What Online Dating Can Teach You About Finding Your Dream Wedding Cake

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When Megan Norris of Hansel and Gretel cakes contacted us with the offer of a guest blog post, we knew it was going to be good, but we didn’t realise it would be THIS good! So today we have for you our newest, favourite cake blog post of all time. Prepare yourself for some profound wisdom bombs and LOL’s. 

What Online Dating Can Teach You About Ordering Your Wedding Cake

Congratulations on your engagement, you have found that special someone who has swept your feet off the dating scene. But you might want to reach back into that bag of first date coping mechanisms while you embark on the beautiful journey that is finding your cake maker.

For the last six years I’ve had the pleasure of making Wedding Cakes for the most fantastic couples but, I can’t ignore the parallels between finding the perfect cake maker and online dating. 

PARALLEL NUMBER ONE: It was the puppy in the photo that got you.

Let me set the scene, you are up late scrolling through your options online, you see a cake you love and hop on their website to find out more. Only to find out that no other cakes on their site really appeal to you. This is what I like to call the puppy dog effect. You see a guy online and think, “I like dachshunds, he has a dachshund, maybe this could work?” Yes, the puppy was cute, but does he have any other qualities you will enjoy? You need to like the whole package, much like finding a cake maker.

Each cake maker has a distinct style and this will come through in every cake they make. If you don’t think you’ll enjoy mountain climbing at 5am or watching cricket matches that last longer than 48 hours, you won’t be happy. Mountain climbing isn’t a bad thing, I hear it’s a good thing, but it’s just not what you enjoy. You can’t change a partner’s habits, and you can’t change a cake makers’ style. Make sure you like the whole package, not just the puppy.

 

PARALLEL NUMBER TWO: You just don’t gel. But honestly, there was too much gel in his hair.

Yes, well done. You have found a cake maker with a body of work you adore! You text your friends, send them photos and are over the moon with excitement. Just like how my friend sends me photos of her next date and I comment on how he looks like he has, “kind eyes”. (LOL!). It’s time. You are at the restaurant. He has just arrived and things start off well. But as the night progresses you realise the only gel that’s happening, is in his hair.

It’s important that you form a relationship with your cake maker. This is the person who will be making the most important cake you will ever order. You need to feel confident that they will provide you with exactly what you want and you can rely on them to deliver when it’s needed. It’s ok if you just don’t feel it when you meet a prospective cake maker. You thank them for their time and move on with your search, for both love and cake.

PARALLEL NUMBER THREE: It’s time to delete the app, you’ve found the one.

He prefers sports that are restricted to a single evening and thinks hiking selfies are a waste of a good sleep in. Best yet, his hair is too perfect to ever require gel. Just like finding your dream boat, you have also found your cake maker. You have found the cake maker that you are happy with, you love their business style and you can’t wait for your guests to eat what you’ve lovingly picked out. It’s time to pay a deposit and check the cake off the list! Trust that feeling in your gut, it’s how you found your partner after all!

Finding your cake maker should be a big deal and your cake maker understands that you are making an important decision by picking them. Have all your concerns been met? If it’s important to you, have you tried the cake before you order it? I will let that fantastic dating comparison slide by… Do their cakes look stable, strong and level when they are stacked?  Have they worked with your other vendors before? If any of these are concerns for you, voice them! Your cake maker will be happy to answer them for you.

Enjoy this time, and have fun with the planning of your wedding! When else in your life are you encouraged to try eight different types of cake in one sitting?

The Launch Party Round Up

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Wow! What a night and turn out! When I first started planning the launch party for A Darling Affair’s wedding vendors, I had no idea what the turn out would be like. But boy did our wedding industry show up. We had a packed room of the most enthusiastic wedding vendors, and so much fun was had making new friends and catching up with old ones. Thankyou so much to everyone who came along and also helped with the party.

Our party styling was just perfection thanks to Amey from The Perfect Party Co, beautiful table flowers by The Bella Bloom Co, our super fun photo booth by The Photo Booth Guys, signage by September Creative, an amazing cake from Hansel and Gretel Cakes and delicious grazing table and venue by The Brisbane Racing Club. Florido Weddings were there to capture the party and Emily Kaate Videography created an fun video which you will be able to view on our Facebook page.

To all the ADA vendors, thank you so much for coming along! I am here to support your business as you support me. Your success is our success. I’m exited to see ADA return to Brisbane bigger and better than ever and we can only do that with you. So thankyou so much for all your support, for the fair and for me, it all means so much.

To all the ADA Brides, South East Queensland has a unique wedding vibe. Our weddings are relaxed, fun but filled with style; and that’s who we are! I am excited about making your wedding so much more easier and fun to plan with our bright and stylish fair. We have new ideas for his year and I am excited to begin bringing it all together.

Here’s to an exciting adventure together, we can’t wait to show you more in the coming months!

Save The Date | November 17 | A Darling Affair

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Finally after months and months of planning, we can let the cat (or should we say balloon!) out of the bag. The date has been set, the countdown apps have been installed on our phones and we are so excited! All you need to do is lock this one into your calendar… the 17th of November at the Brisbane Racing Club.

We can’t wait to put on an amazing show for all of our engaged couples, so make sure you assemble your bridal squad so you can share in a wonderful day, planning your wedding at A Darling Affair. Fashion parades, food trucks, live music and more are all on the agenda, so this won’t be your average wedding fair… it will be one heck of a day!

Tickets will be available for purchase soon, but in the mean time, lock the date in on your calendar so that you can get prepped for the big day (well the second biggest to your own big day!). Make sure you follow along on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

We can’t wait to see you there!

 

 

How To Be The Best Bridesmaid Of All Time

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For those who don’t know me, my name is Hayley, and I was invited to put together this blog post for you all today, not because of my work with Wholehearted Studio, but because I am a seasoned and experienced Bridesmaid.

Now… I don’t want to gloat, but I give Katherine Heigl from 27 Dresses a run for her money. I have to date been a bridesmaid 6 times, styled 5 weddings for friends, not to mention I have been the friend that inherited all the sub-par wedding jobs that no one else wanted to do (like making sure the port-a-loo toilets were ‘safe’ for use. etc.) It was like I was destined for it really, because when I was little my Dad had a wedding horse and carriage business and my job was to be the little flower girl that put the step out for the brides. And make sure their dress didn’t land in horse manure.

So it is fair to say that I have been around the traps for a while and know what I am talking about when I tell you that I know for sure, how to be the best bridesmaid of all time. So for those of you recruiting bridesmaids, or who have already gone through the process and want to remind them how it is done… feel free to send this link on to them and brace yourself for the most efficient bridesmaids of all time. #wingwoman

Photography by Florido Weddings

TIP ONE – Remember the day is not about you. It could be likely that you will be wearing a dress, makeup or shoes that aren’t exactly your personal style. Suck it up princess, pick up your bridesmaid pearls and keep walking. Chant to yourself on repeat: “I am not the priority today”.

TIP TWO – Put your hand up early on and offer to help on a couple of jobs so that you can have first dibs at the ones you want and will enjoy. It will make for a way more enjoyable lead up to the day and give you the chance to enjoy some nights in front of Netflix doing craft, or planning the biggest hens in the history of mankind. Whatever you offer to do, do it heartily.

TIP THREE – Make BFF’s with every other bridesmaid. Even the high maintenance crazy ones if your bridal party has one of those. A fun bridal party has no place for tension or dysfunction… so make peace with everyone you can.  If you notice any tension arise, make it your job to be the peacemaker! And if each Bridesmaid does the same, you will be on your way to a ‘tension free’ wedding day. #squadgoals

TIP FOUR – Remember the wedding day is show time. Sure it might be the first time you’ve had your makeup done in ages, but it is not appropriate to spend the whole entire wedding getting new selfie profile pics for your Tinder profile. Get your good photo and then put the phone away. Help with veils, flowers and dresses as much as you can. Make the day as easy on the bride as possible.

TIP FIVE – If you are a single bridesmaid, don’t spend the whole lead up to the day Facebook stalking every single eligible bachelor that is going to be in attendance at the wedding. Chances are he’s going to have a secret girlfriend that isn’t Facebook official anyway. Instead, spend your spare time planning for amazing and thoughtful times with your Bride-To-Be girlfriend.

And there you have it! A complete recipe for how to be the best bridesmaid of all time.

 

 

Five Wedding and Event Vendors You Need To Know

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When you start planning your wedding and dive in to the seemingly endless selection of beautiful photos on Pinterest, it can be hard to then find those similar, cool kid vendors in your own local area. Putting on a good looking wedding is no small feat, but today we have made it nice and easy for you, by choosing out five amazing wedding vendors you need to know to get your wedding looking every bit Pinterest worthy.

 

1. The Perfect Party Co

The Perfect Party Co is well known for their styling of creative weddings and events. For small and large events, they can do as much or as little as you need for any budget. They can do it all from the planning of your wedding, styling it and even do your flowers if you need. The best part is they have a sister company called Out Of The Dark Event Lighting, to look after all your event lighting needs.

 

2. CL Weddings and Events

CL Weddings and Events have been managing and planning events for over 15 years. Founding director Carly Baum has an eye for classic and beautiful wedding styling, looking after brides and grooms both near and far. They have an A list of private properties they use, so you’ll know your wedding will be both unique and exclusive.

3. Gathering Events

We’ve all fallen in love with those Caravan Bars… they are the perfect fun addition to any wedding reception. Gathering Events have a variety of pop up bars available to help get your wedding guests into the partying mood. Cute vans, coffee carts and whisky tastings are all on offer for your wedding day.

4. Sacred Wilde

Sacred Wilde is a new styling company based on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. With a passion for pretty things and stylish events, this event styling company has got some very pin-worthy weddings and events within their folio! With planning, on the day coordination and styling services all on offer, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your day is all looked after.

 

5. The Events Co

The Events Co are your go to planners and stylists for all things boutique design, creative projects and visual feasts! With a passion for creating beautiful spaces, Amy O’Hara and her team work with you to design the wedding styling of your dreams. How beautiful is this lush wedding?

Meet the new owner of A Darling Affair

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For those of you who have been involved with A Darling Affair, my face would be a familiar one to you. Since the early days helping out with A Darling Affair many years ago and running my own bridal beauty business The Beauty Case, it is my greatest honour to be now taking over the reins here at A Darling Affair HQ and it feels so good to finally tell you all! 

From the very beginning I have been this beautiful events number one fan. I have loved it. I have loved the new friends made, the showcasing of amazing vendors and more importantly, helping Brides and Groom’s in South East Queensland find their very own wedding dream team. 

I’m so looking forward to having a wonderful fair in November at The Brisbane Racing Club and putting on a stylish event for all of you to enjoy and be inspired by. This one will be bringing some new offerings to the table, full of your favourite vendors! On that note… if you are a vendor, you will want to get in quick as some of our vendor categories are already filling up! 

Stay tuned as we launch our BIGGEST event ever, and join in for the ride! Don’t forget to check in here for our weekly blog and follow along on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK and PINTEREST. 

Our Top Three Cass Deller Wedding Invitations

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So it’s not that much of a secret around here that we are stationery obsessed. No matter what the occasion, we love a beautiful invite.

One of our favourite stationery designers is Cass Deller, a super talented designer who creates the most stylish watercolour wedding invitation suites.

So we sat down and had a look through her gorgeous collection and picked out three of our favourite styles!

  1. The Botanical Collection

2. The Classic Collection

3. The Floral Collection

We’re actually super excited Cass is going to be creating invitations exclusively for A Darling Affair,  for something special we have coming up… we can’t wait to show you! Make sure you head on over to her website to have a look through her full design portfolio.

 

 

 

Hansel and Gretel Designer Wedding Cakes

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For years we have had the pleasure of working alongside Hansel and Gretel Cakes. The plus side is often we have been allowed to taste their cakes! It’s one thing to create a beautiful looking cake, but it is another if its insides are as delicious as it looks!

Making beautiful and tasty cakes for Brisbane and its surrounds, Hansel and Gretel Cakes are a creative delight! Owner and cake creator Megan Norris offers free tastings and meets with you so that she can design a cake personal to you. That way, you can be sure you are going to be in love with your cake.

We went through their drool worthy wedding cake gallery to show you some of our favourite designs.

To see all the ADA vendor cakes at our fair, subscribe to our newsletter to hear first when tickets are available!

Josie Gown By Jennifer Gifford

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We’re always on the look out for beautiful wedding gowns to feature, so when we stopped mid scroll because of this beautiful wedding gown we came across, we knew we needed to feature it here on the blog for all our beautiful brides.

Designed by Jennifer Gifford, this stunning dress comprises of floral detail and silk overlay fabric. This dress, named Josie is so unique with its delicate petal embroidered French tulle, scoop neckline, feminine flutter sleeves and a four layered 1/2 circle tulle skirt with a train. Designed as an overlay she can be worn over the a slip or strapless gown.

We can’t wait to see some of Jennifer’s beautiful gowns hit the A Darling Affair fashion parade runway again. The count down is on!

 

 

Amazing Event Hire

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Whether you’re planning a DIY dream or need someone to do all the heavy work planning your perfect wedding, our event hire vendors are hard to beat. These amazing businesses pulled out all the stops to help us create the ultimate party space for our Sunshine Coast Wedding Fair and we couldn’t recommend them enough!
 Hat’s off to the amazing Out of the Dark Event Lighting! Their amazing team worked so hard from start to finish to create a cozy setup that our guests LOVED.
Recognising a gap in the market, Out Of The Dark was born to fill the need for modern and stylish lighting for events and celebrations. Providing a unique interior feel to all of their setups, Michael and his crew do everything from creating lighting plans, sourcing product selections, dreaming up custom designs and providing installation.
 
 Perfect Party Co. know how to do it right. With talent oozing out of them, this fab business gave 200% to make the Fashion Lounge look STUNNING.
The sister company to Out of the Dark, they offer an all-inclusive service of planning, styling, floristry and hire and can handle everything from proposal to reception pack up. Headed up by the lovely Amey, she and her team work with a network of creative wedding industry vendors and have managed events from Brisbane to Auckland and Fiji, with guest lists ranging from 20 to over 500!
A Darling Affair have been so lucky to have Equip 4 Hire onboard as a sponsor to make the Fashion Lounge possible. We love working with them and couldn’t recommend them enough! One glance at their product list is all you need to see that they are able to provide everything from the marquee, lighting, dance floor, tables and chairs, right through to the linen and cutlery. This awesome business can provide just about anything for your perfect DIY wedding and are more than happy to do the grunt work with set up and take down. Picturing something that they don’t have on their product list? No worries! Equip 4 Hire love trying new things and are always keen to hunt down that perfect item that their clients are dreaming of.
How gorgeous is that greenery wall!?? An established business in Sydney for 14 years, Fairylight Curtains owners Jayne and Inigo made a sea change to the coast and expanded their family business while they were at it. For them, this was the perfect creative outlet in an industry that they truly love. Fairylight Curtains provides stunning backdrops and ceiling drapery for weddings, celebrations and photo shoots, and since moving to Queensland they have expanded their product range to include flower walls and green walls. Every instagramers dream! Their gorgeous backgrounds look fantastic with props and have endless uses! Whether it’s for an eye-catching centrepiece, used as a photo backdrop or front and centre during a ceremony…if you can dream it, these guys can do it.
A big thank you to Asha Jane & Co. who made our gorgeous gold A Darling Affair sign that we had above the door of the chapel and some other lovely bits and pieces for the fair. Designer Kelly is the brains behind this popular Laser Cutting Studio based on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Making ready made & customised wooden & acrylic products, they make the perfect keepsake for any wedding or home.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with this talented guy and his amazing creations! Twisted Mr provides everything that a balloon loving customer could want. From giving small intimate affairs a splash of wow factor, to working alongside stylists to brings a large scale venue to life. Specialising in organic balloon garlands, jumbo balloons, confetti balloons and tulle balloons, there’s nothing that he won’t do to create the magical decor that you desire.
Starting off by creating designs for family, Event Letters owners Dave and Katie were inspired to share their talents with other couples looking for a unique way to set their wedding apart from the rest. Each and every one of their letters and props are designed, machine cut and hand finished locally by the Event Letters team. Filament style bulbs recreate a vintage carnival feel that their clients love, while also having the option of customising the letters with coloured bulbs to perfectly match the palette of your celebration. All of their props are fully dimmable, making them able to create the perfect vibe and ambiance for whatever type of wedding you have your heart set on.
Photo credit: Daisy Chain Weddings