When I found out about The Little Wedding Helper venue styling services I thought it was such a good idea!
Kirsten isn't a wedding planner she's a venue stylist which means she helps couples with all the finishing touches and details ~ she arranges the styling and logistics of placing all those favours/decorations/signs etc. that brides think so carefully about. She also helps brides to bring their decor ideas and inspiration to life.
What was your inspiration behind The Little Wedding Helper?
Being involved with my best friends wedding 5 years ago was a real eye opener! There were so many ideas & themes & at times it became overwhelming in trying to figure out where to start, what to buy & who was then going to bring it all together in one personal, beautiful & seamless look. I helped her focus on what reflected her & her fiance, what they both liked, what suited the venue they had chosen & then offered to decorate her reception for her on the morning of the wedding.
I loved every minute of it & I always remember saying how reassuring & helpful it was having another pair of hands to help, a creative eye & someone who she trusted to make everything look fabulous & exactly what they wanted. I asked other friends who were getting married how thy were decorating their weddings & the majority of them jumped at my offer to help them with the visual & creative elements of their big day. The Little Wedding Helper was born & has been growing ever since!!
What services do you offer?
Always love meeting couples for a free consultation where hot chocolate is on me when talking weddings! The ‘on the morning' styling service is the most popular service and I also offer a shopping service for couples that don't have the time to source & buy items as well as the new hire service that includes vintage props & furniture.
{Photo by Jo Hansford Photography}
What areas do you cover?
I'm based in Bristol so cover all of the South West but happy to travel anywhere as long as travel expenses are met & I can have a cup of tea when I arrive! I have helped quite a few couples who's weddings are abroad but they want to make their tables personal at their venue so want advice & help on what to take out with them.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love stepping outside of the box when it comes to wedding decor & styling. It's OK to challenge a few of the traditions & even make up some of your own. It's brilliant suggesting ideas that a couple love & you see the stress slip away to be replaced by excitement & anticipation of how their day is going to look.
Being a small part of someone's big day is amazing, touching & really reminds you of what is important in life – love.
What are the most popular themes amongst your couples?
The vintage theme is still very popular with the hire of vintage china & props. Creating different focal points in your venue really tells your guests a lot about you as a couple as well as creating wonderful memories of the day so photo booths & vintage furniture is becoming increasingly popular. I am decorating more village halls as couples are more conscious of the budget available to them & these really are a blank canvas in which to let the creative juices flow!
Some unique personal touches you have helped with?
I feel that it's really important for a couples reception to reflect themselves & their celebration otherwise it can just look like any other wedding with stuff bought only because it has ‘wedding' on the label!! A favourite wedding reception was one held in a marquee at a cricket club and the table numbers were painted on the cricket balls & the table plan was actually written on cricket bats that were lined up along the side of the marquee! For another couple who were both teachers, I used mini blackboards with chalk on each table for a quiz & real apples with their initials on it incorporated into the centrepieces.
I LOVE the idea of a table plan on cricket bats! Thanks so much to Kirsten for taking part in this interview.
I could have done with The Little Wedding Helper at my wedding a few days before the wedding when I suddenly started to think how on Earth am I going to get all these tea lights and Morrocan lanterns scattered around the venue? How can I string those fairy lights around that archway? Yikes!
Check out The Little Wedding Helper website and get in touch if you need a helping hand for your big day.
