Hello and welcome to Wedding Tip Wednesday. This week I'm covering a topic very close to my heart - stationery.

Yes, my name is Tammy and I am a stationery addict! That said, I've learned to control my habit and am happy to pass on some tips that will help you to stay stylish, simple and within budget with your wedding stationery...




Until next time, happy planning!

Labels: budget, stationery, style, tips, wedding-tip-video

The easy answer to this question is no... There really is no need to spend a small fortune on professionally printed orders of service unless it's something you have identified as being very important to you.

There is, however, something to be said for letting your guests know what is going to happen and when on your wedding day. People tend to relax more quickly and pace themselves more effectively when they know what's to come.

A simple note either handed out by ushers or emailed to guests a few days before the wedding is ideal, and not too time-consuming. The added bonus is that you will both relax knowing that you're surrounded by relaxed, happy guests who aren't worrying about what time they're going to be eating and whether they've got enough time to get another drink before the speeches start.

If you do have a bit of time and are feeling creative, there are lots of ways to create programmes that can double up as attractive favours - favours that serve a purpose rather than just cluttering up the dinner tables!

It might be the end of October but allow me to transport you to a hot, sunny summer's day for a moment...

Imagine having printed your programme of events onto fan-shaped templates that offer guests not only an insight into proceedings but a much-needed respite from the heat (see Martha Stewart Weddings for more ideas).


Until next time,

Labels: budget, decoration, stationery, style, tips

Colour trends - Spring yellow with a touch of elegance...

Colour:
A warm yellow - set off with black to give it that elegance/class sense of formality.

Styling:
Black table cloths
Yellow satin table runners
Satin yellow napkins
Black chair covers with yellow sash
Black vases/pots with bright yellow flowers

Favours:
Yellow boxes with black ribbon filled with chocolates
Yellow or black noodle boxes
Whatever the favor may be, wrap it up in shiny yellow wrapping paper with a black ribbon

Flowers:
Yellow tulips, chrysanthemum, dahlias, calla lilies, gerberas, orchids, roses, carnations, alstroemeria

Moodboard source: Snippet & Ink

Fashion:
Brides can add a wide black ribbon for a waist band or a black sash for the reception - I love this look.
Bridesmaids can go for a brighter appearance with yellow dresses - just perfect for a less formal affair. Remember that yellow can be a difficult colour to wear so, if that is the case, turn the colours around - there's nothing classier than a little black dress, just save a splash of yellow for the accessories!

Stationery:
Monogram everything! Add a personal touch to your:
- Invitations
- Ceremony booklets with black cover and yellow ribbon for the spine
- Place cards
- Table numbers in shiny black frames A5 size.
- Menus
- Cocktail napkins with monogram for pre-dinner drinks
- Seating Chart

Cathrin D'Entremont Weddings (Australia)

Labels: decoration, guest-blogger, stationery, style, tips

Labels: stationery, style

There's nothing quite like curling up on the sofa after your wedding and reading the messages left by your family and friends in your guest book. That said, it is much easier said than done to get everyone to write a message so you need to put some thought into how it's actually going to happen.

You can go for the novelty factor and ask someone - or two - to spend an hour wandering round your reception taking Polaroid pictures of your guests. For this you need look no further than Instant Forever where you can flick through a real life guest book and order everything you'll need.

We've used Instant Forever on a number of occasions and they have never let us down - the quality is great and filled with photos and messages these books are just a fantastic memory of a great day.

If you'd prefer something more traditional, I can personally recommend Aspinal's leather guest books.

Whilst they're not cheap, they are absolutely stunning and a beautiful reminder of your day. Just don't forget to ask someone to take responsibility for getting your guests to write in it, and don't forget to provide some decent pens for them to write with!

If you'd like to see if we're free on your wedding date to be your 'On The Day' wedding co-ordinator so you too can relax and enjoy every second of your day and the run-up to it, or you would like to book a Girls Night In wedding planning session, or you simply have a wedding planning question that's keeping you awake at night, please get in touch - we're here to help!

Until next week,

Labels: stationery, supplier

Wow, this week has been a busy one!

I discovered a couple of new suppliers that I want to share with you. Kieran Doherty is a photographer with 15 years of experience as a war and sports photographer. He knows exactly how to capture a fleeting moment and his experience is such that you can totally trust him to make the first edit of your photos.

Earlier this week I spoke to two of his recent wedding clients and the praise he got from both of them was fantastic! I particularly liked the idea of the 'photo booth' which he can set up somewhere in your venue for guests to go along throughout the day and take their own pictures. It's a brilliant way to capture your friends and family really enjoying themselves and, judging by the examples on Kieran's website, boy do they enjoy themselves!

Kate from Sparkle & Rose stationery sent me her latest pack of wedding designs this week and they really are beautiful. All the stationery is available in co-ordinating ranges and they also offer a bespoke design service if you want something truly original. Their flair for impressive attention to detail and great customer service means they're Magic Dust's favourite kind of supplier so check out their website and see for yourself!

We've taken a flurry of bookings and enquiries for 'On The Day' wedding co-ordination for 2009 this week. It would seem that quite a few people are taking my advice and getting their planning and preparation done early so that they can relax and enjoy the run-up to their wedding, and the Christmas break, safe in the knowledge that someone who plans weddings everyday is going to make sure they get the wedding they want, not the one other people think they should have.

I love knowing that every single one of these couples is going to wake up on New Year's Day and think "Yippee, we're getting married this year and we're so excited!" rather than "Arrrggghhhh, we're getting married THIS year and we're so stressed!".

Helen & Richard Terrington, who married in October, sent me this note earlier in the week which brilliantly sums up what using Magic Dust's 'On The Day' wedding co-ordination service is really like...

"After that first meeting (Dotting the i’s) we both felt so much better about things. So much so that we then thought ‘On the Day Co-ordination’ was the way forward. It was the best planning decision we made and our only regret is that we did not hire you sooner! In fact, we think that if we had hired you from the beginning we may well have saved money on our overall budget.

In the planning stages, emails to you were answered very quickly, even the slightly deranged ones! It was so helpful to have someone with experience ‘on our side’.

It really was the best day of our lives. It was great just to be able to enjoy the day knowing there was someone on hand to deal with problems. Even little things like getting service behind the bar (for our guests that had decided to start celebrating early!) were sorted in a flash.

Magic Dust provided a really professional but also friendly and reassuring service, without any ‘over the top fluffiness’. Most importantly, you kept us focused on the fact that we were planning a marriage as well as a wedding."

If you'd like to see if we're free on your wedding date for 'On The Day' wedding co-ordination so you too can relax and enjoy every second of your day, or you would like to book a wedding planning session to kick-start your wedding plans or you simply have a question that's been keeping you awake at night, please get in touch - we're here to help!

Until next week,

ps - you can get regular wedding planning advice from magicdust's regular newsletter, simply click here to subscribe (and don't worry, we don't give your details to anyone else - we'll only use them to send you the newsletter)

Labels: photographer, stationery, supplier, testimonial