Covered: Vintage inspired shoot makes the front page

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Country Charm: Pretty Vintage Wedding Inspiration

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Centennial Parklands Dining Expo - Table #2 Vintage Romance

One of the joys -- and challenges - of styling a whole lot of different looks for the one venue on the one night (as we have to when we take part in an expo at Centennial Parklands Dining) is how to create different seasonal looks to encompass the moods and colours flowers offer at different times of the year, only we're attending flower market on the one day, in the one season, to gather all we need to style the tables.

But the flower gods of Tasmania smiled upon us this February and supplied us with these delicious pink peonies - a flower we would normally only have access to in late October through to early December.

Combined with the fact we had access to blackberries in season, rosy crab apples picked fresh from a tree growing at the gate of our favourite farmer's property on the outskirts of Sydney, watermelon hued dahlias and lusicious velvety celosia in shades of sunset pink, we were a bit excited about designing this arrangement for the very new cream and vintage glass footed flower stands now on the shelf in our hire range. (This was their very first outing. They would also make excellent cake or sweet stands for a dessert buffet, as as there's a lovely cut glass plate under all those delicious flowers, but we digress.).

For this romantic, vintage setting we placed a large mirror at the centre of a table clothed in cream linen, added a crystal cut plate filled with rosy crab apples to the side of the main centrepiece, scattered glass votives with a fleur de lys embossed pattern around the mirror and before each guest. Cream napkins were held by a beaded cream napkin ring and a cream gift box tied up in chocolate and dusty pink striped ribbon, with fresh blackberries as a top knot, were at each place setting.

Etched wine glasses carried the vintage feel through to the tableware, and cream and chocolate stationery, with pink caligraphied names, from our stationery range finished off the look.

Cream anyone? Would you like one lump, or two?

Enjoy.
x

Form Over Function flowers and styling captured with grace and beauty by Photography by Anliette.

Centennial Parklands Dining Expo - Table #1 - Summer Bridal

Now we don't have anything against white in here -- honest! -- but as we sketched and plotted and designed away to come up with six new looks for the latest showcase at Centennial Parklands Dining, we could not help ourselves in wanting to create a traditional bridal table that was everything but.

And here we share the results with you.

With a venue set within one of Sydney's living, breathing garden treasures, it was was hard to resist bringing the colours and textures of the outside in.

We dipped into our hire range to cover the table in a bold yet earthy mix of green, white and chocolate stripes, lined the front edge of the table with a collection of white ceramic vases and flower holders placed before each guest, and created vivid green and crisp white arrangements featuring hydrangea, succulents, calla lilies, very young privet berry and more.

Before each guest glowed one of our white crete votives, and the summertime feel continued through the use of paperlace white glasses and tumblers from our hire range.

A fan was added at each place setting - pretty and practical for a summer wedding - as well as a menu from our Bohdi range of stationery.

And the best thing about this design? It would be just as perfect for a private or corporate celebration of any sort.

Enjoy.

More looks unveiled tomorrow.

x

Form Over Function styling and flowers captured with beauty and grace by Photography by Anliette

white ceramic vases, trays and holders filled with structural and beautiful summer blooms, berries and plants

calla lily nestled within a spray of young privet berry

one of our white footed vases filled with an arrangement of white callas, hydrangea foliage & lotus flowers

the vase seen from the other side: the lotus pod is what is left once the lotus flower, seen here in pink bloom, has opened up and lost its petals

Could this summery and beautiful creation from Faye Cahill Cake Design be any more perfect for this setting?

old fashioned snapdragons in a moderrn setting

fans for cooling, and pretty floral glasses to keep that summer feel running right through to the tableware

Centennial Parklands Dining #5 - Table 4, please take your seats

As much as we try to be in denial at Form Over Function, it's winter (to state the obvious), in some ways we should be grateful, for winter is the season that brings kale into glorious bloom in delicious shades of mauve, purple, cream and pale sage green. Who would have thought a relative of the cabbage could look so, so beautiful in a floral arrangement? It's also the season for privet berries to turn deep purple-black, and together with fragrant lavender, roses in mauve hues and lovely, lovely velvety dusty miller, it's a season which gives us the scope to make up gorgeous textural arrangements like the one shown here.

From our hire range we combined delicate beaded votives before each guest, beautiful taupe dupion silk overlays with an aubergine silk organza edge, beaded aubergine napkin rings, menus from our fern stationery range, and we placed a large mirror centerpiece under the flowers and pale aubergine fabric lantern to reflect all that lovely warm glow.

It makes for a cosy and intimate feel, and who could ask for more when it's cold and grey outside, and you wish it wasn't?

Enjoy.

x

Photography by Luke Jarvis.

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