The Occasional Word

I've been gone for a while

Truth is, felt a bit weird blogging about pretty things with everything that's been going on. The thing with Christcurch is it really felt close. Although they're in a whole other island, the stories of people who are affected are everywhere around. Yesterday I was chatting to our real estate agent (yes that's a whole other story!) who told me that her son had been renting in Chch and needed a break so they left for a week or so, only to return to their stuff out on the street - miserable.

So many have lost a friend or relative, their homes or belongings, their neighborhood. I know it's starting to fade a bit from the media but not from peoples lives. So let's stay mindful and prayerful of the people who have had such a hard time.

So, I'm returning to normal blogging today despite the fact that our house is on the market and I no longer have my home office! We've found another place that go's to auction on the 7th April so fingers and toes crossed everybody. Oh and if you or someone you know is looking to buy a lovely little character filled weatherboard, wooden floor cottage in Torbay with a sea view come and have a chat :)

What have we been up to? I have loads to show you and I though I'd start today with this little beauty. 

We had the pleasure of styling Frana & Tim's wedding earlier this year. It's not very often that people have a home that is suitable for hosting people for a wedding but this was a great exception. Frana's family home has a fantastic boathouse at the back of the property and two perfect little grassed gardens which were used for fabulous Raj tents and furniture.

We went with the whole nautical look and feel but we wanted to avoid it being too 'themey'. The colour palette of white, aquamarine and navy blue was really enough to convey the clean but still romantic feel we wanted.

Floral was all white - a combination of hydrangea, roses, spray roses and phalaenopsis intertwined with pearls. These hung from support beams in the boathouse and sat on tables in the marquee. 

One of our infamous candy bar's completed the look (keep an eye out for it in the up-coming NZ Weddings Magazine). If you're interested in having us custom design one of these babies for your next function drop us a line or check out the order form here. Just a word of warning. With candy bars cheaper is not better - it's cheaper. Seriously don't be fooled by offerings out there that look too good to be true or attempt to DIY. A good candy bar takes hundreds of dollars of sweet treats and hours to design.

We had a blast working with Tim, Frana & little Leo on this and the team and I wish you a happy future together. (For all you Mums out there, Frana imports the cutest baby gear from France. Check her out at Bonjour Baby on facebook).

We're excited to be working with some lovely couples in the lead up to their big day as well as some fabulous corporate clients. We've just got over Auckland Cup Week at Ellerslie (pics up soon) as well as a victorian styled photoshoot with the team at B&G Magazine. So - watch this space! 

 

We Love Candy!!

You may have noticed a new trend beginning to emerge here in New Zealand following (slowly as always) behind the states. Candy bars & dessert buffets are fabulous in so many ways. 

First - YUM! how could you resist. I get so super excited when I see one of these babies in set up and looking delicious!

Second - They're a great way to get guests up out of their seats and interacting. People love this! I think maybe because it takes us all back to when we were at primary school spending our pocket money on 50c mixes at the dairy.

Third - It looks amazing. All you brides - take your cake and make it look super amazing by using it as the focal point in your dessert bar. Corporates we can create a candy bar completely in your corporate colours or as an addition to your theming.

So what do you need to know when planning a dessert or candy bar? First, pick a theme. This works best when it's an extension of the look and feel of the rest of your function. From there think about what you already have. Do you have a wedding cake that can take center stage? Is your venue providing dessert and if so are they flexible on what they provide?

  

Now you're going to need a whole raft of different containers to add interest.We have everything from jumbo cylinders, hourglass jars, cake stands, martini glasses. . . and the list goes on. We also have mini tongs and scoops. You may want to hire these and do it yourself or have Red Creative do it all for you. Now fill the jars and containers (putting larger candy in larger jars). You're going to want to make sure that they are full, otherwise the whole thing looks a bit sad. 

Choose candy and dessert items that reflect your theme. We can source the following for you: MM's, Gumballs, Ojays, Skittles, Chocolate Truffles, Cupcakes, Marshmallows, Hand-Made Chocolates, Sugared Almonds, Nougat, Hershey's Kisses, Lollipops, Licorice Allsorts, Jellybeans, Shaped Cookies  

 

How many jars and how much candy? Well this really is up to you but we always suggest getting more than you think you will need. A large, exciting candy bar is going to have more of an impact in the room and it usually all goes! Our jars hold anything from 1kg - 10kgs each. We suggest that you spend anywhere from $10 - $40/head on a candy bar $20 - $80/head on a dessert bar and $50-$100/head on a dessert bar for a dessert only cocktail function. 

Next you're going to need take away bags or boxes. We can provide chinese takeout boxes (large or small), cellophane bags, organza bags, various sizes and colours of cardboard favour boxes or paper bags. You may also want to think about a customized sticker seal.  

 

So now you've got your candy and dessert items and you've got something to put them in. We suggest linen to compliment your colourscheme and a few decorative items. Perhaps a couple of extra centerpieces to co-ordinate with your tables. Other things to think about are labels and ribbon for jars and just in general for the table to let people know to help themselves.

  

The key thing is really enjoy this and inject it with the personality of your event - your guests will love it!