Event Planning

It is becoming increasingly popular for wedding couples to tie the knot in more exotic or unusual locations. This decision means that it is going to cost guests lots of money to attend and is often not ideal as it means taking time off work or taking children out of school. As an alternative to putting guests under so much pressure they choose to ask very close family to go with them and have a big party to celebrate with lots of family and friends when they return home.

What type of invitation should I send?

There are no rules on what type of invitation you should send following a wedding abroad. With most of our customers opting for a 'beach themed invitation' to follow their 'beach themed wedding', more traditional invites seem to be less popular in this case. At The Card Gallery we have a wide range of Wedding Celebration invitations, most of which have a beach theme and can be personalised to suit your needs. Although you may think you are not holding your ‘party’ by the beach, it was still the theme of your wedding so it is nice to continue this theme all the way through.

 

If you are getting married in an unusual location or you simply want to use a photo that 'means something special to you' then you could opt for a ‘use your own photo’ or a ‘designed to suit your destination’ invitation. These two particular designs are available from The Card Gallery, priced £1.40 each and includes personalisation, free online proof, envelopes and postage... wow!

 

Wording examples Here are a few ideas of how to word your 'wedding celebration invitations';

We're getting ready to depart on a romantic trip, which is only the start!

Nicola Jones and James Owen will be married on Saturday, 26^th September, 2015 in Turks & Caicos Please join us for a reception when we return October 10th, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. At the Ramada Hotel, Habberley Road, Bewdley.

Nicola Jones and James Owen are joining hearts and getting married on the tranquil shores of Cancun Saturday 26th of September 2015 Please join them for a wedding celebration Saturday 10th of October 2015 at 6:00 p.m. The Ramada Hotel, Habberley Road, Bewdley

Love makes life a paradise... Nicola Jones and James Owen joined hearts and were married in Waikiki, Hawaii September 26th, 2014 join them for a wedding reception Saturday, October 10, 2014 5:30 p.m. At the Ramada Hotel, Habberley Road, Bewdley.

Nicola Jones and James Owen will begin their lives together on September 25, 2014 at Sunset Beach Resort of Nassau, Bahamas Please join us in a celebration of our marriage Saturday, October 10, 2014 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. At the Ramada Hotel,Habberley Road, Bewdley.

To see the whole range of wedding celebration invitations available at The Card Gallery, please click here.

Planning and ordering wedding stationery can be rather daunting if you don't know what to do and how to go about it. Here I have put together some useful bits of information about planning and ordering your wedding invitations that will hopefully help you on your way.

Advice

Firstly you need to remember that you only need to send 1 invitation per couple/family, not 1 per person when working out the number of wedding invitations and evening invitations you need to order. Secondly I would recommend adding an extra 10% to the total number of invites you need, this will allow for any mistakes plus any last minute guests you may decide to invite. If you do run short, then don’t panic you can simply order some more, but be aware, there will probably be a minimum order quantity and postage on top of that so doing this can work out costly. Thirdly as a general rule I recommend ordering your wedding invitations 6 months prior to your wedding date. This will give you time to write your invitations, collate all your guests’ addresses and post them. You should aim to have them posted at least 3 months before your actual wedding date allowing time for your guests to RSVP. Fourthly whilst I recommend sending your invitations at least 3 months prior to your wedding date, I would definitely recommend sending them earlier if you’re getting married over a popular holiday period or 6 months to a year in advance if you’re getting married abroad as travel and accommodation will need to be arranged. Any extra information like, flight details, hotel options and resort information can be included on a guest information card so as not to spoil the look of your invitation. Guest information cards usually fit inside the same envelope as your invitation so can be posted out together saving you time and money.

Useful Tips

• Plan your wording for your invitations before you begin to place your order as this will delay you further if you don’t know what you’re doing.
• If you are having separate RSVP cards or guest information cards then make sure you have all the information to hand as you will need to order these at the same time you order your invites if you’re posting them out together.
• Check lead times when ordering your stationery and remember to you need to add delivery times on top of this. Select a ‘guaranteed express delivery’ option if you need them quickly.
• When collating all your guests’ addresses for your invitations, remember to keep them all safe ready for when you write your thank you cards, it will save you lots of time later when you could be packing for your honeymoon.
• Check your stationery when it arrives, you don’t want to find out that they have got damaged in the post or you have put the wrong time for example after leaving them in the box for ‘3 weeks’.

The Card Gallery has everything covered when it comes to wedding stationery. All stationery can be personalised and will be custom printed to meet your requirements ... why shouldn't you have what you want for your special day. Here is a little video slide show showing you all the different products we have on offer. If you have any additional stationery requirements then please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to help.

‘Save the date cards’, they’ve certainly got a memorable name but are we all familiar with what they actually are? In short, sending out save the date cards can be a fun, novel and useful ways to inform potential guests of an occasion and to give them that little bit extra time to prepare.

We’d be hard pushed to find an occasion more anticipated, exciting and memorable than a wedding. On average, soon-to-be Mr and Mrs’s spend a whopping 14 months planning for their big day. Naturally weddings do require a fair amount of planning. From finding the perfect dress to choosing the ideal venue, wedding planning demands attention and dedication from beginning to end.

Writing the guest list can be one of the most enjoyable features of planning for the big day as couples meticulously work out family and friends they definitely do and definitely don’t want to invite. Once the guest list has been agreed, prior to booking the number of heads at the meal or seats at the reception, you’ll need to have confirmation of who is definitely going to attend.

This is when ‘save the date cards’ can prove invaluable. These elegant cards will inform guests of your wedding date. Weddings are brimming with etiquettes and traditions and one such etiquette is to send a wedding invitation to everyone you have sent a save the date card to. On receiving the wedding invitation, guests will be already informed of the date of your wedding and will therefore be in a better position to send you a reply back sooner rather than later. What’s more, in having prior knowledge of the date of your wedding, guests will be more likely to have kept the date free in order to attend the wedding, thus meaning that the amount of “sorry we won’t be able to make it” responses you’ll receive are likely to be kept at a minimum.

How long in advance should the soon-to-be bride and groom send out save the date cards?

In order to maximise the number of ‘yes’ responses you get back from wedding invitations, it is advisable to send out your save the date cards earlier rather than later. While six months might be a little excessive, sending out these graceful wedding ‘heads up’ notes several months before the wedding is due to take place will give people plenty of time to mark the date off as ‘occupied’ on their calendar.

Making your save the date cards memorable

You’re promoting a memorable date so ensuring all associations with the big day comprise of memorable qualities is all but imperative. Personalising the cards so that they include an image of you and your partner or some aspect of your lives together that your guests will recognise will be a poignant touch.

Seasonal themes will also create an inventive and creative edge. Instead of focusing on the current season, emphasis the archetypal weather conditions of when the wedding will take place.

Different styles of save the date cards

Similar to wedding invitations, save the date cards come in a plethora of designs, which can be tailor-made to appeal to different people and can reflect a certain style or tone of a wedding.

For example, if a wedding is going to be traditional and take place in a church with all the customary trimmings and adorned with cream roses, you may want the save the date cards to reflect this style of wedding and have cream roses embellished on the front of the card.

If you are planning a vintage wedding, you may want your save the date cards to be synonymous with vintage aspirations. For example, antique gold swirls or teal and white floral patterns will give guests a hint that the wedding will be of a vintage nature.

A postcard style save the date card is another way to create a fun and memorable theme. Why not pull out all the stops and include a collage of photos from you and your partner’s trip away on your save a date postcards?

Your wedding provides an opportunity to let your creativity sparkle so why not begin by sending out memorable, fun and thoroughly unique save the date cards.

Here at The Card Gallery we try to bring you the very best range of save the date cards to choose from. We have lots of gorgeous cards to pick from - all of which are part of a completely coordinated range. This means that you can have all of your wedding stationery matching - from your save the date cards before the big day, to your thank you cards for when you return from honeymoon! All of our beautiful wedding stationery is made from luxury card stock, and we also offer personalisation too, so you can get exactly what you are looking for from your weddin stationery. You can also order some free samples beforehand to really get an idea of and feel and quality for yourself. Why not take a look at some of our other products while you are looking for your save the date cards? We cover the whole range of wedding stationery, including day and evening invitates, RSVP and guest info cards, order of service and order of the day cards, tables plans and numbers, place cards, menus, and lottery ticket holders to mention just a few! And, when you order your save the date cards from us, we will send you an email with a discount code for you to use on a future purchase with us!