October Occurrences

So the clocks have gone back and the mornings are rather dark and dreary…but that doesn’t mean we are! Far from it! We are now on the countdown to party season and whilst wedding season seems to have calmed down, we’ve still had plenty to cater for this month and are in the full swing of planning ones for next year. Amongst some big birthdays and a corporate to end the month we are planning something super exciting for later this year and we can’t wait to reveal all.

Food and Events

October has bought with it the usual mix of weddings, social and corporates in amongst planning something fabulous for the next couple of months. But that’s for another time. The month started off with a fabulous 50^th. We catered for a fancy but informal tipi based party at the client’s home. Bowls of yumminess were served followed by some sweet treats and bountiful amounts of cheese, all washed down with champagne, wine and some local beers. Sometimes a slightly more informal feel to the catering for a birthday works just as well. We love bowl food – guests get to mix and match with various dishes and it saves on the formal sitting down; you can mingle and chat whilst eating and no formal seating plan is needed!

The midst of the month saw weddings take place, one back at Micklefield Hall. We loved the menu for this one – wood pigeon followed by wild bass, topped off with salted caramel and peanut butter cheesecake – yes pleasseee!

Spread throughout the month we had corporate events, ending in one biggy at Windsor Guildhall for a lovely group of hoteliers. Impressing 70 top hoteliers takes some doing…but luckily we managed! Go Team GB!

Weddings

This month we have mainly been in full planning mode for next year, gathering quotes and presenting them to our clients. This part of planning is always the most time consuming but it pays to get it right, particularly matching the right supplier to couple and ensuring that they have the vision and style that is designed and wanted for the wedding day. It’s actually quite fun and we love presenting all information to the couples and are then on hand for advice.

In between all of the quote gathering we were at Stoke Park’s wedding showcase mid-month where we got to meet some wonderful couples and thoroughly enjoyed chatting about their weddings and plans; it’s always such an exciting time!

This time of year brings various networking and industry events, some of which we have been lucky enough to attend recently and others are coming up over the next couple of months – hello Christmas party time!

We were also super thrilled to see one of our inspiration shoots that we planned and shot earlier in the month featured on B.Loved blog – you can see more here. So much Autumn loveliness!

With that in mind and the fact that we are (I shall say it very quietly) only a few weeks away from Christmas, we have lots to do ready for parties and events, so we best carry on…

Until next time…Emma. x

Goose & Berry are a Luxury Boutique Catering, Wedding, Event & Brand Experience Planning & Design company who specialise in Weddings, Social and Corporate Events.  We are based in Marlow & London and cover London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the Home Counties.

www.gooseandberry.co.uk

Did you know we also Plan and Design Weddings and Events!

http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/weddings-goose-and-berry

http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/events-gooseberry

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September Shenanigans

Here we are, Autumn has arrived and with it the leaves start to fall, temperatures drop and we are getting cosy. That said, haven’t we seen some stunning weather in Sept – holding on to the last bits of summer but ready for the cooler months ahead, or maybe that’s just me ( I LOVE Autumn!) So, our September has been a truly wonderful month, filled to the brim of awesomeness in the form of some stunning weddings, one of which we planned and a couple of super fun corporate events. Mixed with a few tastings, some super exciting meetings and an interesting morning filming, this has been one busy but enjoyable month!

Food and Events

We started off the month in wedding mode. One at Micklefield Hall and one at The Walled Garden at Wasing Park. A&S had their wedding at Micklefield, which we were also entrusted with our on the day management. Full of beautiful rustic and whimsical details that worked so well within the barn and luckily the weather held out for a pretty outdoors ceremony. We created a delicious menu for them where guests were treated to a yummy three course meal all followed by pasties galore – proving popular with the Cornish family members! N&B’s wedding at Wasing again had an outdoor ceremony and their wedding had quite the festival vibe with a fab tipi and cute details at the bar and on the dancefloor, with a rather unique drinking game – wheel of misfortune anyone? Their patisserie station was quite simply divine and not a pud was left in sight.

Mid-month saw a flurry of corporate events. One being at Windsor Guildhall with a very royal theme. All British produce and theming for the menu and drinks and a thoroughly elegant and regal affair. We also hosted one of our regular clients re-branding soiree. Plenty of delicious canapes and copious amounts of champagne were flowing. They always know how to throw a good party!

Ending the month nicely saw S&A’s wedding and us return to Micklefield Hall. Pretty pastels and purples filled the barn and a rather scrummy menu of fig and goats, cheese, lamb and choccy pud followed, to the tune of “best wedding food ever”…we’ll take that!

Weddings

In between catching up with some wedmin for weddings next year and a couple of styled shoots – keep those eyes peeled – mid month saw the floral fantasia wedding of H&A at Wickham House, within the walled garden. With a brief of natural beauty that exudes happiness, we set about creating a floral work of art within the most gorgeous of gardens I ever did see. Taking inspiration from the blooms around us, we created a space in the sunken lawn that merged into the space beautifully. Using a stretch tent to do so and create a dining space worked so well and allows the flexibility that was desired. Florals were key; bringing in a rich and slightly woodland and forest feel with some richer tones and mixed with the ethereal beauty of the pastels; all mixed with feathers, butterflies and mushrooms. Honestly, just wait until you see! We created a humanist ceremony space underneath a tree within the grounds and dreamcatchers flowed in the breeze before a butterfly release, which was just magical to watch.

To end the month we also were treated to ‘Enamour’, Amie Bone’s absolutely magnificent and breath-taking display at The National Wedding Show – just look at the pics, need we say more!

As we sign off, we are finalising plans for something rather exciting and 2 shoots in October – one foodie based, one wedding based…all shall be revealed soon!

Until next time…Emma. x

Goose & Berry are a Luxury Boutique Catering, Wedding, Event & Brand Experience Planning & Design company who specialise in Weddings, Social and Corporate Events.  We are based in Marlow & London and cover London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the Home Counties.

www.gooseandberry.co.uk

Did you know we also Plan and Design Weddings and Events!

http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/weddings-goose-and-berry

http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/events-gooseberry

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gooseandberry / www.twitter.com/gooseberrywed

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July Jaunts

How much have we loved this month – a whole lot, that’s how much! It has been our busiest and maybe best to date and has taken some serious hard work from our team but it has been so much fun! July has been jam packed full of so many wonderful weddings with a smattering of some fabulous birthdays in between and we can’t wait to tell you all about them…

Food and Events

Well July really was the month for Weddings and we have catered for some rather wonderful ones and all in some seriously amazing locations. This month saw a mixture of marquees, gardens and stately homes, each providing their own merits and we have been lucky to work in some seriously fabulous venues.

In the earlier part of the month, we catered for a wedding that we also planned (see more below). 150 guests were treated to some delicious canapes and one of our favourite desserts finished the meal; you really have to try our Lime Posset – yummy!

The rest the month saw a mixture of formal sit down meals, some fancy buffet’s and a couple of Gourmet BBQ’s with some seriously tasty treats on offer. If you have a more informal wedding and it happens to be a beautiful summer day, then our Gourmet BBQ’s are the best; they work so well in an informal setting and provides the taste and presentation without the formality of a plated service. Great for a festival or more boho affair and also amazing for Birthdays.

The Birthday’s we catered for opted for a relaxed BBQ too and we were thrilled to plan and style one of these too. The clients had a joint birthday and anniversary party with a customised bar (and champagne flowing until the wee small hours) and opted for a stylish Mediterranean feel to their décor. Banquet style tables were dressed in stunning foliage wreaths with herbs mixed in and foliage chandeliers hung upon the entrance, creating the most stunning welcome for guests. Thank you to Lily’s Flowers for these!

We ended with a rather grand affair at the most picturesque of venues and can’t wait to work there again. Guests were treated to the most splendid of views whilst sitting for dinner and the ceremony space – serious WOW factor. A wonderful way to end the month!

Weddings

What a month! This one has quite simply been wonderful! So so lovely. We had two weddings that we have fully planned and styled and although July has been our busiest month so far, it’s been really quite dreamy, with two of the loveliest couples that I hope will remain friends with us for many years to come.

We started the month with the wedding of C&R, a super stylish couple from the States who fell in love with England and particularly Windsor on a visit a few years back and once engaged, knew that this would be the place for their wedding. With this in mind, we opted for a slightly formal English garden party affair with a Gatsby edge; think Downton Abbey mixed with the Gatsby party vibe and style. Hosted at various locations at Windsor, all 70 guests were flown in from across the States to join in a weekend celebration of fun, food and partying. A proper English pub meal on the riverside was the order of the day on the Saturday evening, with the main event on the Sunday. Dressed in garden party lounge style dress, the glamorous couple and guests attended the ceremony at Windsor Guildhall before heading to the river and setting sail on board a beautiful launch from the French Brothers. Guests enjoyed a traditional afternoon tea whilst listening to Jazz and enjoying a lazy trip along the Thames, taking in the sights of the English countryside. After this little jaunt, guests made their way back to the Sir Christopher Wren hotel for cake, cocktails and canapes, all followed by a fabulous feast. The highlight of the evening was a 10 piece swing band (The Mini Big Band) who really got the party started, they were serious fun!

We worked with some wonderful suppliers including Patrick Collins who is an ace Toastmaster, Abigail Bloom – just look at that cake, David Bostock – photographer extraordinaire, Classic Crockery (fab cutlery and charger plates which really highlighted that glam Gatsby feel) and Lavender Green who provided the most stunning of florals!

A couple of weeks later saw the wedding of M&L. They chose to celebrate in the bride’s family home which had the most stunning of gardens and prettiest church right next door – how picturesque! The style and feel of the day was a relaxed garden party, with a botanical and classic colour scheme of whites, greens and greys. A traditional church ceremony followed by canapes, champagne-a-plenty and garden games (which were an absolute hoot), with the beautiful sound of piano playing in the background that took place in the glorious gardens, all under the most stunning sunny day! The marquee was decorated in simple white florals from Lily’s Flowers, grey linens and place cards were leaves taken from the garden to bring all elements of the wedding together. Guests enjoyed a beautiful three course meal with the yummiest of puds and this then was followed by the cutting of a serious WOW factor cake – seriously, just wait until we have the pics and then dancing, with the band and DJ getting the party started and provided by the fab Eight Ray Music.  Cocktails were flowing in the bar tent, all done by the marvellous Box Seventy Seven and it’s fair to say these were super popular and with some fab personalised names, created a talking point amongst guests…as did the quiz (boy did I have fun marking that one!)

We can’t wait to show you more pics from these weddings and particularly the video, which we already know will be A M A Z I N G!

There is so much to tell, but we shall keep it brief for now and once the images are back, we will share the love with you lovely lot. A huge thanks to all the fab suppliers involved, serious dream team’s right there!

In other news, aside from finalising some fab plans for a Sept wedding, which is going to be soo floral and fabulous, a couple of our wedding inspiration shoots have been featured and we could not be more thrilled! Check out the links for the full description and suppliers for this wonderful Rustic Botanical and Romantic look at Le Manoir featured on B.Loved and for the other, well you have to go and buy the most recent You & Your Wedding Magazine!

Oh yes…and we just happen to be now be one of Stoke Park’s preferred wedding planners and stylists!

Phew! What a month and we are still buzzing from all of the excitement and activity! Until next time…

Emma. x

May Musings

So another month has passes, all too quickly I might add and this one seems to have been even busier than last (not that it is a bad thing!). As the wedding seasons picks up, we’ve had some wonderful weddings and events, which we of course love.

Food and Events

We’ve had a lovely mix of events to cater for this month. A few weddings, a milestone birthday and a corporate VIP function. To start the month, we created a rather delicious patisserie station for some super lovely clients who were brought to us by the amazing Dominique at Stylish Events. A patisserie station adds a bit of a wow and fun factor to any event and if you want something a little different to just a plated dessert or a trio of puds, then this is the way forward. The clients and their guests loved it and it’s always good when you get feedback such as “the best ever” when describing our Chocolate Trifles.

One of the perks of our job is seeing some special moments, which we were lucky enough to witness at one of the Birthday parties this month when the Birthday boy’s sister surprised him, coming all the way from Australia. A few tears may have been shed by Team GB; yes we love a good sentimental moment! The setting was also a treat too; a beautiful picturesque cottage and the marquee looked super pretty with colourful garden blooms. The water glasses we chose picked out the colours beautifully.

As mentioned, wedding season is well underway and we had a biggy in the middle of the month. A dreamy marquee setting (despite the horrid weather) and a fab bar space. We love working with clients to design their dream wedding and give ideas about how everything will look. The menu chosen for their wedding was also a particularly good one and the feedback we received about our fillet of beef – well it was something else. Beaming with pride is an understatement!

Corporate events are always fun to do and mix up the social and wedding side of events. We catered for a 100 VIPs at Windsor Guildhall, which is a seriously impressive dining space; imagine eating supper overlooked by all of our previous Monarchs. That’s one way to impress all the big bosses of the organisation!

Weddings

The month started in the most wonderful of ways . We had organised a styled shoot at one of the most super stunning country houses (serious swoon worthy status right here) in the Cotswolds, Cornwell Manor. Obviously I can’t give much away, but you are in for a treat when the images are revealed, so keep those eyes peeled! The following day we got to spend the day there again, in the most glorious of sunny weather, at their Wedding open day, launching the newly refurbished Ballroom and Walled Garden. We met some wonderful new suppliers who were all lovely and so much fun to spend the day with, also some fab couples who were just in instant love with the venue and gardens. Simply cannot wait to work here again, soo many ideas and it really is the most glorious of country wedding venues.

The remainder of the month we’ve been a busy little bee’s putting final touches to two summer weddings we’re planning. We just love confirming all final details and creating the final schedule. Just over a month to go for these lucky couples and I know they are excited and the same can also be said for me…roll on a few weeks’ time!

The big wedding we catered for in the middle of the month, we also wedding managed on the day. I ADORE on the day wedding co-ordination and managing. This is what I know inside out from my background at venues and I just love it. Even if you aren’t having a wedding planner to do the full planning, it’s so worth hiring an on the day co-ordinator. It means that you have someone there to take away all the work in the morning from you and your family, meaning you can relax, enjoy the getting ready and not worry about suppliers arriving and things being set up. That is our job; there to take away any stresses and organise suppliers, staff and set up, ensuring all goes to plan, on time and everything is smooth and seamless and that you get the wedding of your dreams. Seriously worth considering!

That’s about all for now, but we are looking forward to the summer months and praying for some gorgeous sunny weather and warm temperatures in the weeks ahead. Until next time…

Emma. x

 

Amie Bone Festive Wreath Masterclass

For a girl that adores all things floral and Christmassy, this was an event I absolutely did not want to miss and could not have been more excited about!

When the beautiful invite, courtesy of the lovely Armorial arrived, I RSVP’d with delight. Yes please! Wreaths, cakes (by the wonderful Elizabeth Solaru, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium), drinks and great company – who wouldn’t want to be there. All set in the stunning Lansdowne Club – I was definitely not going to miss out.

So on the early December morning I skipped into London (almost quite literally) and was greeted with a warm smile and hug from Amie. Made to feel instantly welcome and having a good old natter, drinks were handed around and guests mingled and caught up with old acquaintances, whilst making new.

After a speech from the President of the Lansdowne society and a welcome from Amie, we sat down at the rather impressive table full of Christmas goodies and the smell was super duper festive and yummy. It was a Christmas (and florists) delight to see an abundance of materials to work with. Once we all found a place and put on our swish Amie Bone aprons (yes, we all looked rather fetching!), the lovely Robyn showcased her talent and demonstrated how you make a wreath (although ours were carefully put together with the spruce – we may have been there all day and night otherwise!) and then how you go about decorating it. It looked a lot of fun and we couldn’t wait to start.

Armed with lots of ideas and ready to put my basic floristry skills (yes all the wiring techniques) into use, I set to work choosing what colours and items I wanted to adorn my wreath. As I love my metallic, I decided this was the way forward. Of course, the goose&berry grey (silver) had to feature too, so off I went and fixed one item at a time, positioning carefully and wiring to the spruce (easier said than done, let me tell you). It’s not often I do understated, but this time I decided it fitted best, so chose to not completely fill up the wreath, kept it relatively natural and chose no ribbon. In hindsight I may have added a ribbon and to be fair I still could – it’s not yet Christmas!

With a small lunch break of yummy food and some more drinks, we got to work like serious amateur florists, accompanied by Christmas music and with some help from the fab Amie Bone team, built our masterpieces with enthusiasm and laughter.

I was rather pleased with my wreath if I say so myself and it was remarkable how good everyone’s looked and how different they all were – some more traditional, some more full, some natural and some metallic. Super impressive effort all round.

Such a wonderful festive event and a great idea, one that I have no doubt was enjoyed by all. It was lovely to see the venue, meet other wedding industry lovelies and juts have a fun day out, with something beautiful to take home and I think it does look rather lovely hung upon my door, ready for all the festivities this season will bring.

Take a look at the event here – Video by Urban Cinematography Wedding Films

Words by Emma.

Images by Lisa Payne Photography

Goose & Berry are a Luxury Boutique Catering, Wedding, Event & Brand Experience Planning & Design company who specialise in Weddings, Social and Corporate Events.  We are based in Marlow & London and cover London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the Home Counties.

www.gooseandberry.co.uk

Did you know we also Plan and Design Weddings and Events!

http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/weddings-goose-and-berry

http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/events-gooseberry

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gooseandberry / www.twitter.com/gooseberrywed

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gooseandberry 

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/gooseandberry

Instagram: www.instagram.com/gooseandberry / www.instagram.com/gooseandberryweddings

Google +: https://plus.google.com/106611460730365369102/posts

Bloomin’ Marvellous – Summer Flowers

Here are a few of the stunning florals currently in season, that would be perfect for a Summer Wedding or Event.

Aster –Symbolises patience and contentment. It is also indicative of a love of variety. It also symbolises elegance and daintiness.

Astilbe – Meaning I’ll still be waiting.

Dahlias – When given as a gift, the dahlia flower expresses sentiments of dignity and elegance. It is also the symbol of a commitment and bond that lasts forever. The dahlia flower is still used today in gardens and flower arrangements to celebrate love and marriage.

Delphinium – Symbolises Well being and sweetness.

Gladioli –Symbolises strength of character, faithfulness and honour. The Gladiolus flower signifies remembrance.

Hydrangea – Meaning Perserverance. and symbolises heartfelt emotions. It can be used to express gratitude for being understood.

Phlox – Meaning Our souls are united.

Rose – Symbolises love. It signifies love in its various forms. Its symbolism varies based on colour, variety and number.

Sunflower – Signifies pure thoughts. It symbolises adoration and dedication. It is symbolic of dedicated love.

Sweet Pea – Indicates delicate pleasure and bliss.

Veronica – Meaning Fidelity.

Words by Emma

Images via Pinterest

Goose & Berry are a Luxury Boutique Catering, Wedding, Event & Brand Experience Planning & Design company who specialise in Weddings, Social and Corporate Events.  We are based in Marlow & London and cover London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the Home Counties.

www.gooseandberry.co.uk

Did you know we also Plan and Design Weddings and Events! http://www.gooseandberry.co.uk/event-design-goose-and-berry

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gooseandberry

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gooseandberry 

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/gooseandberry

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