Thirsty for a drink?

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Just recently, one of my girlfriends asked me if I could set up a drinks station for her, at her wedding ceremony. Of course I said yes; any chance to decorate pretty things is fine by me.

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Image credit: http://weddings.beckrocchi.com.au/

After getting a brief on colours, theming, guests numbers… fundamentals of any event set up…. I started to think about how to make this drink station work.

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Image credit: http://dondalees.com/

I mean a drinks station is a tough one if you don’t get it right. Make it too pretty and it looks like a display cabinet just for show. Make it look unappealing… well why have it there at all, a pretty one at least takes nice photos.

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Finding the balance in having one is really about knowing how long it will be there for, how many people will ‘most likely’ use it, and understanding how much guests would benefit from having one. I mean, isn’t the whole point of a drinks station for guests in the first place?

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In my girlfriend’s case, the situation is perfect for a drinks station. The location for the ceremony is on concrete, it’s storm season so weather is very hot and humid, there is no bar and the reception is in another location. DRINKS STATION TIME!!

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My advice for a drinks station:
– Use buckets, wheelbarrows, items around the house that people are familiar with to display/ place your drinks in
– Write table notes for guests or have a display board with a drinks message so people get to know the area
– Have an person hand out drinks for the first 5 minutes; those who didn’t get one will definitely go and help themselves to one
– Place a ‘pretty’ bin nearby with maybe one or two rubbish cups to set the scene

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Image credits: http://brideandgroomstore.com.au/drink-stations/

Okay so these lovely pictures are from a beautiful perth based styling company called Bride + Groom, but in Queensland, you’ll find plenty of event stylists that will help you with this. If you have an event stylist already… awesome!! If not we particularly love working with Nicky from Sweet Details Events. She is such a lovely person, down to earth and super creative. Be sure to hit her up : )

http://www.sweetdetails.com.au/#!sweet-details-wedding-styling/c164h

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Love from your darling,
Tran
Xx

A Warehouse Wedding

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We know most of our “Darling” followers are creative souls. Couples who are looking for something different and personal.

Rabbit & Cocoon (aka Miami Marketta) is where Emma, co-manager runs this awesome venue.  Emma knows the ins and outs of the venue and she just oozes creativity.

Why not have your wedding at the place that you already have a deep connection with? Emma and Clayton’s wedding was one that represented their true selves. Warehouse done wedding style!

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The great thing is that no one wedding will ever be the same in a warehouse!

Warehouses give you freedom in which you and your lucky loved one to be can be like artists and decorate the empty space to your liking.

Or you can simply hire one of our awesome stylists to do it for you!

Come and meet The Collector & Co, Retro in the Rough, Lovestruck Weddings & Events or last but not least The Palace & Co and view the venue on Friday 21st February, 2014: A Darling Affairs Gold Coast Wedding Fair.

Tickets on sale soon!

xxx

 

 

 

The Year of Colour!

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2013 saw the introduction of some beautiful colour to the traditional white wedding gown.  We saw all shades of champagne, blush pink and floral gowns make a splash on the wedding scene and we loved it!

Our local dressmakers are really making a mark with their flair and passion for technique, style and colour.

Take our very own Begitta – Bridal & Couture for example and this amazing lavender gown which she released this year.

Or the crazy talented Jennifer Gifford Designs and her gorgeous floral piece.

This beauty from Wendy Makin has also caught our attention this year.

We think Brides are going to get even more adventurous in 2014 and are officially calling it the “Year of Colour”.   We can see a lot of pastel watercolour along with the continuation of floral in wedding gowns coming our way. What a beautiful way to let your personality shine through on your wedding day.

– Emma xxx

Photo credits: Begitta – Beth Mitchell Photography, Jennifer Gifford – Florido Weddings, Wendy Makin – Jennifer Oliphant Photographer

We’re going to Miami!

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A Darling Affair is heading to Miami!

Why? More central to the Gold Coast and there is a hidden gem tucked away there.

The venue:

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Check it out here:

A Darling Affair was invited to have a view of what this venue can transform into by the lovely Emma (centre) and we were like little girls in a candy shop.

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A Darling Affair can get creative and so can our vendors and really show you what our vendors have on offer for you lovely brides and grooms to be.

This venue is a clean slate. A decorators dream space.

Brian from KissStudio came and toured the space with us and he’s eyes lit up “I want a studio like this one day”. So many possibilities.

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It is also A Darling Affairs first night time event and we couldn’t be more excited!

A visual explosion to wake up your senses after a long week at work so that you can be inspired to create a memorable wedding day that you and your guests won’t forget.

There will be live music, food, drinks, and many, many suppliers to meet. PLUS some awesome events to get involved in on the night so stay tuned!

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We know how precious Saturdays are when the sun is out so come and hang out and discuss wedding plans with your bridal crew on Friday 21st, 5-10pm on a balmy summers night.

From your Darling,

Carrie xx

Thinking of having children at your wedding?

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It may not be for some people but personally I love the idea of having children at weddings. They take great wedding photos, make adorable fashion statements and are awesome dance partners on the dance floor.

It really pays to make the day as special for them as it is for all other guests. I mean there’s something about happy children that makes the day all the more merrier.

I recently got married and took the big risk to have a petting zoo at my wedding. Was that a good idea? It was the best. thing. ever. Not only did the 15+ kids have a great time but it immediately set the scene for a fun filled reception.

Photo credit: Julian Beattie Photography http://julianbeattie.com/

Other great ideas coming on the scene are good old pinatas, having a crafts table, kite flying or decorating cupcakes that can double as dessert.

Check out these very pretty silver pinatas created by the talented Party Pony Pinatas http://partypony.net.au/

See, doesn’t these pictures make you want to join in the fun? Weddings really are so much more enjoyable with happy children around.

Love from your darling
Tran Xx

Saving The Planet… One Invite At A Time!

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We are lovers of the Earth here at ADA and it’s awesome to see ethical, nature loving wedding suppliers doing their bit to help preserve this place we call home.

Whether it’s recycled, up-cycled, handmade or home grown we love to see what can be done with leftovers that other people may have just thrown away.

As more people become aware of their carbon footprint we’re also noticing our Bride’s making more of a conscious effort to go “green” with their wedding choices.  And going green doesn’t mean giving up on quality, quite the opposite actually!

Take Maytide for example.  The result of using recycled materials, coupled with boutique craftsmanship, result simple clean designs and superior quality workmanship.  Classy and kind to the planet, go Maytide!

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Maytide 3If you’re looking for more ways to have a planet-friendly-party then let us know!  There are lots of awesome suppliers on the coast who make a big effort to reduce their carbon footprint and we’d love to send some your way.

 

Venue Partner for A Darling Affair – Gold Coast

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You’ve all been very patient over the last few months as we’ve set the wheels in motion for 2014. We’ve been busy little bees behind the scenes setting up some new and exciting things leading in to the new year. So here is announcement number 1 for 2014. A Darling Affair has secured a venue partner in Rabbit + Cocoon – a dedicated creative precinct in Miami, the heart of the Gold Coast.

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Does the name ring any bells? You might remember that leading in to our Gold Coast event for this year, we got up to some shenanigans at Miami Marketta…

[Photos courtesy of Alyce & Colette]

Well, you guessed it (you clever thing), Rabbit + Cocoon is the home of Miami Marketta, a fabulous industrial venue, complete with street art, several studios housing creative professionals, and of course plenty of space for running fantastic events.

If you’ve been following us on Facebook you would have already saved the “when” for our event, Friday the 21st of February, and now you can add the “where”. A Darling Affair Gold Coast  is set to be our first evening event, and what a great night we have planned for you all!

Watch this space for more details shortly….

But wait…there’s more! Introducing Tran…

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For those of you who tuned in yesterday, you will have seen that we recruited a new “darling” – the lovely Emma McGee.

However, did we mention that next year is going to be a bit of a handful? Oh we did? Well you might not be surprised that when we received an email that included this video of her own wedding – that we simply could not let the lovely Tran get away from us.

Videography by our friends at Yellow Bull Media

And so we snapped her up! Tran will be joining us at our events as an extra set of hands on deck, and will also be lending us her experience as a recent bride ( a savvy, and creative one at that!). No doubt you’ll be hearing from her as she shares her tips and tricks as a contributor on our blog and social media as well.

Here is a little more about the lovely Tran from the lady herself:

My name is Tran and I’m a big dreamer. I just got married in August this year (2013) and had the best time spending it with my family, friends and of course the love of my life xx 
My hubby (hehe, I’m still getting use to saying that). We live with our little doggy Frankie. She is 2 years old, so cute and she sure knows it!
Frankie eyeing off my ice creamOur house is a mix-match of gifts, hand-me-down furniture and items collected at the markets over the years.
Me in a nutshell…
I love food, flowers, people who are honest, genuine and down to earth. I believe in using different colours, textures, fabrics, patterns, levels and light to create mood & style. I love to rummage through trash and treasure markets just because it’s exciting. I’m a little obsessed with the markets (any type, shape or form). I draw inspirations from random pictures, articles and magazines, my friends, my mentors, just about everything and anything. 
 
I’m super excited to be part of the Darling Affair team and am looking forward to some good times ahead 😉
And we are certainly excited to have her on board! Welcome to the team Tran xx

A new Darling….welcome welcome!

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So things have been going great guns at ADA HQ, and as we are gearing up for a massive year in 2014 – it occurred to us that we might no longer be running a two-woman show. So we wondered, would anyone be interested in joining our journey? We put the feelers out and we received some interest from all kinds of talented and creative people. Among those interested was Emma McGee. Emma

the lovely Emma at our Sunshine Coast Wedding Fair [KissStudio Photography]

For those who haven’t met Emma already, she’s the face behind Sunshine Coast wedding & event planning business, Little Owl Events. Emma loves “A Darling Affair” and has been supporting the fair since the very beginning.

When we received her email we knew Emma would be a beautiful fit for our little team, such a delight to work with at our events, and possibly just kooky enough to run with our shenanigans.

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Emma and a few lovelies in KissStudio’s Photo Booth gettin’ their pose on

Aside from Emma’s winning personality, as a wedding professional and bride-to-be herself, Emma has so much to offer our team and our darling brides.

Previously from Tasmania, Emma and her partner settled on the Sunshine Coast in June 2012.  Since then, her life has been a whirlwind of meeting wedding suppliers, viewing venues, planning weddings and building her business.  In the midst of all that commotion, Emma got engaged herself and is now planning her very own Sunshine Coast wedding!

With a background in business management and corporate events, it was a natural shift in to planning weddings a few years ago when she realised that’s where her passion lays. She loves weddings so much that even with all the weddings she’s ever worked on, she’s still known to tear up a little bit during the Bride’s processional down the aisle!

She’s got lots of handy tips and advice for all our Bride’s and would love to hear from you if you have any thing you need a little help with.

Welcome to the team Emma! So pleased to have you as our wing-lady, 3rd amigo and partner in crime.

The bright Sunshiny Day – and all that was 2013…

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As wedding fair season wraps up and all the lovely wedding folk gear up for peak wedding season – over at A Darling Affair HQ we finally have some time to kick back and reflect on our last event for the year and the wonderful year that we had.

Earlier this month we greeted our home town with a line up of amazing wedding professionals and artisans at the gorgeously quaint Woombye Chapel – for our Sunshine Coast Wedding Fair. Once again we cheated the seasons and wound up with a day better fitting to Spring than the middle of winter.

By 10am there was a line-up at the welcome table and it wasn’t long our two buildings were buzzing with crowds. As if all had received some kind of memo, lady luck ensured that each of our two spaces had their own unique vibe going on – it seemed our Chapel vendors opted for white, pastels and with accents of gold – whilst our hall was more colour-pop and eclectic.

Once again the day went off without a hitch, we had such a lovely day mixing and mingling with our vendors and guests. A few highlights included our two fashion parades, live music courtesy of Love Note, our requisite Piñata Bash (kindly provided by Party Pony), a good ol’ bouquet toss (bouquet provided by Twig & Blossom), and plenty of fun snaps in both the Kissing Booth and Photo Booth provided by KissStudio. However, all of these are again outweighed by feelings of warmth and friendship that we felt amongst all who attended. 2013 for us has been a year of sunshiny, love filled, colourful events – supported dozens of gorgeous, talented, creative people whom we now consider friends. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again – we do what we do for love of weddings and the crazy-cool people we get to meet and work with.

Here’s to you Darlings – thank you for a fabulous year! We’ll be in touch soon with our plans for 2014,

Carrie & Em xx

P.S. And now what you’ve really been waiting for, a few pictures of the day – courtesy of Chad and Tyler of Dear & Tine. Head here for a reminder of all who were involved and a great highlight video from Playback Studios.