Hello all!

I have recently stumbled across two very talented sisters and their beautiful venue styling company Boris & Betty. This talented duo can help with all your styling needs and you don’t need to break the bank enlisting their help either. Offering packages to suit your budget, ideas to blow your mind and organisational skills that would impress even Alan Sugar, you can be sure you and your venue are in safe hands!

I recently spoke to one half of the B&B ladies, Shelley, who kindly answered a few questions that all you brides-to-be would certainly ask…

Hi Shelley,

Can you tell me more about why Boris and Betty was created?

I started off my career organising and planning events, alongside satisfying my creative urge by studying interior design, while Sheena focused her creative energy on studying Fashion. Being the magpies that we are and with our mutual love for collecting vintage treasures becoming larger than life, we began helping close friends and family style their special occasions. Responses from both guests and suppliers have been overwhelming and we just love putting our creative talents to good use, so as a natural progression our baby Boris and Betty was born.

Is it all fun working with your sister? Do you have similar tastes or does it work better that you are very different?

My sister is the best partner. We’re really close which means we’re always completely open and honest with one another which makes for a good business foundation. We both have our own unique style which works well when combining our ideas, although Sheena is mostly behind the conceptual design and styling. Her natural interest in learning about new and exciting styling trends keeps our work eclectic and original. I think the reason why Boris and Betty works well for us is down to the dynamics. I deal with the nitty gritty business side of things such as marketing, PR, communications and event organising, whilst the creativity that a wedding styling business needs to succeed, is covered more by Sheena.

Where does the name come from?

Sheena acquired two quirky wooden lovebirds that have pride of place in her family sitting room. They needed a name and this job was given to her 3 year old son who was very excited at this. He named them Boris and Betty. The lovebirds have become quite the famous pair within our family network and even more so now we have named our business in commemoration of them.

How would you describe B&B’s style? What style of day are clients looking for that come to you?

Boris and Betty’s style is unique and individual for each and every bride. We’re so lucky that our brides come to us with very different ideas so our styling is always new and exciting and we have great fun interpreting brides’ concepts and bringing them to life. Our love for all things vintage, quirky and chic helps to give the Boris and Betty styling makeover a distinct look. We’ll do nothing less than make our bride and grooms special day look amazingly gorgeous.

What kind of things can you help with to take the pressure off someone planning an event?

Boris and Betty will do all the hard work of researching, styling and liaising or meeting with suppliers (upon request) to ensure every detail fits with our style for the clients theme. We work really hard behind the scenes to ensure every client’s wedding is styled beautifully, yet stress free, meaning our brides and grooms can just enjoy being engaged and look forward to their special day.

Do you provide individual packages i.e. china hire as well as a whole event organising package?

As all our stock represents us and the Boris and Betty brand, we don’t individually hire out our stock. Our clients book the Boris and Betty styling expertise alongside our treasures for their wedding. This way we can ensure our pretty items are used to make the best of their beauty. However, we do offer packages where we can style weddings using clients own items of stock or offer advice on how to piece the decor together, without the expense of a full wedding styling service.

What kind of prices do you charge for a whole event?

Our services are completely bespoke and the price all depends on our bride’s requirements and budget. So no two quotes are ever the same. Our prices reflect the theme / styling and can include extra special little touches or additional décor hire.

If you don’t have a certain prop in stock, would you be able to source it?

As our services are bespoke to individual clients, we regularly have to source particular items to suit a theme. This to us is just an extra excuse to hunt for more little treasures!

Do you have any insights into what trends are popular now and which will be popular for 2014/15?

Due to the popularity of the Great Gatsby film and the series Downton Abbey, the elegant and graceful 1920’s styling within weddings is still going strong, and this should carry on swinging through to 2014. We should also start to see colour pop into bridal trends for 2014/15. Think Rainbow bright of canary yellow, fuchsia, and bright blue as small bursts of colour within the day, especially within the floral design for a quirky and fun festival vibe.

Could you tell me a bit more about your backgrounds in styling, design and marketing and how you utilise it in your joint venture?

We use our best attributes to our advantage. I am a methodical organiser and use the skills I have acquired within my events organising and marketing career to manage my time efficiently, ensuring all our events run smoothly. My interior styling skills are a great benefit as it’s important to create a good balance within event decor of texture, shape and colour and to have a good knowledge of spatial awareness to use space effectively. Sheena uses her fashion creativity to produce breath-taking style boards that are used to visualise our clients’ initial ideas and see the concept through to on the day styling. Fashion, interior and social trends have a huge influence on wedding inspiration. We use our design knowledge to keep a close eye on these changing influences and this helps Boris and Betty to keep one step ahead so that our styling ideas are fresh and relevant.

 To contact Boris & Betty to share your ideas and get a quote either visit the website, email them at hello@borisandbetty.co.uk or phone on 0790 387 0730.

Image Credits: Joanne Kelly Capture Memories Photography and Celynnen Photography