You know, when Girth is just as important as Size... Yeah That!!!

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They can come in all sorts of sizes...

They can come in many shapes...

Colours...

and 

Even the Texture can change...

It can even weigh differently each time...

BUT

Who knew it was 

--->The Girth<---

That was one of the most important things when it comes to....

Posting Your Wedding Invites!

Yep for all those who landed on this page looking for the wrong type of 'Girth'...

I apologise. I am just talking about postage.

Why?... 

Well....

This week we posted our carefully hand made invites out. We sealed the back with ribbon and a wax seal and then we placed 2nd Class stamps on each.

I said to The Hoff 'are you sure this is enough postage? I'm sure it's done on weight'

The Hoff replied 'Uhhh yeah hold on...' and went off and weighed one on the kitchen scales.

'Naaahhhh it's absolutely fine' he said 'I think it's done on the size of the envelope now anyway and it's not a large envelope, it should be fine'. I agreed, although reluctantly, and said 'well these lot are ready to post then, I just need to get some more stamps for the other half, I'll do that tomorrow'.

So Hoff posted his half on his way to work the next day. I went to the Post Office, I had the few that were going abroad so had them weighed and 'Air Mail' stamped. I noticed that it cost £1.19 for the air mail ones and it did cross my mind to get the ones I had in a bag, in my hand, checked, but stupidly I thought 'no it's just because they're going abroad. They'll be fine'...

*dodgy music*

A FEW DAYS LATER

*dodgy music fades*

I had a phone call from the Mother in Law saying she had a sticker on her invite that said  

'To Pay' 

To Pay??? Oh My this is bad! This is really, really BAD!

It got worse.

It said on the sticker...

£1 handling fee & 19p postage

Making that £1.19...

for them TO PAY

 £1.19, that our guests would have to pay to get their hands on the lovely invites that I had put so much effort into.

Basically if they want to know where to come and the details our big day...

they'd have to pay for it...

*head in hands*

THIS IS NOT GOOD!

So!...

They weren't fine!

They were far from fine!

They were, in fact, 19p under their actual postage!

I bloody knew I should have checked them.

 I knew I should've gone with my gut.

Dammmmmmmmit!!

If I wasn't laughing I'd be crying, so for now this is hilarious!

We rung the Royal Mail. We thought that maybe they could shed some light on what had happened. They said that if it was a small envelope and the weight was fine then it must be the GIRTH of the letter... Yes we giggled too! 

I never even thought of the thickness of the thing?!

But it turns out they have a little measurey thing on the counter, that they hadn't used for the 'air mail' ones.

*head back in hands* 

Right so, 'what to do now' we both thought...

Wait and see how many people get back to us and say they've had to pay for theirs?

Or 

Contact all our guests and tell them that they may have to pay for their invites in order to get them or they may not, as the Royal Mail are holding some of them hostage?

We went with the latter, mainly because we thought if we told people now they'd know what was coming and not think,

'Oh Gosh what have I got in the post that needs picking up' then get completely disappointed.

Or even, and more likely for our mates,

'What cheapskates!'

  

The results...

We got called Cheapskates and many other things.

All in jest BUT all completely deserved.

Turns out though, that some of them were fine and got through with no extra postage needed.

Some had been posted through the door with a sticker and without having to pay. 

Others though got these...

Hahahahaha *sorry shouldn't laugh*

They had to go and pick them up from their nearest Post Office and pay £1.19+

So to all our guests, we apologise for our little mishap and we will compensate you on the actual day.

 For the rest of you reading this, Brides, Grooms... others...

Make this your heads up!

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR POSTAGE

BEFORE SENDING

 YOUR INVITES!!

   

Lesson Learnt

ATTENTION 2013 BRIDES! - Buy your favours for cheap this Valentines Day!!

Hello just a quick one today...

I have had the heads up from another blogger (www.herecomethegirlsblog.com) that Aldi have some amazing Valentines Day bargains on sale right now!

This Includes a tube full of Mini Love Heart's for a tiny 99p which would make GREAT favours for your guests!! You could even cover the tubes yourself to match your theme and make them pretty, whilst still keeping the shape and contents the same!... making it a little more DIY!

After hearing this I started thinking about what other shops have on sale around Valentines Day and how PERFECT they'd be for wedding favours. Little heart shaped everything is sold at this time of year so this is the perfect time to get some shopping done and prepare for your big day!

So get down to those shops Brides and get looking at what you could buy that will make your wedding favours fabulous... but for cheap!

Create your own Wedding Stationary with the new Office365

DIY weddings can be amazing but tricky and we all know Wedding Stationary such as Address Labels, Invites, Thank You cards etc. etc. Can be a great chunk out of your budget if bought from a company and when created yourself, sometimes can look very amateur depending on your skills...

NOT ANY MORE!

Offic365 is a new version of Microsoft's Office software and now it can be a DIY brides new best friend!

Office 365 has some amazing already created and written templates...

Yep Templates!!!

You can pick a template or even download one from the Office website if you can't find one you like from the originals. 

Just a few of the templates

You can re-write them, change the picture to fit your theme and even change the colouring to match everything you do. 

I must admit I was panicking about writing the names on the invites as my writing isn't up to scratch with the idea I had in my head. I recently went to the launch of the Office365 software in the UK with my Mummy Blog and discovered that it fitted in to this one too. 

Not only that but you can share your creations with your loved ones and they can give it the thumbs up or edit it without you even having to do much at all with The Cloud! You can work on group projects and each edit things without even being in the same room!... or country for that matter!

No excuse for the Groom to not have his say in it all because he's at work or out...

But it is also a way to keep the in laws involved in the process so you don't have to repeat yourself too!

Magic!

You can even get a FREE 1 month trial on this too, so try it out and create your first bits of your wedding now whilst it is free!

Good luck and let me know how you get on!

I was not paid by Microsoft for writing this post but I did receive their product to use and keep in return for my honest review of the product. All the content from this post is written in my own words (apart from the quote from their website) Click here for more information on my disclosure policy.

DIY Vases - Sweet Jars - Tealight Holders

A simple way of upcycling old jam jars, cooking sauce jars or any old glass bottles.

What You Need:-

Clean Glass Bottles and Jars

Ribbon

Strong Glue

Wax Gun & Stamp

Personalised Sticky labels
 &/or
Wool
PVA Glue

Quite a simple one.

What To Do...

• Eat or Drink whatever is in the bottle then wash and scrape off any labels.
• Make sure the glass is dry before applying the personalised label in the centre of the jar.
• (You can also find a simple stencil and create your own using glass paint or pens)
• Measure and cut the ribbon around the top of the jar under the ridge (where the lid goes).
• Make sure you leave enough ribbon on either side to cross over and dangle either side.
• Place a blob of glue under the ridge of the jar where the ribbon will cross and wrap the ribbon around.
• Hold the ribbon down until it's stuck down.
• Place a good amount of melted wax (with the gun) on top of where the ribbon crosses.
• Using the stamp, press down firmly to create the pattern.
• Quickly place a jewel in the centre of the wax.
• Put to one side to dry.

 

Woolly bottles... 

•  Do as above and eat and drink the bottle/jar content and wash and dry it. 
• Paint the top half of the bottle with PVA glue.
• starting at the top of the bottle start wrapping the wool tightly around the bottle.
• this can be very simple once started and the top is stuck down let your hand guide the wool and spin the bottle with the other hand on the part without the glue.
• When you get to the non glued part, paint the rest of the bottle with the PVA glue and do the same as above but spinning it from the already stuck down wool, keeping your fingers from getting too sticky.
• To change the colour of the wool do the same as the start but overlapping the first colours end slightly to secure it and leave a seamless colour change.
• Leave the bottle or jar to stand and dry.
• Use for vases or candle holders.

TA DA...

One simple upcycled jar/bottle ready for you to fill with whatever you please.

We have also saved some Coca Cola bottles up and placed fake flowers (donated by my Aunts) in them...

they look cool and can be placed around the cake table, buffet table, bar... anywhere that needs a bit of colour really.

Good Luck

DIY Upcycled Confetti

 So one thing I always forget to take to a wedding is....

Confetti!

I'm not on my own here either I have several friends who say they do the same.

So as I am doing this wedding based on my experiences of weddings, I think there is a simple solution for this...

Provide your own confetti!

It is quite simple and it need not cost you anything extra.

Just reuse the left over bits of paper from the making of other things,

An old newspaper or book,

Tissue Paper from the box of your new shoes,

Packaging from things you've ordered for the day...

Some venues will only allow you to use confetti outside the venue and some will only allow it inside so depending on the venues rules can depend on what material you are able to use. 

(i.e. biodegradable material is best ror outside use)

Please keep this in mind. 

What You Need :-

A Hole Punch

Left over materials

Coloured tissue paper

Brown Paper packaging

A Glue Stick
Small Sticky Labels
Rubber Stamp 
(Free from Vistaprint)  

What To Do...

Make the Confetti...

 Simply take the hole punch and punch the paper, saving the shapes and disposing of the rest.

Simples! 

Make the Envelopes...

I have used brown paper packaging from a package I had delivered recently to create these simple envelopes. 

 Cut the Paper into large rectangles, fold, stick and fill with the confetti!

Again...

Simples!

DIY Guest Tissue Pouches

Do you cry at weddings?

I DO! 

And I never have a tissue to hand either because I always forget them along with the confetti!

So I decided as I have been to so many weddings in which I've had to tap up a stranger to ask to steal one of their tissues or I've had to suck it up and hold it in...

I'd provide a tissue for them to cry their happy tears for us in... 

So not to create our own swimming pool in the church!

 Guest Tissue Pouches

Clever Ay?! 

I think of everything!

So here is my clever little way of providing tissues for my guests, yet keeping in with the theme!

 What You Need:-

Brown Paper Packaging

A glue stick

Colour appropriate jewels

Rubber stamps

Rubber stamp with initials

(Free from Vistaprint)

Packets of single tissues

Small sticky labels

What To Do...

First create the envelopes by following the picture diagram below.

(size depending on what you wish or how much paper you have).

Do as many as you need.... I did 100!

When the envelope is ready, stamp a theme appropriate stamp on the front.

Stamp a small picture in the corner (where you'd put a postage stamp).

Place three jewels underneath to create a stamp look.

Place 1 tissue inside.

Seal with a small sticky label and stamp with your initials.

Ta Da

Simple!

Catering Trends for 2013

  

Catering Trends For 2013

The age old adage of 'less is more' is the dish of the day for weddings this year. The Diamond Jubilee and Olympics saw people everywhere embracing great British cuisine and culture and this attitude continues to be reflected.  While personalised options are still on the menu, it's all about taking it back to basics. John Hearn, Executive Chef of food design and event management company, Tapenade offers his suggestions for what's being served up in 2013:

• Childhood delights - weddings are about cherishing your loved ones so why not cherish the food you enjoyed as children and reinvent classic dishes like bangers and mash or fish and chips? Using local produce where possible will personalise your menu that little bit more
• Pies - mini sized!  Why not treat your guests to an array of British favourites such as steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom or beef and onion? Platters could be served to each table, or buffet style, with a selection of side dishes such as tasty mash and seasonal vegetables.  This idea could be incorporated as a dessert option if you'd prefer, with apple pie and custard or apple and rhubarb pie with a crumble topping
• Canapés - this is still very popular and is a great option for informal dining.   Think miniature newspaper cones of fish and chips, mini steak and chips with a warm horseradish cream dip, or miniature ice cream cones
• Tea parties - last year people everywhere hosted tea parties to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee so why not celebrate your wedding in the same way?  It also offers a more relaxed    atmosphere and allows guests to mingle. Incorporate traditional favourites such as finger sandwiches or fresh strawberry meringues.  Scones are also a popular choice but not everyone likes sultanas, so it's a good to idea to offer a selection of sweet and savoury scones, such as wild watercress and dill scones served with oak smoked salmon and cream cheese or fresh raspberry scones.  You could even have a Victoria sandwich for your wedding cake!
• His 'n' Hers courses - why not serve a starter and main course chosen individually by the bride and groom, followed by a dessert that's chosen by the couple together?  Dishes could be a childhood favourite or a family recipe.  Guests will be treated to a personalised dining experience and the menu will reflect you coming together as a couple
• Gastronomical experience!  If you're both real foodies or you simply can't decide what to choose, why not consider a tasting menu in the style of the finest Michelin starred restaurants with a selection of your favourite dishes served as small portions?  This will not only make the menu more personal, but it will give guests an experience to remember! If you do opt for this though, it's worth remembering that the earlier the wedding breakfast can be served, the better - tasting menus are meant to be enjoyed and savoured over several hours.

About Tapenade:

Tapenade is a stylish food design and event management company located in Surrey. It prides itself on creating 'top end London restaurant quality' cuisine, without the London price tag for groups of 100-7000.

The company works throughout the year, across the UK, organizing exclusive corporate events, weddings and private parties. Tapenade's inspirational and stylish ideas make any event a success with its personal, flexible and comprehensive service.

Check them out here:

www.tapenade.co.uk