Black and White Elegance

Tillyboo love this board, somehow making Grey, White and Black seem so chic and elegant. I love that this is an understated palette and that it has been given it a sparkle that I might not usually be able to envision...

Tillyboo was asked to create a colour scheme of Black, Ivory and Grey (Lots of it)!

We love classic - but different and using a theme of the 1920s, with chandeliers, warm woodwork and stained glass.

Think Black Bow Ties and Silver Candelabras. I don't know if it's necessarily vintage, rather classic in it's own way.

As Wedding Planners based in Nottingham, but proud to cover Derby and the Midlands our job is to ensure your day oozes style and is that little different, developing ideas and thinking out of the box is our job and we will ensure the planning of such ideas is to perfection.

Kellyxx (Tillyboo)

August Bride - You know who you are!!!

So last night I visited a wonderful Bride and Groom whom are to be married in August.
The theme is duck egg blue and chocolate, heres a great board that will hopefully inspire us along the way to develop their dream day... great with a Sax thrown in ... I can't wait ...
Sarah (Tillyboo Team)xx

Winter Wonderland

Okay so we have to now start thinking about christmas ... heres a great inspiration board that would work well for that winter wonderland wedding that you have always dreamed of.
Keep your emails and questions coming in ... its great to help!!!
Sarahxx (Tillyboo Team)

Tillyboo's Top Tips

Tillyboo Events are specialists in creating amazing weddings for affordable prices and not giving into the 'common' high price tag that seems to go with the word wedding.

Heres Tillyboos top tips to create that amazing day with some of our cost saving tips, for an oh-so-chic wedding:

1. Prioritise. When you don’t have a huge budget, it’s essential to focus on a few excellent ideas you can execute well than to try to accomplish too much and spread yourself thin.
Think twice about buying an expensive dress if you are having a lower budget wedding. Everyone will think you look beautiful on your wedding day no matter what, and there may be areas where extra pennies will make a bigger difference.

2. Be flexible. Although it wouldn’t be a first choice midweek and Sunday weddings will give you a lot of leverage with suppliers who would perhaps otherwise would decline to work within relatively small budgets.

3. Pick a low-cost venue. Look at parks, town halls, and other lower cost alternatives. These sites can also cut down on the amount of decorations you need by providing dramatic (and free) backdrops.

4. Choose suppliers carefully. Choose suppliers carefully whom you can talk to and build a relationship with

5. Don’t over-do-it-yourself. DIY has its advantages, but too many projects will just make you feel stressed out and weary. Do only what you feel comfortable with and what you can pull off expertly. A homemade feel can be charming, but if projects look too unfinished, it may be better not to do them at all.

6. Buy it or Hire it yourself when possible. Can you buy your own alcohol? Hire Decoraive items for a fraction of the price you could buy for!

7. Splurge selectively. Spending extra on a few key areas will focus people’s attention and they probably won’t notice other things are missing. Smaller elements are certainly the areas guests will focus on, remember when so and so did that and wasn't that a fabulous touch ... stationery, entertainment, quirky decorative elements ... these items do not have to cost a vast amount of pounds but will cetainly get everybody talking.

8. It’s all in the details. I think this is the most important tip. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Repeating your color scheme and various themes with some subtlety is key for a pulled together look.

9. Don’t forget it’s a party. It should be fun, and most of all, it should reflect the two of you. Getting wrapped up in the “once in a lifetime” way of thinking makes it easy to overspend. Try to remember that the event is a celebration of your marriage.

Mini Cakes V Cupcakes

Cupcakes were very in a few years ago and then in came miniature cakes to replace them...
Trends change - but I feel that these 2 boards show the ultimate selection which ooze style and sophistication and either would be a fabulous option for forthcoming brides to be...
Let me know your thoughts
Kellyxx (Tillyboo Team)

Pink Ladies - But not Grease the movie

Calling all you pink ladies,
this my friends is a wonderful way of introducing the fabulous bold Fushia pink into your day ... with a very now feel...
Blossoms, prints and oh so bold is so in for 2008 and is that something a little different to the normal chic affair...
Whatever floats your boat but it certainly does mine ...
Watch out for Tillyboos new stationery designs which is coming up very very soon, so much choice and so out there ...
We are all soooo excited!!!
Sarahxx (Tillyboo Team)

Floral Meanings

So, in an effort to educate myself a little more...as well as all Tillyboo brides, I wanted to post a little bit about flowers and their meaning.

Baby's breath = Everlasting love
Bachelor's button = Celibacy, delicacy
Calla lily = Magnificent beauty
Carnation (pink) = Woman's love
Carnation = Pure love
Cornflower = Delicacy
Crocus = Cheerfulness
Daisy = Innocence
Dogwood = Duration
Fern = Magic
Forget-me-not = Remember me
Freesia = Innocence
Fuchsia = Confiding love
Geranium = True friendship
Hellebore = Calming
Hyacinth = Sport and play
Iris = I have a message for you
Ivy = Friendship
Jasmine (pink) = I attach myself to you
Jasmine (white) = Amiability
Lady's mantle = Comfort
Lilac = First emotions of love
Lily-of-the-valley = Return of happiness
Mint = Virtue
Myrtle = Love
Oak leaf = Bravery
Orchid = You're in my thoughts
Peony = Bashful
Peppermint = Warmth of feeling
Primrose = Youth
Ranunculus = Radiant with charms
Rose (white) = I am worthy of you
Rose = Love
Rosemary = Remembrance
Snowdrop = Hope
Sweet pea = Delicate pleasures
Sweet violet = Modesty
Sweet William = Sensitivity
Tulip (pink) = Caring
Tulip (variegated) = Beautiful eyes
Tulip = Declaration of love
Violet (blue) = Faithfulness

The very most important thing to consider when choosing your wedding flowers...is choosing the right florist. Make sure you find someone who has the TIME and know-how to walk you through all of the little ins and outs of your wedding. They should show you (at the least) a portfolio or (even better) walk you through their shop to give you some different ideas for colors, shapes and varieties.

Flowers should only make up 5 - 10% of your budget so try your hardest to not be talked into the more expensive varieties of flowers if your budget doesn't allow it. There are PLENTY of ways to achieve a magazine worthy spread without the high costs. Your florist should be open and willing to work with you on this and should have some great ideas as to how to translate a particular look, with your particular budget.

Sarahxx (The Tillyboo Team)

Inspiration Boards

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE inspiration boards... Many brides are asking how to create them ... Here goes ...

For those of you that are a little unsure as to how to get an inspiration board going, here are some tips...

1. Create an actual inspiration board from magazine snippets, fabric swatches, photos, etc. Your backdrop can be anything from a cork board to a piece of poster board. Snap a picture of the board and email it to me. I can create a JPEG for you. This is absolutely a great way to create a beautiful board, plus, you can always have it as a wedding memory.

2. Send me an email with 9-12 photos that you would like to use in your board, and a brief description of your desired wedding look. I am more than happy to format the photos into an e-board for you.

3. Feel free to work on the board using a program that you know and send it to me in that format. Chances are, I can easily re-work it to become a jpeg. For example, if you use Microsoft Word, just copy/paste photos onto the page, then pull them together so that they touch. Once you have your photos set up, just send me the word document and I can re-format it from there.

4. And finally, for those of you that are more design savvy, here are some tips...use a photo layout program like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. Find pictures that are a nice resolution (ie. 72 and up), then copy and paste them into your program. Play with the layout until your photos fit seamlessly onto your board (you may have to crop and re-size along the way). Save the board, then export it into a Jpeg.

If you have questions about using a particular program to set up a board, just email me. There are so many programs out there, that it is hard to post instructions for each one. Hopefully, the tips above will give you LOTs of options.

Happy Cutting

Sarahxx

Sweet Cookies

A Favour for you

Oh my, Oh my - I came along this recipe for these cute little favours - how different and unique and how simple do they look.... go on have a try!!!

Sugar Cookie Cakes
-8 cups sifted all purpose flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-2 cups unsalted butter, softened
-4 cups sugar
-4 eggs
-4 tsp vanilla extract

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into 4 pieces; flatten each into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 325°, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let 1 disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Using cookie cutters, cut out 2 dozen 3 1/2-inch rounds, 2 dozen 2 3/4-inch rounds, and sixteen 2-inch rounds. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper as you work, keeping rounds of the same size on the same sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill in freezer until very firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; let cool completely. Transfer icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (Pipe around top edges of each cookie, about 1/4 inch from edge; fill in with a thin layer of icing. Smooth with a small offset spatula. (Reserve about 1/4 cup icing for assembling cookie cakes.) Let set, at least 6 hours (or overnight).

Stack 3 large cookies, securing with dabs of icing in between. Repeat, stacking 3 medium cookies and 2 small cookies on top. Secure a gum-paste flower on top of each cookie cake using a small amount of icing. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Let stand until set, at least 30 minutes, before packaging.

Enjoy Sarah (Tillyboo Team)

White Colour Palettes

I received an email this week from a Tillyboo bride asking for help with choosing stationery colours. With the wedding theme set, using neutral and elegant tones but the table linen being white ... should she stick with this colour or could cream be a possibility?

As I was putting together this inspiration board, I was reminded of two things that are really important when doing a palette using any ONE colour...variety and texture.

If you want to achieve a sense of depth and elegance, you really must vary the shades of white that you use...from pristine whites, to creams and ivories, to even a more champagne or nude color. It will really give your color palette a richness that you just can't achieve by using a single shade of white. When you pair the various whites with different textures, your look will seem much more

Answer - It really dosent matter play around with colours and textures results will be amazing.

Love The Tillyboo Teamxx