Mix and misMatch Part 1: Tableware

Hello, Mirlah here! I’ve just started as an intern for Karen at Darby & Joan. Being newly engaged and a tad obsessed with all things pretty and vintage, you can imagine I’m thrilled to be a part of the D&J team! As part of the internship I will be contributing to the blog and hopefully feeding you with a little vintage inspiration every week.

To start with, we’re kicking things off with the first in a 3 part series focussing on mismatching elements of your wedding styling. Perfect if you’re thinking about a shabby chic style wedding and not wanting things to look too formal. I really hope you enjoy the posts. Let’s get started.

Mirlah x

When it comes to planning your wedding you can be pretty sure you want everything to perfect, or do you? With the rise of the shabby chic wedding, couples are opting for a look that’s a little less pristine and are mixing things up to create a unique effortless style.

Why not try the trend for yourself and give your wedding styling a mix up by mismatching your decor, furniture and even the fashion. In the first part of this series we’re lusting over table decor.

Create fabulous centrepieces by mixing different vases and glassware on your tables. Opt for a range of sizes, shapes and even colours to create a beautiful and distinctive tablescape.

Image Credits:Love My Dress, Pinterest, 100 Layer Cake

Don’t be afraid to think small. A single stemmed rose is just as beautiful and when showcased in a stunning glass bottle, it’s sure to make a big impression.

Image Credits: Ruffled Blog, Style Me Pretty, Style Me Pretty

Think twice about throwing out unusual tins and pots and make way for a spot of up-cycling. Turn those quirky coffee tins into vases, whilst looking fabulous they are incredibly thrifty too! If you’re feeling in the mood for a spot of DIY, jazz up regular food tins by giving them a spray paint or wrapping them in lace or twine?

Image Credits: Weddingity.com,  Simcoe Street,  Any way you want it, Wedding Wire

Why stop there? Give your Wedding Breakfast a real vintage edge with mismatched tableware and china. Layer it up and add a splash of colour to the table with different patterns and styles.

There is so much fun to be had in hunting around vintage shops and car boot sales and watching your collection come together. Why not even ask your guests to keep and eye out for any vintage beauties. If you are a little strapped for time you can always choose to hire it in. We have a wide range of gorgeous vintage wares and china available and you can choose to hire as much or as little as you like. Prices and more information.

 

Image Credits: ItsyBitsy Vintage,  Love My Dress, City Girl Searching, Nest Pretty Things

So there we have it. That concludes the first part of this mini series and my first post! I hope you’re feeling inspired to begin the hunt for vintage goodies and eager to start playing around with different sized vases, bottles and any other delights you can get your hands on.

Where will you be scouting out your vintage wares or have you already started your collection? Will you be adding your creative touch to recycled tins and jars? We’d love to hear from you!

Next week we’ll be talking about going that step further and mismatching the furniture. Perfect if your Wedding Venue is a blank canvas!

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Here’s one I made earlier…

A little round-up of the craft ideas we worked on with Chloe from Adore Chloe and Becky from Butterworth Photography.

We spent a couple of afternoons with a glue gun, vintage china, glittery bits and bobs, with a lot of tea and laughs along the way.

The first idea was featured in Unique Bride Magazine.  To see a step-by-step instruction on how to make your own vintage cake stand click here – Adore Chloe

Next, we have a guide to making your own teacup clock – bear with me on this as it was so much fun that Rock n Roll Bride featured it too – click here Adore Chloe  or here Rock N Roll Bride  to see the cocktail version…

Finally glittery cake toppers – don’t say I don’t look treat you! click right here Adore Chloe .

 

 

 

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Autumnal, Rustic Wedding Shoot

How time has flown – it has been 12  months since we did this shoot and somehow I never wrote a blog post about it.

If you are planning a wedding for next autumn, than this one is for you. Get pinning girls!!

The shoot took place at the stunning Georgian manor house which is home to Hannah from Unforgettable Vintage Bridal Gowns.  The top floor houses their studio where you can lose an afternoon in this treasure trove, trying on their vintage and antique gowns, dresses and jewelery.  Its not just for brides, they have a huge selection of frocks for parties and “just because you can’t live without them dresses…”

Lucy Stendall was our photographer, she is awesome, gorgeous, funny and just generally brilliant.  She specialises in “taking photographs of good old fashioned sweet love.”

We were a bit excited that Sanni Sorma came from Paris to work her magic with hair and makeup.  She also does the best make up tutorials on YouTube and is a fountain of knowledge for girly glamour.

The cakes were made by Daisy Cupcakes and were divine.

We wanted a seasonal, rustic and shoot and  the warm  colour palette worked so well against the orchard and the garden.  Rich Edwardian china, paired with vintage crystal and silver added glamour to the tables and sat perfectly with the simple flower arragements where we used berries, greenery and crabapples picked from the garden that morning – roses added to the relaxed, easy styling.

I stole some oak chairs from the dining room, added some old mirrors and masses of romantic  lace.

The dresses were to die for, just beautiful.

What can I say about our model, Ayo – a star is born. 

Watch this space for another shoot with the same girls – we had such a great weekend and I hope you find some inspiration from our photographs.  Who knows, maybe one day there will be a couple who hires all of us to work on their wedding together!

 

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Corsets, Cake & Charity

I love cake, I love corsets and I love being involved in a charity event. 

 

Astra from Timeless Couture has a close friend, Robyn, who has recently been diagnosed with cervical cancer.  She is only in her mid 20′s.   One of the charities who has been very supportive and helpful to Robyn is The Mercedes Curnow Foundation who promote awareness of the early detection of cervical cancer in young women and funding private screening & hpv tests. They are fighting to lower the age of cervical screening in England from 25-20.  This is something Robyn feels passionately about.

 

To show support and love for Robyn, Astra decided to organise an event that would involve her family and friends and to hopefully raise funds for The Mercedes Cunrow Foundation.  Corset design is a love of Astra’s and her exquisite, bespoke pieces combine vintage inspired details and modern contempoary shapes.  She partners Rachel at Timeless Couture and together they create beautiful bespoke wedding dresses, two of which you can see in the main photograph above .  Robyn was one of the models in our photoshoot with Timeless Couture earlier in the year, see the gorgeous girl on the telephone above…so it seemed perfect to combine a corset photoshoot with afternoon tea at a special venue.

 

It was a ladies only day (for obvious reasons!, as Astra put it “no smelly boys”) and all the guests had the opportunity to be involved in the photoshoot.

 

This idea grew into producing a corset calendar which would be sold to raise further funds.

Stancliffe Hall in Darley Dale offered us the use of their venue, completely free of charge, which was an incredibly generous gesture.  It is an outstandingly beautiful privately owned Hall, set in over 50 acres of stunning parkland in the heart of the Peak District. 

The photography and styling for the shoot was left in the hands of Emma from Ms Honey Boudoir, who also owns Emma Cleveley Photography.  She donated her time, talent, sexy props & experience for the day. 

 

Tineke kindly supplied all the flowers for the day and there were lots of raffle prizes donated by local businesses.

Darby & Joan provided the afternoon tea for the ladies and we donated two days to set up the venue and supplied our vintage china.

Some of the ladies were hesitant about stripping off and posing, but before Emma knew it there was a queue of ladies desperate to be transformed into a sexy siren for a couple of hours.  It was credit to Emma’s skill and easy going presence that made the shoot such a success, guiding the girls through poses to flatter their figures and enhanced their best bits.  Hopefully we can share some of these photographs with you soon.

Another charity who had been tremendously supportive of Robyn was MacMillan Cancer Support.  Most people are familiar with the amazing work they do on a daily basis, providing practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.  A spokesperson from the charity attended to talk about their role in helping cancer patients and their families.  Some of the funds raised on the day were donated to MacMillan.

Pimms, afternoon tea, a room full of great ladies having a well earned sunny Sunday afternoon to themselves, a beautiful venue, pants and bras flying around everywhere, laughs and tears and raising money for two amazing charities. 

A good day.

 

Photography on the day – Emma Cleveley Photography, Ms Honey

Photograph of Robyn – Yvonne Lishman Photography

Main image – Emma Case Photography

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It’s Always Tea-Time

We styled an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party at The Wonky Table in August and had to share some of the photographs with you.

The guest of honor was called Alice, her guests went to town with their outfits and their evening was finished off with a cocktail lesson.

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.”

   

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Sew lovely…

Apologies for the pun on the title of this post – I am cringing myself, but it is better than the others I thought of…

 

Darby & Joan were invited to cater for an afternoon tea party at Kedleston Hall at the beginning of this month.  The guest list was made up of 125 textile artists from the Second Turning Textile Group.  The group had just opened their new exhibition at the Hall which is open until 22nd September.

Very broadly, the work & exhibition was inspired by the architecture, collections and landscape at Kedleston Hall and showed how rich, lively and versatile textiles can be.

Our menu was what we do best – finger sandwiches, teetering high layer cakes, fresh out of the oven scones, rich chocolate brownies and lots of tea.  A simple menu, but one that we knew would be enjoyed and appreciated.

We had two areas to serve.  We set up camp in the Orangery and had a handful of guests seated with us in there and the rest of the group were served in a marquee.

The weather was kind, the guests were very lovely, the atmosphere gentle and it was another great success.

Thank you to Kedleston for inviting us to work with you – it doesn’t get much better than working with The National Trust.

Not forgetting a huge thank you to Emma Cleveley Photography for capturing the day so beautifully.

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A lot of tea & cake…

Saturday 7th July was a good day. 

It was the annual Fabulous Places Summer Market at The Roundhouse & Darby & Joan were opening the doors to our first Vintage Tea Rooms. 

These events are always amazingly well organised, are filled to bursting point with the best suppliers in the area & are always good fun & the venue really is very special.  Over the past couple of years I have got to know several of the exhibitors & it is always nice to catch up with them, especially those who make their own products & who have a real passion & talent for what they are doing. 

Rachel from Tattered Rose was there with her beautiful handmade jewelery, art & keepsakes.

Becky from Butterworth Photography was exhibiting & took some great photographs of the day for us.

For those who really love to be crafty, Chloe from Adore by Chloe was there to offer advice to brides to be, party planners or aspiring domestic goddesses.

As always, the girls from Polly’s List were there with their kids corner, providing some entertainment for the younger customers.

Finally, there was one lady there whose products helped me through the day & provided much needed support when help was needed – a special thank you to Clare from Clarette Wines who was superbly positioned next door to the kitchens…!

Please contact this amazingly knowledgeable girl if you are interested in wine, like drinking wine, want to learn more about wine or have equally strong feelings about Port or Champagnes.  She has spent a decade working with the best of the best in London & has just set up her own wine consultancy. 

Miss Sammi Designs took some of these photographs & I have artfully shared some more from The Roundhouse blog – thanks guys!

 

I had the busiest couple of weeks I have ever had (ever) in the run up to the day…baking, packing, planning, ordering, baking, storing, wrapping, baking…I had three or four mornings where I crashed into bed at 4am & I will admit that I lived on coffee, the occasional wine, adrenaline & very little sleep for the week leading up to the market.

 

Deb had invited me to play a big part in her market way back at the beginning of the year & despite thinking “aaaaaaah, this is the biggest thing I have done & can I do it??” – my philosophy since starting Darby & Joan has always been to say yes to any opportunity that looks exciting, fun & will push the business forward – so it was an immediate yes & over the subsequent months I plotted & planned how to put it all together.

On the face of it, our tea room provided tea & cake – how hard can that be?  But the Fabulous Places are always incredibly well attended & we were offering refreshments to a lot of hungry & thirsty shoppers – a lot!!

There was a huge area to fill – the library at The Roundhouse is an impressive space – but luckily there was a large work area “pod” that we used as our serving station which worked perfectly. I took lots of our old furniture, props & accessories as well as our serving & eating china.

I had a good idea of how to set it all up and the next thing on my list was to find the right staff. And I definitely did. Their attention to detail, customer service, sheer hard work & always having a smile truly made the day run smoothly and made it the success that it was.

The cakes…I wanted to offer good old fashioned layer cakes, cupcakes, brownies, flapjacks & rocky road.  I hoped there would be something for everyone on the menu yet keep the menu list brief.

Natalie from Yummy Little Cakes made our cupcakes & Lisa from Food Fairies made our Coffee & Walnut & Carrot cakes (which flew off the cake stands!)  We made the rest of the menu & hope that we got it right.

The doors opened at 10am and the event went on until 5pm. 

We had a full house with queues of up to 30 people from 10am until 5pm. 

Thank you everyone who came to the event, the other fantastic exhibitors, to Deb for inviting us to be such a big part of the market, to our customers & our staff.

 

 

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Fabulous Fabulous Places Event

The clock is ticking – it is 1.52am on Friday morning and I am still baking in preparation for the Fabulous Places Summer Market. 

Have a read of the blog on the Save the Date website here about the event http://www.savethedatemagazine.co.uk/2012/07/summer-food-gift-market-by-fabulous-places/

Hope to see you there.

x

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Kenyan Adventure…

Second blog post in two days…I am supposed to be doing very boring jobs this week to keep on top of everything, but I am easily distracted!

Last Saturday we were involved with a charity tea party (vintage styled of course!) which took place at a lovely little village hall round the corner from me in Derby. 

The event was held to raise money & awareness for a project that two very dear friends are involved with.  Along with eleven other volunteers from Derby, Stacey Meyer & Anna Haynes are flying out to Kenya in May for their Rams Kenyan Adventure. 

The project they are supporting is to help to build two new classrooms at St Trizah School in Nakuru.  They will be there for two weeks.

One in five children in Kenya die before their fifth birthday & 20% of school age children are orphans due to HIV.  Over 40% of the children in Kenya don’t have access to a school & these children who are not in education are three times more likely to contract HIV in later life. 

 

The tea party raised an amazing £960 & this money will go towards resources & manpower to build two much needed new classrooms, which in real terms means that an additional 100 children can access education.

We had a fantastic afternoon, lots of laughs, friends, gorgeous food, fizz & entertainment.

We are so very proud of you girls – there are many people who say they would love to do something like this, but very few people do it for real. 

Thank you to everyone who came along & supported this event.  Here are a few pics from the day..

If you wanted to make a contribution to this charity or learn more about the project, please click on this link to their Just Giving page..http://www.justgiving.com/stacey-anna

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Darby & Joan - styling, props & vintage glamour.

Shu & Me, A Little Something & Ms Honey  - sold their gorgeous wares.

Food Fairies  - delicious yumminess on the tables.

Emma Cleveley Photography  - photographing the event.

All you lovely ladies who helped out on the day – thank you! xx

 

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The Vintage Chic Wedding Fair…

I love working with Cathy & Susie from Vintage Chic Wedding Fair, their relaxed & feminine style is perfect for what Darby & Joan offer.  Their 6th wedding fair was held last Sunday at The Centennial Centre in Birmingham.  I have to say that I was exhausted when my alarm went off at six that morning as the previous day had been manically busy & the last thing I felt like doing was packing the car up again & driving for an hour.  My aching feet, sore knees from wearing heels all day (I must be getting old!) & slightly fuzzy head all disappeared when I arrived at the venue.  Wedding fairs are such light hearted, happy events & I had a fantastic day sharing stories with exhibitors & talking with brides & their families.

 

 

It was great to see many familiar faces as a few of the exhibitors have shown with the company before, Meeni, Whimsical Wishes, Passion for Flowers, Cotton & Crumbs & Vintage Twee  were amongst the gorgeous companies showcasing their inspirational services & products. 

 

 

For the first time, I am Staggered were exhibiting.  I can’t imagine that many (or any!) men will be reading this blog, but for you brides who are, tell your man about this website & service.  Invaluable, funny & relevant advice for grooms-to-be.

The overall feel of all of Vintage Chic wedding fairs has always been to offer brides ”vintage with a modern twist” inspiration & ideas.  This is just our cup of tea.

The Centennial Centre was the largest venue the company had used & it was a big hit with everyone.  It was light, bright & airy & it was transformed once the exhibitors got to work with their gorgeous styling ideas.  Everyone had worked hard to promote the fair & as the doors opened at 11am, there was a steady stream of brides, grooms & their families.  Yey!!

There were demonstrations throughout the day, Le Keux Events & Sarah Russell were busy with hair & make up, Fishee Designs brought along a brilliant photo-booth with props, My Craftea Day got crafty, My Dance Birmingham showed us all how to do the balloon dance (well worth seeing!).  As always, Simon Partridge was there during the day singing, ensuring a mellow, relaxed & happy atmosphere.

If you missed attending the fair then you really did miss out as it was just fab.

 Looking forward to the next one!  xx

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