HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING DIFFERENT TO EVERYONE ELSE’S.

Posted on March 9, 2016 by thelittlelendingco

Making your wedding different doesn’t mean you need to be totally mad and off the wall with your ideas. It’s just thinking about the things that make you two happiest as a couple.

Image via Nouba wedding blog.

What makes you two tick?
Let your world and your loves in life inspire your day. Don’t go changing what you love in real life just to make an ‘ideal’ wedding.
Take inspiration from what you do together; places you spend your Summers, music you dance to, art exhibitions you’ve loved, films you’ve laughed at, a poem that hangs in your home, a book you quote to each other, a person that inspires you, colours in your home…you get the gist.

Think outside the wedding box.
During the planning process keep a notebook and your camera with you at all times. This might sound obvious but you never know when inspiration will strike. You might hear a song lyric you’d love written up for a backdrop or you might see an incredible street artist with the perfect coloured pants for the grooms men…

Images via She is Magic Tumblr + Green wedding shoes.com

Step away from Pinterest.
Be inspired by who you are not by what others have done. It’s all too easy to get inspired by those pretty pins and want to do it just like they have. I’m a big Pinterest fan, use it but always let yourselves shape the day and the final design.

Bring a bit of yourselves to the reception.
Bring items you love from home to dress your venue, let your current obsessions in interior decor become part of the decor. Take inspiration from your hobbies. Think about using your nicknames if you’re not too worried about formalities. If there’s something you both own that everyone knows you for it should totally make the wedding decor.

Images via Brit.co + Intimate weddings.com

Get family and friends involved.
Friends and family will love being asked to get involved. Ask your family what they have tucked in garages and lofts, it’s bound to be a talking point on the day too. If you love looking back, maybe you have some old nostalgia tucked away that can be pulled out for the big day?

Let planning your wedding be a personal as possible, after all it’s all about the joining of two hearts and two families.

Penny @ The Little Lending Co. X

HOW TO FIND COOL WEDDING SUPPLIERS.

Posted on February 24, 2016 by thelittlelendingco

Being a unique, stylish couple can be the biggest blessing but also the biggest curse. Knowing what you want for your day feels so amazing, but along the way there will always be a little bit of compromise; from finding amazing decor pieces which are never ‘just up the road’ or are completely unaffordable to venue restrictions and family just not getting what you’re trying to achieve.

Doughnut Lab : Uber cool local Norfolk company with Doughnuts to die for!

Getting your day, your way can feel like climbing a giant mountain. Don’t get disheartened, work out what’s truly important and a must-have for the day and put your efforts into making it a reality. I truly believe having a group of perfect wedding suppliers that have your back makes the whole thing so much easier. But how do you find them?!…

– Smaller, cooler and on-point suppliers can take some finding; don’t stop on page 1 of google, keep scrolling and using different search terms. Depending on your style or what you’re looking for, there’s always more than one way to search : Prop hire, Wedding decor, Event hire, Venue decor…

– Go social and search Instagram # and get really specific with those tag searches. Try searching more local tags to you e.g ‘#NorfolkWedding’, ‘NorwichWedding’ or # your local venues name to see who’s been there. I found our wedding DJ’s on Instagram through a photographers page who had commented on their photo, it really works!

– Facebook stalk, I mean really stalk! Look at pages liked by the pages you have liked already, be sure to get notifications from your favourite suppliers as collaborations they work on with local wedding folk could be right up your street.

– Check out cool wedding fair supplier lists : The Most Curious Fair’s directory is amazing for a pool of local, cool suppliers. Godwick Barn’s wedding fair in the Autumn also boasts some really quirky wedding suppliers too.

– Talk to suppliers you have booked for their recommendations. If you’re clicking with a supplier you’ve booked it’s more than likely you’ll have lots in common and they’ll know a heap of other suppliers you’d love. I’m always happy to help our couples stuck in a search rut.

– Just please don’t rush into booking a supplier out of desperation! Check them out across all their social sites, FB, IG, Pinterest and Twitter to see if you’re on the same page. When you get your suppliers right it will be a total joy and a breeze.

Dust with Cocoa : Creative local cake company that we’re crushin’ on.

(Both the pictured suppliers are going to be at The Most Curious wedding fair in Norwich on the 20th March next month, we’re so flipping’ excited about this show. Be sure to keep an eye on our Instagram as plans and prep take shape!)

How is your supplier search going?
The Little Lending Co. X

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WEDDING STYLIST.

Posted on August 5, 2015 by thelittlelendingco

So you’re not too keen on the idea of pulling all your hundreds of Pinterest pins together the day before? The whole idea of dressing a wedding venue makes you want to run for the hills? That’s totally OK and exactly when you need to find a wedding stylist.

Your wedding stylist should inspire, not take away any of the control from you as a couple but bring their guidance and add a whole heap of creative and practical knowledge of what’s going to make your decor rock and importantly, work.

(Photo of me at the F&P styling workshop 2015)

I’ll admit it, I do get a little bit over excited about the details. I like to bring a personal approach to my styling and make sure you’re heard through the whole process.

For our ‘A little help goes a long way‘ package it all kicks off with an initial meeting with me. It’s important you like me before I start working on your wedding. It’s a chance to bring visuals along, all your favourite Pins, magazine tears, favourite colours, fabrics, things you love as a couple, objects from home…You name it, this is what will get the creative juices flowing and as your stylist I’ll already have a heap of ideas whizzing around.

Once you have a tonne of ideas that you want to try, the next step is to walk through with your stylist in tow at the venue to see what is feasible. With a designers eye often we’ll notice an area that would be amazing dressed, you get the most from a venue when you work with it. Your stylist can advise placements and how best to use what you have collected and sourced.

Unlimited communication – Keep in touch through the whole of the planning, bring in ideas to the table over email. Often the logistics of the day need to be communicated with your stylist; where the caterers will be, will props need to be moved at any point in the day, is there a wet weather plan…Lots of queries can come up in the weeks before the day.

Have a final walk through of where each and every detail will be going together at the venue a few weeks before the day. If there are other creative suppliers that are bringing props your stylist will ask for details and arrival times. Your stylist will then work out the timings for the set up day to ensure everything is in it’s place on time.

Then, relax. Let your stylist do what they love to do. Trust what they can do. They’ll have a full kit from irons for linen creases to cable ties for lighting, so you don’t need to worry about a thing.

For a little more info and availability on our styling packages you can drop us a line here.

Gorgeous Photos in this post by Xander and Thea Photography.

Penny @ The Little Lending Co. x

AN A-Z OF STYLING YOUR OWN WEDDING. (PART 2)

Posted on January 28, 2015 by thelittlelendingco

Hello again Little Lenders,

I really hope the first part of this blog was useful and given you a few tips and pointers for styling your own day. Without further ado, here is part 2.

N – NOTE DOWN YOUR SUPPLIERS

Keep a list of the suppliers you’ll be using for your wedding day in one place. Also when they’ll need access to your venue so that you can let your venue know. It’s worth giving this list to someone who is on site the day before to check that everyone has been and a list of numbers in case something dosent go to plan.

0 – O.T.T

It’s OK to go a little Over The Top and add a little WOW factor (It’s only your blinking Wedding day!) Create a talking point with your decor, a big entrance or a ceremony focal point with a difference. Your photographer will love you for it too.

Image via 100 layer cake.

P – PINTEREST

Pinterest can be the greatest source of inspiration and at times the greatest curse. Once you have pinned and planned an idea you really, really love step away from the pins. There will always be more ideas than time! Go with what your gut instinct is telling you for your decor and you won’t go far wrong. And I always say simplicity can rule more often than not. A lot of the ideas you see on Pinterest have been created by teams of stylists and professional wedding hire teams with access to lots of tools and even machinery. If you think you can nail the look with your family and loved ones then go for it, if you think it’s beyond your skills set keep things a little simpler with the set-up.

Image source Ruffled Blog.

Q – QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

More is not more. Give your props, decor pieces and big ideas a space to shine.

R – READY FOR ANYTHING

Packing an essential ‘on the day Styling bag’ is a total must. You just know you’ll need to re-iron those table topper cloths again. Ours includes : Scissors, string, pins, cable ties, bulldog clips, gaffe tape and electrical tape, iron and thick towel and plenty of bin bags. Pack some glass cleaner and kitchen roll too to touch up glass wear. These are the items that you’ll definitely find yourself looking for.

S – SPACES

Make or ask for a floor plan of your venue and go to your venue to take photos from all angles. It will keep you on track when you’re planning something for a wall that actually has a door in the middle of it, or you’d like to plug some lights in but there is no socket anywhere near by. (Cue gaffa tape from your kit…)

Image via Style Me Pretty.

T – TEAM WORK

Sounds crazy, but assign a ‘set-up’ day team of friends and family to help. Delegate jobs out with rough timings for each task before you arrive at the venue; hanging the bunting, dressing the cards table (some pictures from your Pinterest boards for friends will really help make sure it’s spot on too)… Letting other people help with jobs will leave you more free to act as the head stylist make sure everything is just as you envisioned. Try to leave some time at the end of the day to do final checks so you can sleep easy knowing everything looks perfecto.

U – UNDERSTANDING SUPPLIERS

Picking suppliers that really understand you and your style is crucial and make your wedding planning heaps less daunting. Set up a meeting or go for a coffee with your photographer and florist to make sure you’re on the same page. All good suppliers will want to get to know what you’re about as a couple and what you really want. Then, really all you need to do is trust them to do what they do best.

V – VENUE

When picking your venue make sure it will compliment the styling that you have in mind. A rustic aesthetic is going to be really hard to achieve in a modern, urban building. It will save you lots of styling work and help you style simply and effectively if you choose a venue that has the feel you’re after.

Green Wedding Shoes.

W – WEATHER

If it all gets a little soggy have you thought of a back up plan? How much of your day are you reliant on being outside? Make sure you let your wedding caterer or co-ordinator know Plan B if the weather does take a U-turn and can help make the necessary changes to ensure a smooth turnaround of the day. No-one wants soggyy sandwiches or bottoms for that matter.

Rock my wedding.

X – ‘X’ MARKS THE SPOT

Sign your wedding well – Right from the roads leading to the venue. There is nothing worse than having a hidden beauty of a venue that no-one can find. It will create excitement on the drive through too.

Y – YES I CAN

Be confident that you can bring all the elements of your wedding decor together, you’ve been planning for months and it will all be totally rad. If things don’t look quite pin-worthy don’t fret, ask your florist or venue co-ordinator for their opinion as they’ll usually tell you what you could tweak with their creative eye.

Z – ZZZ

Take some time after setting up the decor to really take it all in. On the day it all goes so quickly, give your self and team a big pat on the back. Get yourself a glass of bubbles and hot bath then get a good nights sleep.

There you have it our guide to styling your own wedding day. Are you looking forward to styling your own day? Missed Part 1 – Find it here.

It’s going to be a whole lot of fun…
The Little Lending Co. x

AN A-Z OF STYLING YOUR OWN WEDDING. (PART 1)

Posted on January 27, 2015 by thelittlelendingco

So if you’re anything like me you won’t be able to contain yourself when it comes to the decor and styling of your day. I absolutely loved that part (hence setting up this little company.)
But theres quite a few things I wish I’d know before I started my wedding styling mission and so I’ve put together this A-Z guide for a quick look at just what it’s going to take.

A – ATHMOUSPHERE

Creating a brilliant, buzzing atmosphere is the ultimate achievement for any wedding day. Think about adding in lots of your personality and some good old fashioned quirk; through sentimental signage, alternative guest books or a cracking cake topper with something a little off the wall. Guests will enjoy all the fun details and really get into the spirit of your day.

B – BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS

A little bit of pretty goes a long way on a wedding day. Personally not into really girly colours and cute, twee details so adding some pretty through floral accents was the way I added my pretty. Pockets of florals on table plans and on props will make all the difference.

Artfully Wed.

C – COLOUR

Having a colour scheme in mind can really help to pull everything together. Right from sending your Save The Date cards, to bridesmaid dress colour and flower arrangements. Even if you just have a favourite object you both love at home, a pattern or print just keep it with you while planning and out shopping – you never know when inspiration may strike.

D – DETAIL

Make a list of all the areas that could be potentially styled at your venue. The Bar, Food stations, Cards/Gifts, Entrance and Ceremony aisle and work out where you’d like to make the most impact. Adding little pockets of detail to other areas like Welcome signage and order of the day boards, the dance floor and even the toilets will make your day something to shout about.

Image via Ruffled Blog.

E – EFFORT

It really will take up a lot of your free time, evenings, weekends and sometimes you can feel that the wedding decor is consuming your every thought. (And boys, this might start to craze you when every conversation is about the W-day) but just know that it’s worth every ounce of effort.

F – FAVOURS

Call in the favours, keeping in budget is all about begging, borrowing and sometimes yes even stealing what ever you can. (I remember rummaging in abandoned skips!) The same goes with skill sets crafty Carpenter friends, Aspiring artists, Budding Florists…Use who you know. Most people will love being asked to be involved in the day.

G – GRUBS UP

We’ve posted before about food displays in our Make your wedding decor Rock blog. It’s really thinking over (or having a pin session) on how you can add some interest.

Image source Green Wedding Shoes.

H – HOME-MADE

There are some AWESOME DIY tutorials on the internet, and make for personality in a truck load, but just be aware of the time it can all take. Don’t commit to too much before the big day, if the 1,000 origami paper cranes are only 100 don’t sweat it, you did your best.

Image via Ruffled Blog.

I – INDECISION

One of the hardest points of wedding styling is making those initial decisions about the day you want. Sit down with your fiancee and think about you two, your loves and style. Picking out the venue and the type of day you want your guests to have will really help things fall into place. Working out if you’re going to be walking bare foot through a meadow to a tipi ceremony or you’d much prefer an English stately house to sip Pimms in the garden can be one of the hardest decisions through all the planning. I love Coco wedding venues concept of choosing your venue through 6 of their style categories, Bohemian Beats, Rustic Romance, Costal Cool….Go for a gander, it’s great.

J – JUGGLING

Juggling wedding planning around life can be pretty tough at times. Have a look at our handy timeline and find out what really needs to be done when. Styling elements really are one of the last things to think about believe it or not (even though I know you started pinning table centres as soon as he popped the question.)

K – KICK START THE SET UP

Make the most of the whole day on the site dressing your venue. Basically, it takes longer than you think. Take a packed lunch and plenty of drinks too if you’re in the middle of no-where, nothing worse than loosing a couple of hours to search out food. Try to really think about what you’ll need on site.

L – LIGHTING

Again this is one of the key elements that will really set the mood for the day. Feature lighting displays and oodles of candle light just makes everything more magical. We can’t recommend enough adding lights outside for when the sun dips, candles in hanging jars, festoons or strings from the trees, it’s totally worth it.

Style Me Pretty.

M – MONEY

Keep a list of all the suppliers and contacts and when their payment is due, if you can pay suppliers off early it’s going to make it much less complicated than on the day payments. It’s the last thing you want to be worrying about (even if the Usher is sorting this for you, because lets face it, after a few Jagerbomb’s he’s not going to know where that cheque for the DJ is!)

So, did you find Part 1 helpful? What are you finding challenging with your decor styling details? Drop us an email at thelittlelendingcompany@gmail.com – we’d be more than happy to help with any dilemmas.

See you soon for Part 2.
The Little Lending Co. x