Brighton Charity Ball 2014

Our friend Michelle De la Motte Rice very sadly lost her young daughter Lola, aged 2 years 8 months, in 2006 to a Brain Tumour. Michelle owns a wonderful business called Gifts for Angels which makes and sells beautiful graveside ornaments & vases in bright funky colours. We collaborated on an idea for a money raising event, a fantastic beautiful ball, we named it The Brighton Charity Ball. We sourced the beautiful Clarence Suite with adjoining Lancaster Suite at the The Brighton Hilton, as our venue, a truly magnificent room with chandeliers hanging from a high arched ceiling, which in a former life was a Catholic Church & then a Casino.

Various companies were approached for sponsorship, the idea being that these funds would pay for everything we needed for the evening, from ticket printing to entertainment, friends & family also provided sponsorship funds.

Profile Model Management of London became our main sponsor (Michelle had been an employee at Profile) and McRoreys Removals of Scotland also made a substantial contribution towards the sponsorship funds.

We sold tickets with a margin made on each ticket, being the difference between the charge made by The Brighton Hilton for the meal and the selling price to guests. FunkyLush Events provided their services free of charge & Michelle did not get paid either. We worked hard at promoting the event and managed to sell a staggering 143 tickets The menu was chosen carefully and we cajoled & hassled people for raffle prizes, and were lucky enough to get  some incredible prizes, including a Ski holiday, Fresh water pearls, £200 Marks & Spencer Voucher, an Ice Bar London Voucher and Lily Allen Tickets to name but a few.

Goody bags were sourced for each table, donated by Brighton's Toni & Guy Hairdressers. Various local companies paid into the sponsorship fund to have their flyers in the goody bags which also included items such as Brighton Rock & beautiful candles, high end magazines & other promotional gifts.  

FunkyLush Events designed and decorated the room which looked absolutely stunning. We also organised all the place names and table layouts taking care that everyone was sat in a place that would appeal to them.  

By the time we had finished The Clarence Suite looked amazing, The DJ had set up & the bands equipment was on the stage, and we hired the lovely ostrich feathers & lit up vases from Dazzling Décor which gave the room a real WOW factor!

The night started with guests being greeted by 2 showgirls, they looked amazing in their feathers.

We had the lovely Michelle Bowdidge from Brain Tumour research at the entrance table with my neice Jema. The photographers Blue Dawg Photography snapped the guests looking splendid in their finery. A welcome drink was served to each guest on arrival.

We mingled in the Lancaster suite, where guests were able to view our fantastic auction table, check the classically designed seating plan and for a small donation, use the photo booth, provided by www.photochambers.co.uk . All the money taken throughout the evening from the photo booth was given to Brain tumour Research.

 

Guests were seated for 8pm when Michelle De la Motte Rice gave an introduction speech, followed by a speech by Michelle Bowdidge of Brain Tumour Research. Michelle explained where the money raised would be going. Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer deaths in the young - and yet very much under funded.

 

A delightful three course meal was served by the Hilton staff, Sussex tartlet for the starter followed by topside of beef for main with mustard mash & leeks, and completed by a delightful dessert Brighton Mess desert, pink cream , meringue & red berries all served with plenty of wine on the table. Coffee & tea finished off the meal.

 

 

Brighton's very own Matthew Vankan sang tunes from Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole amongst others, and soon had guests on the dance floor. 

 

 

The Showgirls sold many raffle tickets & we raised an impressive £1985 on the raffle.

Brighton Soul Revue played some funky soul tunes & everyone enjoyed dancing to their live music.

We had an auction table located by the bar with lists of bids, these bids on only 4 lots went crazy and we took a total of £820, and much appreciate the donors of the items which included a preen designer dress.

 

At 11pm we called the raffle, the donated prizes were all fantastic.

 

Then we partied with tunes from DJ Marc James until the small hours.

 

We cannot thank everyone enough with a total just toppled over £6000 all for

Brain Tumour Research

 

Please take time to read information about Brain Tumour Research & the great work they do.

 

You can also donate via Just Giving

 

For more information on Event Management  please view our website, and if would you like an event like similar to this, perhaps a corporate event, please contact  www.vivacious-events.co.uk

 

For more information on Gifts for Angels please visit www.giftsforangels.co.uk

 

 

 October 2014 copyright of funkylush events & weddings

 

 

Welcome drinks for events or weddings by FunkyLush Events & Weddings

The traditional welcome drink of cava, champagne or bucks fizz is traditional & guests often expect it, But maybe it is not fitting to your event or wedding.

Add Strawberry or raspberry puree to champagne to make a Kir Royale, attach a strawberry & already we have something a little different. still oozing class.

 

 

 

 Mini wine bottles with straws are perfect for those wanting to add a touch of fun whilst still keeping with tradition.. great for hen parties.

It doesn't always have to be alcohol, Love these test tube style slush puppies, actually add some vodka in that & great for grown ups. colourful too.

Having a summer wedding or event outside then a refreshing Mojito with fresh mint will welcome your guests in style.

                  Pimms is a popular summer welcome drink, with chunks of fresh fruit too.

 

Love this help your self ready made cocktail idea, made in little jars and awaiting guests in an ice bucket, quirky & exciting.

 

 

 

Add some glamour to your event or wedding by serving the cocktails early.. Martini.. shaken not stirred

A non alcoholic cocktail, mango juice with crushed ice & a drop of pinapple juice, very fruity

Winter warmers are fun too, Hot chocolate in glass cups or Hot Apple Butter Rum. that will warm the guests up at your winter wedding or event..

 

 

This blog was prepared by FunkyLush events & weddings,

www.funkylushweddings.co.uk

 

contact us for a no obligation quote,  we just love thinking differently.

 



Country Garden English Wedding

A summertime English country garden wedding, requires flowers, lots of pretty flowers, pastel colours, bunting & tea cups

 

White cotton & lace, hair down and hand tied flowers.

 

                                 Cakes with strawberries and fresh cream, not too formal.
                                         Rose petals for guests to use as confetti,

                     Marquee or garden venue, village hall, with lots of flowers in jam jars,

 

Tea cups and saucers as place settings too,

 

twee and English, roses or peonies.

 

If you would like us to help style your wedding or event contact us on www.funkylushweddings.co.uk

 

Adur Homes Fun Day

It was a great opportunity for us to help at the Adur Homes Fun Day, Adur Homes looks after the council homes for Adur council, they had rebranded and wanted a fun day, They contacted us as it was getting a bit crazy but they didn't have money to spend, we wanted the experience so agreed,
We contacted so many companies to ask if they would like to sponsor event, this would then  pay for the event,
We were lucky to get Jacobs Steel local estate agents and local jewellers Darren Ross to sponsor, we sold stall pitches to local companies and the team at Adur homes also booked bands and dancers. The idea was for the event to feel community spirited and have lots of interest and fun things,
The fun fair was provided by Dave Hunt leisure, we had food stalls and an ice cream booth.
After lots of planning with Adur homes, we arrived early on the Sunday morning and helped set up,
Stall holders arrived and were directed into pitches, in hindsight the layout could've been better as the field is huge, and ideally more stalls and maybe cheaper to get more, but with these events you can only learn and develop from them. The Adur homes staff were fantastic too,
People came and enjoyed themselves, the music was great too, and it didn't rain, There was a beer tent with real local ale too.
We learnt a lot and would feel happy to organise and plan another one of these, but how do we plan the weather to stay nice ?

Professional bar service at a private venue

 

At Funkylush Events we don’t always organise the whole event, we are very versatile, and are happy to provide any specific service our client needs. On this occasion we were asked to manage a free bar at an engagement party where the couple were using their own home in Brighton. Our service also included welcoming our clients’ guests on arrival to the party and serving them with a delicious glass of Bellini, a stylish mix of champagne and peach snaps.

The house was generous in size, with a beautiful conservatory & garden, our bar was situated in the extensive kitchen and guests were able to ask for their drinks but not be charged. This makes the event far more controlled and of course, adds an element of style and professionalism to the evening. FunkyLush Events as always, wore our smart branded uniforms, black shirts with our embroidered logo, and we had two younger girls also in uniform who served the welcome drinks and collected glasses.

During the evening we set out a tequila area, which proved very popular, and this of course included salt and lemon.

Keeping the bar managed, stocking up on ice & keeping everything clean and tidy, the party looked great fun and was still in full swing when we left at midnight, with all glasses washed and in a position where guests could then help their selves. Our attendance helped make the whole event stress free and enjoyable for our client and their guests, and it was a real pleasure to be part of such a great occasion. We received some great feedback from our client too which is always very much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

A stunning wedding reception set up

What do you do when you are using a venue that’s a working cafe but closes especially for your wedding breakfast? Could a guest perhaps step in and quickly set everything up? But of course, you want all your guests at your wedding ceremony. This was the situation our couple found themselves in, so in we stepped.

The Worthing Beach Lido Cafe is on a normal day, a quintessentially traditional seaside cafe with views out to sea, with classic blue and white plastic style checked table clothes & old wooden chairs, and with the feel of a bygone seaside era.

So at 3pm on the day of the wedding we entered the cafe with our table plan for 103 guests in hand. We found that some cafe customers were still casually eating their food but we had to get going and started to re-arrange the tables in the bride’s order, a top table with 3 prongs each with seating either side (this way everyone could see the happy couple).

We had two and a half hours to complete the setting up and transformation from a simple cafe to a stunning wedding breakfast room. This time frame given the task that was ahead of us, is not as long as it sounds, the tables were varied in size and it became like a giant 3D puzzle, the Cafe owner Karl was able to assist during this part of the operation. We then had a huge 30 metre ream of white linen which was near enough the exact measurement of the tables, so we measured and cut the table cloth linen very carefully to ensure every last inch could be used.

Jars of fresh baby breath & lilacs had been left for us to sporadically place on the tables along with baby blue lanterns, places were laid and there was a personalised stick of rock for each of the guests. Then came the place names, cute little boats with a name on each sail, luckily they had been bagged by each table prong, the clock was ticking and we managed to get these all out and fill them with little mints.

The dance floor was cleared and a welcome table for presents was put in place which we managed to cover with the very last of the white table cloth linen. Just as we were finishing the wedding party arrived....15 minutes early, as always we were wearing our Funkylush uniforms, and managed to slip out of the venue as discreetly as possible, but it’s always nice to see the guests wow at the room. The transformation was beautiful, & our happy couple looked gorgeous too.

 

 

 

Why Have A Wedding Planner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The life and times of a wedding planner

 

 

 

So exactly what is a wedding planner... what do they do...will they take over the wedding...and make me spend more?

 

It may be that you are thinking all or any of the above, so we thought it would be nice to tell you a little about what we do and maybe release a few of those urban myths....

 

A wedding planner is a person or a team of people whose job it is to help take away some of the stresses of organising a major event that a wedding is and free up a great deal of time for the bride and groom - but without removing all the fun! Funkylush Weddings are a husband & wife team and as a married team we never forget the wedding is all about the couple.

 

So what do we do?

 

If you are considering using Funkylush Weddings, we will arrange an informal (and totally free) get together, for a relaxed chat at an agreed venue and at time and day to suit you.

 

We hope you will like the sound of what we can do and should you decide that you would like to work with us we will meet again to discuss all of your ideas for the wedding, including your budget, venue requirements, time scales , guest numbers, colours and much much more so this is a very exciting time for you and Funkylush Weddings.

 

You may already have some strong ideas about how you would like your wedding day, or you may like us to help you with many aspects of the organisation and design, we are very flexible and really are very happy to help you in any way you need us to.

 

If you need us to focus on the design of the wedding, we can assist you with colours, fabrics, decorations and lighting that will work for you and which totally reflects your individuality and personalities. For example, you may really like the idea of using blue as a primary colour and need some assistance as to how and where this can be introduced into the design of your wedding.

 

Perhaps you are thinking about holding your wedding in barn. We will save you a great deal of time, effort and possibly money by thoroughly researching the venues we believe are best suited to your celebrations. You can relax whilst we do all the leg work, arranging quotations, visiting the venues to check the quality of both the venue itself and just as importantly, the quality of service they provide. All this work will allow us to successfully narrow down the search for your perfect choice of venue.

 

We can also accompany you to meet with your recommended venues and suppliers. Because we are not tied in to any specific venues, companies or individuals, you will benefit from an extensive choice and flexibility.

 

Everyone we recommend will of course want to do their best because they know they will potentially benefit from repeat business from Funkylush Weddings. Whoever we suggest, you can be assured of quality as we know that we are in many ways, only as good as the team of people we help you put together for your wedding celebrations.

 

The successful organisation of a wedding will take somewhere between 200-300 hours of your time, lots of planning, many phone calls and e-mails and lots of fun too. We'll make sure that you have a great time organising your very special day but without all the hard work.

 

But there is so much more that we as wedding planners can bring to the party. We can help you with the seating plan, and if Great Aunt Jill is upset you sat her with that Nanny Doris then we'll take the blame, although we'll do our best to understand any personality issues prior to the day.

 

With our little extras such as RSVP collection this can really free up your time to do the fun stuff such as cake tasting, to visit beautiful venues and not forgetting shopping for your wedding dress, suits and accessories!

Our very special VIP shopping services are offered for both bride and groom, and we offer a wonderful VIP service for Venue visits too, so the whole experience becomes extremely enjoyable.

 

If you would like to benefit from our On The Day Hosting Service we will be up early checking the venue, checking the cars and making sure all the suppliers are taking care of everything. Funkylush Weddings can take any calls from the cake makers to any lost relatives, leaving you to totally relax before you say those all important nuptials.

We will have a contingency plans in place too so if anything doesn't go quite according to plan we have a plan B firmly in place...how's that for your total peace of mind!

 

You can be assured that everyone will get to the church on time that we will blend neatly into the background, and that we have thought about those little extra touches, that you may not see!

 

So, if you would like to free up your time, get rid of the stress, save you both time and money but without losing all the fun of organising your own wedding we'd love to hear from you, so please give us a call...coffee is on us!

 

 For more information please look at our website www.funkylushweddings.co.uk