Wales Wedding Supplier Spotlight: Claire from Oh So Curious

Are you a couple dreaming of a beautifully styled wedding venue, but feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to begin? Experience the enchantment of weddings in Wales as we sit down for a chat with Claire, the visionary behind Oh So Curious, a wedding venue styling and decor hire company nestled amidst the rolling hills of South Wales, UK.

Wedding stylist Claire offers a truly bespoke, one-of-a-kind experience for her couples. With her penchant for all things creative, unique, and delightfully relaxed, her DIY prop hire and styling services are designed to curate an experience of unforgettable moments for both the couple and their guests.

I’ve had the personal pleasure of knowing Claire for almost a decade, having first met when we worked together in the world of design and print. From experience, I can assure that she has an impeccable eye for detail and a talent for storytelling through her work by creating authentic, mindfully designed experiences. And most importantly, she is also one of the loveliest, genuine, down-to-earth people I know.

So Claire, can you introduce yourself and your business?

Hi, I’m Claire, and I offer wedding venue styling and decor hire. I created Oh So Curious out of a personal love of beautiful objects, display and of course weddings! I create authentic, romantic and effortlessly styled setups, and my style is relaxed, filled with creativity and always bespoke to the couple. 

How has your journey as a small business looked so far?

The idea for Oh So Curious was born after my own wedding in 2016, we had a beautifully relaxed day in a barn in the Brecon Beacons, filled with things that reflected us and all the things we loved. Afterwards, I knew I wanted to share my growing collection and style with other couples looking for something similar, and also needed a reason to continue filling our house with wedding decor!

Design and creativity has always been a big part of my life, with an academic background in product design, and career roles in visual merchandising, display design for retail and graphic design. I have spent the last 10 years working for a large print group designing marketing campaigns and managing designers, something which I still currently do part time. 

The business began very much as a hobby alongside my job, but when we moved to Bridgend into a bigger house, it escalated and started to grow naturally as I started to share my work. We decided to convert our garage to create a dedicated space for storage and creative meetings, which has enabled me to increase my stock levels, investing everything I can back into the business to give people more variety and build my reputation and network.

That was 3 years ago and I feel proud of how far I, and the business has come. I’ve built it alongside a full time job and also becoming a mum, which has meant a lot of hard work in all my ‘spare’ time, late nights and long weekends. Some days I’ve wondered quite how I’ve made it here, people ask me how I juggle it all, I’m not too sure myself, but all I know is that its out of pure ambition – to build a personal creative outlet which is wholly satisfying, and a flexible life for myself and my family. 

I feel so grateful to have had so many amazing opportunities working with lovely couples on their beautiful weddings and being able to connect with lots of incredible wedding suppliers in the process, some of which I am lucky enough to class as close friends now, and who give me the confidence each day to keep developing the business and work towards my goals.

I feel overwhelmed that I have now reached a point where leaving my full time job is soon to become a reality, and I will start to navigate life as a self employed business owner. I feel very lucky to think I will be able to call this my job, as not a second of it feels like work. I just love what I do, and I am excited for the next chapter. 

Which item of wedding styling decor is most loved by your couples? And yourself?

My couples’ most loved items include my vintage brass candlesticks, stoneware vessels and gold cutlery. All of which I think are timeless items which will be popular for years to come. Of course I love all the items in my collection, but I particularly like anything which I can build interesting place settings with, as I love to add layers here for extra detail, so again the gold cutlery, woven placements and napkins.

How can a couple introduce their wedding colour palette into their styling and decor?

So many ways to do this! Much of the colour palette can be tied through in the flowers, but in conjunction with that, we can add complementing tones in the overall decor. Within a tablescape, a simple way is adding runners to create a base for any central decor and florals in your scheme. Layering onto that, coloured candles can help to bring colour up from the centre. Then layering similar tones into place settings helps to bring the overall tablescape together, so for example adding a coloured napkin, or coloured glassware.

Are there any wedding styling trends you see on the horizon?

We’ve seen a big rise in bolder and brighter colours coming through this year, and I think its only going to get more vibrant as big celebrations are back! I also think an introduction of pattern could be on the horizon, which we could see being incorporated with patterned fabrics and on crockery. I see a lot of couples looking for more unique tableware; wanting to elevate their tables with different colours, finishes and something different to the usual white plate or wine glass. 

Which other South Wales wedding suppliers do you love working with?

There are so many great suppliers in our area who I love to work and collaborate with! I continually work really closely with Tina at Forever Green Blooms, whether thats on our joint weddings or even just supporting each other personally in our own bookings. Our styles complement each other and we are also great friends, so we have found a natural way of working which combines so well, particularly for those couples who work with us both.

Another local creative who I also love to work with is Claire at Best Day Ever – we met after I hired a table to her for her wedding; we realised we were pretty similar, so I was lucky enough to find a great friend in the process! Claire is a very talented artist who creates bespoke hand painted wedding art across items such as denim jackets, boots and wedding signage. Her items add a lovely personal touch to a wedding day which I think are an important element to any day. 

It goes without saying that I also love to work with you Ryan, at Dwynwen, although our overall styles vary, we have started to see a rise in weddings that are relaxed in style but with an element of luxe, which is the perfect mix for our work combined. 

There are so many more I could mention, too many to list! What I will say is collaboration is key in this industry and working together is the best thing ever! It challenges you, opens up doors, and creates a supportive network, which I know I wouldn’t be here without.

Do you have any words of wisdom for couples thinking about their wedding styling?

I meet so many different couples, some know exactly what they want, some have ideas of what they like but need some guidance on pulling things together, others want someone to completely concept their styling. Whatever place you’re at, remember that your wedding should always be a reflection of you, and what you love, over what tradition says you should do. A wedding stylist will help guide you through this process and help you to bring your ideas to life (or bring you the ideas!) in a way that complements your personalities, your venue and the rest of the elements in your day.

Finally, where can Dwynwen couples connect with you?

You’ll find me mainly on Instagram, where you can see what’s happening behind the scenes, browse my recent work and get a good idea of my style. Some more in depth info can be found on my website, so have a browse and feel free to fill in an enquiry form or send me a DM. I can’t wait to hear more about your day!

Website: https://www.ohsocurious.co.uk/
Instagram: @ohsocurious

Image Credits:

Here are the fabulously talented suppliers whose work you can see in the images of this blog post:

Lilac Styled Shoot at Plas Dinam Country House

Venue – Plas Dinam Country House
Photographer – Michelle Huggleston Photography
Florist – Forever Green Blooms
Styling & Stationery – Oh So Curious
HMUA – Rebecca Forshaw Hair and Makeup
Bridal Dresses – Willow in White
Suit – ASOS
Napkins and Runners – The Knotted Napkin Co
Charger Plates – Simply Bows and Chair Covers Wales

Charlotte & Rob’s Wedding at Old House 1147

Venue – Old House 1147
Photographer – Anderson Photography
Florist – The Dancing Daffodil
Videographer – Adam Rossi
Cake – What Sophie Baked
Stationery – By Jo Stationery
Brides Dress – High Society Bridal / Lillian West
Overskirt – Laura May Bridal
MUA – Nadine JCS Make Up Artist
Hair – Nikki Brace Hairdressing
Grooms Suit – Moss Bros

Kirsty & Michael’s Wedding at King Arthur Hotel

Venue – King Arthur Hotel
Photographer – Michelle Huggleston Photography
Florist – Forever Green Blooms
HMUA – Janet Ashby-White & Co
Brides Dress – Laura May Bridal
Band – Session UK

Want to experience some of these luxuries for yourself? Order one of our Sample Packs.

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