Top tips for an outdoor wedding

While the weather might not always be on our side, if you're getting married in the UK during the summer months, or you've opted for a destination wedding, there's a chance you might just get sunshine on your big day. There's no denying that sunny weather makes people happy, and so an outdoor wedding theme could be a winner. 

But before you get stuck into planning, check out our top tips to ensure you effortlessly pull of your outdoor wedding theme.

Back it up

With weather proving somewhat unpredictable, smart girls will always have a backup plan. The best way around this is to choose a venue which affords the option to host your wedding inside should you need to. Unfortunately even during the summer months, there's no guarantee that it won't rain so a venue with both inside and outdoor facilities is perfect. A glamorous marquee is a great options as it affords you the luxury of feeling like you are outside, but with the added advantage of being under cover.

Dreamy decor

The summer months are the perfect time to get creative with your choice of theme, and embrace the great outdoors. Choosing a venue, such as a beautiful garden means a lot of the hard work has been done for you. Opt for dreamy fairy lights, candlelight and statement floral centrepieces to easily adopt a classic Midsummer Night's Dream theme.

Fab finishing touches

The combination of rustic flowers, our sequin vine table cloths and apple place settings are giving us real Garden of Eden vibes. An outdoor wedding opens up a whole world of options when it comes to your finishing touches. Think outside of the box and get creative.

Cocktail corner

On a hot summer's day, nothing other than cocktails will do. Consider ditching your Champagne reception for a cocktail corner instead. You can even create your own signature cocktail, which is a reflection of your joint personalities.

Just add sparkle

Having your wedding outside means tons of natural sunlight, which is the perfect accompaniment to sparkle. The lighting will capture it perfectly and dazzle all day long. From subtle vine, to full on sequin table cloths and runners, add as little or as much as you like.

Fantastic favours

An outdoor wedding also opens up the options when it comes to favours. Give your guests something which they'll definitely thank-you for. Provide baskets filled with mini suncream bottles, sunglasses or flip-flops, which are always a hit with lades who want to hit that dance floor!

Sitting pretty

Seating is important at any wedding so just because your wedding is outdoors, don't forget that your guests need somewhere to chill. Chairs finished with sequin covers are perfect for a formal sit-down meal, while you can get creative with hay bales or beanbags for a more relaxed affair. And if you plan on remaining outdoors for the duration of the day, provide guests with cosy blankets when the temperature drops.

Ditch the desserts

If you're looking for an alternative to classic wedding desserts, ditch them in favour of ice-cream. Hire an ice-cream cart or van, and wow guests of all ages. They definitely won't forget about it in a hurry!

Have fun

Planning an outdoor wedding really offers you the chance to plan a day with a difference. Whether you opt for chic vintage vibes or an alternative festival feeling, it's all about creating your day, your way!

Blush pink wedding ideas

Timeless, elegant and undeniably chic, the blush pink wedding trend shows no signs of going away anytime soon. If you long to inject oodles of romance into your wedding day, make this your colour of choice! Here, we share our blush pink wedding day ideas.

The blush(ing) pink bride

If you're a bride who longs to stray from tradition, and the allure of a coloured dress has stolen your heart, say I do in a blush pink wedding dress! A firm favourite with fashion-forward brides for 2017, blush pink is soft, feminine and just the right amount of girlie without going overboard. The perfect pairing with rose gold or silver, amp up your choice of accessories and make a true style statement on your wedding day. From ethereal to boho, choose a silhouette, which plays up to your personal style.

Tickled pink maids

If you just can't bear the thought of swaying from tradition, choose white for yourself and nod to your blush pink wedding theme by choosing the hue for your pretty maids. The thing about blush pink is that its warm undertones complement a wide range of skin tones. Why not keep it fresh and nail two trends at once thanks to dresses which are a slight variation of each other? We love these dresses from Kelsey Rose!

Beautiful blush finishing touches

Don't underestimate the importance of your decor! Effortlessly carry your chosen blush pink wedding theme throughout the day thanks to the addition of finishing touches. For the gal who loves sparkle, our blush pink sequin table cloths and runners are a must. Or, satisfy your romantic side with luscious lace or petal cloths. We have a wide range of textures in loads of finishes, so check out our website here, where they are available to hire or purchase.

Flowers to make you blush

Another way to easily call upon your blush pink wedding theme is with the addition of pops of pinks in your bridal bouquets. Blush pink complements so many other tones meaning you can easily mix and match to find a unique colour combination.

Tiers of blush

Your wedding cake is the focal point of your reception room so give it the blush pink attention it deserves. Use the same blush pink accents you have chosen for your wedding decor and incorporate its beauty into your wedding cake design. Choose accessories such as flowers in blush pink, or take things up a notch with a cake made entirely of a gorgeously rich pink shade. Plus, the foil cake trend works wonders with blush pink so treat your guests to a cake that tastes as good as it looks!

If blush pink is your wedding theme of choice, the perfect finishing touches are essential to really bring your vision to life. Check out our collection here.

Spring wedding ideas to add to your big day!

The new season has officially arrived and we're having a fling with spring. As a season that's all about the wonders of nature, it's the perfect time to get married. If you've chosen the season to say your "I dos", here we share just a few of our fave spring wedding ideas, which you can easily add to your day!

Get extravagant with florals

Spring really is a celebration of beautiful blooms, so it's the perfect time to add a botanical element to your day. If you long to create the wow factor, effortlessly achieve it with flowers. From dramatic floral backdrops (thanks to Kimye for the #inspo on this one), to extravagant arches and OTT centre pieces, the options are endless when it comes to adding blooms to your day.

Add sparkle with champagne tones

Spring is the perfect time to add some colour to your wedding day, but if subtly is your preference, go golden with Champagne tones. Our champagne sequin table cloths and runners are a customer favourite, adding sparkle wherever they go.

Get creative with colour

Or, if you dare to go bold, bright pops of colour are the way to do it! The use of colour is limited only by your imagination so get creative and see where it takes you. We are head-over-heels in love with this wedding, in which our gold sequin table cloths were set against the most beautiful use of colour. From falling flowers, to fascia pink seat covers it really has the wow factor, sure to leave a lasting impression on guests.

Embrace nature

With spring being the season which highlights nature's beauty, what better way to embrace it than by bringing the great outdoors indoors? Plus, Pantone's Colour of the Year for 2017 is 'greenery', so it's the perfect way to nail two trends at once. Our fave way to incorporate the trend is with subtle foliage, paired with our white sequin table cloths and runners to really make it pop.

Go rustic

For brides with a penchant for vintage, the rustic wedding theme is ideal for a spring wedding. Jam jars filled with rustic cuttings, lavender used lovingly as place settings and romantic candle light, all finished off perfectly with our lace or chevron runners to effortlessly exude vintage vibes.

Pastel perfection

Finally, it wouldn't be spring without an injection of pastels in sherbet lemon, blush pink, parma violet and mint green tones. If pastels are calling, their use is easy! Whether you opt to dress your leading ladies in your favourite colour, or get creative with your finishing touches, choose just one tone, or mix and match for a fresh take on the trend.

If you're feeling inspired by our spring wedding ideas and long for something a little bit different for your day, check out our selection of finishing, available to purchase or hire here.

10 cool wedding ideas

We love a couple who dare to do things differently! With a wedding symbolising your future together, it isn't surprising that many wish to put their own unique stamp on their day. Having worked with many brides over the years, we've seen some pretty amazing. So today's post is inspired by all the lovely couples we've worked with as we round-up 10 cool wedding ideas, which you can easily incorporate into your own wedding day!

1. Pops of colour

If you really want to create the wow factor on your wedding day, pops of colour are the perfect way to leave a lasting impression on your guests. We love, love, love this wedding and it still remains one of our favourites. Delicate, colourful falling flowers were used to create a real dramatic centre piece. Bold pops of pink, combined with lashings of gold really brought this theme to life. And our gold sequin tablecloths were the perfect finishing touch!

2. Garden party

If you're lucky enough to live in a climate that allows an outdoor wedding, we say... go for it! We love how this couple took a totally different take on this trend, choosing an elaborate dinner party setting for their day. Dramatic floral centre-pieces, our sparkle vine cloths and apple place settings gave the day a real Garden of Eden vibe.

3. Bring the outdoors indoors

But... if you're longing for a wedding outside, and the weather doesn't allow for it, why not bring the great outdoors indoors!? Green foliage and wild flowers are an easy way to nod to a greenery theme. And of course, sequins will keep things luxe.

4. Something sweet

The sweetie cart idea has done its rounds so take this idea to the next level with an entire table dedicated to sweet offerings. Those with a sweet tooth will definitely thank-you for it! Offer guests a pick 'n' mix setting so they can fill their boots!

5. Bloomin' marvellous backdrops

Have you ever seen anything as beautiful before!? Ever since Kimye said their "I dos" in front of a spectacle of flowers, we've been a little bit obsessed with floral backdrops, and this bride's display definitely gives the Wests a run for their money! Plus, we know we're biased, but we think our sequin tablecloth sets it off perfectly!

6. Tea anyone?

If you're opting to go down the less traditional route, an afternoon tea setting is perfect for brides who have a penchant for vintage. To really set the scene, choose a pink sequin or chevron runner for real girlie vibes.

7. Sitting pretty

If you're looking for that perfectly polished look for your reception room, give your chairs a pretty upgrade! We love seeing our sequin covers lovingly finished with pretty florals for a modern, yet rustic feel.

8. Luscious lace

This is just the prettiest setting! Evoke vintage vibes with lashings of lace thanks to our lace runners. The combination of subtle colours and delicate finishing touches is a real winner!

9. Dramatic cake displays

After spending so much money on it, why not show off your cake to its true potential, thanks to a magnificent display?! Give your reception a real focal point and draw eyes to your creative cake. The stand-out initials really have the wow factor at this wedding.

10. Petal power

For a true touch of romance, up your petal power thanks to floral finishing touches. We love how our blush petal tablecloth offered a whimsical dimension to this wedding day.

If you're feeling inspired by our cool wedding ideas and long for something a little bit different for your day, check out our selection of finishing touches, available to purchase or hire here.

Bride interview: Top tips for styling your wedding day

Keeley Anna Williams and Matthew Francis Williams were married on 20th May 2016 at St Audries Park, West Quantoxhead, Somerset. A nod to the 1920s was subtly carried throughout their day, and portrayed through their choice of white petal lines and pale peach sequin chip linens. Here, I caught up with Keeley, who shares details of their gorgeous wedding day, as well as her top tips for all you brides-to-be, currently planning your wedding day.

Keeley, how did you find the wedding planning experience? 

My husband and I had a fabulous time planning the details of our big day. I have to admit that to begin with, it did all seem a little overwhelming. When it comes to weddings, you can invest so much time and money in the little details and completely forget what is really important. We wanted to avoid getting bogged down in it all and wanted to keep the planning and the wedding as simple as possible. Wedding planning should be fun.  You only get to do it once so don't stress the little things - a message I kept repeating throughout the process! 

One of my favourite parts of the planning process was picking the flowers and linens for the wedding breakfast room. We chose a very light and airy room inside a beautiful manor house for hosting our wedding breakfast.  We had a large number of guests so we did not want to over-clutter the room, and there was no need to as it was beautiful, even when bare. So, we ordered some gorgeous linens from Magpie Linens. And we finished the tables with beautiful pastel floral arrangements. Our florist also decorated some of the chandeliers with foliage to give the room an organic look.

We had no major hiccups and really did enjoy all aspects of wedding planning. I would say the thing I struggled with the most was finding a dress. I spent months visiting stores and tried on over 100 dresses before I found the one. 

Did you have a theme/vision in mind for your day and if so how did you achieve it?

We both love the fashion and theatre of the 1920s and decided to style our wedding around this era. We did not want a heavily style themed wedding or a colour scheme as we felt it was too restrictive so instead we dropped some subtle hints to the 1920s and mixed this with a complimentary pastel colour palette throwing in some champagne and sequins for good measure. Most of the styling was done through the use of Magpie's beautiful range of linens. 

Tell us what Magpie Linens finishing touches you incorporated into your wedding day.

We were keen for our 1920s theme not to dominate our wedding so we decided on incorporating only little touches of the theme here and there. This was done through stationery, confetti cones, bridal jewellery, the cake, the groomsmen's suits and favours. However, the linens we hired from Magpie were probably the biggest statement. We hired white petal linens to give the wedding breakfast tables a soft romantic feel, pale peach sequin chip linens for the top table to add a bit of 1920s glam and the same pale peach sequin chip linens and runners for the ceremony, cake and bridal tables. The result was fabulous!

How did you find their service?

The service we received from Magpie Linens was fantastic. Sophie and I were emailing each other back and forth for months before I finally picked the linens for our wedding. She was very patient and happy to provide samples and advice to help me make the decision. Sophie has a huge array of beautiful linens and the process of getting them to you and picking them up was seamless. I would 100% recommend Sophie and Magpie Linens to friends and family.Thank you Sophie :)

What advice would you offer anyone currently planning their wedding?

It has probably been said 100 times on various wedding blogs but the best advice I can give is not to sweat the small stuff. Getting married and planning a wedding should be fun not stressful.  Remind yourself that you are planning a party, a celebration of two loved-up people coming together.  And it's true, no-one will know if the band playing at your wedding is not your first choice nor will they notice that the second layer of your cake is the wrong colour pink.  Those details simply do not matter.  All that matters is that you had a fabulous time planning your wedding and you and your guests had a fabulous time enjoying the day.

For information on purchasing or hiring our collection of tablecloths and runners, get in touch here.

Top wedding planning tips

Celebrating a Christmas engagement? Congratulations! No doubt you are still basking in your new engagement glow, but soon will come the realisation that you have a wedding to plan, which begs the question, "Where to I start?" While there are some things that are good to know, such as trends and colour schemes, there are a few things that you definitely need to know. Before you panic, we're here to lend a helping hand. Check out our top wedding planning tips.

Let's talk numbers

The first step of your planning process is to begin with the number of guests. Believe us, if you get this out of the way first and foremost, it will save you many headaches! Before you begin looking at venues, determine your guest list so that you only look at venues which can accommodate your party size. Many venues now can host different group sizes so don't rule anything out just yet. And remember, as a general guide, 10 to 20 per cent of invited guests will decline, so take this into consideration when you are crunching numbers. If you find it difficult to cut guests out, check out this guide from Pinterest on who should and shouldn't make the list.

Determine your style

Another important aspect to consider is the style/theme of your day. Sit down with your other half and throw out some ideas together. What have you always envisioned for your day? Are you dreaming of a fairytale castle setting or is a more relaxed affair typical of your style? Do you want a religious church or civil ceremony? Remember, this is YOUR day so it should reflect your personality together as a couple.

Timing is key

You also need to consider when exactly you'll have your wedding. Are you a spring or summer bride, or do you prefer the autumn and winter months? As well as the season, you should think about the year. Don't risk planning a wedding in 6 months if financially you need longer to save. Finally, when it comes to location, think about whether you want to host your wedding close to home or if a destination wedding is calling out to you.

Focal points for your wedding day

Weddings can be an expensive affair and while you might have your heart set on various different things, the fact is that you may have to compromise a little. The best way to determine that you don't miss out on the things that are most important to you is to think about what it is that you both love. If you're fans of food, this should take priority. Or, if you love music, a live band will move higher up the list. All about the details? Focus on the finishing touches. 

Listen out for tips

The great thing about the wedding industry is that there are tonnes of amazing vendors out there. Our advice is to let one great person lead you onto another. Your wedding venue is the perfect starting point, as they'll be able to recommend loads of people they work with locally. These people are the best in the business so listen to their advice and you'll pick up plenty of tips along the way.

Stay organised

With several elements to plan for your big day, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The best way to combat this is to stay organised at all times. It's time to get that wedding folder out and use it to keep a record of everything, from invoices to ideas, inspiration and lists. Fill it with everything related to your wedding and you'll never miss a thing.

Don't neglect the details

If you want guests to leave with a lasting impression of your big day, wow them with the finishing touches. Our tablecloths and runners are the perfect way to inject some magic into your wedding setting. From marvellous metallics to luscious lace, sparkly sequins and pretty petals, add a unique touch to your wedding day. For more information, click here.

Have fun

While wedding planning can prove a stressful time, don't forget that it should be fun. Never lose sight of why you are getting married and involve your partner as much as possible. Our favourite part? Definitely cake testing.

Happy planning!

2017 wedding trends

While we've had a fantastic year at Magpie Linens, spreading tonnes of sparkle to weddings around the world, we have to admit we're a little bit excited about what next year has in store. Although trends in the world of weddings don't drastically change from year to year, the fact that brides are daring to go bold or go home has seen a rise in new trends. If you're a couple who is looking to add oodles of personality to your wedding day, this blog post is for you!

Here, we take a look at the wedding trends for 2017, which are topping the bridal charts. 

Not so boring bridesmaids

Source: Pinterest

Gone are the days of bridesmaids blending into the background for fear of outshining the bride (which they could never do anyway). This year brides are decking their gals out in dresses with a difference. Yes, while their silhouettes may be traditional, brides are daring to mix and match styles and colour options to give their bridal party a distinctly different look, and we love it! And for those brides who prefer perfect coordination, you can easily nod to the trend without swaying too far from tradition. Simply opt for different headpieces for each of your ladies, or why not mix it up with different bouquets?! These subtle touches are sure to be remembered for all the right reasons.

Enchantedly embellished brides 

Source: Pinterest

And of course, with brides upping the ante for their bridesmaids, they're taking their own dresses to the next level. Fairy tale inspiration has never been more fitting. Expect to see brides showcasing a multitude of necklines (bye bye strapless), with everything from deep V necklines to cape tops and even long sleeves on display. And while the tables may be adorned with flowers, expect to see perfectly pretty floral displays on brides' dresses with a multitude of floral appliques and embroidery being taken to the next level.  

Marvellous metallics

One of our favourite trends (obviously) is the infusion of metallics into weddings. 2017 will bring with it the welcome arrival of the chicest combination of classic whites and modern metallics, effortlessly topping the colour charts. While gorgeous golds and shiny silvers will forever remain popular choices, this year we're seeing a shift towards softer, brushed metallics, which really pop against those white accents. The duo offers a partnership between contemporary and city, bringing industrial modernity to the forefront for a fashionably classy look. And of course, if you want to add a touch of metallic or sparkle to your day, check out our selection, available to purchase or hire here.

Green goddesses

Next year will see the spotlight shed on the great outdoors being brought inside. Brides are paying homage to the wonders of nature by choosing simple arrangements of leaves, branches and palms, with an infusion of greenery for minimalist vibes. As well as being budget friendly, brides are bang on trend and incorporating it throughout their entire wedding day. Not only is greenery taking centre stage in ceremony backdrops, we're seeing it on reception tables and also the wedding bouquets. And we were surprised to learn just how many different options there are. With greenery and foliage available in a multitude of beautiful shades, textures and shapes, the options to get creative are endless. Turn heads with a dramatic cascading bouquet or play up to the romantic and whimsical take on the trend with a simple all-foliage posy.

Pretty paper

Source: Pinterest

While it might be the marker of your first wedding anniversary, 2017 brings with it endless options when it comes to paper on your wedding day. Ranging from economical, eco friendly and unique, brides are incorporating paper in their wedding day decor for different reasons. From floral bouquets to dreamy decor, the theme is growing in popularity and is set to be huge next year. There are so many creative and fun ways to take on this trend and we can't wait to see the impact it has.

So there you have it! 2017 is set to be a spectacular year for the world of weddings. From dreamy dresses to fantastic finishing touches, we're sure you'll surprise us with your wonderful offerings.