Invites: Finished Product

Now all the invites have been sent (hopefully all have been received) and RSVPs are (very) slowly beginning to arrive; I thought it was time I shared them with you all.

I have already shared with you how we came to some of our decisions, Beautiful Detail looked at the fonts and colours I have used and On My Marks explained the use of a pocket-fold invite and belly-band, but now I bring to you the full details (and dilemmas).

The outside with belly-band

I really like it when an invite comes as a complete package, when all the elements and info tie in together and it feels like a whole and we had a lot of information we wanted to pass on, as most people are coming from out of town. BH, on the other hand, prefers a simple (elegant) style invite.
Using a Pocket fold enabled us to combine both tastes as well as creating a handmade item.

The inside: all elements in their place

I knew there are lots of possible setups for pocket folds, and to make life easier I ordered a sample pack from PDA Card and Craft, who had the widest range of designs that I could find; this allowed us to physically look at the options and mock up a couple of ideas. As part of the pack we also got swatches of the paper they stock and were able to know exactly what we were buying (BH got rather annoyed as it took me weeks to decide which pearlescent card I wanted to co-ordinate with the Laid card we'd chosen)

All the elements of the Invites
You can see the stamp of the church which is hidden behind all the info sheets.

We opted for the A6 Pocket-fold in Brilliant White Laid (Contour) with matching A4 card to create the Direction and further info sheets and paper to make the sections for the RSVP, we also selected Crystal White for the RSVP folded card and A4 card to make the invite inserts, finally we chose to get matching Brilliant White Laid envelops to finish the set.

I also decided to create a 'belly-band' to hold the invite together, but also to add a decorative, crafty element to the design. The demo band was just hessian, BH felt this was too shabby for it to work with the more formal style; I then found the grey stitch grosgrain ribbon, and after a second demo, we both felt that the design was greatly improved by its inclusion.

Invites to the church and reception

As we had selected the smaller smaller size for the pocket, I chose to design two invite sections; one for the marriage ceremony in the church and the other for the reception. This meant that no element was too crowed, we could include the drinks at the church and info about photo before welcome drinks in Coventry on the relevant invite and that we didn't have to re-think the whole design for the handful of evening invite we sent.

Directions: front and reverse.
Driving, Public transport and vintage bus info
Map designed on Powerpoint

Choosing the A6 pocket had its upsides (or John Lewis gift list cards fitted perfectly tucked, hidden. behind the info sheets) and one big downside - with all the info we wanted to include I wasn't able to use pre-cut inserts and had to faff with publisher and pdf files to create the desired size and spacing in-between each element.

Further Information: front and back.
Local hotels, when photos being taken, Confetti (natural petals only),
reminder the dress warm, a note about gifts and full contact info for my Mum.

As we are providing a vintage bus for people and many of our friends have dietary requirement we decided to include a self-contained and pre-addressed RSVP card to make keeping track of these details simple.

I originally ordered the circular RSVP seal stickers from Label Amour (their ebay store), who then kindly designed and printed the coordinating address labels.

RSVP card and sticker seal
The card fold on itself has my
 parents address on the reverse

Addressed Envelope with sender address label
It took my months to practice my handwriting

Having invested in lovely envelopes I decided that I wanted the invites to look good from the minute they are picked up off the floor so I spent sometime practicing my hand writing and created guide lines for stamps and the. return address stickers.

These invites have been a real team effort, BH has guided the overall look and had some really good ideas during the design phase. He was responsible for the gluing of the pockets and all stamping, while I took charge of the cutting and assembly.

Pockets and elements ready to start assembly.

I have to say I'm really pleased with the finished result and from the feedback we've received our friends and family like them too. Now they are finished I know they were worth the time and effort, but the whole process did begin to get to me after hours of hand cutting the elements.

I have now started work on the Menu, place names and Order of Service to complete the set, but this time I am asking friends to help with the cutting.

Do let me know what you think of these.

TTFN ~Kate xxx

Accessories: hair, jewellery and shoes (oh my!)

In a post for Dotty Vintage Wedding I have discussed the dress and I thought I would also do something here about my accessories.

Jewellery

My original idea had been to make all my jewellery. However, once I started trying on dresses and really imagining what I would look like, I realised that I already owned my wedding jewellery.

For my 21^st Birthday I was given a pearl necklace from my parents and the matching bracelet by my sister. They are simple stings of beautiful creamy pearls. Since deciding that I would wear these I have been told ‘not to worry about earrings’, which I take to mean someone has already said they would like to get me something to match.

A beautiful and simple pearl jewellery set, similar to mine.
by Highland Angel Weddings on Not On The High Street

Hair

I have long curly hair, something that I thought I could loose after it started falling out during a period of very ill health. So once it started growing back in, I knew I wanted to wear my hair down and in some sort of curls.

Stunning hair  accessory ideas (clockwise from top left)
Antique Gold Side Tiara, Feather Art Deco Birdcage veil, Crystal decorated Hair ribbon,
Pearl headband with side flowers and pearl nature inspired headband

After looking at the options on Bridal shops and browsing many beautiful options online, I decided I wanted to make my hair pieces myself. I purchased some pearls and Swarovski crystals, as well as the relevant findings. After a couple of practices I soon found that both items I wanted to make were easy.

The tiara/hair band I made, a single line of alternating pearls (natural potato) and Swarovski crystals (clear and pale lilac), is identical to what the local Bridal shop stocks (£50) and I made it for a fraction of the price (approx £10) in less than an hour.

Paradise Jewellery UK have this elegant Swarovski pearl
and crystal  hairband/tiara

I am also considering wearing a veil and my thoughts on this can be found in my previous post Veiled in confusion.

Shoes

I love shoes, if I had more money I would have a wardrobe full of them! So when it cam to choosing me shoes I got carried away. At first I fell in love with a pair of Diane Hassell shoes from Elegant Steps called Buttercup, but the price tag was a big issue, and while they were still available I hadn’t yet chosen my dress.

Buttercup

Then a few weeks before I went dress shopping I was looking at Irregular Choice shoes, and saw a pair that were stunning. After choosing the dress and talking through the final look with my Mum and sister, I went ahead and purchase the White and Gold Courtesan shoes which were limited edition to Schuh. I also managed to find a matching Irregular Choice bag on Amazon.

I have also got a pair of flat shoes, ready for dancing!

My shoes and handbag

Getting married in winter has led to lots of other accessory choices including wellies, brollies and how to keep warm. My thoughts on these can be found here.

TTFN ~ Kate xxx

Finalising Food

I'm sorry I've been absent for a while and in the last couple of days I've tried to make up for it and get the posts up I've been planning for a while.
I have had a difficult couple of weeks that have been full of sadness due to the loss of my Nain (Nan in welsh) and has also meant I have had lots of travelling.
While this has been a difficult time, I have had a lot of support and so, for me, this isn't the place to process my loss.

So today I want to think about something more positive - food for the wedding!

Family Favorites: Christmas Roast, Hot Cross Buns, Birthday cake & BBQ

Food is a really important part of a wedding. I think I would go as far to say that, other than having a church ceremony, food is the MOST important element of the day for me. Food plays a big role in my life, when I get together with family a meal is normally the center of the occassion; our favourites are probably a BBQ or a Sunday tea (cold meats, hard boiled eggs etc all followed by cake and jelly/trifle) and I turn to food at sad times of when I'm feeling ill.

Both BH and I are foodies, we'd rather go out less often and eat at independent places when the menu's ever changing and ingredients sourced locally, we both enjoy cooking (tho BH to a lesser extent) and enjoy a good meal.

Love of food: Toad-in-the-whole, a traditional Turkish chicken dish from Selcuk
orange sponges for valentines and 3 cheese & broccoli quiche . Apart from Turkish chicken, all cooked by me!

For our wedding we were looking for a menu of classic, British winter warmers.
The whole day has a cosy rustic feel and we want this continued in what we eat, but we also wanted to be careful that we don't weigh our guests down with lots of heavy food.

Before the food tasting we were both a little a nervous, we had chosen the Guildhall based on the beautiful building and friendly staff; I have been to a wedding there but it was over 4 years ago and as it is council owned, we weren't sure about the quality of the food.

Winter Warmers: All images from BBC Good Food
Shepherds Pie, Roast Beef, Stew,
 Bread & Butter pudding, Welsh Rarebit and Apple Pie.

All of our concerns were hogwash! Nigel the Chef is amazing!
We tried 3 soups & 2 pate for starters, 2 mains (one came in both Goats & 'normal' cheese options) and 3 puddings. Everything we tried was amazing. not only delicious but well presented and we really felt that they had gone out of their way for us.
We had asked to try a 3rd main, but due to a mix up we weren't able to, however we were told where we could source the main item and my mum then purchased and sent us the item for us to cook up and test at home a couple of days later.

We really would have been happy to have any of the options we tried, however after talking through everything we tasted, our desire for a classic meal and also wanting our guests to have essentially the same meal while offering variation for those with dietary needs, we came to a conclusion and have now emailed to conform/order our wedding breakfast.

I can reveal that the starter will be soup and I will share the other details after the day.

TTFN ~ Kate xxx

Save the Date

As invites are soon to go out, I thought I would share my Save-the-Dates with you.
I sent these to immediate family and very close friends.

They are slightly smaller that 3rd A4, printed on 300msg Contour white laid card and were sent in a DL envelope.

The fonts were chosen and downloaded to reflect a slight Shakespearean theme (the title font is called 'Hamlet or Not'), the fonts and use of a little purple has been replicated on my invites.

TTFN ~ Kate xx

4 Somethings

Most English/British Brides know the rhyme:
'Something Old, Something New,
Something Borrow, Something Blue
And a sixpence in my shoe'

Being a traditionalist at heart, I really wanted to make sure I met the 'somethings' criteria, and I wanted to do it so I had an item (or items) to cover each point. The Knot suggests these are tokens given at the last minute by close female relatives, however most Brides I know have pre-planned the items.

Something Borrowed
I know the logical thing would be to cover this in order, but my something borrowed is my most important item and I want to explain why it is borrowed and not old.

My parents on their wedding day

Meaning: by carrying/wearing something borrowed from a happily married woman you are hoping that their good fortune and long lasting, happy marriage will be carried into your future.

I cannot find the link, but I read somewhere that a good item to borrow is a veil, as this was the item to keep evil spirits from the bride.
 I really liked this idea so set about asking the women i am close to about their veils. Getting married within 4 years of each other my Mum, future MiL and Auntie all had some sort of late 70s/80s Juliet cap - while this look is going through a revival, it does not fit with the simple, classic feel I'm aiming for.
I am still considering a veil and to read more thoughts on this,                                                        please see my previous post.

Silver coin purse

Instead I have selected to carry a silver coin purse. I have no idea how old this coin purse is, but I do know it has been carried by my Great Grandma, my Grandma, Mum, Auntie and sister at their weddings. All have happy marriages that are an example to me of what it takes to make a relationship work and all are important women to me. My Ma & Pops have been together 58 years, some of that good fortune would be welcome in our future!



Something Old

Meaning: By Carrying something old a Bride is carrying continuity to the past and the family she is 'leaving'

I have a sting of Baby Pearls, they are a short necklace of small beads that I was given on my 1st Birthday from my Mum & Dad, they had previously been my Mum's and were given to her on her 1st Birthday also.
They date from the late 50s/early 60s and are the oldest piece of jewellery I own.
I can't wear them as they are too short for a necklace and too long for a bracelet, but I am looking at options for how I can incorporate them into my day.

Something New

Meaning: Looking forward with optimism for the future

Brides today will wear many new things on their wedding day and I have been mulling over what i should count as this item. My shoes will have been broken in. My dress will only be worn on the day, and I want my 'something' to be something I wear/use during our marriage. My Jellewery was a 21st present (see up-coming post on Dotty Vintage Weddings).
However I have been told that someone will be getting me earring to match my pearls, I don't know when I will get these (there's still Christmas and my Birthday before the wedding), but if I don't wear them until the day, they will be brand new and something I will use for years to come

Blue bead as
part of hair piece

Something Blue

Meaning: Blue in British tradition represents love, fidelity and purity. Other colours carry the same meaning around the world, tho I do wonder if this was put in place so it rhymed.

I have chosen to make some items for my hair and incorporated into one of these are 2 blue Swarovski crystals.

TTFN ~ Kate xx

Flowers Finalised

Buttonhole, Hair wreath,
Bouquet, Table Wreath
Corsage on bag.

While I was at my parents for a few days, I finally managed to meet up with my friend Fay, who is a talented florist and who is kindly doing my flowers for the wedding.

What I love about having a friend do the flowers for you is that you can discuss the details over a cup of tea and a giggle.
Fay's known me for years, so as I sat there explaining the theme and the look I'm going for, she could follow me and begin to picture what I'm after.

I knew exactly what 'items' I would like her to create and, even though I am doing the church decoration, there was quite a list:

1x buttonhole for groom, using both flowers.
4x buttonholes for grooms family, Best man and Ushers, using one type of flower
4x buttonholes for my family and friend, using the other flower
4x girlie buttonholes for 'team Bride'
3x corsages for Mums and BH sister
2x hair pieces for bridesmaids
2x flowers to carry for bridesmaids
1x bouquet for me
12x table centers
decoration for around cake
20+x sprigs for the choir
and possibly 4 small vases for around reception

The thing I love about Fay is that she has known me for years, so she very quickly caught my vision for the look of the day of a magical/fairy tale woodland. I was also able to show her the plant my Grandma's been growing for use at the wedding and tell her exactly what flowers I would like - thankfully she agreed that it would all work well together and would be in keeping with the 'theme'

TTFN ~ Kate xx

3 Witches of Warwickshire

I thought I'd share a funny moment in my wedding planning:

Last Monday I went with my Mum and very good friend, Naomi, to source some twisted willow for the wedding. I had found Wroots online and as they weren't too far from my parents we set off to look at and purchase some sprigs.
No one thought that it would be sensible to take the larger car (my dad's) for this errand, so off we went in my mums small Honda.

We managed to get lost finding the exact address - even though we had driven past it 4 times!

5 bundles of 6foot & 2 bundles of 4 foot willow twigs and lots off giggle later we all piled into the car!

The car was long enough (just!)

My Mum couldn't look left at the junctions but other than that we were fine.....

When Better Half saw these photos he said we looked like 3 witches whose broom had broken down and decided to use the car. Charming!

I don't think I have laughed so hard my sides hurt for several years - was definitely worth the hassle as the willow is beautiful.

I just want to say that the guy at Wroots was amazing, didn't snigger once! Patently gave us directions, put up with my 'thinking out loud' and even helped us load the twigs into the car. The willow is fantastic value too.

TTFN ~ Kate xx

Photgrapher update

I have a fabulous, wonderful Better Half. After seeing online that the photographer I really wanted had put his prices up and after some gental pursuation he made me see that with some more intesive time on the internet (not just following Facebook adverts) we should find someone locally.

Serveral dozen websites and 3 wedding fayres later a lovely guy came to visit me at my mum's, a local man he was enthused by the locations we had in the centre of town, Guildhall and the Cathedral Ruins, as he has yet to shoot there as he is now based more towards Birmingham.
I loved his work, his patience with my questions and his honesty.

TTFN ~ Kate (very happy bride) xx