retro cake dome is the ideal way deliver your guests the confectionary they crave. Give your friends and family what they want; let them eat cake, and let them do it in style. Click here to take a look at some of our cake domes and to get inspired!

Lots of Flowers

We mentioned this one before: flowers, a vintage tea party theme needs flowers and lots of them! Try quirky touches like turning a vintage teapot into an improvised vase, or try capturing your guests’ hearts by spreading cute posies around their tables.

Of course, ‘lots of flowers’ doesn’t necessarily mean that all the flowers must be real flowers. Try out floral bunting, floral patterned table cloths and floral decorations. In fact, go for floral this, that and the other. Seriously, you can’t overdo the floral at a vintage tea party themed wedding, it simply isn’t possible. Take a look at some of our wedding favours of the floral variety by following this link.

Have you tried out any of our tips? Have any of your own to add? Please get in touch and let us know.

12 February, 2016

Things to Remember When Creating Your Own Photobooth

Everyone loves a photobooth at a wedding. There’s nothing like seeing your Gran and Granddad donning a Marilyn Monroe wig and Elton John shades and posing for pictures to top off a memorable day. But this is your wedding, so why not have a crack at creating some photobooth fun of your own for you and your guests?

It is a lot easier than you might think; all you need is a bit of imagination, a semi-decent camera, and the ability to put your innate sense of aesthetic taste and sartorial style to the side for a moment. Read on for a few tips on things to remember when creating your DIY wedding photobooth.

Bizarre is Good, Go for it!

There is a time and a place for sharp suits and pretty bridesmaid’s dresses, and a wedding photobooth is neither. There will be plenty of time for beautiful snaps of your nearest and dearest looking their best; now is the time to hide the elegant gowns and tailored jackets under any number of bizarre adornments.

The key here is to indulge your creativity. Want to add comedy ‘taches and top hats to the mix? Go for it. Think your guests would benefit from a feather boa or two, or maybe an inflatable Fender Stratocaster? Chuck them in. ‘Bizarre’ is your friend, ‘eccentric’ is your ally; to give your guests the tools they need to create some truly memorable photobooth snaps, you need to mix it up a bit!

Carefully Create Some Themes... then Chuck Them All in the Blender Together

If you’ve carefully curated every aspect of your wedding in meticulous detail, you can think of the photobooth as the cathartic primal scream at the end of the process. By all means, develop some themes for your DIY photobooth, but why restrict it to one or two. The best photos are born out of a horrific culture clash of styles, and the sort of outfits that would make Trinny and Susannah snort into their daiquiris.

Choose themes that do not sit quite right with each other: think ‘70s rock star debauchery meets Parisian belle époque sophistication, think “retro football kits crossed with pirate hats.” Basically, stick as many different themes into the mixer as you want, and watch the fun unfold on the day. Click here to take a look at our range of photobooth accessories.

Don’t Scrimp on the Camera

In order to capture the best images, you need a camera capable of providing what you need. This doesn’t mean spending upwards of £800 on a top of the range DSLR, but it does mean doing your homework.

Bridge cameras offer a handy stepping stone between the point-and-click ease of a basic camera and the top quality image capture of a DSLR. These cameras can be acquired new for between £100 and £250 – or second hand for far less – and enable you to capture incredible images of your guests that you will be able to treasure forever.

Get Kitted Out

To get the best out of your camera and the pictures it produces, you need accessorise a little. The first thing to invest in is a solid tripod. After all that time and effort spent on creating the perfect atmosphere for photobooth mayhem to take place, you don’t want the resulting pictures ruined by camera-shake and blurring. A 61” tripod is best for this kind of job, and will eliminate the risk of disappointing shots.

You also need to keep those images safe once you’ve captured them. Investing in a protective camera case or bag will prevent damage to the device and will ensure that your guests get treated to a great array of shots that will remind them of a truly fabulous day.

For more ideas, check our Pinterest wall.

Have you created your own wedding day photobooth? How did it go down? Let us know at sales@ukweddingfavours.co.uk.

21 December, 2015

Create Your Own Wedding Table Decorations

A wedding is often remembered by the decorations and themes of the day. There are a lot of different styles and themes that people incorporate for their special day. A way of making your wedding even more memorable and outstanding could be to create your own table decor. This adds a touch of personalisation that can’t be matched.

Your Day, Your Decorations

Incorporating your own table decor is a fantastic way to make the wedding special to you as an individual. Table decor created by you will help reflect you as a person on your special day. If you can work personal aspects in to your decor, people are likely to remember the decorations for years to come.

With the decorations being created by you, you can be sure that your table decor is completely unique to your wedding. If it’s a personal decoration, nobody else in the world will have the same design and this can add an extra sense of romance to your day.

Easy To Fit In With Your Theme

A wedding will usually have a colour scheme or theme. Anyone that’s planned a wedding will know how difficult it can be to ensure all decorations and clothing match this theme. When you take everything in to consideration, planning a wedding theme is extremely difficult.

This is where designing your own wedding table decor can make things easier. If you’re designing your own table decor, you can have total control over the colours, types of decorations and everything else. This means that you can create the table decor to fit in with the theme of the rest of you wedding with ease.

Creating your own table decor can take the stress away from finding wedding accessories and decorations to perfectly match your theme. There’s a massive array of wedding table decor and it might not always be so easy to find matching decorations for your theme.

A Representation Of Your Commitment

A wedding is a joyous occasion to represent the commitment two people are lovingly making to each other. What better way to show this than personalised wedding table decorations?

With creating your own table decor, you can be sure that the decorations are related to both of the people getting married. The decorations could include personal information such as names or pictures. Providing this high class of decorations is soon to leave a smile on your guest’s faces and let them see how in love you are.

05 November, 2015

Planning Your Winter Wedding

The departure of summer can mean only one thing: it’s time to start planning your winter wedding! Festive occasions such as Christmas; classic movies and literature such as The Snow Queen and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and of course stunningly evocative moments like witnessing the first snows of winter or the tranquillity of a frosty garden at dawn give you so much to draw on when planning your wedding theme.

Read on for a few tips on how to transform your winter-themed wedding from a nice idea written down on the page to a fully-realised occasion that is full of magic, wonder and enduring memories.

Fine Tune Your Theme

So you’ve decided on a winter-themed wedding to accompany the arrival of the new season, but precisely which theme will you decide to go for? Maybe you want your wedding decor to evoke feelings of vintage Christmas time in your guests. In this case, you could use retro-frosted bouquets and vintage place cards to achieve this effect.

Winter bauble table decoration

Perhaps you want to bring some fantasy and magic to your nuptials with a winter Snow Queen-style wedding? For this you may want to use shimmering snowflake napkin rings and bauble decorations to bring a hint of wintry glamour to proceedings.

The secret to making your wedding perfect is to employ a keen eye for detail. Decide which details of your winter theme you would like to accentuate. From there, you need to decide which decorations, favours and other ornamentation you will use to pick these details out.

Work these little details into the decor for your special day and achieve the wedding of your dreams.

Sort the Invitations

Planning your winter wedding isn’t simply about planning the day itself. You also need to pay attention to other details such as the wedding invitations. Continuity is key when planning and designing a wedding that is both beguiling and tasteful. Accordingly, your wedding invitations are no exception to this rule.

Subtly-themed invitations and ‘save the date’ cards are perfect for introducing a tasteful thematic thread to your wedding right from the get-go. This will be the first point of contact with your wedding for many of your guests, so it is important to get this detail right.

Cool winter colour schemes and stylish cards embossed with snowflake patterns are ideal ways to work a winter theme into your wedding preparations. They will also give your guests a sneak preview of the festivities to follow.

Plan Your Decorations

As mentioned above, planning a themed wedding is all about continuity and consistency. With your invitations posted and your theme finely tuned and tweaked, you need to start thinking about decorations.

It is with the decorations that you can really tie your wedding theme together, turning our venue into an expertly-designed and thoroughly-charming winter paradise. Snowflakes are an obvious but effective place to start. These fragile and unique structures are some of nature’s most subtly beautiful and astounding creations.

Snowflake confetti and diamonds also make great decorations to place on your guests’ tables, as well as snowflake place card holders, snowflake candles, or even snowflake favour pails. These are all effective ways of working a winter wonderland theme into your nuptial celebrations.

Beautiful snowflake place cards for glasses

Of course it is important to mix it up a bit. Other decorations such as frosted pinecones, star-effect lights and tree centrepieces dripping with icy jewels and lights will help to add those all important finishing touches to a winter wedding.

Winter has a beautiful and dreamlike quality that you can use to turn your wedding into an occasion that you and your guests will never forget. When choosing decorations, aim to make this your focus. You can showcase all these exquisite qualities while capturing the magical power of this underrated season for a truly breathtaking wedding.

Check out our Winter Wedding Pinterest Wall for further ideas. 

19 October, 2015

Choosing The Right Wedding Ring

Your wedding ring is the symbol that proves to one and all that you are married, ‘taken’ and ‘off limits’.

Unlike other pieces of jewellery, you will be expected to wear it every day and, assuming you’ve chosen your future husband wisely, you’re going to be wearing it for the rest of your life! Choosing the perfect wedding band is therefore an extremely important decision.

The first – and probably most obvious – thing to consider is whether it will work with your engagement ring.  Simple, plain bands are timelessly elegant and should ideally be made of the same metal as your engagement ring. [Please note: white gold may look the same colour as platinum when you first buy it, but it can tarnish over time and have a more yellowy appearance.  However, your local jewlers should be able to treat the ring to restore it's former glory].

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend and a big trend for 2015 is for platinum bands surrounded with diamonds, so you might want to warn your intended to get saving up now!  For those whole fancy a break from the norm, coloured gemstones are also gaining in popularity as fashion-forward brides become more adventurous and opt for coloured wedding gowns. You could choose your favorite colour or perhaps your birthstone.

Vintage-inspired wedding gowns are the hot trend on the catwalk and these designs are being carried through to wedding jewellery. For example, in Victorian society, many wedding rings were carved with floral designs. Rose gold, which was popular in Edwardian times, is also gaining new fans.

His and Hers matching wedding rings are big news too and, for the ultimate in romance, many couples now choose to engrave the inside – or in some cases the outside – of their rings with messages of love. Your names and the date of your nuptials also work well.

But once you've chosen the rings, how will you decide to present them on your special day?  Head over to our accessories section to view our beautiful range of ring cussions.

Close up of a wedding ring cussion

Happy shopping!

08 October, 2015

What Your Favourite Colour Says About You And Your Wedding

Colours can influence your moods, feelings and emotions. They can also affect your actions and how you respond to people, situations and ideas, so your chosen wedding colour scheme could have a bearing on the mood of the day.

Some colours are uplifting and exciting while others can be depressing and draining. So what does your favourite colour say about you?

Close up of a beautiful vintage white wedding dress

White is pure, healing and spiritual. It indicates beginnings and starting afresh, which is why it is worn by brides.

Pink represents calmness, gentleness and romantic love. It is associated with traditional feminine traits and is very warm, none-threatening and compassionate.

Purple is seen as a very psychic, mysterious and magical colour. It inspires originality, creativity and aids spiritual growth. In addition it represents royalty and the nobility and is associated with luxury and wealth. People with great creativity tend to be drawn to the colour purple such as writers, artists, musicians, psychics and poets.

Indigo represents intuition, perception and concentration. It is the perfect colour for meditation as it allows focus without distraction. Ideas and inspirations can suddenly seem to “come out of the blue” with this colour.

Blue is seen as a cool, tranquil colour and is said to be the colour of communication. From the palest baby blue to the richness of midnight blue, the colour blue is a very healing colour.

Green is a calming, fertile and nurturing colour. Its prevalence in nature makes it very easy on the eye and attractive. Green has always been associated with luck and wealth. It also symbolises freshness, fertility and growth.

Yellow is a sunny, bright and vibrant colour. Just looking at it makes you happy!
Wearing yellow gives an instant sunshine glow to the face and makes you look both cheery and youthful.

Orange is a joyous and vibrant colour, which represents vitality, enthusiasm and excitement. Orange is a very uplifting and attracting colour. If you suffer low moods, try to eat orange foods such as carrots, oranges and pumpkins, wear orange clothing and get out into the sunshine as much as possible.

Red has many meanings. It symbolises both danger and passion. Red is the colour of blood and can shock, repulse and frighten. Red is also the colour of red roses, red hearts and red lips – all symbols of passion and love.

Brown is a rich, comforting and sensuous colour, representing sensibility and practicality. It is not seen as a frivolous or flighty colour and is the preferred colour of both men and women who are practical and like to get things done. It is the colour of the doer rather than the dreamer.

Gold symbolises abundant wealth, power, vibrant health and prosperity. It is also considered a very healing and transformative colour.

Silver represents the feminine traits of intuition, compassion and mystery, and is associated with the moon and moon energy. Silver is said to draw negative energy from the body and replace it with vibrant, positive energy. People who are drawn to the colour silver are usually very intuitive, psychic and extremely compassionate.

Black is viewed as a mysterious, secretive and hidden colour and has many negative connotations. Great care should be taken not to use too much of the colour black for clothing and decor as it is very draining and depressing.

 

If you're struggling to decide upon a colour, then head over to our wedding themes section for some potential inspiration.

03 October, 2015

10 ideas for your "something blue"

Blue stitching in a wedding dress

No wedding would be complete without the traditional exchange of vows. Another important century-old tradition is that every bride is expected to find "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue".

The something old represents continuity and a link to the bride's family; hence it's usually a heirloom given by the bride's mother or grandma. The something new symbolises her hopes and optimism for the future, and is represented by a new dress, jewellery or even flowers.

The something borrowed is often an item loaned by a happily married woman in the hope that her marital bliss will extend to the new bride too. The something blue dates to Roman times when the colour blue signified fidelity, and is usually represented by a blue garter. Wearing these items on the wedding day, is supposed to bring good luck and a long-lasting marriage.

While modern brides still follow tradition, many would also love the wedding to represent their personality. And no, I don't mean a full-on Shrek themed wedding; a subtle hint will do. More and more brides are ditching the blue garter and choosing to incorporate some of their favourite things into their big day. We've found brides using everything from blue ribbons to wrap their bouquets to carrying a bouquet of blue flowers.

If you're still stumped about how to blend your style with tradition, here are ten contemporary ideas to choose from:

 

1. Blue Suede Shoes

 

Wearing a pair of blue heels as you strut down the aisle is a sure way to stand out on your wedding day. Go as bold as you dare in navy Louboutins or understated in robin egg blue flats - blue shoes look simply amazing in photos!

 

 

2. In Your Face

Using navy blue eye shadow or mascara can really make your eyes pop against your subtle make-up. But if you'd rather show your colours elsewhere, let your fingers (and toes) do the talking with blue nail polish.

 

 

3. Blue Sparkles

Planning an autumn wedding? Why not use a sapphire - the birthstone of September - in your wedding jewellery? The rich dark blue hue of a sapphire goes especially well with fall wedding colours. You can also use blue earrings or bracelets to jazz up your all-white ensemble.

 

 

 

4. Flowers in Her Hair

Ditch the traditional veil and channel your inner bohemian with a handmade floral crown. Weave in forget-me-nots, dark blue hydrangea, blue thistle or dandelions into a crown that is as unique as you are.

 

 

5. An Essential Clutch

A small clutch can come in handy for holding your make-up and phone, so choose one in a shade of blue that will pop quite nicely against your white dress.

 

 

6. Be Bold in a Blue Wedding Dress

According to old English folklore, a blue wedding dress means 'Your love is true'. Whether you believe that or not, picking a blue gown over traditional white is one way to stand out.

 

 

7. Something Blue

For a less visual 'something blue', spritz on Oscar de la Renta's "Something Blue" Perfume. Described as classy, fresh and light, this fragrance is aimed at women who appreciate the beautiful wedding dresses designed by Oscar de la Renta, The summer fragrance smells like a bouquet of real flowers, and is perfect for wearing during the day and or at night.

 

 

8. Blue Bridal Lingerie

Wanna save your something blue for your new husband? Then get sexy lingerie in pale blue or with blue accents, like a bow for him to pull *wink*. Get his heart racing with a pair monogrammed with 'The Mrs' or Mrs 'Your new last name'.

 

 

9. Your Bridesmaids

Pay homage to your 'leading ladies' as you dress them up in different shades of blue. Cue the fabulous photos with them flanking your white dress.

 

 

10. Blue Totes to Go

Show your thoughtful side by handing out gift bags stuffed with necessities like mints, sweets or bottles of water. Of course, make sure the bags are in your favourite shade of blue.

It's YOUR wedding, and you have the right to interpret traditions as you see fit. Whether you flash your blues in an ombré nail rainbow or with your wedding date stitched into your dress, the most important thing is that it reflects your essence.

For more tips on planning the perfect wedding day, browse through our extensive range of wedding decorations, or call us on 01282 850032 to enquire about something specific - we're always happy to help inspire you!

26 September, 2015

6 Little Touches that Will Make Your Wedding One to Remember

Creating a memorable wedding is all about the little details, not just in terms of decoration, but also in terms of those subtle touches that will make your guests remember your wedding for years to come. These six tips will elevate your wedding from a pleasant ceremony to a fun-filled occasion for all involved.

Flip Flops

If you want your guests to enjoy your wedding, you need to give their feet some consideration! Standing for pictures, walking around all day and dancing might not be so bad for the men, but for your female guests in high heels, it is going to get a little tiring.

Wedding flip flops in sand
 
Maybe it’s not practical to hire an in-house team of masseurs for your wedding, so why not invest in some flip flops to distribute amongst your female guests? This will rescue them from sore feet and keep that happy atmosphere going for longer.

Games

Games are a tried and tested way to boost the fun factor of any occasion, and your nuptial celebrations are no exception! By incorporating fun trivia games, puzzles to solve, and other party entertainment, you can ensure that your wedding is one that guests will remember.
But the fun needn’t be confined to indoors. For a summer wedding, why not get your guests outside for some garden games? It is these little experiences that will make your wedding memorable, and your guests will always remember how much fun they had.

Fans

Everyone loves a summer wedding, but what happens when the mercury starts rising to uncomfortable levels? Giving hand fans to your guests is a great way to combat this.
Not only will it help to keep guests cool, they also make a great accessory and a charming keepsake from your wedding day. Choose from our unique collection of fan design favours to match your wedding theme to add a stylish little bit of detail, which also serves a practical purpose in those sometimes stifling summer temperatures.

Toiletries

Weddings are a time when everyone wants to look their best, and to look great you need to feel great too. This is why adding little baskets of toiletries to the bathrooms at your wedding is a great idea. Fill these baskets with all the essentials that your guests might need – including hand creams, scented mist sprays and other cosmetic treats – and give your friends, family and loved ones a pampered experience they will really appreciate.
There is no gender bias at work here; men love this kind of thing too! Stock your wedding with “his ‘n’ hers” baskets in the bathrooms and watch your special day go down a storm.

Bubbles

Sometimes you need to break away from those traditional wedding tropes and try something new, so how about introducing bubbles to your nuptials rather than confetti?

Bubbles during the first dance


Bubbles make for great photo opportunities as they drift above your guest’s heads, are great fun for kids to play with, and are far easier to clean up after the ceremony. If you want to keep everyone happy without compromising on the charm and aesthetic of your special day, bubbles tick every box!

Personalised Favours

You’ve invited your guests to your wedding to share an incredibly special moment in your life, so it is only fair to show them the courtesy of catering for their specific tastes and requirements. Maybe some of your guests are lactose intolerant, or have allergies to nuts, gluten or other foodstuffs. By creating wedding favour bags or baskets, carefully tailored to what they need, you can help to make an already special day that little bit more warm and wonderful for everyone concerned.
Have you tried any of these little touches? Have any to share with us? Get in touch and let us know!

07 September, 2015

How To Keep Your Wedding Budget Down With DIY Party Favours, Decorations and Invites

Weddings have a habit of spiralling out of control, cost-wise. Even normally frugal, careful types tend to pull out all the stops when it gets around to wedding season, spending freely in an effort to make their wedding perfect.

So how can we rein in the nuptial financial mania that descends on us in the run up to a wedding, without compromising on its overall quality? While a wedding is always going to be accompanied by a rather hefty bill – and there’s no way to escape this – we can provide you with some tips on how to keep your budget down, starting with DIY wedding favours, decorations and invites.

Wedding favour box - keeping costs down

For great-looking favour boxes that can be put together for as little as £1 each, or for low cost solutions for wedding invites and decorations look no further. Scroll down for a few ideas that you can put into practice at your wedding.

Tulles and Bows

Making your own party favours is a great way to wrestle the cost-leviathan back into its box, and also impress your friends and family with your creativity. Using fine coloured netting and tulle-fringed fabrics, you can create carefully crafted favours which are befitting of the wedding’s theme.

You can also use tulle netting in conjunction with ribbons and bows to add themed adornments and classy touches to ready-made invites, tying the overall effect of the wedding together and ensuring that the wedding’s colour theme is appropriately carried off.

Diamante Trimmings and Jewels

It is possible to add a touch of glitz and glamour to your wedding without breaking the bank. Diamante trimmings are perfect for this, whether it is simply adding diamante square trimmings or sticking on diamante studs to cards and favour boxes, or adding diamante buckles to ribbons and bows to your wedding decorations. These low cost accoutrements allow you to bling-up your wedding without breaking the bank.

You can also use jewelled wands and bead sprays to add another touch of detail to your decorations and invites, disrupting the standard silhouette of a favour box or invitation card and creating an item as unique as your wedding celebration itself. It is these little extra details that can help to make your wedding a memorable one.

Flowers and Feathers

Flowers and feathers are incredibly versatile and can be used as a finishing touch on all manner of party favours. Feathers can also be worked into the overall effect of your wedding if you decided to go for a themed event; for example, the feathered headbands of the Roaring Twenties.

What’s more, both of these items are pretty, charming and low-cost, enabling you to create high-quality favours that remain well within your budget. Whether you choose to use the crisp freshness of real flowers to create the desired effect, or carefully-themed bouquets of artificial flowers to give the impression that you want, flowers add a superb finishing touch to your special day.

Wedding themes on a budget

If you’re still in need of inspiration after reading this, here are a few themes to get your creative juices flowing...

James Bond / Black Tie

Foldable tuxedo favour boxes add a touch of black tie sophistication to proceedings and are a fun way to distribute your party favours.

Lottery Tickets

Lottery tickets for wedding guests

Maybe, just maybe, a life-changing gift for whoever is lucky enough to pick the right one; lottery tickets cost around £1 each and are a pleasingly unusual choice for a wedding favour.

Kids’ Favours

You need to keep all your guests happy at a wedding, not just the fully-grown ones. Think about creating some unique favours specifically for the kids that will be attending; think bright colours, think puzzles, think toys and think lots of sweets!

Lego wedding favours for kids

Hopefully this has provided you with some inspiration, and some reassurance that not everything about a wedding has to be mega-expensive!

04 August, 2015

Top 5 Ways to Keep Kids Entertained at Weddings

eddings are great; you've got all your family and friends together in one place, celebrating the union of two people about to embark on the journey of life together. Unfortunately, the smaller members of your wedding party - particularly the ones aged between 2 and 12 - might not be so enraptured by the proceedings.

Do anything to prevent that dreaded yawn!

But don't worry. We've compiled the top five ways to keep these more diminutive members of your group entertained throughout the day.

Chocolate footballs for wedding favours1. Engage Their Sweet Tooth

It's a special occasion, so no one will blame you if you put the low-sugar diet on hold for a day. It's an indisputable fact that kids love sweets, so why not use that to your advantage?

Disney chocolate gold coins, chocolate footballs, jelly beans, mini eggs, love hearts; all of these things become tools you can use to keep kids entertained during the wedding reception and beyond.

Official lego favour boxes for kids2. Get Their Favourite Toys on the Case

If the sugar starts to wear off, you might want to try to enlist the help of your kid's favourite toys. We even offer acrylic wedding favours in the shapes of pigs, teddy bears and racing cars, which can be filled with sweets to combine parts one and two into one handy method! We also offer Lego favour boxes for kids who love to build.

Blow bubbles at your wedding!3. Invest in Some Bubbles

Kids of all ages love bubbles. There is just something about the way they float weightlessly on the breeze that has kids enthralled.

With this in mind, invest in some bubbles and keep the kids at your wedding entertained for hours on end! We stock a range of wedding bubbles, so that you are sure to find one that fits the theme of your wedding!

Children's wedding activity book4. Engage Their Creative Side

Sometimes simply trying to entertain kids isn't enough. Instead, you need to give them the tools to entertain themselves. Our activity packs might just do the trick.

These packs come complete with colouring books, coloured crayons and activity sets such as mazes and other games. With their creative side fully engaged, you can expect kids to be enthralled for hours, increasing their - and everyone else's - enjoyment of the wedding.

Flower girl wedding activity book5. Get Them Onboard

But surely the best way to keep your kids engaged, entertained and out of trouble during a wedding is to get them onboard and involved. They might not always act like it, but kids are really just little grownups desperate to be given the responsibility and duties of adults.

If you involve your kids and those of your nearest and dearest in your wedding you may be pleasantly surprised by how reliable they are. We have flower girl and ring bearer packs to help you get your kids involved in your special day.

14 July, 2015

Get inspired with these 4 great wedding themes

The theme is the thread that brings your special day together, creating a unique occasion that will live long in the fond memories of you and your guests.

Think of your wedding venue as a blank canvas, and our decorations and wedding favours as your brush with which to create sophisticated and glamorous wedding themes. You need a theme which is befitting of such an important moment in your life, and so UK Wedding Favours aims to provide you with everything you need to make that happen.

Read on to find out more about some of the most popular themes for UK weddings, and to get the lowdown on how to recreate them for your big day. Creating an idyllic and carefully-crafted wedding theme couldn't be simpler.

Vintage

Whether it's the high fashion and even higher energy of the Roaring '20s that inspires you, or if you're more interested in the glitz and glamour of the 1940s, a vintage-themed wedding could be for you.

Vintage wedding theme ideas

We all love a bit of nostalgia, and as we move further into the 21st century, vintage wedding themes are growing increasingly popular with brides and grooms-to-be who want to inject some old school glamour into their nuptials.

We provide Victorian-style lamp candle holders, retro furniture decorations and rustic Hessian and burlap table numbers to give the table decorations at your wedding a vintage twist. We can also offer VE Day-style bunting to turn your wedding venue into a retro space par excellence.

Glamour

What do you think of when you think of glamour? Crystals? Diamonds? Gold? Silver? These four elements are becoming more and more popular at weddings in the UK as planners strive to create glamorous themes for their clients.

Glamour wedding theme

There is a fine line between glamorous and gaudy. Fall on the right side of that line and you've got yourself a stylish wedding bash; come down on the other side and your guests may find it all a bit much. The key is balance and restraint; you need to choose one or two colours as your theme and limit yourself to those colours as your plan your décor.

Choose from white diamonds or striking purple amethyst crystals, then trim with gold or silver. Follow this theme with placecards and holders, as well as venue decorations, to achieve a stylish, impressive and downright glamorous wedding celebration.

Beach

Unfortunately, the UK lacks the reliable weather, pristine sands and azure oceans of say Hawaii or Tuvalu, and so our beloved set of islands does not offer the best location for a beach wedding. However, you can still have a beach-themed wedding indoors. In fact, a beach theme is a great way to break from the traditions of a standard white-wedding and celebrate your special day your own way.

Beach wedding theme ideas

We bring together white and blue patterns that evoke the feel of a retro seaside scene, and add shell-textures, washed-out pastel driftwood colours and - of course - deck chair and sailboat themed placecard holders to complete the effect.

If you want to break with tradition without sacrificing the taste and subtlety of an expertly planned and designed wedding, there can be few better ways to achieve this than with a charming, beguiling beach theme.

Garden

Last but certainly not least on our list of the most popular UK wedding themes is another slightly left-of-centre classic; the garden-themed wedding. Garden parties are synonymous with the high-life, with an electric atmosphere, and with glamour.

Garden wedding theme ideas

Our table and venue decorations help you to recreate a garden party atmosphere inside, avoiding the often unreliable British weather. Detailed touches like topiary-effect placecard holders and our tasteful paper flower garlands in ivory and white make it easy to add a touch of garden party sophistication to your special day.

We also offer real flower confetti sets which add an extra layer of authenticity, transforming your wedding venue into a high-end garden party.

Whichever theme you choose for your wedding, we've got the decorations and accessories to really make it work. Just let us know what you need!

06 July, 2015

Celebrating the wedding season being in full swing, why wedding favours are still the popular thank you gifts for your guests

Welcome once again to this week’s blog post that will talk about wedding favours of all shapes and designs as the wedding season is in full bloom across the UK. As you may know, wedding favours have been a traditional part of the wedding celebrations for many generations, traditionally represented by five sugared almonds wrapped in lace or fine cloth/fabric.
Ready made wedding favours
Typically the number of sweets or sugared almonds has always been an odd number, significant as it cannot be divided between two (represented by the bride and groom) and the number five also has significance, especially in strong Christian and Catholic services representing health, happiness, wealth, fertility and longevity.
wedding favour boxes
The many different designs available today means that a couple planning their wedding can have an almost infinite array of choices when choosing the style of their wedding favours, delivering a personal thank you to each and every one of their guests. With great selections for children and adults, they can be made fun and interesting by adding little features and special notes to add to the unique and bespoke appeal that you wish to create for your big day.
colour coordinated wedding favours
We have a beautiful selection of inviting ideas for you to choose from, either taking inspiration from our extensive range when looking to create a unique favour that is colour coordinated to match your preferences or allowing our team of trained experts to present perfect ready made wedding favours to match a particular theme. Most definitely one thing is for sure and that is wedding favours are still hugely popular, perhaps even more so this year, as we see an increase in the trend for traditional weddings.

With such a delightful montage of wonderful ideas to create a spectacular display on your wedding day, there are great contemporary and traditional wedding favours for men, women and children as we invite you to explore the many different collections found within our extensive online store. Whatever your exact needs, whether traditional or contemporary, our team is here to assist you in locating the perfect solution for your special event.

23 June, 2014

What sort of unique wedding favours for the discerning bride would you choose

Your wedding day is one of the most important events of your life and almost every bride’s dream is to have a totally bespoke and unique day that she will be able to relive and reminisce over throughout both her and her husband’s life. Having the ability to pick out and choose individual pieces to adjust your wedding day’s layout or theme is brilliant, allowing you to add a personal touch of panache to your special day.
Wedding Favour Petal Designs
UK Wedding Favours arguably offer you a terrific insight into the many different possibilities and effects you can achieve, providing a beautiful selection of unique wedding favours, bespoke wedding gifts for men, women and children and a fine and almost unlimited array of table and venue décor that spans many possible themes to suit your preferences.

Today, we focus on unique favours, the special little thank you’s that you can present to all guests as a memento of your marriage, traditionally symbolic across members of any Christian religion. These are normally sugared almonds wrapped in lace but in this day and age however, the fillings are chosen to suit the couples preferences and tastes of the individual guest, with selections of sweeties, chocolates or foil wrapped chocolate balls for kids and adults alike!


Racchetti wedding favours
The finishing touches are what our design team here at UK Wedding Favours does best. Creating a stunning assortment of unique ready made favours to suit a larger audience and the greater demand from couples planning their wedding day celebrations too, we make it possible for you to personalise your wedding favour design down to the last finishing touch. It is so easy for you to find the ideal favour to suit your tastes and preferences today with UK Wedding Favours, whether searching for a petal design or a wedding favour pail.
wedding favour Pails
Included in our collection is a choice of stunningly designed, beautiful Crystal Lily Racchetti that offer a sublime elegance, with almonds or your chosen selection of sweets discerningly enveloped within the petals of this sumptuous design. Featuring petal frills made from your choice of Organza fabric and finishes off with a sparkling crystal and pearl beaded lily, these will definitely be an outstanding success with your guests.


Unique Wedding Favours
Fabulous petal designs, favour pails available in a kaleidoscope of colours to match your favourite colour schemes and a delightful array of Brooch Box Favours to present to your friends and family members, discover the finest assortment of bespoke and so very unique wedding favours here. Speak freely with our design team and allow us to create the perfect wedding favour solution to suit your exact requirements to suit your tastes and budget.

19 May, 2014

Delightful wedding favours that add a sparkle and touch of elegance at affordable prices

Celebrating in style with the latest wedding favours from our beautiful collection, here at UK Wedding Favours, we are proud to launch our latest product in our readymade wedding favour category.

As you are probably aware already, the extensive collection of readymade favours available here offer a quite unlimited number of possible choices you can decide upon when looking for the perfect wedding favours for your celebration.

With the addition of our readymade Organza bags with Diamante trim, our fine selection continues to grow further, offering the perfect choice to embrace the summer months this year.

A beautiful and delicate favour design; these offer a unique personal touch to thank your guests this year and can be filled with a variety of sweets to suit both children and adults alike.

The brilliant aspect of the organza and diamante wedding favours is that they are such an affordable choice for your wedding at only £1.99 each, yet offer an expensive aesthetic appeal -one that is attractive and which offers hints of a vintage retro chic aspect together with a charm and character that guests can cherish.

The Organza Bags with Diamante trim add just the right accents of colour to your venue’s tables allowing you to place additional splashes of colour to create the perfect setting for your special gathering. They can be made to match your colour scheme or follow a particular theme you wish to create.

In whatever scenario that appeals to the most, the magic of sparkling diamante and the delicate aesthetics and textures of the best Organza fabric makes these favour bags a delightfully inexpensive yet beautiful way to share your joy with others.Discovering the many stunning variations within our online catalogue today will offer you a healthy array of ideals as our personal attention to customer service and superseded by our reputation for quality are unrivalled within our industry.

There are so many different choices you can use to make your selection easy and more personalised from the very start with UK Wedding Favours that we invite you to browse our many delicious filling ideas, set against a kaleidoscope of stunning colours in our Organza range today.

12 May, 2014

The mass appeal of the rustic country wedding theme this year

This spring is all about rustic country weddings and here are some great tips to help you create the perfect back drop for your special themed wedding in 2014. No matter if you plan to wed in the next few weeks or if you are in the early stages of planning your 2015 spring wedding, the rustic country theme is a classic vintage choice that has grown in popularity exponentially over the last decade.

As couples experience a yearning for a more traditional wedding experience and the country theme taking on a far more chic persona, there are many aspects that every couple wanting to achieve the perfect wedding environment for their guests can adapt and apply in order to make the ideal setting for their reception. The beauty is that you don’t need to apply the rustic country theme to everything as even small scatterings and accents can really create a rustic vibe.

Great news for any couple trying to stay to a set budget, ironically as once upon a time rustic weddings were associated with ‘shoestring weddings’ where decorations were created cheaply from items such as hessian sacks made into bunting and decorative pieces, twine and other naturally abundant materials used widely in day to day life in the countryside.

These same materials, hay bale outdoor seating areas, hessian cloth, oil lanterns and more that now create huge appeal among soon to be wedded couples all go together to be what is considered as fashionable, thanks to our re-connection with nature and the chic attraction of the rustic theme as a sure winner in wedding fashion circles.

Here at UK Wedding Favours we have, for almost 20 years, we have been at the forefront of wedding favours, wedding decor and all the bits in between that can really make the most awe inspiring finishing touches to your magical day. Our recently updated traditional country wedding section provides a great selection of easy to order decorations for both venue and table, in addition to bouquets, bridal tiaras, rustic wedding invitations and of course the most beautiful wedding favours that offer a truly unique finishing touch to your 2014/15 rustic spring/summer wedding.

17 March, 2014

May the only butterflies you have this spring be inspirational decorative wedding ones

As we all know, getting a butterfly or two in your tummy is completely normal as you reach the final stages of your wedding day preparations and as spring is upon us what better than to celebrate your upcoming day in a fresh spring themed manner.

Butterflies are gorgeous, romantic and delicate creatures that are loved across the world for their beauty, symmetry and of course their transformation from caterpillar into a flourishing and unarguably stunning sight to see, in more ways than one sharing the same attributes as two people coming together and joining as one in holy matrimony.

Adored by both children and adults alike, the butterfly represents many things, a free spirit, opulent beauty and a wonderful, enlightening transformation or change; in many ways the same feelings and displayed emotions of a newly married couple!

So with any happy couples preparing to tie the knot this month, the butterfly is a brilliant point of interest, even in the final stages of your wedding planning. Much can still be done to incorporate butterflies into your big day, from accents on your dress or bouquet to table decorations and venue banners, to a host of additional accessories too!

Here at UK Wedding Favours we have devoted ourselves to creating the perfect wedding favours and wedding accessories for over 18 years, continuing year after year to outperform many other favour specialists with flair and imagination and of course our passion and commitment to detail and quality.

A wide range of perfect ways to incorporate all kinds of butterfly into your wedding day theme can be found here at UK Wedding Favours where, amongst other great ideas, you can discover superbly detailed stencil butterfly box and lid wedding favour examples in addition to pretty butterfly design bunting, butterfly place cards and so much more!

As per our interesting and inspirational ideas, why not take a look at our butterfly trivia cards too as these are a great conversation starter and ice breaker for adults and children alike. Available alongside a complete range of delightful venue and table decor selections to suit your needs, call on the experts here at UK Wedding Favours today for further information and assistance in bringing your big day preparations together.

03 March, 2014

Tiaras and Tantrums! Don’t stress over your headdress for the bride

Crested upon the heads of the bride and subsequently in many occasions the bridesmaids too, there is a certain majestic quality connected with tiaras and other such wedding headwear. Offering an elegant and often regal finish to any blushing bride, there are thousands of tiara designs, ranging from the extraordinary and lavish, to the more toned down, sophisticated examples that can be sourced easily in high street wedding boutiques and in online emporiums.

You see, the tiara is far more than a simple accessory. Across the world in many different religions and traditions, ceremonial head-dresses, crowns, headbands and tiaras are customary and have been for centuries. Their symbolic nature originally was focused on Royalty and the power, wealth and importance of leaders but over the centuries individuals began to incorporate the tiara into fashion, beauty and world wide pageant themes and especially weddings, expressing the form of importance and beauty towards the bride on her special, important day.

Head and hair decorations such as tiaras emphasise the focus on the bride and/or bridesmaids, adding the finishing touches to what will be stunning dresses and beautiful bouquets, bringing a effervescence and sparkle to the complete bridal ensemble. Ornate and finely crafted, the wide selection of tiaras available at UK Wedding Favours will ensure that you can find the perfect example at hugely competitive prices.

Take our magnificent arrangement, from which you can choose any number of well priced tiaras that look spectacular. Our very popular Silver Rhodium Elegant Diamante Tiara uses high grade diamante stones to produce a deep shine and sparkle, being far superior to everyday, duller varieties. Boasting expert craftsmanship and attention to detail, this tiara is but one of the many we provide; just ask our team for any details relating to our entire range.

 

Here at UK Wedding Favours we offer a leading service designed to ensure our clients and customers have access to a wonderful assortment of accessories and wedding favours. Our passionate approach and competitive prices have enabled us to remain at the very forefront of bridal fashion accessories, wedding favours and those extra touches that make your wedding unique. In addition, examples of our wedding tiaras can look fabulous for the bridesmaids, flower girls or maid of honour, such as the Silver Double Head band Diamante Tiara and other fabulous high quality examples found within our online portfolio today.

19 August, 2013

The history of wedding favours, bomboniere or favors

In the UK they are known as Wedding Favours. In other parts of the world they are known as either Bomboniere, Bridal Favours or simply Favours.  Even the spellings are sometimes different, a common spelling for wedding favours is to drop the ’u’ Wedding Favors. This is a common spelling in the USA.

Wedding favour - box design

The giving of Wedding Favours is a custom that dates back to early European history where they were given to celebrate not only marriages but also birthdays and christenings. However, this was mainly by the wealthy aristocrats of the period as wedding favours were classed as a luxury and only they could afford them.

12 April, 2012

The 5 Most Expensive Weddings

We are used to reading about the increasing cost of weddings these days, as more people try to emulate the lavish celebrity nuptials of the likes of Kim Kardashian. But despite the average cost of weddings coming to around £15,500 in the UK these days, Britons will still have a long way to go before coming close to the top five most expensive celebrity weddings. Let’s take a look:

 

1) Charles and Diana. At a whopping £31.2 million, this wedding is the most expensive on record in UK history – and that was back in 1981. Adjusted for inflation, the cost today would be an eye-watering £71.5 million. The Royals remain cagey on the breakdown of the costs, such as the hire of St Paul’s Cathedral for the wedding venue. The puff ball meringue wedding dress with 25-foot ivory taffeta train and antique lace, the five-foot main wedding cake and 27 lesser cakes, plus the expense of providing wedding catering and wedding favours for the dozens of royals, celebrities, politicians and VIPs who made up the guest list.

2) Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia. Taking place just a few years ago, in 2005, at a cost of over £39 million, this wedding of businessman Amit to steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter saw guest receiving invitations in silver boxes – which included flights to Paris and accommodation in a five-star hotel – and a celebration which took place at a 16th-century chateau and lasted five days, including a show by Kylie Minogue. For wedding favours, guests received jewel-packed designer  bags.

3) Prince William and Kate Middleton. The latest Royal Wedding only took place on 29 April last year and cost some £24 million, with £520,000 being spent on flowers, the wedding cake costing £52,000 and the lion’s share of the cost being accounted for by the high levels of security demanded by the UK government.

4) Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin. Back in 2008, this marriage of the Premier League footballer to his high school sweetheart caused a massive tabloid buzz and cost a reported £5.2 million. Wedding guests took a chartered plane to Genoa and attended a masked ball on a luxury yacht, shuttling between the opulent vessel and a five-star hotel.

5) Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky. As the daughter of former US President Bill Clinton, Chelsea’s marriage to investment banker Marc was never going to be done on the cheap. However, it turned out to be one of the most expensive on record, coming in at around £3.2 million.

17 January, 2012

The Meaning of 5 Sugared Almonds

Wedding Favours are traditional gifts which are given out at the wedding reception as a means of saying “thank you” from the bride and groom.  They are a token of appreciation that serve as a memorable keepsake for friends and family members who have come together to celebrate the marriage of the happy couple.  The Italian tradition of giving out wedding favours has gone on for centuries whether it’s in a traditional Bomboniere style of tulle nets or a beautiful presentation wedding favour box containing five sugared almonds.

Sugared almonds in multiple colours

The almonds themselves are coated in various colours in a candy shell and they are actually highly symbolic in more ways than one.  It is said that the sweet yet ever so slightly bitter flavour that fresh almonds possess represents the taste of life and the sweet sugared coating symbolises the hope that the newly married couple will enjoy a life that is more sweet than bitter.  In Italy, and indeed in many other parts of Europe, you will usually always find that there are precisely 5 almonds in each wedding favour.

The actual significance of there being five almonds is that the number five is indivisible which symbolises a strong bond or union between the newlywed couple that will never be broken or divided.  In addition to this, each almond has its own specific individual meaning and these are Health, Happiness, Wealth, Fertility and Long Life.

So, the next time anybody asks you why there are always five almonds in a wedding favour, you should be able to tell them!

Wedding favour box with gold lid

UK Wedding Favours are proud to stock one of the largest selections of ready-made favours and DIY favour boxes that you will find anywhere online. We also have a beautiful choice of table and venue decorations, wedding guest books and wedding sweets.

03 June, 2011