Vintage Vogue

Vintage Vogue Wedding Style

Vintage is definitely staying en vogue for wedding décor so we’ve decided to showcase some of the vintage wedding trends gracing wedding venues across Ireland.

THE DRESS:

Different eras have seen a rise in the popularity of different styles of wedding dress, below is an outline of the most popular styles from the 1920’s to the 1970’s. This year, continuing with the vintage wedding trend, the roaring 20’s Gatsby style wedding attire has been making a return to popularity.

With beautiful embellishments & adornments, 1920’s dresses really do make for wonderful works of art. Detailed Headpieces in vintage styles really define this Gatsby look. Grooms are also being given the opportunity to look their most dapper & in fact we here at Gotcha Covered have noticed a return to the black tie wedding this summer.

THE DÉCOR:

For the lavish Gatsby wedding style, more is definitely more, with diamanté  or silver charger plates, crystal candelabras, gold, pearls & of course floral table centerpieces all making an appearance. Exquisite Wedding Table linens in gold, silver & pearl tones are being requested & even the backdrops are Gatsby!

With this in mind we will soon be launching our Vintage Vogue collection, an eclectic mix of old world glamour.

Winter Weddings

Well the evenings are getting darker which can only mean one thing.. Winter is coming! But there are positive parts to winter like a romantic Winter Wonderland Wedding! Below are some cute ideas for you when planning a winter wedding.

There are some cliché winter wedding decor ideas such as snowflakes and large winter trees but there are many other cute ways of incorporating a winter theme. The following are some cute decor ideas to incorporate the theme. You can involve the winter theme into as much or as little of your wedding as you prefer.

Candles are a great way of creating atmosphere in the room and also creating a warm and cozy winter theme. You can use them as centre pieces on each table creating a sea of candles so when your guests walk into the room they are blown away by the romantic candle lit room.

 A starry night is a romantic scene anywhere so why not have it in your reception room to create a real wow factor to your winter wedding theme. Your guests will be in awe of your starry night skyline and it creates a real wow factor to your room decor. Draping the roof can create a gorgeous cozy atmosphere in the room and with blue and green lighting reflected on to the draping it creates a real winter feel to the room.

Hanging chandeliers are a lovely way of creating a winter vibe to you room. Vary the heights to create the illusion of falling snowflakes. The bright lights from the chandeliers will create a lovely bright light on each of the tables thus creating an overall romantic feel to the room when your guests walk in. 

Making place name cards is always a lovely personal touch to your wedding. For a winter wedding there are lots of cute ideas you can make simply so it doesn't cause you too much hassle but still looks great on the day. Guests will be impressed with you incorporating the winter theme into even the littlest things on the day. Incorporating more candles here will create a romantic and personal feel as your guests will have their own personal candle with their name on it- always reminding them of your special day.

Incorporating your winter theme into wedding favours is a cute and thoughtful idea which your guests will appreciate you doing. 

Hot Chocolate for your guests to take away with them or have on the night is an adorable little favour that your guests will appreciate on a cold winters night.

Your guests will certainly appreciate these mini hot water bottles on a cold night and therefore are a very thoughtful favour to have at your wedding. 

These cute little dessert treats are a lovely idea for your guests to enjoy when they get the post dinner munchies.

So what we're trying to say is not to despair- winter weddings can be just as fun as those sunny summer ones!

The Vintage Wedding Craze!

Having a theme for your wedding can help with the overall planning of your wedding as it provides a certain structure that you can stick to. The vintage wedding theme is still as popular as ever so we thought we would give you some ideas if you choose to go down the vintage road when planning your wedding. As it is your special day you can incorporate the theme into as much or as little of your day as you like.


Here are some nice ideas on how to incorporate the vintage suitcase look into your wedding. It can be as simple as using it for people to place cards or gifts in or you can get really creative with it and use it as your table plan for your guests or simply just as a prop to highlight the vintage theme.

Bird cages are very popular when incorporating a vintage theme in your wedding. Use them as centre pieces on each table with some nice flowers inside to give a softer look to the cages. Or you can display bird cages at the entrance of the main room to create the overall theme before your guests even walk in to the room.

Having a vintage style table where guests can write messages to the newly married couple is a nice idea and will encourage your guests to admire the vintage props while writing you a lovely message that you can keep as a wedding memory forever.

Hanging jars are a lovely way of decorating the room for a vintage style. A nice touch to this style is to write a little memory of the couples time together on each jar such as how they first met. This will give a real personal feel to the decor and will also give your guests a chance to chat and reminisce on their memories of the couple and share stories.

This cute little idea is ideal for couples who want to include music in their vintage wedding theme. Incorporating sheet music from your favourite song can give a nice personal touch to the wedding. Wrapping the sheet music around flowers can be used as a cute wedding favour or even for the bridesmaid flower bouquet. It can be sheet music from songs that mean something to you both. This will give a really personal and romantic feel to the wedding. This may take some time to prepare but it will be worth it to see the end product and your guests will be impressed with this cute idea.

Different eras brought different styles of dresses and if you want to go all out for your vintage wedding theme you can always wear a traditional wedding dress that came from a certain decade. This can really add to the theme for your day and below is a guide to the different fashions from the 1920's to the 1970's. You can incorporate this style into as much or as little as you like but usually if you chose to go with a vintage theme then almost every part of the wedding will have the vintage theme running through it from the wedding dress to the room decor even if they are just small vintage props or ideas the vintage theme will be apparent.  

The photo booth idea has taken the wedding industry by storm in the last few years. It provides fun for all your guests no matter what their age and leaves lasting memories for both you and all your guests. You can incorporate any props you like into the photo booth to make the images funny and give your guests a good laugh! Your guests can keep the photos and have them as a memory of your special day.  

Brooch Bouquet

Along with all your wedding memories why not have a bouquet that you can keep forever as well? This unique idea will have your guests in awe of your bouquet and you can also incorporate your "something old" by including an old brooch from your mother or grandmother. You can incorporate as much or as little colour into your brooch bouquet. You can even incorporate a colour theme that may be part of your wedding.

We hope these vintage wedding ideas have sparked some fun ideas for your wedding! Come visit us in our showrooms for a wedding consultation and hear about how we can add to your vintage look!

Wedding Traditions and Summer Trends

1. The engagement

Brands of love and loyalty between two people are often marked by a ring or an engagement announcement. The engagement is a first step toward marriage, a moment of reflection and the promise of a final commitment.

2. Announcement

Once the engagement is announced and you have set the date and place of your marriage, it is time to communicate the essential information around! Generally the announcement indicates the names of spouses, parents and grandparents, the date, time and place of the religious ceremony. An invitation card is attached to the invitation if the bride and groom hold a reception. 

 

3. The bachelor and bachelorette party

Traditionally, a bachelor party is the last evening of entertainment that the bride has as an unmarried woman, and the man without his future wife. Most of the time, it takes place a week before the wedding. These events are an opportunity for the bride and groom to spend some quality time with their friends. It can take place during a dinner on an evening or even a full day. Organized by the friends of the bride and groom, the bachelor party may be soft, classic or even completely crazy!

  

  

4. The four elements

For a successful marriage, tradition dictates that the bride wears or has on the day of her marriage four elements: an old item, a new item, a borrowed item and a blue item. This can be a garment, accessory, jewelry, wedding dress, petticoat, garter, earrings...

5. Alliances

The ring exchanged during the marriage is the name of alliance. It can be brought up the aisle by a child known as the ring bearer on a cushion. According to custom, the ring is placed on the ring finger of the left hand because the "vein of love" in this finger directly connects to the heart.

6. The wedding dress and veil

The famous white dress! To highlight the shape of her dress, the bride may choose a petticoat she likes the most. It can also compliment and match her ​​outfit with gloves. Formerly, the veil symbolized the innocence of the bride. Today, this tradition has been lost, but some brides still use the veil.

 

7. The bouquet toss

According to custom, the bride may throw her bouquet at the end of the day. She must have her back to her friends who are unmarried. The person who catches it is said to be the next to marry.

8. Wedding cake France

These cakes are made with cream puffs (coated with crunchy caramel) and vanilla flavored.

Little or nothing can not stop the inventiveness of pastry making in France especially for Wedding cakes.

9. Dance

The bride and her father traditionally have the first dance of the night together, often with a waltz. A band or DJ is responsible for getting the guests up to dance and party until the early hours of the morning. During the evening, games are organized by friends, sometimes some are disguised, making a spectacle, others prepare a well-prepared event in honor of the couples love, grandparents sing. These events can be organized as a surprise several weeks before marriage.

 

Trends for Summer Weddings

Vintage

Vintage is often used in the weddings, but this year it is going to reign not only in the wedding dress styles, but will also become a big trend in the wedding themes in general. We will probably see the 30s and 40s-inspired themes along with the 20s mark.

Mint

Mint was the hottest trend during the spring summer season 2012 and it seems to continue during the year 2013. Besides looking fresh and chic, this color has a retro feel.

Rainbow hues

In case you don’t want to limit yourself to just one wedding color, you can pick them all. Regardless whether you choose the bold or subdued hues, you can have your bridal party wear outfits in the colors of the rainbow.  In case you don’t want to utilize the entire rainbow, you may still choose the bold colors.

Mini menus

Consider having appetizers and desserts of mini sizes, which look cool and stylish. Believe me your guests will appreciate the idea of snacking on small sandwiches, beverages and desserts. Amaze everyone by presenting the food the original way. The same principle works for the cakes.

 

Lounge areas

Your guests will love the idea of a comfy lounge area at the wedding reception. This could be set both indoors and outdoors.

Covered centerpieces

In 2013 a popular trend are floral designs and other planted centerpieces that are covered up and caged. Terrarium centerpieces made from the bell jars or glass vases and they add a contemporary feel to the floral centerpieces.

The Difference Between a Manager and a Planner

Planning a wedding can be a stressful time if you don't have the time to fully commit to it. This is why many couples hire a wedding planner to help with the overall structure, design, and plan for their special day. If you decide to have your wedding in a hotel they will sometimes tell you they have their own planner who will help you plan your big day. Although the role of the manager in a hotel is a very important job there is a difference between a manager and a planner. The word planner is often used quite loosely and when we came across Preston Bailey's, one of the top wedding planners in America, blog entry on clarifying the differences between a Manager and a Planner we thought it would be an interesting topic to share with you as we feel it is important for you to know what kind of service you are paying for. After all it is the happiest day of your life!

A big mis-understanding that occurs in this business is the responsibilities of a wedding planner versus a manager.

• Mangers are responsible for the over all running of the event in the hotel such as the catering and and waiters, keeping track of time during the day such as ensuring the dinner is served at a particular time to ensure the band and DJ start and finish on time. Most of the duties assigned to the manager are venue related tasks.

• Planners on the other hand are with you from the first initial meeting to the moment you walk down the aisle. A planner is there to support and guide you throughout the entire process and are on hand to help with any detail of your wedding. Planners help you organise all details of a wedding from finding your dream venue, creating and managing budgets, to finding vendors to suit your every desire and many more.

Another mis understanding which occurs in this industry is that people believe that managers work for you. In reality managers are hired by the venue to perform tasks which allow them to make sure the event runs smoothly. They are not there to assist you with your overall wedding decision making process where as planners are there from the very start to ensure all your wedding dreams come true in the run up to your wedding day and on the day itself.

We would like to ensure our readers know we are in no way deameaning the role of mangers in hotels we understand it is clearly an important role with a lot of responsibilities we just wanted to clarify the differences between the roles as this can sometimes lead to confusion to many couples when planning a wedding. We hope this blog has helped to clarify the main differences between a manager and a wedding planner.

Here is a link to Preston's website.  He is a top wedding planner in America.
http://blog.prestonbailey.com/

Summer Wedding Trends

We all know Ireland is not exactly known for our hot summers but we hope to heat things up with some summer wedding trends and ideas for 2013!

Marquee Weddings and Draping

Have the atmosphere of an outdoor wedding while protecting your guests from the Irish weather! Marquee weddings are popular this summer and are easily dressed with drapery to add a sophisticated look to the room.

Add hanging lanterns to the draping to create a romantic atmosphere 



Colour Trends

Mixing colours can help create a summer atmosphere even if its raining outside. Colours such as blue and white or blue and yellow can give that fresh summer look to any wedding no matter the weather! It also means you will probably have your "something blue" sorted which will be one less thing to worry about.

Mini Menus

Why not consider having mini appetizers and desserts at your wedding. This also saves the hassle of having lots of left over wedding cake. Impress your guests by presenting them in an original way.

Mismatched Bridesmaid dresses 

As no two women are the same the same style of dress may not suit all your bridesmaids so why not mismatch them to give a trendy vibe to your wedding but also keep the ladies happy with their favourite style of dress.

Place cards with a twist!

 Surprise your guests with an original place card which include a little treat for them too! They will be impressed with the idea and enjoy their treat too!

Balloon theme

Couples often like to have an overall theme for their wedding and balloon themes are becoming a fun idea to incorporate into your day! You can include the theme as much or as little into your day as you like.

Here are some ideas you could consider:

We hope we have inspired you with these Summer Wedding trends and ideas!