A rustic barn wedding with vintage styling .

This gorgeous vintage themed wedding took place in a lovely old flint barn setting .We teamed our antique books with our 1940`s teapots which held a gorgeous array of English scented flowers - sweet peas, big, blousy peonies, stocks and English herbs.

Their gorgeous scent filled the rustic barn with their heady and delicious scent .

 

 

Bird cages filled with cream chunky church candles added to the vintage look .Traditional English honey jars hand tied with cream silk ribbon surrounded the floral arrangements to add romantic night time flicker..

Handmade table names and whimsical bird place settings each printed with their very own literary quote completed the picture.

Venue- Upwalham Barns ,West Sussex 

Flowers - Rosehip floral Art 

Vintage chinaand accessories, antique books,tea light ribbon jars, white wrought iron antique bird cages ,vintage seating plan plus the styling of the event- Splendid Days

 

Upwaltham Barns Open Day 2012

Here are some photos of my recent stand at Upwaltham Barns Open Day .The vintage look worked so well with the flint walls of the barn

As ever I took armfuls of vintage goodies .Do you like the hand painted vintage apple crates? Farrow and Ball no less!

 The new addition to the vintage family was my picture frame seating plan board.The background fabric can be changed to suit the theme .I will be blogging about the new range soon so watch out for that .Bespoke orders can also be made ,simply chose your fabric, post it to me and I will sew a new cover .

The cupcakes were a big hit! Pictured are blueberry and lemon and raspberry and vanilla.

 

Another new addition to the hire family is a collection of antique hardback books.(See teacup and book above) Lots of clients are wanting this look this season .The colours of the covers go so well with the vintage china ,the titles are also an amusing talking point in some cases

The vintage champagne coolers are also great for displaying flowers .I love the coppery colour that comes through the silver .The purple campanula and blueberry cupcakes blend so well with the silverware.

Other suppliers also caught my eye .I just love this old fashioned ice cream van .Pinks Traditional Ice cream Vans 01273 867422 .Another option is the amazing Vintage Scoops .

The fabulous Spriggs Florists were also there .As ever their stand looked incredible .Do take a look at their website and brilliant blog - it`s one of my favourites! And if you are ever in Petworth do drop by the shop and say Hi to Matthew and Samantha - it`s gorgeous and so are they .

 

Here are some photos of Upwaltham on the day .I loved the Spring display that owner Nicola had created with the pots.The new outdoor Moroccan style snug is also fabulous .Tim and Nicola have made a wonderful job of creating such a lovely venue and it`s always a pleasure to go there.

Other fabulous stands with a bit of a vintage vibe were

Glass Acts www.glassacts.co.uk

Sparkly cut glass glassses ,perfect for a vintage event.

Cherished vintage Bridal Accessories

Very sparkly ,very vintage.

Purita Hyam chocolate wedding cakes

Stunning and yummy.

My next wedding fair will be Sunday 25th March so do come along .There will be cake.......

A big,beautiful barn.

Last week I was kindly shown around the very beautiful and newly restored venue Hendall Barn by the lovely owners Peter and Nicola.

The couple have made the most splendid job of restoring the barn and the warm colours of the sandstone and the beams make the space feel very warm and cosy.All the little details are just right.

Hendall was originally a dairy farm and Peter and Nicola have put a huge amount of love, time and effort into totally transforming the place.In addition to hiring out the barns as a wedding and party venue they also intend to put on lots of lovely events such as Shakespearian plays, charitable outdoor musical evenings with picnics on the lawn and art exhibitions.So if you live in and around the Sussex area then keep an eye out for what`s on .

As soon as I stepped inside the barn I was immediately thinking how great it would be to style it for a vintage themed wedding or event! Watch out for a vintage inspired photo shoot in the Spring....

The garden is also fabulous, courtyard in style with a fantastic arty wall made from pale grey slates.

In the summer it will be wonderful to wander in and out of the big doors with a  glass of Pimms in hand,a jazz band playing, ideally with afternoon tea on the lawn!

I have a feeling this place is going to be the place to be once the word gets out......

These are a few of my favourite things

 I just wanted to share with you a few of my favourite things .

Yes, I know, I should be doing a thousand other things today but  I so enjoyed making this little collage for lovers of all things pretty and vintage (me included of course!)
 

I just love the colour combination of the purples and pinks of the flowers against the faded wood.

Be bold with your bunting and use it inventively. 

How about a piece strung up on the backs of each chair at a  party table?

A beautiful old birdcage all the way from France and given a coat of Farrow and Ball to restore it to it`s former glory .

These look great filled with flowers or cakes on vintage glass cake stands.

 

A pretty detail from a tiny sugar bowl and a great retro palette of colours.

Irish linen and a very cute teacup .

There`s just so much detail in this dinky  little sugar bowl, it`s adorable .

A close up of a gorgeous linen tablecloth .Just imagine how long it took to complete.I wonder who made it and what life it belonged to before it came to me?

Apple crates and a vintage floral milk pitcher.

At first glance it appears simple and rustic but then look closer at the fancy gilding .

 A great combination for a rustic wedding with added glamour .

I can see straw bales with vintage cushions,a pink cheeked lovely bride in a vintage lace dress,Victoria sponge cakes oozing cream and strawberry jam and a beautiful old oak barn bedecked with bunting  and hundreds of sparkling tea lights in jam jars tied with gingham ribbon

xxxxx

I did it my way ................

Take some beyond lovely vintage teapots, a favourite book , a much loved floral sewing tin and an oak plinth 

et voila! 

A series of gorgeous ideas for a centre piece for a table setting.

It`s nice to have meaning to what you chose ,that way you`ll love it .I love this book published by Persephone. The grey cover belies a beautiful printed interior and matching bookmark -small things please me! 

But I mainly love it because I do have children and they do live in a barn. 

So who cares what the others think ? If you are having a party or an event then do it your way and do it from the heart.

 

Chances are if you do that they will love it anyway and also find you highly original and inspiring!

A double chocolate cupcake .....mmm! 

Served  in a dinky vintage teacup and why not I ask.

I asked my husband to cut me these oak centre piece mats .
He thought I was mad .
I beg to differ . 

Afterwards I discovered a picture of just the same thing in the weighty tome that is the Martha Stuart Book of Entertaining. 

Who else makes oak mats out of old logs then photographs them apart from me and Martha I wonder ? 

In this crazy old world there must be somebody I`m sure !
xxxx

Pretty Vintage

Hello! 

Today when the temperature was below -5 I made this little collage to remind myself that spring is slowly getting closer. 

This adorable teapot was a real find, just so pretty with the added glamour of a little bit of gold! I can`t tell you how excited I was when I found it in the antique store.The gorgeous Irish linen tablecloth is all hand embroidered and really quite beautiful.The shade of blue is just lovely.

Anyway I hope it makes you feel a bit spring like too, it certainly worked for me!

xxxx

Gorgeous Tents and amazing events

Here are some photos of our events that feature marquees and have that quintessential English summer loveliness.If you love vintage china ,afternoon tea,beautiful gardens, amazing tents,lots of bunting and gorgeous flowers then do take a peek.

A very lovely vintage themed wedding this summer,featured on the Rock n Roll Bride website and the amazing Sussex photographer Annamarie Stepney`s website.Do take a look at Annas photos,they are stunning . www.annamariestepney.co.uk

 

This was a stunning event that combined vintage theming with modern touches .The stunning tent is from Sussex Marquees.Say hello to Tim if you call , he`s my brother ! But don`t forget his partner Neil as he`s lovely too.Have a look at their website ,especially the gallery which is packed full of wonderful photos of events and weddings in and around the Sussex area and beyond.Lots of vintage theming too for all you vintage lovers. www.sussexmarquees.co.uk

Inside the tent our stunning silver antique candelabras took centre stage .Lovely flowers were by Kiki and Cole.Our blue and white vintage dinner plates were a huge hit .You won`t find them at many parties - so beautiful and unusual.

What better setting for a truly English summer party .

Goodwood Revival 2011

http://spriggsflorist.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-vintage-year-at-goodwood-revival.html


This year we were asked to get involved in the amazing Goodwood Revival courtesy of the very lovely Spriggs Florists in Petworth .


It was a very vintage affair and the lovely china we supplied was filled by Spriggs Florists with beautiful flowers in gentle plums and soft pinks.Teapots surrounded by teacups and milk jugs filled with flowers took centre stage on each table .There were also lots more amazing vintage floral arrangements dotted around to complete the look.


Shabby chic French dressers were styled with more vintage goodies and old fashioned black and white pictures and photographs  hung from the walls.Faded colourful old books hand bound with ribbon and even well loved shabby old teddy bears completed the very authentic vintage look .

Do visit the above link for lots of inspiration if you are a lover of vintage.Spriggs have also very kindly offered to send on some more photos so do check back soon as there is lots more to see!

Pretty Vintage

Vintage is so pretty and one item can be a starting point for planning a whole party! One customer came to see us for her free consultation for a 40th birthday party .She loved the colour turquoise and so we looked through all the vintage goodies at Splendid Days Hq to see what could work . The idea was to set up a lovely cake area with the three tier cake stands for the cupcakes and lots of lovely jugs of flowers dotted around and a gorgeous vintage table runner down the centre.A large three tier cake took centre stage on one of our vintage cake stands and to add to the opulence other cupcakes were dotted around on vintage tea plates.Guests could help themselves to their own vintage tea plate and cake ork and help themselves to cake . Plain white table cloths can be lovely with vintage china but sometimes a runner can look great or an extra hand embroidered table cloth laid over the top can really add to the vintage vibe and look.

We painstakingly individually handmade lots of little sugar flowers to go on top of the vanilla buttercream cupcakes.

and this flower jug was a must with this theme and once filled with cream delphiniums it was a wonderful centre piece for the cake table .

Some fabulous photos of a vintage style wedding

http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2011/09/a-locally-sourced-vintage-wedding-marie-claire-nick/




We are on the Rock n Roll Bride website this month! 

Click on the link above to be taken to some really lovely photos by the amazing photographer Annamarie Stepney ( www.annamariestepney.co.uk )of a unique and gorgeous vintage tea party wedding we styled with our  vintage crockery and other lovely vintage accessories.We also made a scrumptious jam and vanilla buttercream sponge iced two tier wedding cake which was lavishly decorated with red roses and displayed on our antique silver tray.


Here`s the story behind the photos :


I first met the bride Marie - Claire when she came to Splendid Days HQ for a consultation with her lovely mother .We sat together to talk over Marie- Claire`s  vision for her wedding day and all enjoyed cupcakes and tea served on vintage china.Apparently the tea party theme came about as Marie - Claire and her Mother love nothing more than a visit to a tearoom for tea and cakes ( I knew they had style as soon as I found that out!)


Straight away I could see that this wedding was going to be something really special and I got that buzz of excitement you get when you know that an event is going to really come together and have a unique style of it`s own .


Marie- Claire stunning red wedding dress and her mothers beautiful lace dress came from the London Store Fur Coat No Knickers .Here they take vintage dresses revamp them and tailor them to fit you perfectly .If you want a dress that is totally unique and beautiful then do go and take a look.Her photographer captured so well the vintage vibe and all the little details that had been so carefully chosen ,from the shoes to close ups of the hand embroidered table linen.


Her florists actually grew all the flowers for the wedding themselves and then arranged them with great finesse.The colours were really bold, joyous and vibrant .I would highly recommend them.Apparently you chose your flowers as they are growing in the ground or they can grow something you would especially love!


Marie -Claire`s Mum made some gorgeous chutney as wedding favours and then had bespoke labels made for the jars.It`s always lovely if the family gets involved and there are some personal touches to a wedding .

Go and take a peek a the photos and and see what you think!