Featured: Alison & Sam at Centennial Parklands Dining featured in Modern Wedding

springtime wedding #1 - ali & sam



bridesmaid bouquet



ceremony backdrop flowers

 No, really, it can't be July since we showered a little picture love our blog's way?!

Ok, promise to make it up to you this week as we play serious catch up on the lovely things we have been up to in the past few months.

We tried to be all 2010 on Friday and do a day in the life of a wedding for Ali & Sam on our facebook page (sneak peeks of which you see here), but the iPhone refused to play when it came to uploading images (and it wasn't us being techno-illiterate promise), so here we are on a chilly, grey Sunday morning in Sydney, blogging instead, and thinking how great it was the sun shone down on such a lovely, lovely couple on Friday when they married under a stunning weeping willow at Centennial Parklands.

And those extremely large ducks you see looking oh so cute as they take a walk through the park with Ali & Sam? Let me tell you, they were tres scary up close and personal when I was setting up the ceremony flowers by the lake (even armed with a candleholder on a stake to gently try to prod them away from me, just in case they got too close, it was scary). But who can blame the proud new parents? There were little ducklings everywhere ('tis Spring after all), and they were just being protective.

Ali + Sam

Proud parent ducks & Sam + Ali

After the ceremony, Ali, Sam and their guests strolled to Centennial Parklands Dining where the wisteria around the restaurant is in spectacular bloom, for a reception that was all about fantastic food, wine, friends and dancing. Ali opted for a classic, and classy, combination of navy & cream for the day, so we dressed the tables with beautiful midnight blue tablecloths, and created centerpieces with a collection of beautiful cream ceramic vases and bowls filled with the best spring has to offer: hyacinth, jonquils, freesia, ranunculus, roses and carnations (now, now don't turn up your nose, they are such a beautiful flower used in massed arrangements like those shown here). Adding her own touch to the tables, Ali used etched silver tin hearts tied off with cream and navy ribbon as the place cards for the guests.

When we arrived towards the end of the night, it was evident no-one wanted to leave. Now we know that's always a good sign of how much fun was being had. We'll share a few more of our happy snaps below, but really look forward to sharing Cameron Bloom's beautiful images in the not too distant future with you. x


cream ceramic bowl with ranunculus and more



navy cloths, cream ceramic vase with spring blooms



hyacinth, jonquils, ranunculus, carnations, roses & more



centennial parklands dining - a spring setting

Centennial Parklands Dining Expo #3 - Table 2, please take your seats

For those of you in Sydney, hasn't it been wonderful to see the sun again? Even if the air temp was frigid? Almost looked like spring, so long as you were all cosy inside, looking out.

Since we can see the dark and rainy clouds gathering on the horizon heading our way already, we thought we'd make it keep feeling like spring for just a little longer. At least in our virtual world.

Cream and navy is such a classic, beautiful combination. Mother of pearl beaded napkin rings on cream napkins. A nest of sweet vases and candleholders in different heights, textures and hues of cream, at the centre of a table laid with a midnight blue cloth. Fragrant, soft arrangements of erlicheers and jonquils. A candle aglow before each guest. All available from our hire depot.

Simple, lovely, a case of less is more.

Enjoy.

x

Photography by Luke Jarvis.

Centennial Parklands Dining Expo #2 - Table 1, please take your seats

We thought we'd warm up the early part of the working week with a look at how we put together this elegant look for the open night we styled at Centennial Parklands Dining.

Now as you can see here, having a vintage, classic or elegant feel for your wedding day does not mean having to necessarily go all girly (and it would also be perfect for a special private or corporate dinner party).

We think this look is a perfect option for a couple looking for a vintage feel that is feminine and romantic, yet has touches designed to not make the men in the room feel like they don't belong there.

From Form Over Function's hire range we hit the shelves to chose beautiful black linens featuring a taupe tassel motif, a large round mirror for the centre of each table to reflect all that warm glow, and then gathered a collection of chic glass candle sticks in three different heights, antique mirror finish candleholders, some with delicate crystal detail, and small arrangements of delectable antique roses (all real). Matching napkins -- only this time taupe with the black tassel motif - are held in place by silver picture frame napkin rings featuring the guest's name to complete the look, along with embossed menus from our stationery range.

One of the lovely things about this look is its adaptability: want less black? Forgo the overlays, and use just the napkins. Want a bit more white? Forgo the taupe napkins and substitute some beautiful white damask ones from our linen hire range.

Instead of the candle aglow in the antique mirror finish hurricane, we could do a large arrangement of flowers for you instead. Instead of antique roses, the flowers that would work in with this look could also include peonies, david austen roses, sweet pea, hydrangea, hellebore, carnations (now, now don't snicker, they actually look beautiful when arranged in a tight, low mass), baby's breath (ditto, truly), julia roses, freesias, violets, lily of the valley. To name a few. But definitely not all at once!

We'd love to hear your thoughts: what do you think of this styling?

More lovely images from the very, very talented Mr Lucas Jarvis, tomorrow.

Enjoy. x

Centennial Parklands Dining Expo #1 - Ten looks, which to choose?

We have to admit we're feeling just a little bit fluffy around the edges at FOF headquarters today after spending a wonderful evening at one of our very favourite venues in Sydney (fantastic food, stunning parklands setting, beautiful room, great staff, what's not to love), meeting lots of happy brides and grooms-to-be checking out Centennial Parklands Dining for their day (and it's not because we were the ones sipping champagne!)

[And for those who attended how yum were the bocconcini, cherry tomato & basil on lavosh, the blue swimmer crab, with apple & celeriac remoulade & roe, the Thai beef salad with Szechaun pickled cucumber, the cured ocean trout & fennel tartlet with eucalyptus honey and last but so, so not least, the miniature sticky meringues with fresh cream & raspberry compote?]

Now it's not every day we get to style ten different events in the one venue at the same time, so the team embraced the challenge with gusto, and although we are in the midst of winter (and a damn chilly one at that), we worked to bring summer, spring, autumn and winter to the venue all at once. As well as a wedding cake, dessert & lolly station that would have disappeared within the hour if one of our trusty assistants, Sam, had not been there to stand guard (in a lovely, smiling way of course).

And whilst the night was designed to make it easy for couples to find everything from a DJ and celebrant, to a stylist (that's us) to put their own individual stamp on their wedding day, some of the designs we came up with would work just as beautifully for a special dinner or lunch, be it for a corporate or private celebration.

When we launched into the blogosphere earlier this year, we promised we would offer a behind the scenes look at what we do and how it comes together, so over the next couple of weeks, we will be sharing lots of beautiful images captured by the very, very talented Mr Lucas Jarvis, of last night's showcase at Centennial Parklands Dining, and walking you through the whys and wherefores of each design.

But here's a sneak peek at some of the lovely images you have to look forward to.

Enjoy.

x

On our marks, get ready, design ten tables now

Our blog has been feeling decidedy unloved because we've been busy working on designing several corporate events, meeting with lots of brides to be and spending time in the country preparing for a very special event later this year, so as we turn to the next thing on our to do list -- designing at least ten different table looks for the open night at Centennial Parklands Dining next month --we thought we'd share some of our favourite tables from the open day we styled at this beautiful Sydney venue in February.

The only thing that makes this fun job so hard is sticking to only designing ten (ok let's make it twelve) tables when we have so much delicious new stock on the shelves in our hire depot and more on the way.

We hope you enjoy the inspiration and if you are wanting to attend the open night on Thursday July 8 (gorgeous canapes, a glass or two of bubbles, the opportunity to see the venue's tables dressed in lots of different ways... what's not to love) cross over to our facebook page, drop us a line and we'll organise an invite for you.

Till soon,

Alicia x