Middleton Park Blog

“In our life there is a single colour, as on an artist`s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the colour of love.”

Purple, Black and Lime – The Hottest Wedding Colours for 2012

These colours are perfect for Spring and Summer weddings.

Purple and Lime Green are bright and can overwhelm easily, but when black is incorporated it neautralizes your colour scheme.

It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind. Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty.

Being the combination of red and blue, the warmest and coolest colours, purple is believed to be the ideal colour.

Black is the most misunderstood colour. Black is not a colour, strictly speaking. It is the absence of all colour.

When people speak of opposites, it is usually in terms of black and white. Black, and its opposite white, represent polarities. Black absorbs all aspects of light. While white reveals, black conceals.

Black is seen as formal and elegant.

Green is the colour of nature and life. Lime is a bright yet restful colour it symbolizes well being. It is a safe colour, if you don’t know what colour to use anywhere use a shade of green.

Balance and a sense of order are found in the colour green, which can often be needed on a wedding day.

For any news from Middleton Park House and more updates from our Wedding Blog check us out on Facebook, here and you can  follow us on Twitter, here.

For more Wedding inspiration have a look at our Bridal and Wedding boards and pins on Pinterest, here.

“You know you are in love when you see the world in her eyes,
and her eyes everywhere in the world.”

Let’s take a look at the top trends in Wedding Dresses for 2012.

Illusion Necklines

An illusion neckline is when a sheer, delicate, and often embellished layer of fabric veils skin that would otherwise be exposed. This style has been huge on the catwalks of the 2012 bridal collections, so we can expect to see a lot them at weddings this year.

Illusion necklines are romantic, elegant but still quite modern.

A Touch of the 80s!

That’s right dresses with some 80s influence.

On the bridal catwalks there was a lot of dresses with a hint of the 80s style. Some were quite pretty and unique but some made you think “my mother had a dress like that!”

Keep an eye out for off the shoulder gowns, dresses with crimped material and a squared-off bodices and dresses with 80s style details like handkerchief sleeves and flowing fishtails.

You could really bring back the 80s in a full length fitted lace dress, lace gloves optional.

Two-Tiered Skirts

This season wedding dress designers have focused on hemlines and creating skirts with two distinct tiers. This style is really flattering as the top tier is a great way to hide wider hips.

Blushing Brides

Wearing a wedding gown that’s not white or ivory was, until recently, considered a bit wild and it was almost frowned upon. Then we started seeing subtle pops of colour, like hints of silver, pale greys or lilac.

This season blush and different shades of pink are gonna be hugely popular when it comes to wedding dresses.

Reese Witherspoon who is normally seen wearing conservative style clothes and appears to be a bit tradition chose a blush coloured Monique Lhuillier gown for her wedding, which just shows that you can really where whatever you want on your wedding day, whether it be a white dress, a blush dress or a neon pink leopard print dress, it’s your day and your choice.

Lace Sleeves

The inspiration for wedding dresses with lace sleeves quite clearly comes from Kate Middleton’s dress at the Royal Wedding. Even before the great reveal of her fabulous gown designers were designing new lines of gowns based on what they thought she might wear. The majority of those designers used lace sleeves, and went with a sleeker, more contemporary version of the voluminous sleeves that  Princess Diana wore so many years ago.

Expect to see a lot of lace sleeves for a long time.

For more Middleton Park House news and updates from our Wedding Blog, you can find us on Facebook, here or you can follow on Twitter, here.

“Style is a Simple Way of Saying Complicated Things”

Amy French is a Aussie photographer living in Ireland, and Ireland is lucky to have such talent! She’s practically a neighbour of Middleton Park House as she is based in Mullingar.

Amy loves a lot of things, but she is most passionate about photography and that shows in her work.

Her photos tell stories…

(Images Courtesy of Rubistyle.com)

If you like Amy’s amazing work, she is available to work nationally and internationally. Head on over to Rubistyle for more information.

For more wedding ideas and updates on Middleton Park House, you can find us on Facebook, here and on Twitter, here.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re all back to normal after all the festive celebrations.

A new year means new beginnings, and also new wedding trends.

A while back we had a look at the different wedding trends for 2011, so let’s take a look at what some of the 2012 wedding must haves will be.

Metallic Wedding Cakes

These glittering pieces of art are made when your average white fondant cake is sprayed with edible metallic paint, or adorned with metallic decor.

This is already a huge trend in the USA and has crept in over here and we think we’ll be seeing a lot of metallic wedding cakes at all the weddings in Middleton Park House this year.

Metallic cakes are perfect for those who like shine, glitter and a bit of sparkle!

Dahlias All The Way

Last year saw Roses to be the most popular wedding flower, this year Dahlias will reign supreme in the flower world.

Dahlias have been popping up in bouquets and centrepieces for a long time but in 2012 they’ll be the main attraction. They add a soft summer vibe to floral arrangements and are perfect for a vintage inspired look.

Keep the Champagne Flowing

After Kate Moss had one at her wedding, we can certainly see champagne towers being a very popular trend! They had a touch of fun and elegance to a wedding. If your budget is tight you can always just use sparkling wine.

Be Intimate and Unique

For 2012 we can expect a lot of wedding ceremonies not to be held in churches. More and more couples are opting to be married in special locations rather than churches.  Some even opting to get married in the same venue that their reception will be held in. This will inevitably save a lot of time, money and stress. Outdoor weddings as well have become a popular way to make your wedding stand out.

This leads to our last trend.  As budgets have reduced, couples are looking to have fewer guests and smaller more intimate venues, in particular private country houses are becoming more and more popular, as they cater for smaller numbers but afford a flexibility and exclusivity not offered by larger venues. This growing trend is only set to become more popular and mainstream in 2012.

For more updates on Middleton Park House and other wonderful wedding things, you can find us on Facebook here, and follow us on Twitter, here.

From all of us here at Middleton Park House to all of you out there, we want to wish you the happiest holiday season and all the best for 2012.

Merry Christmas!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, love is in the air and your family and friends are gathered around you. Why not have a Christmas wedding?! 

Here are ideas and tips to have a fabulous Christmas wedding with all the trimmings.

Wedding Colours:

When choosing your colours for your Christmas themed wedding keep in mind that your church or reception venue may already be decorated in traditional Christmas colours, like red and green, but don’t feel limited to these colour palettes. There are other colour choices that will easily work with them like: silver and white, silver and blues, gold and cream. If the reds and green that are already being used are more primary colours you can add a touch of luxury to the venues by adding burgundy, dark green and gold.

Flowers and Décor:

For a festive look, you could use red roses and green pine tree branches, or, place wreaths in the centre of each table with a candle in the middle. You could even use bright red cranberries in a bowl of water with pine scented floating candles.

Other flowers such as red Calla Lillies, or Poinsettias will look beautiful and you could  also add a touch of holly or ivy.

Since flowers can be more expensive at this time of year, think creatively. A mirrored platter with pillar candles and sprigs of holly is both elegant and romantic. Create centrepieces of bowls or vases of ornaments, for a simple but elegant look.

For the Bride and Bridemaids:

A Christmas wedding dress needn’t be that different from any other kind. Wear the one that flatters you most, and top it off with a long velvet cape. Or embrace the trend of colour in wedding dresses by adding a silk sash to the waist of your gown. Sparkles and sequins evoke the snowiness of the season. A faux fur wrap and muff are always fun too.

For the bridesmaids of a Christmas wedding, long dresses with shrugs and muffs would look fabulous and quite festive. You can still have them in your wedding colours, but give some sparkly accessories as well, all of which will help evoke your theme.

For the Groom and Groomsmen:

Just like the Bride and Bridesmaids the Groom and Groomsmen’s attire doesn’t need to be any different something as simple as using Holly instead of a traditional boutonnière can be quite affective and festive.

Wedding Invitations:

You’ll probably want your wedding invitations to reflect the holiday season and your Christmas theme, but you won’t want it to look like a Christmas card. Instead of opting for a traditional folded card go for a thick flat card, with a somewhat festive border and stylised text. Your Christmas wedding theme will be shown in the border, and have a festive feel to it without looking tacky.

When sending out your invites keep in mind that people plan their holiday season way in advance so the earlier you can send out your invites the better. Or you could also consider “save the date” cards in addition to the invitations, which will ensure that those most important to you will be able to attend.

Food:

Don’t feel like you need to give your guests the usual Christmas dinner, stick to what you like. You can always just greet your guests with Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, eggnog, and mulled wine.

Wedding Cake:

When choosing a wedding cake for your Christmas theme wedding, the simpler the better. Go for an all white cake with simple silver snowflakes or hollies on it. You can always look out for a festive cake topper as well.

If you really want something a little more spectacular you could have each tier look like an individually wrapped present, this is a popular look that is currently on trend for Christmas weddings.

Wedding Favours:

Favours as simple as Christmas ornaments are something that everyone can use on their tree and will always remind them of your special day. You could even paint on your names and wedding date. Another great idea would be holiday cookie cutters tied with a ribbon and attach a Christmas cookie recipe.

These are just a few ideas to make your Christmas themed wedding special, but there are so many more possibilities to use your own creativity to add something unique to your special day.

Wishing you the happiest holiday season from all at Middleton Park House!