"Love is beyond either condition: without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh." Rumi
To all our newly engaged couples. Congratulations! Be yourselves and create a wedding that truly reflects who you are together. We hope we inspire you and introduce you to the wonderful world of weddings.
Meet Managing and Creative Director Alicia Larriera of Form Over Function.
How did you get started in the world of styling, design and planning?
I was driven by my inability to be in a space, or look at a space, without wanting to change it somehow! Also, my love of interiors, furniture, florals and fabric. Entertaining for me was never about just putting food on the table, it was about creating a whole experience for my guests.
Initially I wanted to shift from a creative career in media, to a creative business I could operate after a sea change. On holidays in New York I read about Australian event designers doing amazing things back home and I thought, ‘That’s it! I can design events!’ That was in 1999. Six months later Form Over Function was born. I haven’t stopped working since and the passion for what we help to create has never left me.
What’s in a name… why ‘Form Over Function’?
I’m a bit of an architecture nerd, so it’s a play on the design maxim that form follows function. That is, the shape of a building or object should be based upon its intended function or purpose. When working on designing or styling events, how things look are often more important than whether they actually work – hence for us form comes over function! We also give shape and form to functions.What are the latest trends in wedding styling?
Florals are wilder, rambling, larger and more luxe – textures rule. Many arrangements have that ‘just picked from a field’ look however there is still a lot of intricate structure to them.
Following on from fashion, styling accents are all about the metallic, be it copper, bronze, rose gold, gold or platinum. This is also mixed with earthy tones introduced through timber, linen and even concrete so it’s more about a subtle glow than glitz.
There’s a push back to a more modern vibe than rustic.
We predict the donut tower is going to take over from the macaron tower as the must have item on the dessert bar. As there are now donut macarons, we think it’s a given.
Best advice for couples working with a wedding planner/stylist?
Make sure you trust your planner or stylist (or in our case both!) to deliver what they say they can. A really good stylist will listen to you, understand just how much you want to have your hand held, won’t upsell you services and time and will always have your back. One red flag to avoid – planners who claim to be free but add surcharges to every single thing you spend on. A good planner and stylist is one of the best investments you can make in allowing you to have a wedding that is all about the marriage, and not about the stress of creating what can be quite a complex event while you’re busy working a full-time job. If you trust your planner, you can relax and know they are working really hard and smart to deliver you something even better than you could ever have imagined.
How has your outlook on wedding styling and design changed over the years?
The fundamentals have never changed for me. It is absolutely always about creating the very best experience for the couple and their closest friends and family. Lose sight of that, and you shouldn’t work in this industry. There’s no point creating a stupendous centrepiece if guests can’t chat with eachother.
My styling and design inspirations have always been driven by the florals in season, amazing fabrics, the lines of a chair, the beauty of the venue, the time of year, and the story of the couple themselves – what they love, what matters to them. I think if I can help them tell and enjoy their story, I’ve earnt my keep.
