Event Planning

Postponing your wedding day can be very upsetting. Celebrating on the original day is a great way to lift your spirits and not let the day go to waste!

Amanda and Michael West finally got to have their magical, blush pink wedding day in August 2022! I spoke to Amanda about her wedding planning journey.

Packaging your wedding invitations in a beautiful way is super easy! Follow these four simple steps to sending out invitations that you will love.

Step one - choose your invitations

The first step is to find your ideal wedding invitations! Luckily for you, there are so many out there to choose from. So whether you're looking for invitations for a rustic, beach, or vintage theme, you're sure to find your dream invites. Featured Product: Rustic Mason Jar Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP Here at Dotty about Paper, we have a wide range of wedding invitations to suit any wedding!

Step two - assemble your invitations

Now you've got your invitations, you'll need to assemble them ready to send. This is where you can get creative. Featured Product: Boho Jewel Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitations Some invitations are a lot easier to assemble, and will just need to be popped into an envelope. Whilst others will include string, ribbon bows, diamantes, and more - it's all about your style! If you're unsure about what order to assemble your invitations, this is the general rule to follow.

• Place your invitation right at the back, facing upwards.
• On top of that, add any guest information cards.
• Then place your RSVP envelope, and then your RSVP card.
• Many invitation sets will then be sealed with a band.
• You may also want to add a poem card into your invitations, which can be put into the envelope at the end.

Step three - choose an envelope seal

Next, seal your envelope with a beautiful envelope seal for the perfect finishing touch. There are a wide range of styles available, including designs to match your invitations. Featured Product: Bohemian Love Birds - Wedding Envelope Seals They're so easy to use!

Step four - send!

Then add your guests addresses to your invitations, and send. It's super easy. We hope this blog has been useful for you.

Here at Dotty about Paper, we LOVE themed wedding invitations! They set the scene for an amazing day, and look so stylish. These are just a few of our favourite themes (and some of our favourite invitations!).

Beach

If you're having a destination wedding, what better way to let everyone know than with a beach themed save the date or wedding invitation? Featured Product: Nautical Stripes - Foil Boutique Wedding Invitations We have different styles available, which are perfect for British coastal weddings or beautiful tropical islands. Whatever your big day is like you're sure to find your ideal invitations!

Rustic

Rustic themes have been popular for years, and they don't seem to be going out of trend any time soon! Featured Product: We Do - Wedding Invitations Pair rustic wedding invitations with a full matching stationery collection - including table plans, wedding signs, and place cards - to create the perfect theme.

Traditional

If you're unsure of what wedding theme you want, you can't go wrong with traditional! Featured Product: Add Your Names Silver Rings - Wedding Invitations There are so many different traditional invitations available - from minimalist options to floral and sophisticated. Our invitations are available across a wide range of styles, including open out cards, post cards, and boutique sets.

Rose Gold

Arguably the biggest wedding trend of the past few years, rose gold is loved by EVERYONE and is sure to wow wedding guests. Featured Product: Metallic Hearts - Foil Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP Our lovely foil invitations are available in shimmering rose gold, as well as classic gold and silver. They are sure to be adored by guests and treasured as a beautiful memento of your special day. No matter your wedding theme, it is sure to look amazing with beautiful wedding invitations! What's your favourite wedding theme? Leave a comment below and let us know.

When it comes to planning a wedding palette, there's nothing quite like pastel colours! Gentle sunshine and blooming flowers provide soft pastel inspiration that's guaranteed to give your special day a wonderfully whimsical vibe. Here are our top picks for a dreamy pastel wedding colour theme...

Pastel Pink

Pastel pink is a wedding favourite all year round, but we think bright summer weather really makes this shade shine. This colour is perfect for your wedding reception, too - just think how sweet pink decorations would look when paired with berry cocktails and a floral wedding cake! Featured Design: 'Watercolour Roses Wedding Menu'

Pastel Blue

This hue brings the crystal clear blue beauty of the sky to your pastel wedding theme. Perfect for a relaxed wedding in the city or the country, it can easily be paired with whimsical bridesmaid dresses and plenty of soft powder blue lace embellishments. Featured Design: 'Bohemian Love Birds Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP'

Pastel Purple

Pantone's Ultra Violet is the 2018 colour of the year. But, if you prefer more gentle tones, why not opt for a more subtle shade of purple? A gentle pastel purple will look stunning when represented through wildflowers. And, just like the pastel pink shade, you can even theme your reception refreshments with purple fruits, cakes, and drinks. Featured Design: 'Royal Botanical Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP'

Pastel Yellow

When we think the colour yellow, we think daffodils, daisies, and plenty of sun. If that sounds like your idea of heaven, pastel yellow is the wedding colour for you! Blend softer yellow hues with brilliant white to give your wedding an effortlessly light and airy style. Whether your theme is traditional or quirky, this palette will look gorgeous. Source: Martha Stewart Weddings | Cake: Ron Ben-Israel Cakes

Pastel Wedding Mix

Can't pick your favourite colour? Why not use a mix of pastel colours to give your wedding a unique and colourful look? Use subtle hints of pastel shades against a neutral tone to stop your palette from becoming overcrowded. A rustic brown is a great choice, as it really captures a natural earthy vibe that complements brighter floral colours. Definitely one for a woodland venue! Featured Design: 'Rustic Pastel Butterflies Invitation & RSVP Card'

Romantic, soft, delicate – no wonder pastel colours are so popular for weddings. Think baby pink, sky blue and pale lilac. Add in pastel greens and yellows and you have a look that works beautifully across many different styles. The Card Gallery have pulled together some of our favourites to inspire you with invitations for a pastel themed wedding and styling tips to go with them. Watercolour Roses The pink version of this design (it’s also available in orange or purple) features a painted rose in the palest possible shade brought to life with subtle foliage in blues and greens. The translucent look of watercolours is perfect for pastels. Styling Tip: These fab prosecco cocktails are sophisticated enough for the fussiest guest while still retaining their rustic charm. Find the recipe at Lark & Linen Love Tree If your style is more quirky, pastels can still work for you. Love Tree is a contemporary design with heart shaped leaves in delicate pastel shades. Styling Tip: Instead of a guest book, carry the tree theme through with a Wedding Wishes Tree. Provide matching Love Tree favour tags for your guests to write their messages. Lace Butterflies We just love these lace-winged butterflies – so romantic in pastel pinks, blues and lilacs. Butterflies are always a popular wedding theme and matched with lace they make a great combination. Styling Tip: Ask your florist to add a butterfly or two into your bouquet to take the theme right through your wedding. Shabby Chic Polka Dot & Roses Country style floral prints are so popular and this shabby chic design in blues and pinks matched with rustic polka dots really sets the scene. Styling Tip: Create a fabulous afternoon tea style dessert buffet with mismatched vintage china. Use pale pastels colours for cake pops and macarons and finish with a scrumptious tiered cake iced in pale blue and finished with pink ribbon and sugar roses. Birdcage with Lovebirds Go for modern charm with this adorable pair of lovebirds with a vintage birdcage. The birdcage, birds and branch are delicately line drawn and then highlighted with hints of pastel colours. Styling Tip: Carry the birdcage theme through to your reception and use them as centrepieces. Choose a darker colour birdcage and fill with flowers to match your colours (or ask your florist to create them). To match the style of the invitations, keep it really simple with a just a few flowers and a little foliage. Alternatively place a couple of different sized candles inside the cage for a really romantic effect.

It might seem a little strange to talk about choosing a theme for your wedding stationery, but if you want a coordinated theme throughout your wedding it may be something you will have to think about early in the wedding planning process. One of the first things you will do is to send out save the date information, whether it be on a formal save the date cards or the more informal save the date magnet. This card/magnet is the ideal way to give your guests a little taste of what your wedding day will be like. The design you choose will not necessarily be the same as the stationery you will require nearer the date, but you should be looking at something that reflects the style of your wedding. This article lists 10 things you may wish to consider when choosing a theme for your wedding stationery and of course they will help you choose your overall theme and colour too. Your Own Style Make sure you choose a wedding theme that reflects your own style. This will mean you are comfortable on the day and your guests will recognise it as your wedding. Not sure what your style is? Look around you: how do you decorate? What do you wear? Where are you happiest? If your home is all clean lines and modern furniture you should probably select a modern theme. If you love making and baking perhaps shabby chic is more you. What Defines You as a Couple? Sit down together and look at what you have in common. What are your shared interests and passions? Write down words and places that define you as a couple. If you are drawn together by a love of travel this can be a great stationery theme, incorporating luggage labels on the invitations and place names on your table plan. Your Wedding Venue You will probably have chosen and booked your venue before you send out your save the date cards. Your choice of venue will play a major role in your wedding style. A wedding in a stately home may lend itself to a vintage Downton Abbey style wedding, whereas booking a Tipi leans more towards a festival theme. The venue may also have an influence on the colours you choose. Some hotels may have strong colour themes and you may have to be careful about colour clashes. Time of Year The season of your wedding day needs to be considered. If you are having a winter wedding you might like to go with warm and opulent or you might prefer a white and blue Frozen-themed colour scheme. Pastels work well in spring for a romantic wedding and summer is perfect for bright colours. If flowers are important in your plans talk with a florist to see what is in season and this will help you with your colours too. Your Dreams When you close your eyes and imagine your wedding, what do you see? Is it pink and pretty or do you see smart sophistication. Did you always want to be a princess for the day or a glamourous bride? This is your day. Choose a theme that can make it yours. On-line Inspiration Pinterest and Etsy treasury boards will bring up ideas for weddings that you could not have dreamed of. Have fun pinning and sharing what you like. Set up different boards or treasuries for different styles and colours. You can have a board just for stationery ideas and another for food. It can be inspiring, but all the options can be overwhelming too. In fact so many ideas can make it really hard to choose, so make sure you don’t get too carried away. Close Friends and Family Ask for help in choosing a theme and colours, but don’t be bullied in to something you don’t want. If you are not very good at coordinating colours, ask someone who is. You should also consider your bridesmaids when choosing colours and styles - be willing to go for a spectrum of colours that will suit them all and, potentially different dress styles if necessary. Your Budget Remember to set a budget early and stick to it. Your budget is a vital part of wedding planning and gives you an amount to spend on the theme and colour palette. Sometimes the simple things are the most effective. Just use the colours you want as spot colours on the stationery and ribbon in the flowers. If you are on a limited budget pick a theme that is easy to pull off. Your friends might love helping make bunting or putting together informal flowers, if so the rest of your wedding will need to reflect that cosy feel. Mood of the Wedding What mood do you want to put over at your wedding? Fun, informal, romantic, sophisticated or traditional? The choice is yours. The mood you want will have an effect on everything – the venue, the colour and the theme. How do you want to remember your wedding day? You probably will consider all the above as you plan your wedding theme. It will be an exciting time and you will have plenty of ideas. At the end of the day, our advice would be to keep the theme and the colour palette simple but then go with it from start to finish. Make sure everything is beautifully coordinated and fits the theme and your wedding day will look stunning and be amazing.

Verses and poems are an integral part of a wedding as they often form part of both religious and civil ceremonies. Whether they be a verse from the Bible or the lyrics of a song a friend or relative will usually provide a reading during the ceremony. They are often particularly relevant to the couple and are printed into the Order of Service/ Order of the Day card for guests to keep. But verses, poems and quotes are increasingly being used in other ways for weddings, particularly at less conventional weddings. Quotes or a short poem on an invitation are a great way to set the scene for the day. These quotes are well known, but pertinent to any couple: “When I saw you I fell in love And you smiled because you knew” – William Shakespeare “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with” – Mark Twain “I have found the one whom my soul loves” – Song of Solomon v 3:4 “Piglet: ‘How do you spell love?’ Pooh: ‘You don’t spell it, you feel it’” – A A Milne There are of course so many more – and if you are celebrating a wedding anniversary you could include one of these on the invitation: “Life has taught us that love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery “Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married” – anon We often supply gift poem cards for weddings. These are used to soften the request for money as a gift rather than a present. You may also want to use a verse if you are inviting guests to an informal wedding or birthday party – at the beach or in a woodland glade for example: “We want you to enjoy our wedding day, So please make sure you dress to play.” “Our wedding’s in a woodland wonderland, So please make sure your wellies are at hand.” “Now that I’m hitting thirty The plan’s to get a bit dirty, So please don’t go to town, I really want you to dress down!” You can use a verse for many purposes and occasions – they are frequently used on wedding or christening thank you cards, hen night invitations and so on. There are three main sources of verses and poems:

• Your own imagination – these are obviously unique and totally relevant, but might not rhyme or scan – see my examples above.
• Your favourite books, films or song lyrics – again very personal to you.
• An on-line search – the internet reveals loads of religious and non-religious poems and verses for every occasion, you are bound to find something you like.

Lilac is a very popular choice for weddings and for me it symbolizes that Spring has arrived! I love how the pretty lilac flowers decorate our landscape and fill the air with their unique scent. Now spring has finally sprung, what better time than to share my lilac wedding ideas with you - Loving Lilac; There are many ways you can introduce lilac into your day. For instance you could base your lilac theme around lilac coloured flowers like orchids, sweet peas, hydrangeas, lilacs, roses or lavender. Or you could simply go for a lilac butterfly theme like I have shown above. Before you finalise your theme, shop around for wedding invitations and matching stationery. Wedding invitations and save the date cards are often the first snippet your guests will get of your wedding so it’s important that you choose something that’s going to reflect your theme. day. Here is a selection of lilac wedding invitations I have hand picked from The Card Gallery; 1. Vintage Bunting & Love Birds – this fun design will look great for a spring or summer lilac wedding. Personalise with your initials on the jar tea light holders to add that personal touch. 2. Floral Pattern – this damask pattern compliments lilac well 3. Lilac Rose – the perfect choice if you’re having lilac roses in your bouquets and table arrangements 4. Summer Butterflies – a really pretty design that will decorate your wedding tables beautifully 5. Victorian Lace – this invite works really well in lilac, it is also one of The Card Gallery’s best selling designs of 2013/14 6. Purple Orchid – team this invite up with real orchids in your bouquet and on your wedding tables to make a real statement Many good stationery suppliers offer samples free of charge so go ahead and order some of your favourite designs. Samples allow you to see and feel the quality of the invitation before you commit to buy, ensuring that they'll be perfect for your special day. As well as ordering samples, look to see if they do matching items like table plans, table numbers, place cards, menus and order of service as these are all items you’re going to need if you’re to continue your theme throughout your day. And if you want to save time after your wedding when you could be doing some last minute packing for your honeymoon, then look at ordering some printed thank you cards, like this one shown below. These cards can be personalised with your own personal message and are the perfect way to end a perfect day.

It’s that time of year when Spring is round the corner and soft pastels adorn our shops to get us in the mood for the warmer brighter weather. I love Easter and all the colours it brings to our high street, here I have put together an Easter pastels mood board to give you some ideas and inspiration for planning an Easter wedding.

Setting the theme

For an Easter inspired wedding focus on light tones of blue, pink, green, lilac, yellow, aqua and peach – thus creating a wonderful array of soft candy colours. Look at introducing a mixture of these colours to your bouquet, for example use a selection of different pastel coloured roses complimented with delicate green foliage to add depth. Also look at using different coloured bridesmaid dresses rather than selecting one single colour, this will really make a statement and reinforce your pastel theme. Introduce your colour palette into your venue by using complimenting stationery, sugared almonds for wedding favours, homemade pink lemonade and pink champagne for welcome drinks accompanied with vanilla and rosewater marshmallows to add a fun element. Think about moving away from a traditional wedding cake and have cake pops! These can be iced in a selection of colours and decorated with ribbons to add a luxury feel. You can even try following the pastel theme through to your wedding car, here I have shown an example of a pale yellow vintage car decorated with delicate blue flowers which I am sure you agree is a bit more exciting than your typical white wedding car.

Wedding Invitations

Wedding Invitations and Save The Date Cards are often the first snippet that your guests will get of your wedding so it’s important to get it right if you want to use these to set the mood or theme of your big day. Creating a mood board in the very early stages of your wedding planning helps you create a look or theme for your big day. If you are unsure about a colour scheme then why not try creating several mood boards and see which idea comes together the best. Once you have set your colour scheme then shop around for stationery to fit with your theme. Here I have chosen Shabby Chic Bunting from The Card Gallery to compliment my Easter Pastels theme. This fun and quirky bunting design says ‘spring’ to me and is created using a range of soft pastels against a distressed neutral background – I love this muted and understated design for an Easter Wedding. You can then follow the Shabby Chic bunting range throughout your wedding with matching order of service, table plan, table numbers, place cards, menus, lottery ticket holders and wine bottle labels, all of which can be personalised with your own unique wording.

Alternative Wedding Invitation Ideas

With an extensive colour palette then it really does open up so many options regarding wedding invitations. Here I have put together some alternative ideas that would all compliment an Easter pastels wedding. Please note that some invitations are shown in different colours on The Card Gallery website but can be changed using the colour palette option (see website for details).

1. Summer Butterlies – a simple but elegant design printed in mint, wisteria, and candyfloss
2. Vintage Peony – I love the way tou can add your names to the tag to create a bespoke look on this design
3. Monotone Love Birds – this designs appears in black on the website but here it has been recreated using blush, apple and daffodil
4. Shabby Chic Polka Dot Roses – this pastel design is complimented with it’s hot pink element to add vibrance to its soft muted pattern
5. Wedding Polka Dots – shown here in wisteria, this design can be changed to a mixture of pastels to fit with your theme
6. Vintage Bunting and Love Birds – I love the way you can personalised the ‘jam jars’ on this design as well as change the colour to fit with your theme

Free samples are available of all the designs featured on this article, please click here to order your free samples now.

As we enter into the Chinese New Year (31st January), I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how Chinese style has influenced British Design. When we think of Chinese New Year we think of dragons and bright colours, mainly red and yellow. If we go back over 250 years the dragon was one of the main motifs of the Chinoiserie style that was at its height from 1750 to 1765. This style looked at everything that was exotic and fanciful, often from the imagination of the designer rather than any first-hand observation. Architect William Chambers designed the pagoda at Kew Gardens, completed in 1762, and he inspired a real interest in Chinese-style gardening. The Victorians also admired Chinese design, particularly in ceramics and it is these images of blossom trees, pagodas and bridges that still influence our ideas of Chinese design. Throughout the 20th Century we see Chinese influences in fashion, particularly in the art décor style.

Today with so many Chinese people living in Europe and the USA we see a real mix and match of western and Oriental style. Traditionally Chinese weddings were steeped in ceremony and superstition. Marriages were arranged between the parents via a matchmaker. The matchmaker would match the birthdates of the couple and if these were auspicious a dowry would be discussed. Once this had been agreed the couple would be betrothed. The date of the wedding would be set for a lucky day.

The traditional Chinese wedding dress is red, but many Chinese couples are opting to get married in the white dress and suit of the West. But they are keeping many of their traditions at the wedding, such as the tea-ceremony and styling their weddings in red, so that they have beautifully rich table settings and cake designs. The banquet is viewed as more important than the ceremony itself and brides will sometimes wear the traditional red just for the banquet. The dragon does appear in the Chinese wedding as the dragon represents the groom and a phoenix the bride.

British brides may not realise it, but they are using more subtle Chinese influences for their weddings. Orange or cherry blossoms often influence the overall wedding style and orchids appear in many bouquets and buttonholes. Chinese lanterns appear in marquees and gardens. Fans and parasols are often part of the bridesmaids’ outfit and fortune cookie favours are now making an appearance.

2014 is the Chinese year of the horse. People born in the year of the horse are cheerful, skilful with money, perceptive, witty, talented and good with their hands. Read more: Chinese New Year: 2014 | Infoplease.com