Invitations

Home Made vs Bought

You’re engaged! You’ve been to venues and booked a florist, bought a dress and hired suits, booked transportation and been to food tastings, you’ve set a date and now it’s time to invite people!

But do you buy your invitations or make them yourself?

The Cost Benefit

Most brides believe that it is cheaper to make their own invitations, however I’m not sure how true that is.

Invitation makers are in touch with whole salers and are able to buy glitter, ribbon and sparkly attachments at whole sale prices. After visiting Hobby Craft last week to buy ribbon and glittery flowers for my table place names, I’ve realised it’s not saving me as much money as I thought.

One Year to Go!

This Time Next Year….

This time next year we will be tucking into our four course wedding breakfast, worrying about what the h2b, my dad and the best man are going to say during their speeches and thinking about the first dance.

It is now less than a year to go!

It is strange thinking that in one year from now I will be a married woman. It will almost be over by the time I’m writing this. We’ll have some amazing memories, and hopefully our guests will have had a really fantastic time!

This time next year, our engagement photo shoot will have been done, will will have bought all our gifts for our parents and attendants, the wedding favours will have been done and the invites will have all been replied to. One of my friends will have had her baby, the hen do and stag do will be happy memories.

It’s amazing to think all the things that are going to happen in this year.

Still left to do is:

• finding me a dress (but I have made appointments for that so I might find my dress soon!)
• sending out full day invitations
• sending out evening invitations
• get bridesmaid dresses, fittings and try ons
• buying gifts for parents and attendants
• making the
  • wedding favours
  • seating plan
  • menus
  • table names
  • place labels
• ordering the chair covers (probably from Balloon Expressions)
• engagement photo shoot and letting our photographer know what shots we really really want of The Day
• sending photos of everything to the cake topper making lady so that she can make our cake topper
• gathering all the groomsmen for their fittings (but that doesn’t happen until much closer to The Time)
• confirming the menu and arrangements with the venue and all our suppliers, organising delivery and pick up times

So, all in all, not much left! :-S

And that’s all I can think of at the moment but I’m sure there will be a lot more! Weddings are amazing, there’s so much to do!

Wedding Invitations

Wedding Invitations

There are so many different styles of wedding invitation, it’s difficult to choose! The only way you could decide is just to go with your preferences and your budget! Some of my friends spent £12 on a beautiful invitation extravaganza, others have gone for a 50p per invite making it by yourself.

All the wedding invitations shown on this post have been sent to me, except for the one that h2b and I have chosen for our wedding!

Your wedding invitation is going to be sent to your friends and family, you want it to reflect your personality and your wedding style. This will be the first glimpse some of your guests will have seen of your big day. I know I want my guests to keep their invitation  as a memento of the day. Wedding invitations come in many shapes, colours, designs and sizes and it’s important to consider how the invitation will reflect the style of your day. Your invite could guide the colour and style of the day, or the day will dictate what the invite looks like, or a mix of both.

Your h2b might think that choosing an invite is a relatively simple choice and all you have to do is make sure your names are spelt correctly, but of course we know it’s not as easy as that. The wording is important and you will want the invite to be something unique to you.

Also, your invitation should try to follow the style of your wedding. If you are having a posh, traditional do then your invites could typically be elegant to match. However, if you’re having a casual wedding, maybe abroad or on a beach a posh invite wouldn’t convey the right message about your wedding. A beach wedding, for example, is not a formal wedding occasion and that’s the kind of message you want your invites to carry.

When we were choosing our wedding invites, we had to think about the font for the wording. Did we want a different font for our names? What font would we use for the guests names? Did we want the RSVP in a different font? We wanted the font to reflect the tone and atmosphere of the wedding, but also our fun and laid back personalities. Luckily, we chose a font that we both like and that was simple but what if you disagree? I would suggest this:

• Choose a font that is easy to read – you don’t want your guests getting lost trying to find a venue or church that is difficult to read on your invites
• Choose a few different fonts and if there’s one in that group that h2b likes too, go with that one!
• Make sure the font reflects your personality

Choosing the paper is important too! My wedding invite lady sent a sample and I just assume I’ll go with that paper, however if your invitation maker gives you more of a choice you will be in a position to choose. Your invitation supplier will probably make a good suggestion for your invites and going with what they suggest will probably be best.

However, if you’re making your own invites, the paper and cardboard world is your oyster! If you’re intending on folding your invite, don’t choose card that’s too thick as it will wrinkle and not look nice at all. However, if you’re going with a postcard style, make it nice and thick and sturdy card. You have choices such as  tri-fold, bi-fold, single page, and others.  

Some people advise including a stamped addressed RSVP card. I am including an RSVP card in my wedding invites but I’m not stamping or addressing it. I’d be there all day and the stamps would cost a fortune! It’s definitely a nice touch to your invites if you can afford the time and money to do it, but it’s not a requirement these days.

Proof read, proof read, proof read! My h2b and I scoured the order form and wording form for any mistakes! I make heaps of typing mistakes, I would really have to check check check and check again any piece of work to spot mistakes. When you sign your order form you’re signing to say that what you’ve written is what you want on your invites. If there is a mistake on the form, you can’t ask your invitation making person to redo them.

Also, if you’re making your own invitations check check check them before you send out your invites. If there is a mistake, your friends and family are going to receive the invite with the mistake in it!

My advice is proof read, proof read, proof read!!

Finally, before you order your invites or the card you’re going to use to make your invites, check your guest list to make sure you don’t order too many or too few invites. I’m ordering 14 extra invitations just in case I realise there’s someone I forgot to invite or if I make a mistake writing the names.

I’ve put a mixture of hand made and bought invitations on the pictures so that you can see different styles. They are all real weddings that h2b or I have been invited to. Plus, there’s the invite that we want.

The closer this wedding of ours gets, the more real it seems. Planning a wedding two and a half years in advance makes the wedding seem like a far away dream. When we receive our invites all written and looking lovely it’ll really make our wedding really real.

Venues – Sandon Hall

Sandon Hall

View Sandon Hall’s website

This is where a colleague of mine got married. Her wedding photos looked absolutely amazing, especially the ones where she descended down an oak staircase with her new husband. That is the kind of entrance I would like to make at my wedding.

I haven’t actually been to Sandon Hall myself – yet – but it is an impressive building just from these photos. An ancestral mansion, visited by royalty and celebrities, Sandon Hall could be yours on an exclusive use basis!

Their website describes Sandon Hall as ‘beautiful grounds, wood-panelled interiors and majestic sculptures guarantee first rate photographic opportunities.’ You know how I like my photo opportunities. The only point that is a negative for me is that it’s not possible to stay over at Sandon Hall, but they do recommend local hotels.

It wouldn’t be fair for me to make any recommendations as I haven’t been there myself, but I think my colleague who got married here would definitely recommend Sandon Hall for your wedding.

Venues – Somerford Hall

Somerford Hall

View the Somerford Hall website

Again, this was a venue we almost booked! My Dad used to go walking near here with his brothers and his dad, so our family has a sort of link to this house. Dad really liked Somerford Hall, and so did I.

It’s an impressive house with a large room for the wedding breakfast, and lots of little rooms for guests to retire to during the main party. It’s a gorgeous house with an oak stair case and some lovely rooms for over night. The staff were welcoming and professional and took time to talk to us about our wedding.

The surrounding grounds at Somerford Hall our spectacular and the long, romantic drive follows past a pond and amazing countryside, just what I wanted!

Why We Didn’t Book
We felt the room was again too small for the number of guests that we wanted. Somerford Hall does have the capacity for the guests that we want as long as they are seated at long tables. I have my heart set on round tables for my guests and a long table for the head table, so I didn’t want to have to seat my guests at long tables. In a way, it’s a shame we have so many guests as it would have been lovely to book Somerford Hall.

My Recommendations
If you want long tables, or have a smaller guest list, Somerford Hal is for you. If you want a beautiful, welcoming venue with history and amazing grounds for photos then Somerford Hall is for you. I would definitely book it if I felt they had the room for our guests. It is a gorgeous setting and would be a fantastic venue for any bride.

Venues – Park House, Shifnal

Park House

View the Park House Website

I have just got back from a wedding fayre at Park House and can I just say, it looks absolutely lovely. A colleague at work is getting married here, and we spotted it as we were returning from our meeting with our wedding coordinator, it’s on the way. I never like to miss an opportunity to attend a wedding fayre so off we went.

First thing that struck me was how convenient it was to find Park House. It’s just off the road with a very convenient car park, very accessible with ample parking. What makes it even better is the younger sister of a girl I went to school with works there! The staff were very friendly and welcoming, chatted to us even though we’ve already booked our wedding venue.

One of the rooms was dressed for a civil ceremony and it looked lovely for a small, intimate ceremony with close friends and family. The other room was filled with exhibitors so it was difficult to gauge the size of the room, but it seems plenty big enough for around 60 people. I’m not sure of exact numbers, but making an appointment and having a chat with their wedding coordinators will clear up any questions.

Why I Wouldn’t Book
We’ve already booked our venue so it’s a fairly mute point but it didn’t have the long winding driveway that I love. Also, the capacity is not enough for our wedding.

My Recommendations
It is a very lovely wedding venue, the front of the house is ideal for spectacular wedding photos. The accommodation is extremely comfortable both in the house and in adjoining buildings. This venue is ideal for a bride looking for venue to hold around 60 guests, that is convenient and easy to find, and is in a prime location. Shifnal is a gorgeous little town with the option of cheaper accommodation for those of your guests on a budget.

Who to Invite?!

When choosing who to invite to your wedding, you may struggle to keep the numbers down. Many people may care about you and want to see you get married, however each person will cost you that little bit more money. It's finding that balance between having everyone you want to attend your wedding and making it affordable. 


I found this flowchart online, and there is an almost identical one in an issue of Wedding Ideas. I'm not sure where the flowchart originally came from but it was on a website with a translation into Malay. 

For example, lets try Aunty Hilda. Are either of you related to her? Yes. Will it create a family drama if you leave her off the list? No. Have you seen or spoken to her in the last year? No. Where you invited to her wedding? No, but then she was married in the 60's, so not sure that counts. Would her presence at the wedding make it more fun? Well... no, not really. She's not invited. 


It's a bit harsh and a simplistic view of how to choose your guests to your wedding but if you're really struggling then this could help. It would certainly help my h2b who wants to invite everyone he's ever met in his entire life!