Blooming Wonderful

Over the weekend Mary held the first open inspection for the sale of her home with husband Hamish & this open house meant a search for some beautiful fresh flowers to welcome visitors as they entered. Thus began the pining for such wonderful blooms as these by Saipua...

Stationery Sunday - Simplesong

One of the blogs we love is that of letterpress designer and printer Suaan Song. Simplesong is a gorgeous blog of great everyday inspiration and some amazing examples of her stationery work. Here are some of our favourites from Simplesong's etsy shop.

The xoxo pencils would be so cute to send with save the date cards! And they're less than US$1 each!

Colours of a Summer day

Details Details Details!

We LOVE details!

We found this wedding flicking through Once Wed's gallery and knew we had to share it with you. The yellow! The pink! The bicycle! We love it all. We always say that successful weddings pay attention to details and one way of doing that is through the stationery. This would have to be some of the nicest stationery we have come across from the circle tags on the lolly jars to the delicate edging detail of the RSVP card. Perfect!

photography by Jessica Johnson

Stationery Sunday - On Paper

Today we wanted to show you the amazing studio/shop of On Paper who sell ready made and DIY stationery but also make their own gorgeous custom stationery that is simple and elegant and suits any one's taste.
For more images of stationery by On Paper, go here

Some Exciting News

We are very excited to announce that a Mary&Gabrielle Wedding will be published in the June issue of Wedding Style Guide! So make sure you hit the shops in June to grab your issue, in fact hit the shops now and grab their latest issue or just go their website and purchase their online issue.

Delicate Displays of Perfection.

This is such a beautiful and feminine table scape. The dusty whites and pinks of the flowers by Florette Floral Designs are matched perfectly with the rustic feel of the old wooden table, vintage lace table runner and crystal cut glassware. And those plates! Such an elegant and soft touch. We love how much texture there is! Wouldn't it be lovely to have a setting like this for a summer luncheon with all the women in your family? Served with home made lemonade and vanilla and lavender cake with a light cream cheese icing.

photography by Ian Grant Photography
styling by Joy de Vivre

Stationery Sunday

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend. As this week sees us celebrate St Patrick's day and all things green, we thought we'd share with you one of our green (but not the colour green) wedding invitations (a stretch of a connection we know... but eh..)

The lovely couple we designed this for asked that their eco-friendly invite reflect a beachy palette without being blue and yellow (or having seashells) and that it capture the more informal grounded nature of the days celebrations.

This invite was designed with 100% recycled stock and materials and the bride & groom were delighted with the result.

Foodie Friday - coconut ice

To sweeten your weekend we thought we’d share the recipe for the amazing Coconut Ice Mary made for Gabrielle’s wedding confectionery stall. It was a huge huge hit with all the guests and so easy to make. With every recipe we share and any food we recommend we’re going to aim to pair it with one of our fave refreshments too. As this recipe caters for the child in all of us and for those of you who may like to treat your little ones, we think it best that you enjoy our wonderful coconut ice with a strawberry milkshake or raspberry lemonade... either would suffice and whichever you choose will make for a wonderfully sweet treat for a frivolous and reminiscent weekend! So Enjoy!!

Preparation Time 10 minutes Cooking Time 5 minutes Serves 8-10

Ingredients
125g copha
250g desiccated coconut
500g pure icing sugar, sifted
2 egg whites, lightly whisked
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 drops red liquid food colouring

Method
Line a square 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang the sides (it makes it easier to remove to slice when it's set).

Melt the copha in a small saucepan over low heat then remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes or until cooled to room temperature.

Combine the coconut and icing sugar in a large bowl then add the copha, egg white and vanilla extract, and stir until well combined. Divide coconut mixture in half and press half the coconut mixture over the base of the prepared pan.

Add a few small drops of the red food colouring to the remaining coconut mixture and stir until well combined and evenly coloured (less food colouring is the best way to start unless you're throwing a fluro party). Spread the pink coconut mixture over the white mixture in the pan and smooth the surface then cover with glad-wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until set.

Remove the coconut ice from the pan and using a sharp knife cut into small squares to serve and present on a lovely cake stand for all to devour!

Notes
You can make it up to 1 day in advance but be sure to store it in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.

We are Here!

Today is the big day!

www.MaryandGabrielle.com
is now online!

So have a flick through and check out what we do and what we've done and be sure to have a look at what we have for you to hire too. We're so excited to be able to share this with you, so be sure to drop us an email with any questions you may have. Look out world here we come!

Winter is just around the corner

The other day, winter popped in just for a moment to remind us of what is to come. It was actually quite a welcome change. Although the hot summer days have been amazing, sunshine and happiness all around, it can be quite a wonderful treat to be able cuddle up on the couch with your favourite woolen blanket and a hot cup of tea. There is something we all love about being inside all snug and warm when its cold outside.

So in celebration of seasons changing, here is a beautiful winter inspired table setting (found on 100 Layer Cake) done by the wonderful Danielle of Brown Paper Design and photographed by the ever inspiring Jose Villa.