A Creative Card Box

A card box at your wedding reception is safe storage place for your cards and gifts while you enjoy your day, but it can also make a statement and there are so many different styles and options to choose from.

If you feel crafty, you can fit your cards box in perfectly with your theme by adding just a few little details to the box yourself. There are so many ways to personalise them!

Here are some of the different style boxes so that you can get an idea of your favourites...


1. A wooden Box.

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2. Up-cycled Cardboard Box.

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A simple cardboard box is all you need if you're feeling creative. You can wrap it in pretty wrapping paper or use large pieces of coloured card.

3. Post Box Style

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The traditional post box style is a popular choice. You can hire out a mini post box - there are some gorgeous ones around, from cream to full gold glitter. You can also buy your own post box style box at places like Home Bargains if you have a smaller budget.


4. Suitcase Style.

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I went for the suitcase style card box at my wedding reception.
It fitted in nicely as we had got married abroad, but they also look gorgeous with a vintage theme.


5. Birdcage Style.

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Pretty and go so well with a pretty vintage theme. My 'Pretty Vintage Theme' Pinterest board is here: http://pin.it/ncb5p5y 


6. Hamper Style.

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These are so cute. They are easy to make yourself and can have lots of room inside for all of the cards and any small gifts you might receive!



 

 

Rachel x 

Wedding Themes #2 - Black Tie Formal with Glitter

A wedding theme that I love and think is easy to create is what I call black tie with glitter!
I'm talking sleek, formal style. It looks expensive but doesn't have to be if you don't have the budget available - you can use your creativity to either make (or have someone else make) lots of the pretty accessories in this theme idea. Whichever you prefer!

With this theme I'm thinking smart black suits for the men, classy bridesmaid dresses and hints of glitter in the decorations.

Here are some photos that I found online. When combined, they show my vision of a 'black tie with glitter' wedding...

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Suit from Next

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How gorgeous is this theme?! I love it and although I have featured gold glitter in the photos that I chose, you could use silver, black or any other colour glitter depending on your own personal preference.

 

Here are some ideas on how you could create this theme yourself...

 

• Choose darker suits for the men to let your smart glitter theme stand out.
• Consider looking at more neutral colours for your bridesmaids such as pinks, creams, greys or go dark like the suits - navy or black dresses.
• On a budget buy A4 glitter card at a craft store in the colour of your choice and use shaped stamps (hearts, stars or circles all look pretty) to stamp out your own glittery table confetti.  
• As shown in the photo above, a plain table cloth with a full sequin runner on it looks amazing. The sequins don't take over the table but do show the theme really well.
• Glitter and ribbon look pretty together on invites.
• It's easy to make glittered table numbers - just paint wooden or paper mache 3D numbers and glitter part of it. I used paper mache letters to paint and create a glitter Mr & Mrs for our at home reception...

•  You can glitter the bottom half of a jar or vase and fill with flowers.
• Glitter can be in your name place tags - just stamp a mini glitter heart for each one.
• You can also hire glitter post boxes to use for your cards.



 

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Rachel x



Your Wedding on a Budget

 

  

The budget for a wedding is often one of the first things that newly engaged couples have to think about. There is so much to consider and if you don't keep tight control you could easily spend more on a wedding than you can actually afford.

Some people are lucky enough to have family members who pay for their whole wedding day for them... no expenses spared. However we are not all that lucky!

This post is to give a little inspiration to brides to be on ways to get their wedding day organised on a lower budget. Your day will still be beautiful!

Don't feel disheartened if you have a small budget. I've been to weddings where the budget was £6,000 including their honeymoon and weddings where they let you know that they have spent £25,000 on one day. Honestly, if they hadn't told me how much it cost I would have thought the two weddings were done on the same budget. It's about being creative and clever with the cash :)

It can be a shock to browse through a venue's wedding brochure looking at the prices - main meal, room hire, evening buffets, dj and entertainment, canapes and drinks packages, their chair covers and other extras... the list goes on. In my own experience it's the venue and more so the food that they serve that does cost a lot on the big day.

Once you have found and committed to a venue with menus that are affordable for your budget, there are plenty of ways to save money on the finer details. I will be posting ideas on ways to achieve these in more detail later, but for now here is a quick list of wedding details you can save on...

Flowers.
Bouquets and fresh flowers can be so expensive. Brides on a budget should consider artificial flowers. You can find beautiful ones at stores like Hobby Craft, Dunelm and Home Sense and create your own bouquet. If you have your heart set on real flowers as the bride, then maybe you could get fake flowers for your bridesmaids to hold. They are only really for walking down the aisle and the group photos anyway!

I took artificial flowers with me as I got married abroad (in the photo above). They look absolutely fine in the photos and to be honest I didn't have them with me after the group photos were taken. They were less than £5 in Dunelm. They were pink (my fave colour) and certainly did the job, keeping in my budget nicely. It was also nice as I kept a couple of them and have them in a little vase in my living room now.

Bridesmaid Dresses.
My recent post on high street bridesmaid dresses is here. If you look carefully, there are plenty of high street dresses that would make beautiful bridesmaid dresses for a reasonable price - perfect on a budget. I bought my sister's bridesmaid dress for my wedding from Asos. It was a simple pink strapless maxi dress and she looked beautiful in it. It cost less than £40.

Stationary.
Stores such as Hobby Craft have some lovely save the date cards, invitations and name place cards which you can work on yourself. This can save a lot of money as you often see wedding invitations for sale at £1.50 - £3.00 each! If you feel creative you can find good quality blank cards with envelopes on eBay for a great price and decorate and write them yourself for a personal touch.
 
Decorations.
Again, eBay can be great here. Table crystals are cheap to buy and so there isn't really a need to hire them. Mirror plates can also be found at good prices, and pretty accessories such as glittered jars filled with flowers are all a great way to make some decorations and save money. Fake flower petals are also a bargain on eBay and look so pretty in your theme colour. Pinterest is great for ideas. You can also see my post about adding bright colour to your big day which has some decoration ideas. You can find it here.

 

More posts on ways to save money on your wedding day coming soon :)

 

I'm passionate that you don't have to break the bank to have a pretty wedding day!

 

Rachel x

On a Budget - High Street Bridesmaid Dresses

Dresses from Asos

Wedding planning can be a very expensive time. Whether your bridesmaid group is your only sister or all six of your best friends, the cost of dresses can really add up.

A great way to save a bit of money when wedding planning is to choose bridesmaid dresses from the high street instead.

There are so many beautiful dresses out there that would make perfect bridesmaid dresses for a budget price.

These are some of my favourites...

Navy Dress

 

This navy TFNC dress is from Asos. Find it here. It would make a gorgeous bridesmaid dress and costs just £60.

 

 

 

Pink Dress

 

Find this pink Asos dress here. These are lovely and the same shade and style is available in a short dress too. Just £50 each.

 

 

 

Red Dress

 

This lovely red dress is just £20 from Boohoo! Find it here. This could make a beautiful bridesmaid dress with a sleek up do and cream flower bouquet. Amazing bargain.

 

 

 

Mint Dress

 

Another gorgeous bargain from boohoo. Gorgeous mint maxi dresses just £30 each! This would look so pretty as a bridesmaid dress. I think pink and cream flowers would look lovely with this shade.

 

 

Would you buy your bridesmaid dresses from the high street to save some money?

 

 

Rachel x

 

 

 

 

Wedding Theme #1 - Bright Colours

Bright Flowers

The first of my theme ideas posts is about adding a splash of bright colour.

What better to add to the men's smart dark suits and a crisp wedding dress than some beautiful brights?! Especially if you're having a summer wedding or a wedding abroad in the sunshine.

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There are so many options to consider. For overall décor I love the white backdrop of a marquee or clean white table linen and chair covers as the starting point. That way you can choose a few of your favourite bright colours to bring together for your theme. Bright flowers in the centre pieces, pretty table crystals or favours with coloured tags are all ways to brighten up the basic white wedding table.

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Table Crystals

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Another easy way to add some colour is to use paper pom poms as shown in the picture above. You can find them on ebay or in shops such as Hobbycraft. They are cheap and usually come flat in a packet - you just ruffle out the papers to make pretty decorations! They can hang from a ceiling, rest on a table or you could even tie them along a string or ribbon above the top table to make a garland of pretty pompoms. A cheap and easy decorating idea that looks as if it took a lot more effort! Mix pretty colours for best results. :)

Here's my list of some extra ways you can inject your favourite bright colours into your wedding day:

• Bright Bridesmaid dresses - not necessarily the same colours!
• Bridal and decorative flowers.
• Bright Shoes under the dress.
• A coloured belt around lighter dresses.
• Men's braces, ties or pocket square.
• Real or fake flower petals on the floor either side of the aisle.
• Provide brightly coloured confetti packs for your guests to throw.
• Have contrasting bright bags for the bride and bridesmaids.
• A brightly themed sweetie table.
• Coloured centrepieces and/or table crystals.
• Place a coloured flower in the back bow of each chair cover.
• Tie the cutlery or napkins with coloured ribbons.
• Coloured favour boxes/gifts.
• The cake.
• Cupcakes, cake pops or decorated biscuits.
• Helium confetti filled balloons at the reception entrance.
• Coloured spray painted jars or straws and stirrers at the bar.
• A coloured macaroon tower.
• Brightly coloured or painted photo frames to hold your table numbers, etc.
• Have a selection of coloured writing pens for your guest book - not just blue or black.

Rachel x

These images are not my own - all links provided.