Advice on styling an intimate wedding from The White Emporium

22 Mar SUPPLIER SQUAD ~ The White Emporium ~ Wedding Stylist

Posted at 18:10h in Advice, Supplier Squad by ccweddings 0 Comments

An intimate wedding, whatever the reason for having one, shouldn’t mean the styling should be overlooked.

And when it comes to styling, there was no-one I wanted to feature on my supplier squad series more than Gemma of The White Emporium.

I first worked with Gemma on a fellow wedding supplier’s wedding over 4 years ago and instantly knew she had serious talent! Since then, Gemma and I have worked together on multiple weddings in the UK and event Italy and honestly, this multi-award winning stylist is my ‘go to’ wedding stylist! Gemma’s attention to detail and creativity is second to none. She has an eye for styling and whether it’s a boho look or high end luxury finish, she can adapt her skills to match to the spec without hesitation.

With such an amazing talent, I’m so excited to hand over to Gemma who will give her advice on how to style an intimate wedding.

Gemma… over to you…

How To Style An Intimate Wedding
By Gemma Lander – The White Emporium

Your ideas for what your wedding may look like might have been forced to change over the past year. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing! With fewer guests a wedding budget can really be used to its full potential, whether its being able to invest more in the dining experience or going for more impactful flowers. If a small intimate wedding now sounds more appealing here are a few tips of how you can achieve swoon worthy styling.

When you are sitting over 100 people down to eat changing up the place settings can be a big expense but with fewer guest numbers comes greater versatility. You won’t be squeezing 10 guests round a 12ft table and people can spread out more. This allows more room for individual place settings. Why not bring in coloured napkins to make a colour statement, add a bold charger plate for a luxe feel and enjoy sipping fizz from delicate more detailed glassware. Without large numbers to think about you can really focus on each guest. Make place settings more personalised by adding individual details to everyone’s plate, flower sprigs, beautiful place names and individual menus can all work together to create an impactful look.

Natalie Stevenson Photo, The White Emporium, Thatches and Roses, Wren Ark, Olive and Millicent

Flower budgets can go further with a smaller wedding. It’s amazing what can be achieved when you don’t have 10 tables to dress. Why not add a sense of atmosphere by including a flower installation to dine under and in moody lighting for when the sun starts to set. This can help make a big room seem smaller, add a sense of warmth and texture and bring down the height of a tall ceiling. Perfect for tipis, marques and barns.

Credits: AnnaTiCreates, The White Emporium, Verity Marston Floral Design, Country Tipis

Change up your furniture and create something unique. The rule book gets thrown out with a small wedding. You can sit your guests how and where you like. With less people to fit in and less people to worry about upsetting you can get creative with your furniture. Create one large rectangle table for everyone to sit around, a U shape so you can see everyone or have an intimate sweetheart table for just the 2 of you. Hiring in those chairs you have been lusting over can instantly transform the look and feel of a room. Giving a rustic barn a contemporary edge or softening down the angles of a tipi.

Hannah Duffy Photography, The White Emporium, Wild Stems, Wedhead London

Maybe formal isn’t your thing and you want to relax and fully embrace the intimate nature of a smaller wedding, then why not consider an elegantly styled picnic. Laugh and drink with your guests outdoors, recline on soft floor cushions and plush rugs. Enjoy the must have summer food of grazing boards, perfect finger food where you can eat as much or as little as you like and serve individual wedding cakes to your wedding party.

Credits: Victoria Mitchell, The White Emporium, Nikkita Palmer Designs, Flowers at 58, One Part Love Cakery, Gourmet Dinner Lady

Think elaborate with drink stations, without large numbers there is the potential to do away with a fee paying bar, get creative with the way you display your drinks using statement furniture pieces to draw the eye and create an impact. Or mix it up and hire mixologists to work their magic in front of you. Use exquisite glass bowls to display fresh fruits and herbs, hand written calligraphy signs for drinks menus and invest in beautiful cocktail glasses.

Credits: Gourmand Pixels, The White Emporium, Nikkita Palmer Designs

Small can mean beautiful and elegant with high attention to detail, ask your suppliers to go to town with the money you had already allocated them. Create settings for beautiful photos and lifelong memories.

CREDITS
All styling on all images The White Emporium
Natalie Stevenson Photo
Thatches and Roses
Wren Ark
Olive and Millicent
Anna Ti Creates
Verity Marston Floral Design
Country Tipis
Hannah Duffy Photography
Wild Stems
Wed Head London
The Barn At Brook End Green
Victoria Mitchell Photography
Flowers at 58
Nikkita Palmer Designs
One Part Love Bakery
Gourmet Dinner Lady
Gourmand Pixels