The Many Joys of Bridal Shows

This month my business exhibited at the Atlantic Showcase Bridal Show and it was a huge success.

I love bridal shows. I pretty much exhibit in all the reputable bridal shows in my area. Where else can you meet so many engaged couples under one roof? Try 3,000 attendees.

There is often an excitement in the air and vendors, organizers and engaged couples and their family and friends seems like they are where they want to be!

We offer the best of our promotions for the year at the bridal shows, and I believe most other vendors do as well. 

This year we were voted (by the brides of course!) as the Winner of the best table top design among businesses that competed in setting up a table top design. It means the bride’s like our work and it is quite validating. Big thanks go out to the brides that voted for us.

My watchword in going to the show is this “go big or go home” well not quite literarily speaking, but bring your best foot forward is what I always have at the back of my mind when I prepare for these shows. Our booths never fail to pull the crowd with our bold presentation. 

I love to talk to the brides, families and friends, there’s nothing like meeting them all within these few hours and chatting with as many as I can. Most of them that visit our booth and take the time to talk to us we often end up seeing somewhere along the line in our showroom!

I always have a theme in mind for the exhibit, and my staffs always dresses to theme. A professional looking front is what I strive to present which is how we go about executing the venue designs anyway so why not?

I look forward to the spring shows coming in a few months and am already thinking of what my theme and design will be, we aim to win again of course!, I want us to line the walls with the plaques we will receive for each win.

Thank you for dropping by.

The Winning Tabletop Design by Beautiful Linen Rentals - Atlantic Wedding Showcase Plus, Fall 2012

         Black on white damask, apple green and black

A higher dimension to your wow factor!

Welcome to another of my blog post and thank you for dropping by.

Many atimes, I have had clients wanting some form of ceiling treatments. A number o f times these are trying to hide some flaws in the ceiling. But at other times these are for venues that really are very nice as in hotels and banquet halls specializing in wedding and events and the bride wanted another wow factor to complete her set up. 

One thing to keep in mind is the venue rules on such. Certain venues have very strict rules on any type of attachment to any part of their structure and really I can’t blame them! Also it is advisable to be sure your decorator/designer carry some form of insurance to work in venues if performing ceiling treatments as such. I always ask brides to check in with their venue if they need our proof of insurance for peace of mind! There is also the issue of ceiling height and a certified user may be required to operate some of these lifts as ladders may not suffice past the 13 ft and above ceiling heights.

There is a number of ceiling treatments types to be considered, and it can hinge on budget when it comes to choices. As engaged couples looking to spruce up your event with ceiling treatments, I believe the most affordable option are paper pompoms. You probably have not given it much thought and for some it reminds them of elementary school projects, but the design of paper pompoms have evolved over time and they are even sold in stores readymade for a considerable amount of money in some cases!

For a DIY approach, you can make your own paper pompoms, many resources are online as well as video how tos via YouTube abound. You can as well purchase them if you are not in for making them yourself. They provide a soft ambiance and are easy to install. A ladder, clear filament and hanging accessories from an hardware stores may be all you need. The downside is that you cannot include lights in these pompoms.

Paper lantern of course seems by far the most popular choice for brides nowadays, as that also is an easy DIY one. You need same accessories to hang as in pompoms, but you have the additional opportunity to include light as either a kit to the paper lanterns or some paper lanterns come with lights affixed but these often are limited in how much sizes they go up to.

Ceiling draping is also another of these treatments and these can be configured in numerous ways. I have seen ceiling draped with what looks like some few inches of tulle or some sheer fabric and string lights strewn in and I have seen voluptuous and really professionally draped fabric ceiling with huge lighted chandeliers that transforms the room completely. When I talk of fabric ceiling draping to my clients, I talk of appreciable width and lengths of sheer fabrics; to me what is worth doing at all is worth doing well!

Till next time, thank you for checking in.

BLR venue set up-Paper lanterns at the Prince George Hotel, Halifax

Beautiful Linen Rentals is WeddingWire Rated 2012

Halifax, NS – July 2, 2012 – WeddingWire is excited to announce that Beautiful Linen Rentals is WeddingWire Rated in 2012 for Event/Wedding Rentals & Design. WeddingWire Rated is the annual ratings program that recognizes wedding professionals across the country for their commitment to service and is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples, as they start their search for local wedding businesses. The ratings program is based on hundreds of thousands of recent newlywed reviews of over 200,000 wedding professionals in the US and Canada, across 20 different service categories.


Beautiful Linen Rentals has reviews on WeddingWire. Reviews by our newlywed clients include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions about their experiences working with our business and staff. Our reviews provide transparency for potential clients, assisting them in making informed decisions for their big day.


"We are very pleased to announce WeddingWire Rated 2012, recognizing Beautiful Linen Rentals for their commitment to exemplary service in Event/Wedding Rentals & Design," said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire, Inc. “Beautiful Linen Rentals has shown dedication to their craft and service, helping engaged couples understand what to expect from their business through reviews on the nation’s leading wedding review site.”


As the largest site for wedding reviews, WeddingWire empowers engaged couples with the most comprehensive and trusted review system available in the wedding industry. WeddingWire Rated provides Beautiful Linen Rentals with the distinction of being WeddingWire Rated and a simple platform to capture client feedback from their wedding planning experience. Engaged couples can easily access all of the reviews for Beautiful Linen Rentals on WeddingWire.com. We have all of our newlywed clients to thank for our WeddingWire Rated 2012 recognition.


For more information, please visit Beautiful Linen Rentals on WeddingWire at www.weddingwire.com/vendor/VendorViewStoreFront%3fvid%3deec8336fa46c60e9. For more information on WeddingWire Rated 2012, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.


About WeddingWire, Inc.


WeddingWire, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com, Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

The DIY Bride

Hello! Welcome to another of my blog post on event and wedding decorations.

Considering that I run both a rental and design and decorating business, I have had the opportunity of working with a number of DIY brides using our linens and decor.  Even though cost is a major consideration in becoming a DIY bride, believe me that is not always the case!. I have brides that have hired us to complete their set up and still wants to be on ground and part of the decorating team on the day of set up. Its often a way of their personalizing their special day, been involved and some brides are actually “undiscovered decorator themselves! They just realize they have the passion for that once they embark on their wedding planning journey.

Given a basic venue, a simple banquet hall and such, it is not a herculean task to have a beautiful presentation on your special day. Sure you require hours and hours to set up and some willing hands but definitely something that can be well accomplished.

The thing to keep in mind is that you should not skimp on linens; linens can make or break the whole ambiance. Good quality and tasteful linen, well accented with complimentary colors in your color scheme will make a big difference. Ensure you get the wrinkles’ out of these after you complete set up, a portable steamer is a must have for me when I am completing a set up. Your centerpieces do not have to be over the top, and there are ways to save on floral cost by using single stems etc. Light is another secret that adds “pop” to your design elements. Centerpieces lighting, tea lights which are quite inexpensive, head table lighting etc will sure afford you the “wow” factor design. Backdrop if applicable gives your guest something pleasant to gaze upon all night long and like the name suggest a backdrop to your photos as a number of these will be taken at the head table.

Floor length linen is one I am partial to, I do not like to see the table legs sticking out, and floor length linen just screams “elegance” in any set up. Keep the color combination very simple, trying to feature too many of your colors in all your set up can be a disaster. Use ribbons to achieve these by trimming centerpieces, guest books, favor boxes or so and that should pull all your colors together nicely.

Till next time....Thank you for dropping by!

Transforming the Blah into Beautiful.......

Welcome!

Over the course of time, I find my crew and I been pleasantly challenged by some venue decorating. I seem to get a bit excited when I have a client who comes in for a consultation and talks about wanting help with a venue that really needs it. Believe me I have heard some words been used to describe some of these venues, often it's the bride's way of trying to manage my expectations along the lines of what we'll find when we go in to decorate. I have some before and after photos that will qualify for “jaw dropping” situations!

I tell the couples to leave these details in our capable hands; we will surely ensure them a memorable occasion. Am yet to be disappointed by the outcome!

I like to change the table arrangement from the standard “cafeteria style” table arrangement to a more classy sitting arrangement. This calls for special linen due to the size of the combined tables.

Linen is next in line, and solid base linens with couple’s accent color will tie in nicely in an elegant way to bring it all together quite nicely.

I always say the secret to a great ambiance aside from linen is lights. Uplights as wall washes or backdrop lighting, centerpieces lights etc will make dramatic statement no doubt.

Now to the issue of “hiding” these plaques, wall banner and these not so desirable walls in some venues. This often has to be accomplished to get a great overall feel and look we’re going for. In executing the couple’s visions, we do keep these in mind. The darts boards can be literally all over the walls among many of these inscriptions a bride do not care for to be featured on her special day and I agree. Covering the walls with backdrops, linens etc will be next in line, oh yes, that’s a lot of fabric we’re talking about!

Certain details I have found does go a long way in personalizing each presentation and really make it fit for the photobook!  Personalized quotes and such adds a special touch to the details. Seating arrangement also helps bring a good feel and cohesiveness to the entire set up.

I love decorating already great looking venues as in most banquet halls in hotel and such, but I equally delight in the challenge of transforming the blah into beautiful and often can’t wait to see the expression in the couple’s face as they dance into the reception hall....that to me is one of the reasons I do what I do!!!

BLR Linen Rentals-Some before and after photos of an association event we rented linen to at a community center- Linen did make a HUGE difference!

Cathy Akinkunmi

Lead Designer

Beautiful Linen Rentals, Halifax

The welcome trend in chair covers-Spandex Chair Covers

Chair covers have been a staple of the fine event industry. It has the ability to transform spaces from blah to beautiful. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to spruce up your venue. The transformation will be seen in minutes and you can have the “wow” factor you so desire.

All this is good, but the time and energy it takes to get this look can be disconcerting.
My experience in the industry as well as these that were shared by a number of the brides I work with is often the issue of the annoying or rather irritating wrinkles that comes as part of this package.

A typical rental outfit will present your chair covers to you with the best intentions, as wrinkle free as they can possibly get them to be with their cleaning and packing process. The problem is that even in transportation and handling, these well intended process gets jeopardized as the polyester or satin chair covers still get these dreaded wrinkles and fold lines (unless of course you can individually steam/iron each chair covers and hang them on individual hangers with coat bags as protection, then lay them flat in transportation and treat them like eggs that must not be broken), while we know this is unrealistic, that is what is required to get these chair covers looking pristine.

Many of the brides and bridal party members I have interacted with have shared or recounted horror stories of spending all the supposedly fun time they were to have as a part of the bridal parties ironing out wrinkles and fold lines from chair covers at the venue. Yes steaming the chair covers at the venue is what is required to get that pristine look. Now who has this type of time or patience at these crucial hours? Try steaming 180 chair covers!

All that is now just an undesirable memory as far as I can see, with the advent of the spandex/stretch chair covers. These babies will rock your event without you breaking a sweat. Easy to put on and off, nothing else I have seen works wonders like these spandex chair covers. When I have a consultation, I often demonstrate the magic of the spandex chair covers to my clients, and I don’t have to talk it up, 99% of the time it’s a seller!

I personally love these chair covers because it makes storing them easy, I don’t need to hang each and everyone one of these and don’t have the arduous task of steaming each one before pick up or delivery.

I will love to hear your thoughts on this topic and your experience with chair covers will be welcome!

Cathy Akinkunmi, Beautiful Linen Rentals, Halifax

***The spandex chair covers represent the latest trend in an easy to care for, easy to install chair covers, very elegant presentation, and its often referred to as the "Sleek look" chair covers.