This week has been the week of wedding invitations! In preparation for today, when we went up to St. Andrews to write and put everything into envelopes, there was a lot of background work that went on.
Firstly I had to source the inserts there is a brilliant web site called Mad About Cards and they have everything you could posssibly need so managed to get precut inserts ready to print to save time. Also bought envelopes and red confetti hearts to put into the invites.
Then I had to plan and print the inserts with the correct wording, used a brilliant desk top publisher called PagePlus to do that and they turned out really well.
I had to write out the gift list number and Rachel and Simon's names onto little cards to be put in as well in case anyone wants to buy a gift from Debenhams for them.
I wrote out the directions to get from the church to the hotel and also found some information on places to stay locally so we printed them out as well (had the help of my husband to do the double sided printing as he can only do it from his computer upstairs)
Last bit of preparation was to put the doublesided sticky tape into the cards ready to pull off the backing to place the ineserts into the cards (Tip courtesy of my friend Lynne who is an amazing crafter, making cards and scrapbooks)
In amongst that I was also working on the bodice of the wedding dress to get it to a stage for Rachel to try on today.
So today we took all the various parts up in the car and we set up a production line around the table with Rachel writing the names on the inserts, Simon sticking them into the invitation cards, Mark folding the info and wedding gift list cards, me writing out the addresses on the envelopes and Ian putting eveything into the envelopes including adding the red confetti hearts!
We did the whole day invites before lunch and the evening ones after lunch so a very good days work. We also listened to hymns on a CD to try and help them choose which ones they would like for the service as they can't make up their minds.
Right at the end they looked at menu choices so I have left them with the menus to make their final decisions for when they come back at Easter.
Rachel also tried on the bodice, which fits prefectly, and confirmed the trimming was correct for the dress as well as a necklace she wants to have made for her wedding day to check it out against the bodice. It looks lovely. We have commissioned her friend Naomi to make it for the day.
So a busy but successful week. Will it get calmer for a while I wonder!
Saturday 25 February 2012
Wednesday 15 February 2012
In Praise of Personal Shoppers
Well, we had a brilliant day in Edinburgh today. Carol and I went in by train and met up with Shona outside Jenners on Princes Street. We walked to Debenhams and had a wander round first.
They have an amazing library of old books at one end of the women's section, they mainly seen to be theological books and biographies but I picked up a couple and they had inscriptions from 1874 and 1903. My daughter would have found them facsinating as she loves old books. They also had a couple of comfy armchairs so perhaps it was for the men to rest while their wives are shopping!
We then met up with Tania, the Personal Shopper. She took us into a suite which had armchairs in one room and a huge dressing room with full length mirrors (Now I know why I don't have full length mirrors in the house!!) Carol and Shona settled in and I went into the dressing room. Tania had organised a number of dresses already so that I had a starting point and then as I tried things on she would go and collect another size or style. She even went and got different bras so that I could see what dresses looked like!
When ever I had a dress on I came out for comments from my friends. It was so relaxing as I didn't have to hunt for sizes or styles and I now have my outfit for the wedding (plus a new bra!)
There wasn't any pressure at all but it was very relaxing and I felt confident that I had tried on things I wouldn't normally have tried on if I was just looking myself, as well as taking the stress out of looking. I was also pleasantly surprised that the dresses were not too pricey and were within my budget as I had thought they might have been too expensive.
I will still need to think about shoes (they can come out of next months budget) and whether to wear a hat or a fascinator or a flower in my hair, not sure yet!
After our successful shopping I treated us all to a coffee and blueberry muffins before we had a look around some other shops for hats etc.
We finished our trip with a late leisurely lunch in Jenners restaurant before heading home again.
I would definitely recommend a personal shopper if someone has a special event coming up or even if you don't like traipsing round department stores and want someone else to do the leg work for you for more ordinary outfits. Take a friend as well so you can get comments from someone who knows you, although Tania did say if something did not suit me or I needed a different size.
They have an amazing library of old books at one end of the women's section, they mainly seen to be theological books and biographies but I picked up a couple and they had inscriptions from 1874 and 1903. My daughter would have found them facsinating as she loves old books. They also had a couple of comfy armchairs so perhaps it was for the men to rest while their wives are shopping!
We then met up with Tania, the Personal Shopper. She took us into a suite which had armchairs in one room and a huge dressing room with full length mirrors (Now I know why I don't have full length mirrors in the house!!) Carol and Shona settled in and I went into the dressing room. Tania had organised a number of dresses already so that I had a starting point and then as I tried things on she would go and collect another size or style. She even went and got different bras so that I could see what dresses looked like!
When ever I had a dress on I came out for comments from my friends. It was so relaxing as I didn't have to hunt for sizes or styles and I now have my outfit for the wedding (plus a new bra!)
There wasn't any pressure at all but it was very relaxing and I felt confident that I had tried on things I wouldn't normally have tried on if I was just looking myself, as well as taking the stress out of looking. I was also pleasantly surprised that the dresses were not too pricey and were within my budget as I had thought they might have been too expensive.
I will still need to think about shoes (they can come out of next months budget) and whether to wear a hat or a fascinator or a flower in my hair, not sure yet!
After our successful shopping I treated us all to a coffee and blueberry muffins before we had a look around some other shops for hats etc.
We finished our trip with a late leisurely lunch in Jenners restaurant before heading home again.
I would definitely recommend a personal shopper if someone has a special event coming up or even if you don't like traipsing round department stores and want someone else to do the leg work for you for more ordinary outfits. Take a friend as well so you can get comments from someone who knows you, although Tania did say if something did not suit me or I needed a different size.
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Confused cats!
Well the cats were completely confused today. Yesterday the living room was a cat free zone as I vacuumed everything in sight before I started dressmaking. I had the lace laid out on the floor while I pinned out the pattern, cut off the scalloped edge to be re-attached later round the hem of the skirt and then cut out the pieces of the dress.
Today I attacked Rachel's room with the vacuum cleaner early before the cats took up residence.
When Rachel is away at Uni the cats take over her room to sleep during the day, with Sparky(ginger and white tom) sleeping on a throw on the bed and Sophie (dark tortoise shell female) sleeping in the 'cat' bean bag by the radiator. I say 'cat' bean bag but it was orignially made for Rachel when she was younger, however over the years it has reduced in 'comfy factor' and is now only suitable for the cats!
So by the time I had settled myself at Rachel's desk with my sewing the cats were mewing at the door wondering what was going on. Eventually they both settled on the spare top bunk in Mark's room. (I really must change that bed, I meant to do it after Simon (Rachel's fiance) slept in it when they were last here and have never quite got round to it. Mainly becasue it invovles climbing into the bed to make it! It will get done before they come back to visit at Easter)
Yesterday I also met up with Denise from the hotel we are having the wedding at, she was very helpful and answered all my questions about time scales, menus etc.
It is amazing how much there is to do when you are planning a wedding, I don't remember this much when I got married so it must mean my Mum did a lot of work behind the scenes which I don't remember or didn't see (although I did make my dress and one of the bridesmaids dresses). Thanks Mum.
On the advice of my friend, Carol, I have organised an appointment with a Personal Shopper at Debenhams in Edinburgh for our girlie day out to start looking for an outfit for me! Have never done this before as I thought personal shoppers were only for people with lots of money but apparently lots of people use the service. So Edinburgh here we come!!
Today I attacked Rachel's room with the vacuum cleaner early before the cats took up residence.
When Rachel is away at Uni the cats take over her room to sleep during the day, with Sparky(ginger and white tom) sleeping on a throw on the bed and Sophie (dark tortoise shell female) sleeping in the 'cat' bean bag by the radiator. I say 'cat' bean bag but it was orignially made for Rachel when she was younger, however over the years it has reduced in 'comfy factor' and is now only suitable for the cats!
So by the time I had settled myself at Rachel's desk with my sewing the cats were mewing at the door wondering what was going on. Eventually they both settled on the spare top bunk in Mark's room. (I really must change that bed, I meant to do it after Simon (Rachel's fiance) slept in it when they were last here and have never quite got round to it. Mainly becasue it invovles climbing into the bed to make it! It will get done before they come back to visit at Easter)
Yesterday I also met up with Denise from the hotel we are having the wedding at, she was very helpful and answered all my questions about time scales, menus etc.
It is amazing how much there is to do when you are planning a wedding, I don't remember this much when I got married so it must mean my Mum did a lot of work behind the scenes which I don't remember or didn't see (although I did make my dress and one of the bridesmaids dresses). Thanks Mum.
On the advice of my friend, Carol, I have organised an appointment with a Personal Shopper at Debenhams in Edinburgh for our girlie day out to start looking for an outfit for me! Have never done this before as I thought personal shoppers were only for people with lots of money but apparently lots of people use the service. So Edinburgh here we come!!
Sunday 12 February 2012
You have to start somewhere
Well, this is the first time I have ever done anything like this. My daughter is a regular blogger and has inspired me to try it out.
Sometimes I feel that there is so much going on in my head that I won't remember it all and so I write lots of lists. This is another way of getting all that stuff out of my head and seeing how to make sense of it.
One of the reasons I have so much 'stuff' running round my head is that my daughter is getting married this July and so I am planning and coordinating the wedding.
We have made the invitations with a couple of girls days/evenings and they are all different but coordinating with the colours for the bridesmaids. It was great fun and I think more women should have craft days like that to enjoy each others company and to be creative at the same time.
I am also making the wedding dress, two bridesmaids dresses and two flower girls dresses! You are probably thinking I am at home full time but no I work full time! Manic or what!
So you can see why I have a lot of things going round my head at present.
Sometimes I feel that there is so much going on in my head that I won't remember it all and so I write lots of lists. This is another way of getting all that stuff out of my head and seeing how to make sense of it.
One of the reasons I have so much 'stuff' running round my head is that my daughter is getting married this July and so I am planning and coordinating the wedding.
We have made the invitations with a couple of girls days/evenings and they are all different but coordinating with the colours for the bridesmaids. It was great fun and I think more women should have craft days like that to enjoy each others company and to be creative at the same time.
I am also making the wedding dress, two bridesmaids dresses and two flower girls dresses! You are probably thinking I am at home full time but no I work full time! Manic or what!
So you can see why I have a lot of things going round my head at present.
I am off for a few days this week so need to meet up with the wedding planner at the hotel, phone the church, phone about a piper, order flowers for headdresses and print off the info for inside the invites plus find directions to hotel and info re places to stay for visitors. Oh as well as get started on the wedding dress and look for a mother of the bride outfit!
It will be a full week.
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