As you know, we love bespoke design requests so when Maura and Stephen briefed us to create snowflake-themed letterpress wedding invitations this was the result…

Judging by the feedback from the couple, they liked the design as much as we did.

“Hi Leanne,
Invites arrived yesterday they are beautiful exactly what we were looking for! Thank you so much for all your help. You were an absolute pleasure to work with. I will definitely be recommending Creative Invites to others.
Thanks again, Maura & Stephen”

We would like to wish Maura and Stephen the very best in the final run up to their wedding and for their Wedding Day on 31st December 2011.

It got me thinking about the benefits of smaller weddings. While they don’t get the same press as the lavish celebrity and royal weddings, smaller weddings are very much making a comeback. They are a popular choice for couples who prefer a more intimate approach for their big day.

Less Expensive
With many wedding couples being on a tight budget, a large wedding may simply be too expensive. By limiting the guest list to family and friends that you really want to share your wedding day with, you can hold your reception in a unique wedding venue without the high price tag. It also allows you to use your budget to create a more elegant affair.

More romantic
The smaller guest list also gives you the flexibility to consider little touches for your wedding that may have otherwise been out of your reach. For example, you can invest more in food, flowers, stationery and reception accessories as you won’t need as many of each item.

Less stress
The stress involved in organising a wedding grows according to how large the wedding is. Small weddings are less stressful and mean that the bride and the groom can enjoy the run up to the wedding.

More time with guests
When you have a small wedding you have more time to mingle with your guests.

A small wedding is a great choice if you want a memorable, personal celebration without starting married life in debt. Less can be more…

Do you agree? We’d love to hear your reasons for choosing a big or small wedding.

Julie Roche

“Just wanted to say thanks a million for our beautiful invitations!! We are absolutley over the moon with them. Not due to go out for another while yet, but I’ve given a sneak peek to a few people and have heard nothing but compliments!! Cant wait to hear back when they do go out!! Thanks again, You really have made it so easy for us! We’ll keep ye updated, and I’ll be recommending you to everyone!! ”

Victoria Waldron

“Just wanted to drop you both a short note to say thanks so much for the fantastic invitations. They really looked fab and we were both thrilled with them when we received them. Since they have gone out we have had some fantastic compliments back about them. They’ve even been described as “the sexiest invitation ever!”. Thanks for all your help and assistance throughout the whole process, from the first sample that we requested to the final proof of the invitations. It has been a great experience during stressful times! Thanks also for all the hard work that went into making them. They are fab and we are really looking forward to getting our mass booklets, place cards and thanks yous from you too! Thanks again, Vicki & Garry”

Stella O’Donnell

“Just a wee note to let you know our invites went out in the post last week. We are getting loads of texts and replies complimenting the invites. You did a great job on them. Thank you for your time, support, ideas, patience and professionalism and on doing a superb job. We highly recommend your business and you both to anyone. Many thanks, Stella & Christopher.”

Trish Hickey

“Planning a wedding from thousands of miles away is never easy but working with Leanne was a pleasure from start to finish. She gracefully accommated the multiple emails and timezone differences to deliver the most beautiful and elegant invites. I would recommend Creative Invites to anyone in a heartbeat!”

Caroline Burke

“Leanne, thanks for all your hard work. Invites are beautiful. Perfectly wrapped too. I will highly recommend you to anyone planning a wedding . First class service from start to finish.”

Amy Malone

“Hi Leanne, thanks so much for the beautiful invitations – they are exactly what I wanted. I would have no hesitation in recommending Creative Invites to anybody. The service was second to none – a great company to deal with.”

Rosaleen Eustace

“Hi Leanne, just wanted to say how much we love our invites. They look amazing, of a high quality and we can’t wait to send them out! We would recommend you highly to anyone planning a wedding, we couldn’t have asked for better customer service! Will be in touch in the near future to sort out mass booklets etc. xx”

Noreen Last

“Thank you so much Leanne for our beautiful invites & thank you cards. We have had so many comments about the quality & how stylish the invites are. You were a pleasure to deal with, always so quick to respond to e-mails & pleasant to deal with. I’ll be recommending Creative Invites to all our friends.”

Elaine McLoughlin

“Leanne,well done on an absolutely fantastic product and service.Everything we got was absolutely beautiful and arrived with no delay.Nothing was an issue and you were so pleasant to deal with. I will have no problem recommending Creative Invites to anyone and I will be in touch soon to organise thank you cards!!! Keep up the good work. Elaine”

Caroline Mc Laughlin

“Congrats and well done Leanne. Some lovely designs. Really great prices. Catherine was really happy with the invites. You are flat out anyway. Great to see it. Talk soon and congrats.”

Catherine Chan

“Received my invites and they are even better than i thought they would be . Totally what we wanted . Fast , efficient and really friendly people to deal with not to mention top quality card and a very reasonable price. Nothing was too much trouble, I felt like I knew Leanne for ages! Anyone reading this do yourself a favour and go with these guys , you literally will not have any hassle as she will take your design and run with it so efficiently. I am already recommending you to anyone that will listen . Thanks again”

Anne Sweeney

“*****FIVE STARS WITHOUT A DOUBT*****
we’ve sent out our thank you cards and we really were delighted with them-you really understood what we were looking for and you hit it spot on!! So many people have commented on either how stylish they were and of course the quality of the card and photograph or the fact that we were able to get them in Irish so thanks a million for everything….ye really put a serious touch of class to our wedding from the invites last July right through to the thank you cards. I don’t think I’ve dealt with a supplier as efficient and yet such a personal touch in a long time….keep up the GREAT work!!! Go raibh mile maith agaibh….!”

Vicky Christopher

“Hi Leanne, I’ve just sent out my invites in the last week and everyone loves them! I’ve had loads of comments on how elegant and unique they are and the quality is amazing! Thank you so much for all your help, I’ve not had such prompt responses from any other supplier and nothing was too much trouble for you, I will definitely be recommending you to any engaged couples I know! Thanks again, Vicky”

Anna Connolly

“Hi Leanne, Just to say we got our invites delivered today and to say thanks a million for doing our invites to such a high quality. We’re delighted with them and my mother who has a real eye for detail gives you 100% for the bows! Thanks again and we’ll have no problem recommending your company to our friends.”

Tracey O’Hara

“Hi Leanne, Invites were sent out yesterday, and today i have been told aleast 10 times if not more that our invites are absolutely gorgeous, really unique, fabulous & lovely just to tell you a few comments. So thank you so much !! It was a genuine pleasure dealing with you both.”

Janice Farrell

“Hi Leanne, Thank you so much for the fab invites. After receiving numerous samples in the post from various companies, yours were really the ones that stood out for me. I must say that when I ordered them your service was just as good. You have been so helpful and prompt. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Vanessa Shanley

“Thank you so much for my beautiful invites Leanne which I have just received. They all look fabulous and can’t wait to send them to my guests as I’m sure they will be as impressed as I am. You truly get what you see an Elegant & Stylish invite made to the highest standards. It really was a pleasure dealing with you, I would have no problem in recommending you to any of my engaged friends. Creative invites truly deserved “stationary supplier of 2009″ and your well on your way for a second award in 2010. Thanks again Vanessa (a very happy Bride)!”

Catherine Mulcahy

“Creative Invites made my wedding invites for my wedding in May this year and I am thrilled with them. They are gorgeous, exactly what I wanted. Leanne you are extremely helpful and very efficient, you are an asset to your company. Your service is excellent, from sending samples , keeping in contact with the customer and getting the order out on time. I would highly recommend your company.”

Catherine Higgins

“Creative Invites made the most amazing invitations. They were nothing but helpful. The order was delivered on time and was exactly what we wanted. I would happily recommend them to anyone!”

If the wedding ceremony is being held in a different venue to the reception, remember to provide a set of directions to the church/ceremony venue and a set of directions from there to the reception venue.

AA route planner provides detailed directions from one location to another and is a very good starting point. However, it is advisable to also drive the routes yourself in case there is anything that has changed since AA route planner was last updated. Include landmarks such as pub and shop names to help as well.

Wedding signage along the route can also be useful – it just requires a bit of planning but it’s worth it to make sure your guests arrive on time.

Do you have any tips for preparing directions for your guests?

We need to sell a LOT of wedding stationery to have €130 ‘spare’ for advertising so I’m quite choosy about where I spend it. Here’s why I turned down this particular offer… 

First off, how many of its readers will be single or already married and NOT looking for wedding suppliers? My guess is a lot. However, there will of course be people reading the paper who are engaged and planning a wedding. Likewise, a reader might know someone who is getting married.

It still doesn’t appeal to me though.

If a bride-to-be (or her friend) is reading the local paper, she may notice and be interested in our advertisement for wedding stationery. When she comes to the stage in her wedding planning where she needs wedding invitations, she might remember that she saw an advertisement a few months ago but as the newspaper has gone in the recycling, she can’t remember the name of the supplier.  

Instead, she starts an online search. This is where I want to be seen and will consider paying €130 to show my products to my target audience.

We receive at least one of these types of calls/emails every week, either from newspapers, bridal magazines or hotels running a wedding fayre. We politely decline, explaining that we do all our business online and this is where we allocate our marketing budget to. But the ‘great offers’ keep coming.

Brides often talk about rip off wedding suppliers but I guarantee if given the chance, any reputable wedding supplier will be able to detail their costs and even highlight work that the customer hadn’t considered.

Something that doesn’t get the same press is wedding suppliers getting ‘ripped off’. Hotels, for example, run wedding fayres, not for the benefit of local wedding suppliers, but to showcase their venue. They need exhibitors to make the showcase appealing to engaged couples and worth the visit. Yet, rather than acknowledging the mutual benefit and inviting suppliers to exhibit for free, they pluck a figure out of the air and expect suppliers to come running. Some will argue that they have advertising costs to cover but at an average of €250 per exhibitor, I’d say their advertising costs are well covered. Most suppliers will also spread the word that the wedding fayre is taking place.

As a small business, we have to keep our overheads low to make a living from what we do. We invest in our online presence but our most successful advertising is free – word of mouth.

No doubt we’ll continue to be targeted by newspapers and hotels, but our response has to be ‘No, thank you’.

We were talking about this on a recent (tasteful) hen party that I was on. A member of another hen party, dressed in luminous skirt, vest, wig etc. actually said to me in the toilets, “Your outfits are lovely; look what we have to wear!” Why would any organiser make a group of girls dress so tacky? Surely they’d never dress like this on any other night.

Despite the revenue they bring, many pubs and restaurants still don’t like to see hen parties coming and I don’t blame them. Somehow, they have become a licence for grown women (including wives and mothers) to act like common slappers. And those in the group that have some taste and class are just humiliated for the night.

Am I on my own I thinking that it just takes a little bit of imagination and common sense to have a classy affair that no-one is embarrassed about the following day?

How did you/will you give your bride a send off before her Big Day?

Why are booklets an essential part of the wedding ceremony?

If you have a lot of guests in the venue, those near the back may not be able to see and hear everything that is happening at the altar. The information in your booklets helps your guests know who’s who in the wedding ceremony and what is going on. It also encourages your guests to respond and join in the hymns.

Whether you include every word of the ceremony or just the main parts, booklets are a lovely touch. You can carry through the theme of your wedding invitations and integrate the booklets as part of your venue décor.

Your wedding party, the wording of the ceremony and even a thank you message to your family and friends can be included in the booklet.

How many should be provided for guests?

Most couples choose to supply one booklet between two guests. At the time of ordering your mass booklets, you may not have received all guests’ RSVPs yet. However, if you do have some spare, they are a lovely keepsake for close family and friends.

TIP: Make sure to get your ceremony booklet text approved by your celebrant before confirming your order.

Feel free to use this sample Catholic mass booklet text as a starting point for your Catholic ceremony booklet and check out our €2 complete ceremony booklets.

Related post

Choosing your wedding ceremony music

Completion date will depend on the size of the order but orders generally take four weeks from proof approval to complete. Deposits for such orders are due on or before 6th January 2012.

Sample requests and letterpress stationery orders are still being taken as usual.

Please don’t hesitate to email us (sales@creativeinvites.ie) if you have any queries regarding placing your wedding stationery order.

Selected ribbon colours reduced from €0.60 per metre to €0.40 per metre

15mm double-sided satin ribbon
Sold in lengths of 1m (i.e. Qty 1 = 1m)

The 10 colours shown below are reduced to €0.40 per metre while stocks last. If you would like a FREE SWATCH of the ribbon before you buy, just send us an SAE and we will pop a swatch in the post to you.

Click on any of the images to buy now.

Other Sale Items

Click on any of the images to buy now.

                       
Paper trimmer           Foam head cala lilies                 12mm Glue Dots (1000 per box)
was €28                       was €1.20 (p/bunch of 5)        was €20
now €20                      now €0.60 (p/bunch of 5)       now €10
** only two left **

(P&P not included in above prices.)