Returing to the golden 1930's for a truly unforgettable wedding

We’ve just taken a late booking for a delightful 1930's themed wedding. It’s harnessing all our specialist vintage theming and creativity to make the day really special for the bride and groom.  

We’re really excited as the guests will be dressing up in period outfits and the reception features a traditional tea dance, lots of period decoration and a 1930's jazz band. We’re even arranging a gramophone to play 78's in between the band sessions. 

Outside the venue we are organising traditional village games such as a coconut shy and skittles and there will be a special area for the vintage vehicles being used on the day.

Even our caterers are stepping back in time to serve up a sumptuous 1930's Afternoon Tea Menu. This includes:

• Mini cheese boards of English cheeses and pots of chutney and baskets of crackers
• Platters of hand carved honey baked ham
• Quiche Lorraine
• Rolled sandwiches with a variety of delicous fillings.
• Plain and fruit scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream
• Victoria sponge
• Coffee and walnut cake
• Traditional summer trifle
• Lashings of thirst quenching homemade lemonade

It’s certainly proving to be a great event and we are enjoying each aspect of the organisation. It’s not everyday you get to step back in time.

This year's bountiful harvest

Make the most of this year’s bountiful harvest by building seasonal flavours into your party or celebration menu.  There is some great British produce around at the moment and plenty to choose from. 

So, whether you’re looking for a canapé party, a formal dinner or a bbq, take inspiration from what’s currently available.

We work with a lot of local producers and can guide you on menus that harness the joys of this season’s flavours. You’ll also find that by sourcing locally the transportation costs within your catering budget are reduced as well.

Catered dinner parties

Catered dinner parties at home are a lovely way to bring friends and family together.  They come without the hassle of all that cooking and cleaning to ensure you will be as relaxed as your guests and free to enjoy the wines and dishes in the comfort of your own surroundings.

We have a long traditional of running private dinner parties at people’s homes.  We can be as hands-on or as hands-off as you like in the preparation – from helping with just the food preparation through to cooking, serving and clearing everything away afterwards. 

We can also arrange for one of our talented chefs to come to your home to serve a ‘tasting’ menu dining experience to your guests.

Give us a call on 01483 243503 or email us for our ‘at home’ dining menus and packages.

The joys of afternoon tea

Sumptuous afternoon tea

Let’s face it, life’s pretty hectic for most of us. So it’s great to occasionally take time out, catch our breath and step back for a moment of nostalgia and high living. 

Our Vintage Days afternoon tea parties and celebrations do just that.  Blending beautiful vintage crockery with sumptuous ‘high tea’ menus they enable you and your guests to take a much needed breather from the hubbub of every day life.

Our Vintage Days afternoon tea menu includes - plain and fruit scones with strawberry preserve and clotted cream, a wide range of traditional sandwiches beautifully presented, bites of victoria sponge, lemon drizzle and coffee and walnut cakes.  We can serve a variety of leaf teas or even jugs of homemade lemonade

There’s also an option to add in our patisserie collection comprising mini chocolate éclairs, summer berry tarts with vanilla cream and meringue nests with whipped vanilla cream and passion fruit curd. And if your taste buds favour more savoury options, why not choose from our mini sausage rolls with hot mustard and fennel seed, mini pork pies and cheese and bacon twists?

Vintage Days afternoon tea parties are great for birthday, anniversary, corporate, hen night and baby shower celebrations. They are also popular for funeral teas and memorial events.

For more information visit www.vintagedays.co.uk

Jet-setting parties and events

No we’re not talking about getting your guests to turn up at the airport.  But why not bring the world to them with an internationally themed celebration or event?  

Over the years, we have created some great parties with an international twist. Each whisked guests off (metaphorically speaking) to exotic locations and created a buzz which was talked about for weeks!.  

Particularly popular internationally-themed parties included:

·         Arabian Nights

·         Rock Star Raj

·         Colonial Afternoon Tea

·         Street Food Bazaar

Theming these events focused on re-creating the sights, sounds, tastes and delicious smells of the destination. We have staged them in a variety of locations – homes, specialist venues, marquees and under beautiful poled tents.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next event or celebration, please do get in touch.

Make the most of seasonal flowers at your garden party or summer event

With summer finally here there are an abundance of beautiful flowers in bloom. 

Make the most of these when decorating your event or summer party. They will be so much more fresher and fragrant than the imported and ‘forced’ varieties. Some can often work out cheaper when sourced locally. 

We recently created a gorgeous garden party for a client where the tables were decorated with small terracotta pots adorned with lovely British summer blooms.  It really lifted people’s spirits after such a cold winter and spring.

What’s more, because the cold spring has delayed some plant growth this year, there are varieties available which would normally have finished by now.  Make the most of this broader colour palette  to decorate and brighten up your event or celebration.

This season’s wedding colour themes

With the 2013 wedding season well and truly upon us we thought we’d share some of this year’s colour themes in case you’re looking for some inspiration. Certainly after the dreary winter and spring we've had it seems that vibrant colours are the order of the day.

When it comes to wedding décor and floral arrangements, we've seen lime green and hot Caribbean tones (vibrant purple, turquoise and orange) all making an appearance. 

Of course there’s still a strong interest in the traditional and very, elegant white.

Also, more and more brides are opting to use seasonal flowers and foliage at their wedding to get more from their décor budget.  As the yellows and blues of spring come to an end, we’re looking forward to the hotter colour pallette of the summer – reds, oranges and purples.

Rethinking the non-alcoholic drinks options at weddings and parties

We've noticed that more and more people are scaling back on their alcohol consumption, even at

celebrations and parties.  The success of the anti-drink:drive campaign, health concerns around alcohol and a general public mood towards moderation means that the non-alcoholic drinks option at weddings and parties is rising in demand. 

Historically this has formed rather a dull alternative with orange juice and sparkling water the stalwart offering.  But this need not be the case.  Exciting non-alcoholic drinks from cocktails to unusual fruit cordials have blossomed in recent years.  

We've been concocting and serving our client’s guests with mouth-watering fruity cocktails,  freshly pressed apple juice and mint punch with crushed ice, a variety of elderflower based pressés and impressive fruit juice fountains.

So if you want your celebration to be a bit different and want to rethink the non-alcoholic drinks option, do get in touch for some exciting alternatives.

Weather-proof outside party & launch event ideas for the May bank holidays

With the May bank holidays around the corner there’s still time to plan a party that embraces the start of the summer.  Of course for many of us used to the varying British climate, that means accounting for all weathers. 

Fortunately you can still keep warm and dry whilst creating a great outdoor celebration.  So don’t be put off.  Harness your inner desire to get your celebration or event out of the house (and most of us desperately want that after this year’s long winter!!) and consider more luxurious marquees, poled tents, tepees and yurts for your celebration.   

All can include carpets, open fires & traditional heating , sumptuous seating to enable you to enjoy the outdoors in true comfort.  Clear PVC marquee models can let you visibly enjoy the beauty of your surroundings from within the tent and the latest designs place comfort and luxury high on the agenda. 

Give Gilly a call on 01483 243503 if you’d like to learn more about our field event and party expertise and recommendations to celebrate the bank holiday in style.

Wedding invites – how to make them more of an experience

We’re often asked by brides and grooms how to approach the whole wedding invitation process. Typically invites are sent out 3 months before the wedding but it’s now common practice to send out well in advance of that a ‘save the date’ message to those friends and family you definitely want to be part of the celebration.  This avoids holiday and other diary clashes that will prevent them from attending.

Make it the starting point of your celebration
With the date secure in people’s diaries you can then spend more time getting the right look, feel and content to your invitation.  In fact the invitation can be an exciting start to the whole celebratory experience.  You can use it to set the tone for the event and, if you’re following a particular theme, let the invite offer up a sneak preview. We’ve seen some couples really consider the whole process of their guests receiving the invitation … from the choice of envelope, the feel of the invite itself as well as the look, choice of words and style of writing etc.

Make it unique to you
Depending on your budget and style preferences you might want to call on the help of a professional designer, calligrapher or printer. Handcrafted and highly individual invitations are also proving popular at the moment.  We’ve seen some impressive invite creations using a whole range of unusual paper stocks and materials.  So don’t feel you have to go with a highly traditional invitiation style.

Useful things to include
It’s sensible to include with the invitation a sheet with details of nearest hotels and B&Bs if you have guests coming from far afield and also to give some guidance as to your wedding list/gift preferences as most guests will want to ask you.  Even if you don’t want gifts, or are asking for charitable donations to a particular cause,  it’s worth including this guidance to avoid having to deal with mulitiple enquries… or unwanted gifts.  And do give a final RSVP date so you are clear of guest numbers at least 2 weeks before the wedding date and don’t have to chase up replies.

One final tip, don’t give too much away in the invitation and always give something back to surprise and delight your guests on the day.

Decor, wherever we go!

Recently one of TGBEco team visited Lille for a short break and some creative stimulation, hoping to find a bit of France not too far away where bread, patisserie and vino flowed and some chill down time after a busy summer season..

 

 

As we wondered the streets of Lille on one of the sunniest days for a while, we noticed that even though the buildings were architecturally stunning they were often complemented by some very simple but effective styling. It seems that everyone has a little bit of creative in them.  And why not!? 

 

Inherent in almost every event we produce is the creative element.  We have worked with some of Europe's best stylists and some of GB's own creative food artists, so we know a little about what works and what is possible.  Often it's simply the furniture positioned to the side, with some backlighting effects up the walls and 'voila!' there you have it.  Nothing is possible without a good supplier to hand however.  Our rule of thumb is - if the supplier 'gets' what you are asking for over the phone then you just know they have the creative wherewithall to make it possible!  Failing all else, go back to basics like we found in Lille, paper lanterns - simple yet effective!

 

Last year Great Hire  supplied a lot of top quality furnishings for all types of events.  We recommend them if you can't find a better local supplier to match your needs!

 

 

 Enjoy - Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and Team GBEC

 

Sunny Summer Events from Surrey

So it’s time to get the kids back to school, put your beachwear away, grab yourself some time to ‘chillax’ as we like to say…

We have had such a lovely couple of months since our move to our new office & kitchen base  this summer…we thought we would share some of the delights of party & wedding season 2012…

 

Before the summer began…we had our internal FIELD EVENTS TRAINING course building week… * see bottom of this blog

Then into July - The Great Big Event Co – ‘Godalming Bake-off’ Vintage Tea Room

 August – a wonderful 40^th Wedding Anniversary … quite unlike any other we have had the privilege to run

                  

 

 1st September – A really country wedding & a truly romantic 25^th Wedding Anniversary

 

TGBEco In house Field Event Service Training programmes are in development. In 2013 these shall be available as one day and 3 day courses equipping everyday service teams with the basics for temporary or more permanent assignments.

This course is being designed to create a service culture and basic training for field events The Great Big Event Co style.

Covering

·         culture & service

·         table settings

·         etiquette

·         guest approach

·         special moments

·         field event banqueting

·         FOH management training

·         marquee & facilities - for Field Events

·         wine service

·         bar setup

·         table laying

·         function operations

 

Look out as this training programme will be launched in March 2013

 

Enjoy!

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

 

Our new office for TGBEco / Vintage DaysRegistered Office:
C/o Regus at 3000 Cathedral HillGuildford

Surrey GU2 7YB

Telephone: 01483 243503

 

Our Surrey base and where you can find us
for a coffee anytime you like…
HHF, 1st Floor, Highfield Lane,
Thursley, Surrey GU8 6QJTel: 01252 70246

 

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

 

Vintage still en vogue

Despite the weather still not showing reliable signs of summer, the wedding season is in full swing. We are noticing the vintage and nostalgia trends are still a big influence is our brides planning.


Our range of Vintage Days crockery range can make all the difference to your wedding theming giving guests something to talk about, here's what one of our recent brides told us:


"We just wanted to let you know how pleased we were with the vintage crockery etc yesterday. It looked fabulous and as gorgeous as we had hoped!


The baroque glasses went down a storm and many people asked about where they could buy the iron tables and chairs. Thank you for all the hard work that went into the arrangements, we could not have been happier."

We have one of the largest collection of Vintage crockery for hire with over 1000+ place settings and we have experience of catering for all size functions. 


But it not all about the crockery and glassware our team has years of experience in planning, theming and styling weddings and of course producing amazing food for parties and weddings. So if you are planning a wedding or function and just need abit of extra help then please do give us a call.


And let's just hope the sun starts to shine on some of those up coming nuptials.

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

Showcase weekend with JF Marquees

We know the sun hasn't exactly been sun shining much recently but JF Marquees brought alittle bit of sunshine to the Medicine Gardens in Cobham on the weekend of 28th/29th April.

The viewing weekend was a fantastic opportunity to come see a marquee set up and envisage your event along side the finer details. The Great Big Event Co. and Vintage Days came along to theme an area of the marquee and showcase our Vintage Day theming service along a small sample of our very large vintage crockery and glassware collection which is available to hire for weddings, parties, afternoon teas and more. 

There were also a large selection of sweets available to launch our all new children's party service, although we believe the sweets didn't service the whole weekend?!

We hope you like the photo's courtesy of our friends at JF Marquees and if you have any events coming up this summer please do give us a ring to see how we can help your event be even more unique.

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

WIN A SPA DAY FOR YOU AND A FRIEND AT GRAYSHOTT SPA...

De-stress from wedding worries and treat yourself to the pampering you deserve with a day out at the award winning Grayshott Spa. All you need to do is answer the questions below for your chance to win...

Your day will included a delicious 3 course buffet lunch, use of all the spa facilities including the swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, relaxation, sauna and steam rooms, tennis courts, gym and exercise classes.  For more information about Grayshott Spa visit www.grayshottspa.com

How to enter:

For your chance to win a day for two at Grayshott Spa just answer these two simple questions:

1. How many years does the Queen celebrate on the throne this year, the year of her Diamond Jubilee?

1. Which gorgeous heritage property, and wedding venue, was used as the setting for the period drama Downton Abbey?

Email your answers to: info@thegreatbigevent.com with ‘Competition’ in the subject line. Closing date 28th April 2012. 

For full details of our wedding services please visit www.thegreatbigevent.com

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:  The winner will be the first correct entry drawn on 30^th April 2012.  Entrants must be 18 or over.  The prize is a mid-week Grayshott a La Carte Day for two people to be used Monday-Friday.  The winner will be notified by email.  The prize must be accepted as offered and is non-transferable, non-redeemable and cannot be used in conjunction with any other.  There can be no alternative award, cash or other.  One entry per household.  By entering this competition you are agreeing to the terms and conditions and your email address may be used for further promotional mailings from The Great Big Event Co and Grayshott Spa.  The organisers' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The promotion will be governed by English Law.

Engagement photo shoots.

With Spring officially started, the wedding season will be kicking into action very soon. This week we wanted to focus on an increasing trend we are seeing in our weddings and that is our newly engaged couples are marking the occasion with an photo shoot.

All this beautiful weather provides photographers with fantastic light and spring flowers to make the shoot even more spectular. We caught up with Greg from Just Imagine Photography for his expert experience as to the benefits of an engagement shoot...

"An engagement shoot is a win win situation.  Whether you feel comfortable in front of the camera or not, you will get something out of it.  For those who are nervous about being the focus of attention it is an assurance that it is not as frightening or awkward as they thought it would be and for everyone else it's still a good opportunity to get to know your photographer a bit more.  Explore ideas with him/her in an environment which is safe and friendly and not time restricted.   There is no better way to help make you feel more comfortable with and engaged in your wedding photography and it will help you to relax on your wedding day ensuring you get the most out of the experience." Greg - Just Imagine Photography

If you are interested in a engagement shoot we're sure Greg at Just Imagine Photography would be happy to discuss your requirements further.

Also if you are in the throws of organising your wedding and need alittle help then please do take a look at our wedding planning packages. Our dedicated wedding planning team will be more than happy to discuss how we can help.

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

t: 0845 459 9812/4

2012 Party Season Kicks Off

Saturday saw our first big party for 2012 and it was an amazing night. The party was to celebrate a family 50th.

Our DJ was Bill Sood, had everyone dancing...so much so, that the dance floor was not big enough for our hearty 90 guests.  We hear that the last guest departed at 05.00am!  The best thing about Bill is that he really did make the party swing. He had a playlist and he ‘read’ the crowd so well! 

The food was a selection of canapes served with prosecco by our team to a hungry group of party goers followed by a wonderful 3 choice hot bowl food menu.

The menu was cooked by Alexander our wonderful chef who produced the most amazing sea bass dish amongst melting lamb and Singapore noodles!

Dessert – homemade miniature doughnuts with dipping chocolate sauce & Chocolate tiramisu cups! Yummy.

From invitation to dismantle – the whole party was Glitzy – All the ladies dressed in the most amazing glitzy party frocks and one gentleman was all silver glittery suit with a silver glittery hat!!

Gilly and the team really enjoyed this family 50^th party...

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

t: 0845 459 9812/4

How to plan a wedding...

So our last blog was on the subject of how to ask the big question, now assuming the proposal has been asked and the answer was 'YES" then the next logical question is "how to start planning a wedding"?

Now, that is something we are very good at here at The Great Big Event Co. We just love a good wedding and with our team of wedding planners, caterer and exclusive venues we can help we all or part of your wedding planning.

I caught up with our top wedding planner and founder of the The Great Big Event Company Gilly Botte last week and asked her top tips for successfully planning your wedding:

• Savour the moment and enjoy the time of being ‘newly engaged’
• Definitely buy out the magazine racks for the most up to date ideas and happenings – brides, weddings
• Relax whilst you browse the mags (with a coffee or a glass of wine, at home in your favourite armchair). 

Make notes such as:

• What do I want for my wedding?
• Where?
• Who?
• How much?

Then share these thoughts and wishes with your other half before you invite the world to make comment on how you should do it.

Create your joint priority list.

THEN...

My next bit of advice is to really fully establish what sort of money you have to spend on the day and from there, get help with your budget planning. You will have to be prepared to compromise on all sorts of ways, but remember, the ‘priority list’ and work with that as much as possible.

That should set you up for a great wedding which you have control over and which you can get excited by.

If it all seems alittle over whelming then please download our wedding planning guide here.

Of course if you would like to speak to Gilly without commitment then please do call on 0845 459 9812 or email.

The beautiful engagement photographs in this blog are courtesy of Just Imagine Photography who we have had the pleasure of working with during 2011. Our next blog will focus on the growing popularity of engagement shoots and will feature more of Just Imagine fantastic work, in the meantime  please do take a look at their website: www.justimaginephotography.co.uk

Best wishes,

Laura, Gilly, Romilly & the team.

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com
e: info@thegreatbigevent.com
t: 0845 459 9812/4

The big question...

With Valentines day fast approaching there will be some of us expecting, hoping or longing for a marriage proposal! That got us thinking about the whole proposal issue, it must be a terrifying event to plan, where, when & how to proposal are all crucial to the moment because lets face it, if your proposal is success you could me re telling that moment for years to come - no pressure then!

But the thing is it really doesn't have to cost a fortune often the most imaginative or creative proposals that work the best. Last year we loved the You Tube sensation of Adam King proposing to his girlfriend on a London commuter train, with the help of his friends in a choir.

OK we don't all have the friends in a choir that are willing to sing on a packed commuter train, but the idea of doing something personal and unique will bring some very special memories.

For those not expecting a proposal we hope you have a lovely Valentines.

Best wishes,

Gilly & the team

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Why Gilly loves a party!

I have been arranging amazing events for some time now and offers an insight into some of the interesting private and corporate events undertaken over the past few years.

Cool parties and major family celebrations are my absolute love!

They get my heart beating fast, my mind races and I need to drop absolutely everything I am working on at the time so I can really pull myself together to listen & hear what the client is saying at the end of the line!  This happens every time I get that call. 

Straightaway I see the party happening in my mind and that is the foundation for me. When I meet clients face to face to further discuss their plans, I have to hold myself back so that once again, I hear what they want and then I take the brief from there.

I often find myself waking up first thing in the morning with a complete visual insight into what a client event will actually look like on the day/evening and often that’s exactly as it is...  Funny this seems funny...but it just reaffirms that I am a visual interpreter rather than a wordsmith!

The best events are those, where the clients really want to enjoy the occasion and share with friends/family/colleagues – they set the scene from the outset!  I do the rest to make it happen and stay cool.

Things that make me smile!

·         Meeting a client for the first time and seeing their face relax as soon as they start to share their ideas and feel a sense of comfort as they release their hopes

·         Being No 1 on an existing clients call list when they have an important family occasion to plan!

·         Making a client laugh...out loud and get excited by ideas.

·         Eliminating any concerns about political correctness.

·         Creating a Buzz before the event

·         Wowing clients and their guests

·         Seeing a family raise their glasses without saying much ... just before the first guest arrives and feeling that warm fuzzy and buzzy feeling of achievement

·         Watching guests arrive at the party all ready to enjoy

·         Watching a husband, partner, father, mother, see each other all dressed up to the nines just before their event starts and look at each other in that amazingly unrepeatable way

·         Seeing appreciation of the guests as they taste the food, see the décor, watch the show, listen to the music...just savour the moments.

·         Knowing the client is happy.

Best Wishes 

Gilly Botte

Founder & Owner of The Great Big Event co.