Festoon's on-the-day Wedding Co-Ordination.

This is what you need to be doing on your wedding day. Not co-ordinating!

As well as decorating and styling weddings, Festoon provides excellent wedding co-ordination on the day itself.

We work with couples who often want a very creative day, which means they have been DIYing a lot of their wedding day. These sorts of weddings can take a huge amount of organising with lots of handcrafted details and external contractors that make up an eclectic and unique day. However with lots of detail comes a lot of last minute headaches! When the ice cream van arrives they will  need to know exactly where to park up (and I bet you'd like to confirm with them exactly when they'll be leaving..), the guests will all have their own needs that we often can't for-see until the day, and all of these little things can't be dealt with by the couple who have organised it all because you're meant to be enjoying yourselves!

I have 11 years experience overseeing weddings and work intuitively with the atmosphere of the day. A wonderful people person, I can ensure the practicalities run smoothly; all contractors set up in the right place but also that no one is left without wine! You will not know I’m there but you’ll be so much more relaxed to know I am.

Woodland and festival weddings a specialty as they require extra knowledge of how these ‘events’ run, but equally at home in any style wedding.
Contact Ruth on 07853 276884 or festoon@live.co.uk for a quote.

A Very Festooned Styled Shoot!

Pheweeeeee did I have fun doing this one. Boho, colourful, eclectic, relaxed, broke all  the rules and threw some feathers in for good measure.

Roll out the Dahlias, Vintage Gin Bar, Real Ale and dance about in a bright purple Vivienne Westwood gown. That's my idea of a good Wedding shoot!

Hair & Make Up by Kassi Ellis 
Photography by Charlotte at That Photo Booth Company
Floristry & Styling by Festoon
Gin Bar by  The Vintage Gin Bar
Ale Bar by The Outdoor Ale Bar Company
Yurt & Canopy from Yurtmaker
Dress by Vivienne Westwood 
Yurt by Yurtmaker

With love from www.festoonsworld.tumblr.com

Formal Wedding Floristry? No, we want Natural, Relaxed, Local, Foraged Flowers!

Since starting work as a wedding decorator, and informal florist, I've spoken to so many couples about what they want for their wedding flowers. The average couple in their early 30's today don't know exactly what they want from flowers because an explicit shape and colour scheme looks quite dated. They want something a little different, not contrived, and they often have a hankering after the natural or eco friendly. Local, foraged, wild flowers that are of the season fit this bill brilliantly.

My favorite way to work is with a super wide brief. This is perfect for an artist who works with what they find seasonally. Find a florist or an artist friend with an eye for colour, knowledge of the fixings and of the life span of certain flowers out of water and you will have the most visually, texturally, exciting and fragrant wedding flowers going.

The request for 'something different' is met with an excited raised eyebrow from me! In the last year the two favourites have included adding foraged feathers to the bouquet, herbs for a traditional slant and vegetables. 2016 is going to be the year of the vegetable bouquet, mark my words.

Watch this beautiful Costa Sister's video for Vegetable bouquet inspiration!

And my favorite thank you from a bride this year: "Thank you Ruth for my beautiful bouquet (you know the bride loves it when she refuses to throw it to the single ladies!) Wild, beautiful, natural, foraged flowers.... exactly what I dreamed of, and you delivered it perfectly."

Flowers by Festoon, supplied by Gill Yuile & Stokesay Court Flower Garden

 

Bit of Veg action on the old Buttonhole!
Festoon is teaching this technique at The National Vintage Wedding Fair 18th Oct in Manchester

A January foraged Posy by Festoon.

 

     A lovely Flower Crown made by the wearer at a workshop led by Festoon for her 8th Birthday Party. Pic by Emma Playstead.

 

 

 

 

Shropshire Wedding Venues

I am constantly inundated with excited couples trying to find their perfect wedding venue. It seems they come to me as I throw the style of wedding they want and tend to work in the style of venue that they are sniffing out.

Festival style, vintage, rustic, quirky weddings can of course be held in your average manor house, castle or stately home but the people who come to me often want something a little different and usually with a different budget in mind.

So here are my top 5 Quirky Shropshire Wedding Venues. Some without pictures as we like to keep them secret, but come through me and we can go and view them!

1. A field over looking Wenlock Edge! You can have the full festival wedding experience, set up a yurt such as Henry's gorgeous Yurtmaker.co.uk Yurts or how about a Stretch Tent from Freestretch.co.uk? Contact me for further details festoon@live.co.uk.

freestretch.co.uk tell Will Ruth sent you!

2. The Sun Inn at Leintwardine. Not strictly in Shropshire, just over the border in Herefordshire but very close to Ludlow and all that delicious foodie-ness. Rustic, parlous pub. Original flagstone floor, original wallpaper. Large eco-build extension on the back and vintage furniture. Oh yes and fantastic real ale! festoon@live.co.uk for further details

Festoon co-ordinates weddings at The Sun. festoon@live.co.uk

3. Wistanstow Village Hall. The largest village hall in the country apparently and it really is gorgeous. It includes a small field over looking incredible countryside, lots of parking and beautiful woodwork inside.

From Rock My Wedding

4. Wilderhope Manor is actually a youth hostel but has recently had a refurb and is now a brilliant combination of grand yet rustic. Remote enough to have a big knees up with gorgeous grounds and accomodation for guests on site yet close to Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth. Tents can also be erected outside.

Contact Wilderhope on 08453719149 or Wilderhope@yha.org.uk

5. A brand new use for a very old barn. Potiphar's Barn in Munslow is suitable for private dining, exhibitions and now for weddings with a custom made canopy extending the space out into the farmyard. Marvelously eccentric owners to top it off - you can hold something very magical here!

Available with or without ducks. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Potiphars-Barn/642098342579697?fref=photo 

 

 

 

Festoon provides hire items to make your wedding or event a gorgeous one. Festoon lights, fairy lights, vintage crockery, vintage vases, vintage jars & bottles, wood blocks, Ale bar, Gin bar, hog roast and much more. 

www.festoonsworld.tumblr.com 

Ruth x